The chief minister of the Isle of Man has opened up about his sexuality as discussions begin about same-sex marriage, PinkNews reported. Manx Chief Minister Allan Bell told the Guardian, "People know that I'm gay. I've never made a secret of it, but no one has ever asked me." Bell also discussed the "dark days" on the Isle of Man during the '80s and '90s, when homophobic comments were made by politicians arguing that homosexuality should remain a criminal offense—often while he was in the chamber. As a crown dependency, the Isle of Man maintains autonomy from the United Kingdome, and is responsible for introducing its own laws on issues such as marriage equality.
Tunisia's first LGBT organization recently gathered to protest the arrest and anal examination of a 22-year-old gay man in the resort town of Sousse, MiddleEastEye.net reported. Approximately 100 members of the Shams group hosted a conference, in which civil-society activists, lawyers, human-rights experts and other noteworthy individuals shared their ideas for how to best assist the imprisoned man. Although the activists expressed outrage at the situation for the jailed man, they expressed belief that this incident could serve as a key moment in the push for more equality for sexual minorities. The man was sentenced to a year in prison on Sept. 22, in violation of Tunisia's constitution and international law, iloubnan.info noted.
A shocking poll revealed that as many as one in five people in Vladimir Putin's Russia would welcome the "liquidation" of its LGBTI community, Gay Star News reported. Researchers at the Yuri Lavada Analytical Center have been charting Russians' views of marginalized groups since 1989 and has documented how attitudes towards the LGBTI community have changed under Putin's rule. In 2015, 15 years after Putin first came to power, 21 percent of Russians say they want gays and lesbians "liquidated" and 37 percent say they want LGBTI people forced to live apart from the rest of society.
The UK Metro reported that, in China, gay men are being subjected to electroshock treatment in a bid to "cure" them of their sexual orientation. Doctors in China were secretly filmed selling bogus "conversion therapy" treatments for homosexuality for hundreds of pounds. The Xinyu Piaxiang clinic has since had to apologize and pay compensation for offering the treatment, after a landmark ruling in Beijing banning the practice.
France will skip having an ambassador to Vatican City before French presidential elections, scheduled for 2017, after the Holy See refused to accept the openly gay diplomat selected for the role by the French government, Gay Star News reported. Laurent Stefanini was announced as France's preferred candidate for the role in April, having previously served as France's number two diplomat in Vatican City from 2001 to 2005. However, he was rejected, seemingly because he's openly gay.
Malaysia's Federal Court upheld a ban on cross-dressing, which results in trans women in Malaysia being criminalized, PinkNews reported. The newest ruling overturned a 2014 decision nullified the ban, citing a technicality involving "procedural non-compliance." Thilaga Sulathireh, an activist representing the trans appellants, said of the most recent decision: "Of course we are disappointed. ... After today, we are concerned over the safety and security of the transgender community."
Moroccan authorities have arrested three men who allegedly attacked a young man they perceived as gay in Casablanca, Morocco World News reported. A video posted on YouTube showed the 'homosexual' young man being attacked for wearing a bra and makeup in public. The mob also forced him to remove all of his clothing while calling him anti-gay epithets. The victim has been identified as a 17-year-old Casablanca resident; the three suspects arrested by the police are 19, 20 and 23.
Rather than just a health milestone, having an undetectable viral load appears to have become an identity among some gay men living with HIV, according to an AIDSMeds.com item that cites AIDSMap. Publishing findings in AIDS Education and Prevention, researchers conducted a series of qualitative interviews with 25 Canadian gay men who contracted the virus between 2009 and 2012. The study participants indicated that some gay men are starting to define themselves not necessarily as HIV-positive first and foremost, but as undetectable, specifically on their dating or hookup app profiles.
Activists say the harm to Senegal's anti-HIV efforts could last a while in the wake of a panel of judges recently sentencing seven men to six months in prison for homosexuality, Reuters reported. "We are prevented from carrying condoms. We are prevented from carrying lube," said Djamil Bangoura, president of Prudence Association, an organization promoting LGBT rights. On a 2013 visit to Senegal, U.S. President Barack Obama called for steps to make LGBTs equal before the law in Africa; President Macky Sall replied that gays were not persecuted in Senegal but that his country was not ready to decriminalize homosexuality.
The Conservative party says a candidate in suburban Toronto who defended conversion therapies is no longer an official candidate for the party, The Star reported. Jagdish Grewal, who is running in Mississauga-Malton, wrote an editorial entitled "Is it wrong for a homosexual to become a normal person?" that referred to homosexuality as "unnatural behaviour" and heterosexuals as "normal." A party spokeswoman said that Grewal's comments "are not reflective of the views of the Conservative Party of Canada."
Chantal Akerman—a Belgian filmmaker, film theorist and lesbian feminist iconographer of women's lives—reportedly committed suicide Oct. 5 at age 65, according to Curve magazine. Akerman directed more than 40 films and television projects and at the time of her death had been attending and speaking at screenings of her most recent film, No Home Movie. The tragic end to the filmmaker's long career came less than a year after the death of her mother, Natalia, a Holocaust survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Online marketplace Proxibid is providing online bidding for Silverstone Auction's sale of unique vechicle-focused artwork by Tim Layzell to benefit HOPEHIV, also known as WeSee Hope. ( Bidding closes Nov. 1. ) HOPEHIV ( WeSee Hope ) supports communities in sub-Saharan Africa that have been affected by HIV/AIDS, providing funding for projects that promote emotional and social support, education, economic empowerment and children's rights. See Proxibid.com .
EastEnders has made UK soap history by casting a transgender actor to play a transgender character in a continuing role, The Hampshire Chronicle noted. Riley Carter Millington, 21, is set to join the BBC One show's cast, playing newcomer Kyle. EastEnders is Riley's first acting role, and he said: "I am extremely excited to be joining EastEnders. I can honestly say that I have now fulfilled my two biggest dreams: to be living my life as a man and to be an actor."
