LGBTQ

A court in the UK has blocked marriage equality in both the Cayman Islands and Bermuda in a huge blow to LGBT+ folk in the British overseas territories. In March 2019, same-sex marriage was legalised with immediate effect in the Cayman Islands following a lengthy legal battle by lesbian couple Chantelle Day and Vickie Bodden Bush. But just eight months later, the Cayman Islands government won an appeal to overturn the legalisation, re-criminalising same-sex marriage, although the Court of Appeal mandated unions which have a “legal status equivalent to marriage” for same-sex...

JK Rowling (left) and Caroline Farrow (right). (Getty/Jim Spellman and YouTube/ Good Morning Britain) JK Rowling took to Twitter on Saturday (12 March) to send “big love” to anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-abortion Catholic activist Caroline Farrow. Farrow had tweeted that she was feeling emotional, both because her daughter was turning 18 and because her life had been “invaded and dominated by insane trans rights activists”. She said that she was moved to tears by Rowling’s continued opposition to trans rights activists. JK Rowling, a self-described feminist, sent some “big love” to...

People gather in support of the trans community after a court temporarily halts Texas from investigating families of trans youth. (YouTube/NBC News) Child abuse investigations into the supportive parents of trans youth have been temporarily banned in Texas.  A Texas district court judge ordered on Friday (11 March) that the state temporarily halt investigating parents who provide their trans children with gender-affirming care.  The injunction, issued by judge Amy Clark judge, follows a legal challenge by the parents of a 16-year-old trans girl. The trans teen’s mother was put on...

Power of the Dog director Jane Campion attends the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards on 13 March 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) Filmmaker Jane Campion has responded to Sam Elliott’s criticism of her film The Power of the Dog, calling him “sexist” and a “bit of a b***h”.  Elliot, an actor famous for his portrayals in western films, criticised The Power of the Dog for its depiction of cowboys and “allusions of homosexuality”. He also compared the cowboys in the film to Chippendales dancers “running around in chaps and no shirts”.  Campion didn’t...

Lizzo revealed her skincare routine on TikTok. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for dcp) Lizzo has revealed her skincare routine on TikTok – including Glow Recipe’s Pineapple-C Bright Serum – and we’re copying it right now. She revealed her “made up” daily routine on her profile after fans wanted to know how she gets her glow. The singer posted the clip to her TikTok account, captioning the post: “YALL BEEN AXXIN FOR THE SKIN CARE ROUTINE SO I MADE ONE UP”. It sees her apply toner, Glow Recipe’s Pineapple-C Bright Serum, rose water,...

Lawmaker offers update on Russian arrest of basketballer Brittney Griner (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Brittney Griner has been in custody in Russia for over three weeks, it has emerged, with officials admitting ‘extreme concern’. It was reported last weekend that the WNBA star had been detained after customs officials allegedly detected cannabis oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. Details of Brittney Griner’s arrest have been scant, with fears growing that she could be used as a pawn by the Russian government as the US and other nations impose strict sanctions...

Anasofia Pelaez and Kimberly Blandon protest after the passage of the "Don't Say Gay" bill on 9 March 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Getty/Joe Raedle) Georgia lawmakers filed their own version of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill hours after Florida passed its own. The bill (SB 613) is formally titled the “Common Humanity in Private Education Act” and is sponsored by 10 GOP state senators. If passed, it would prohibit schools from encouraging “classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity” both in primary grade levels, and “in a manner that is...

Renee Erickson. (Kansas State Senate) Kansas has become the latest US state to eye up a ban on trans athletes in girls and women’s sports. “This is not a trans bill,” said senator Renee Erickson as she introduced the bill that would explicitly ban trans women from school sports in kindergarten through college. “It is a protection for women and for girls.” SB 484 is the Kansas legislature’s second attempt at putting an anti-trans sports ban in the books. It was introduced last month, passed the state Senate Committee Wednesday (9...

Stephen Fry. (Getty/ Matthew Eisman) Stephen Fry has recalled a terrifying homophobic attack by a “furious skinhead” at a football match, which left him “trembling”. Fry, 64, recalled the incident, which took place at an FA Cup match at London’s Wembley Stadium, on food critic Jay Rayner’s Out To Lunch podcast. He said: “I remember once going to the FA Cup in Wembley and, as I was walking in, there was this furious face suddenly loomed right in front of me. “It was a skinhead and , ‘You’re a f***ing...

Person holds a sign that reads "Protect trans kids". (Pexels) Idaho lawmakers have advanced a bill criminalising gender-affirming care for trans youth. The Idaho House approved legislation on Tuesday (8 March) that would make providing gender-affirming medical care to trans youth a felony charge punishable by up to life in prison. House Bill 675 (HB 675) would expand a law that was established in 2019 to prevent “female genital mutilation” so that it also covers gender-affirming lower surgeries for young trans people. It would also criminalise mastectomies, puberty blockers and gender-affirming...

Alejandro Giammattei, president of Guatemala. (AFP via Getty/ JOHAN ORDONEZ) The congress of Guatemala has passed legislation to explicitly ban same-sex marriage, ban the mention of LGBT+ equality in school, and triple the prison sentence for abortion. The “Life and Family Protection Law” was passed by congress on Tuesday, 8 March, which was also International Women’s Day. It was voted through with 101 votes in favour, 51 abstentions and just eight votes against. It will officially come into law once it has been signed by Guatemala’s president, Alejandro Giammattei. Currently, people who...

Dolly Parton attends the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic) Dolly Parton told the Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards she would “rather pass a kidney stone” than get political on stage. But the singer and philanthropist still used her co-hosting appearance at the ACM awards to call for “peace”, as she dedicated the entire show to Ukraine. Two weeks after war began, more than a million Ukrainians have been pushed out of their homes and tens of thousands remain in besieged cities without food, water or power. “I do...

A lesbian couple in South Africa won a crucial court ruling that will pave the way for more LGBT+ families like themselves. (Stock photograph via Pexels) A lesbian in South Africa will no longer have to adopt her own children to be recognised as their mother after a landmark court ruling. The Gauteng High Court in Pretoria ruled against a piece of legislation which meant that, when children are conceived through insemination, only the person who carried them and their “husband” can be legally named parents. The couple who appealed...

Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider opens up about the details of her engagement to Genevieve Davis. (YouTube/Good Morning America/Jeopardy!) Jeopardy! champ Amy Schneider has gushed about the romantic details of how her fiancée popped the question. During her 40-game win streak, Schneider became the most successful female contestant in the show’s history and the first woman to break over $1 million – ultimately taking home almost $1.4 million in earnings. She is also the first trans contestant to compete on the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions.  Just a few weeks after leaving the quiz...