In England, research has found that young lesbian, gay and bisexual people start becoming depressed and self-harming from the age of 10 because they feel different from their heterosexual peers, The Guardian reported. LGB 16-to 21-year-olds are four times more likely to have felt depressed, harmed themselves and thought about killing themselves, according to a study based on interviews with 4,800 young people from in and around Bristol. Experts said the numbers were linked to the bullying, stigma and abuse that some young people experience as a result of their sexuality.
An alliance of key population-led networks, networks of people living with HIV, treatment activists, and supporters has formed to organize an international community-led conference titled "HIV2020: Community Reclaiming the Global Response," PR Newswire noted. The event is scheduled to take place in Mexico City, July 6-8,2020, and will run concurrently with the 2020 International AIDS Conference happening in the United States. The HIV2020 Alliance has decided to organize the community-led event to provide a safe alternative for individuals who cannot or will not attend AIDS2020 due to U.S. immigration and travel policies.
LGBT+ activists were attacked and arrested by police after staging a peaceful march through Kakuma, a UNCHR refugee camp in Turkana County, Kenya, PinkNews reported. Around 40 LGBT+ activists took part in the march Dec. 11 through the camp to protest against poor conditions, inadequate healthcare and discrimination. A member of Refugee Flag Kakuma, which campaigns for the rights of LGBT+ refugees in Kakuma, told PinkNews that the marchers were first attacked by the local community and then by police. LGBT+ refugees in Kakuma camp were moved to safehouses in Nairobi, Reuters added.
In a victory for same-sex parents in Israel, the High Court of Justice ruled that the interior ministry cannot refuse to write an adoptive parent's name on a child's birth certificate because of the parent's sex, The Times of Israel reported. The ruling came in an appeal by two gay men who jointly adopted a son. They attempted to procure a birth certificate from the ministry for the child, but officials refused to write both the men's names as the boy's parents on the certificate, Haaretz reported.
Following the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, of Nevada's First Congressional District, led a group of members in introducing the Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality ( GLOBE ) Act to outline a vision for U.S. leadership in the protection of the rights of LGBTI individuals around the world, a Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) press release noted. The GLOBE Act is endorsed by many groups, including HRC, the Council for Global Equality, Human Rights First, Center for American Progress, Center for Health and Gender Equity ( CHANGE ), OutRight International and GLAAD, among others.
Canberra Chief Minister Andrew Barr will try to push the national Australian Labor Party to change its position on gay blood donation, Gay Star News reported. Currently, Australian men who have sex with men cannot donate blood unless they abstain from sex for a year. Barr wants to see this reduced to three months, or removed.
In Toronto, gay graphic designer Jeffrey Parker, 35, was fatally stabbed, Instinct Magazine noted. Police also found a murder suspect, according to Toronto City News. A 22-year-old man named Tyler Reynolds was found at a fast-food store near the house Parker was discovered. Reynolds was arrested in relation to the crime and charged with second-degree murder. Police say the two men knew each other, but are unsure of what their relationship was.
Hungary and Poland rejected a joint statement by EU employment and social-affairs ministers intended to promote gender equity in the digital era because of objections to a reference to "LGBTIQ," Politico.eu reported. It was an outcome that left no one particularly happy and highlighted the widening rift on questions of fundamental values that has divided Poland and Hungary from the rest of the bloc. However, having failed to achieve unanimity, and facing a revolt from EU countries that said they would no longer tolerate the actions of Warsaw and Budapest, Austria adopted the text with the reference to LGBTIQ included.
An Australian newspaper published a front page that drew attention to a gag order in the country that prevents it from publishing details on the trial of a former Vatican official accused of sexual abuse, labeling themselves "censored," The Hill noted. The Herald Sun in Melbourne published a front page that featured the word "CENSORED" printed largely on a black background. The story pertains to Cardinal George Pell, a high-ranking Vatican official who was accused of sexual abuse and forced to stand trial in Australia.
BBC Africa presenter Ben Hunte has been named as the corporation's first LGBT correspondent, according to BBC.com . He currently presents What's New?the BBC's first TV program and digital service for children in Africaand will begin his new role in January. Hunte, who has also presented LGBT-themed programs on BBC Radio, said the job was "a dream come true."
Bermuda's government has applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal to the Privy Council in the UK concerning the recent court judgment affirming same-sex marriage in the British island territory, BerNews.com noted. Same-sex marriage was initially legalized following a court decision in May 2017; then, the court ruled in favor of it again in June 2018, when a challenge was brought to the Domestic Partnership Act. Most recently, in November, the court dismissed the government's appeal. The Privy Council in England is the highest and final Court of Appeal for Bermuda.
Men convicted of historical same-sex offenses could be pardoned and "revenge porn" outlawed in a shake-up of Isle of Man laws, the BBC reported. The government has asked people for their views on a wide range of issues in a consultation. In his annual report, Chief Constable Gary Roberts said sexual crimes were "causing the most harm" on the island.
The Western Australian Museum has recently acquired a large glory hole for display, and some critics are worried that the hole is distasteful and inappropriate, Out.com reported. It's from a train station in the south-east of Perth, from a time when homosexuality was illegal in western Australia. Neil Buckleya member of the activist group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgencesaved the door in 1997 before the entire toilet block was demolished.
India decriminalized homosexuality in September and already is including LGBT representation in its media with Elevator Pitch, a dating series on MTV India, featuring its first same-sex contestants, The Washington Blade noted. The show's premise involves 10 people giving an elevator pitch, the time it takes for the elevator to go to the next floor, to the contestant on why they should be picked to date. Recently, the series featured 10 men attempting to woo bachelor Atmaj Vyas.
Hugh Grant, Jodie Whittaker and Letitia Wright are among 386 new British Academy of Film and Television Arts ( BAFTA ) members, according to Deadline. Among new members are BAFTA winner Grant, Doctor Who star Whittaker, BAFTA-nominee Willem Dafoe, Black Panther star Wright, La La Land producers Jordan Horowitz and Fred Berger, Mad Max: Fury Road costume designer Jenny Beavan, actress Hayley Atwell, and UK broadcasters Sandi Toksvig and Simon Mayo. BAFTA comprises around 8,000 members worldwide.