LGBTQ

Salekh Magamadov and Ismail Isayev are being held without proof on terrorism charges at a detention centre in Chechnya. (Facebook/ Russian LGBT Network) Chechen authorities have detained 20 people related to two gay torture victims held on terror charges that police don’t have a shred of evidence to prove. Brothers Ismail Isayev, 18, and Salekh Magamadov, 20, both gay, escaped from the homophobic republic to Russia in 2020 amid a terrifying crackdown on LGBT+ people. But the activists were tracked down by Russian security agents earlier this year and forcibly returned...

Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black shared adorable snaps from their eight year relationship to celebrate their anniversary. (Instagram) Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black have celebrated their eight-year anniversary with adorable throwback posts on Instagram. The Olympic diver and Oscar-winning screenwriter shared a selection of photographs of their relationship through the years and reflected on how they became a family. “Eight years ago we met at a dinner, we lived on opposite sides of the pond and thought it was going to be impossible to make it work… but...

A federal court has ruled in favour of a Christian student group banned for its discriminatory leadership requirements. (Stock photograph via Elements Envato) A judge has ruled that University of Iowa administrators can be sued by a Christian student group that was placed under a ban for religious homophobia. In 2017, a Business Leaders in Christ group was dismantled by the university after it withdrew a leadership position from a student because he was gay and opposed its teachings on sexuality. District judges in 2019 said that the university unevenly applied its human...

Joe Biden. (Rick Loomis/Getty) Joe Biden is facing calls to give trans and non-binary people the legal recognition they need with “X” markers on passports. Under current rules, people must identify as either male or female on United States passports, meaning non-binary people are effectively forced to misgender themselves on official documentation. Joe Biden promised to introduce a third “X” marker for non-binary people on passports and social security cards during his presidential campaign – however, no such change has been enacted. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) launched its...

Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village. (Capcom) Today is the 25th anniversary of the Resident Evil series, which began on the PlayStation way back in 1996. The story of Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine exploring a zombie-infested mansion filled with puzzles and traps is a bona fide horror classic with a legacy that will long continue. After seven main games, countless spin-offs and a movie series, the series is gearing up for the brand new Resident Evil Village. The game looks to combine the best of the series so far:...

Left: Sierra Myst. Right: one of the LGBT+ creations in the new gaybourhood (Sims 4) “I wanted to see what the queerest world would look like!” says SierraxMyst. And the only way to do that is to build it yourself in The Sims 4. The drag artist and Twitch streamer recently put together a charity event that raised $12,000 for True Colors United, an LGBT+ homelessness charity. Fifteen LGBT+ players of The Sims 4 were involved, collaborating on a world save of Willow Creek – re-building the district with custom...

Life Is Strange: True Colors. (Square Enix) Life is Strange: True Colors, the latest game in the LGBT+ series, will feature a bisexual lead when it’s released in September. Developed by Deck Nine Games since 2017, the story will focus on new character Alex who visits her brother’s hometown of Haven but soon must investigate his death. As is tradition for the series, Alex has supernatural powers – this time the ability to see characters’ emotions as coloured auras. The game will feature two possible romance options in Ryan and...

Vigil Held In Washington, DC To Remember And Honor Atlanta Shooting Victims. (Getty) Video game companies have been sharing statements on social media in the wake of the #StopAsianHate movement. The movement began after the recent Atlanta shootings in which eight people died, including six women of Asian descent. Donations to the Stop AAPI Hate campaign have been shared across social media from several high profile video game companies. “We are troubled by a recent pattern of violence targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. It’s time to take...

Alex Kofi Donko. (YouTube) A community centre for a fledgling LGBT+ rights group in Ghana gutted by a brutal raid has now launched a defiant fundraiser to regroup and rebuild. LGBT+ Rights Ghana, one of the country’s top queer campaign groups, opened its office and safe space earlier this year in an event attended by European Union officials. But within days, the office entered the radar of a small but powerful cadre of religious conservatives, plunging its future into uncertainty. So-called “family values” organisers urged law enforcement to arrest its members...

West End legend Elaine Paige receives her second coronavirus vaccine dose. (Screen captures via Twitter/@Elaine_Paige) In today’s dose of positive news, musical theatre icon Elaine Paige has been fully vaccinated against coronavirus – and did so all while singing a Cats number. The 73-year-old West End legend received her second jab and, naturally, thought it was the perfect opportunity to belt out a vaccine-themed version of “Memory”. Sharing a video of her performance on Twitter, Paige implored her 40,000 followers to get vaccinated as soon as they’re offered. “Vaccine, I am having...

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). (Getty) The British government on Tuesday (16 March) effectively doubled crucial funding to its national rollout of pre-exposure prophylaxis, otherwise known as PrEP. Health ministers have injected a thumping financial boost to the routine commissioning of the daily drug, the most effective protection against HIV transmission. The public health grant, used to fund local authority health initiatives, will include a dedicated £23.4 million to cover costs of PrEP for 2021 to 2022 – a £12.4m increase on funding from the previous year. “I am pleased the public health grant for 2021/22 includes...

Teen Vogue's new editor-in-chief, Alexi McCammond, speaks at Politicon 2018 (Michael S. Schwartz/Getty) A major advertiser at Teen Vogue has pulled ads from the magazine over “racist, homophobic” tweets written by the new editor-in-chief, Alexi McCammond. Fashion retailer Ulta Beauty distanced itself from Teen Vogue on Thursday (11 March) as it announced it was pausing all its ad spending with the publication. “Diversity and inclusion have always been core values at Ulta Beauty,” a spokeswoman for the company said in a statement. “We stand against racism in all forms and...

A man identified by social media sleuths as police officer Rick Fitzgerald attending a Proud Boys event. (Facebook) A police officer in Fresno, California, has been placed on paid administrative leave after being photographed attending a Proud Boys protest Sunday (14 March). Rick Fitzgerald allegedly attended the demonstration organised by the far-right nationalist group which has long traded in political violence and being among Donald Trump’s most high-decibel supporters. Fitzgerald was thought to have been spied among the crowds that crammed into the Tower District as part of the weeks-long...