Queer football fans have been "strongly" warned to not "publicly display sexuality" at the Russian World Cup, PinkNews reported. LGBT+ fans should not hold hands or be affectionate towards their partner in public to ensure their safety, say the Football Supporters' Federation. Trans fans are also advised to find someone to attend the toilet with them, or to go to a disabled toilet if possible.
A 21-year-old model is the latest casualty in Brazil's epidemic of anti-LGBT murders, NewNownext.com reported. Matheusa Passarelli, an art student at the State University of Rio de Janeiro who had been missing since April 29, was killed in one of the favelas that dot the northern part of the city.
The Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on HIV will be delivered by Elton John in front of an invited audience of politicians, health workers, journalists, civil-society leaders, celebrities and HIV-impacted people on June 8t in London, a press release noted. The lecture was launched by United Kingdom's National AIDS Trust ( NAT ) in 1999 as a living tribute to Princess Diana ( who was a patron of NAT until her tragic death in 1997 ). This lecture is being delivered in partnership with Elton John AIDS Foundation ( EJAF ) and is supported by Gucci. John follows in the footsteps of Kofi Annan and Bill Clinton, who delivered previous NAT lectures in Diana's memory in 1999 and 2001, respectively.
In India, a 52-year-old transgender individual died after being beaten up by nearly 500 local people, according to Times of India. Locals mistook the victim for a child trafficker, said police. The deceased, Chandraiah ( 52 ), a native of Mahboobnagar district, came to Hyderabad to earn some money during the month of Ramzan.
South Korea held its first-ever drag parade—a small but significant step for rights activists in a country that remains deeply conservative when it comes to gender and sexuality, the South China Morning Post reported. Dozens of drag queens and kings marched through Itaewon, a suburb of Seoul best known for its nightlife and a nascent but vibrant gay scene. While homosexuality is not illegal in South Korea, same-sex marriage is not recognized and people cannot legally change their birth gender.
A group of Islamic vigilantes and local police violently restrained four transgender women and lectured them about religion, Gay Star News noted. The vigilantes were members of the infamous Islamic Defenders Front ( FPI ), and were out on a Ramadan patrol in Cianjur in West Java, Indonesia. FPI is a notorious far-right militant Islamic group that has the backing of political elites in Indonesia.
Pride is being celebrated on Antarctica, LGBTQ Nation noted. The event, to be celebrated in June, will mark the first time Pride has been celebrated on the remote southern continent. The event was honored with a photo taken in April because it will be dark at the station from May to August. The event, held at McMurdo Station, the United States' primary station on Antarctica, is some 850 miles from the South Pole—and more than 8,000 miles from the United States mainland.
Wales could soon be "leading the way" in relationship and sex education ( SRE ) in schools after announcing an overhaul of its curriculum, The Guardian reported. The changes, which include the subject being renamed "relationships and sexuality education," were announced by Welsh Education Secretary Kirsty Williams, who said the days of traditional sex education were "long gone." The subject will now be LGBT-inclusive, and will also focus on issues such as consent, domestic abuse and diversity.
In Australia, one of Sydney's largest LGBT health charities was discovered that the deaths of almost 100 gay men between 1970 and 1990 have been directly linked to hate crimes, PinkNews reported. A new report from ACON, an LGBT health and advocacy charity in New South Wales, followed an investigation prompted by an initial inquest into the death of Scott Johnson, a 27-year-old mathematician who was found dead at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff in 1988. The report is entitled "In Pursuit of Truth and Justice: Documenting Gay and Transgender Prejudice Killings in NSW in the Late 20th Century," and is at www.acon.org .au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/In-Pursuit-of-Truth-and-Justice-Report-FINAL-220518.pdf.
Denmark has made history after a transgender man was crowned Mr. Gay Denmark 2018, Gay Star News reported. The title was awarded to 44-year-old trans-rights activist Niels Jansen at G*A*Y Copenhagen Nightclub on May 26. Jansen is the first transgender male to win a nationwide Mr. Gay competition.
An openly gay man has been nominated to run for a seat in Turkey's upcoming elections, according to Gay star News. The People's Democratic Party ( HDP ) included Hasan Atik on its list of candidates for the June 24 election. Atik has long campaigned for LGBTI and HIV rights, and will run for a seat in the northwest province of Edirne.
An increasing number of Japanese financial institutions have started providing services for LGBT people amid growing social awareness, The Japan News indicated. For example, last year, Mizuho Bank became the first Japanese financial instituation to extend the program to same-sex couples, as long as applicants submit certificates issued by municipalities to recognize their partnerships. Also, Nippon Life Insurance Co. accepts gender changes after the purchase of insurance policies, with benefits switched to reflect differences in premiums for men and women.
Signage at public restrooms in Japan indicating that they are gender-neutral have been removed, following outcry from the LGBT community that they were being outed against their will when using such restrooms, The Straits Times reported. The "rainbow marks" were originally put up in consideration of members of the LGBT community. They were widely introduced ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. A 2015 survey of LGBT people showed that about half of the respondents said they had trouble using restrooms in public places.
