Two-time major champion Amelie Mauresmo was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Tennis.com noted. Mauresmo won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2006. She was No. 1 for 39 weeks in her career, becoming the first Frenchwoman to reach the top of the computer rankings since they were introduced in the 1970s. Mauresmo is also an out lesbian, having come out in 1999, according to multiple sources.
A transgender man received a payout after being forced to use a disabled toilet in a UK nightclub, Gay Star News reported. Kay Browning, 24, was celebrating a friend's birthday in Remedies, Plymouth, when he was asked by staff to leave the men's toilet and use the disabled facilities. Browning decided to take legal action after feeling "humiliated," ultimately receiving more than $2,200.
IKEA is to close down an online magazine in Russia over fears it is disregarding the country's law banning the promotion of gay values to minors, BBC News reported. In a statement, the furniture giant said some articles in IKEA Family Live could be viewed in Russia as gay "propaganda." The controversial law was approved by President Vladimir Putin in 2013, drawing criticism from rights groups.
An Irish bishop has compared homosexuality to Down's syndrome while claiming it is not "what God intended," according to Pink News. The Bishop of Elphin, Kevin Doran, made the claim to NewsTalk Breakfast radio, ahead of the spring meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference. When questioned as to whether he believed being born gay was as God intended Doran responded: "That would be to suggest that if some people are born with Down's syndrome or spina bifida—that that was what God intended either." The host countered by stating, "You've mentioned conditions and disabilities; your sexual orientation is not a disability."
Legendary gay fashion designers Dolce and Gabbana have angered LGBT groups by saying they do not support same-sex families, Gay Star News reported. Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce, founders of luxury fashion brand Dolce and Gabbana, attacked modern families by saying "the only family is the traditional one." The duo, who were a couple for 23 years before splitting in 2005, made the comments in an interview with an Italian magazine Panorama. While Gabbana said he would like a family, Dolce said he does not, adding "I am gay; I cannot have a child. I guess you cannot have everything in life."
Several celebrities have responded to D&G's statements, The Huffington Post noted. Well-known celebrity chef Art Smith is planning a protest party that's he's calling "Take The Hate off the Runway." Singer Elton John has two children via a surrogate and married longtime partner David Furnish. He posted on Instagram, "Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again. #BoycottDolceGabbana." Ricky Martin tweeted, "@dolcegabbana ur voices R 2powerfull 2B spreading so much h8." However, Gabbana has responded with dozens of pictures and comments on social media, Gay Star News noted. Using the slogan made popular in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, where 11 people were killed, he declared "Je Suis D&G."
A Peru congressman has said he was inspired by Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf to block civil unions for same-sex couples, Gay Star News reported. Ruben Condori Cusi, a congressman for the right-wing Nationalist Party, made the comments to Arroba Radio saying that Hitler wasn't wrong about everything. Cusi said, "I read Mein Kampf by Hitler ... and in some parts he's right, because some types of misconduct are generated by a certain kind of life."
In the United Kingdom, The Home Office has been accused of having "outdated" views on sexuality after it rejected an asylum claim made by a Nigerian lesbian, according to the UK Telegraph. Aderonke Apata, 47, came to Britain in 2004 and is an award-winning LGBT-rights activist. Now, she is challenging the government's decision not to grant her asylum in Britain and fears that deportation to Africa would compromise her safety.
In Canada, Alberta's Progressive Conservative government changed its mind about gay-straight alliances in schools after fighting the concept for a year, The Canadian Press reported. Politicians of all stripes debated and passed a bill on the opening day of the spring sitting that would allow the support groups in every school if students wanted them. Education Minister Gordon Dirks said recent discussions with students, teachers, administrators and other stakeholders made the decision inevitable.
In New Zealand, a Victoria University researcher has found that homosexuality was prevalent in the early Christian Roman Empire, contrary to what historians have previously believed, according to GayNZ.com . Dr, Mark Masterson ( from Victoria's School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies ) analyzed a range of communications from the late fourth and early fifth centuries. Masterson's findings are detailed in his book, Man to Man: Desire, Homosociality and Authority in Late-Roman Manhood.
A Russian lawmaker famous for authoring anti-gay legislation is now focusing his wrath on an upcoming hair salon in Siberia where the female stylists will do their job topless, The Moscow Times reported. Vitaly Milonov, a religiously conservative member of St. Petersburg's Legislative Assembly, said the salon's staff should seek psychiatric help. The Creatif salon—whose website says it offers haircuts, shaves and erotic massages—is set to open in the city of Kemerovo.
In Mexico, Puerto Vallarta's annual LGBT event "Vallarta Pride" will have a number of new initiatives this year, including an Andre Christian fashion show, an international film-festival screening and the participation of Orange Is the New Black's Lea DeLaria as grand marshal, a press release stated. The eight-day event will take place May 17-24, and participants will also see returning favorites such as the Drag Derby, the Sunset Commitment Ceremony and the Vallarta Parade.
A man has been sent to prison for seven years after pleading guilty to blackmailing two men after he had sex with them separately in a park in the West-Midlands, England, Gay Star News noted. Lee Taylor, 24, waited for his victims ( who have not been named ) in a public toilet in Worcester. After they had sex, he demanded 100 British pounds ( about $150 U.S. ) from them, threatening he would tell their employers and families they had tried to rape him.
A Lebanese father has been fined for beating, kidnapping and pouring boiling water over his gay teenaged son—who came out three years ago, when he was 15, Gay Star News noted. The uncle of the Lebanese teen Nasser El-Ahmed ( who was born in Berlin ) also doused him in gasoline ) and threatened to set him on fire. In a landmark decision, a Berlin court convicted El-Ahmed's father and two uncles of kidnapping and abduction.They were not present at the trial, but they were ordered to pay fines of $1,43 ) each. El-Ahmad—who wore a "Stop Homophobia" badge and rainbow wristband at the trial—said he hoped his plight would raise awareness of the challenges faced by many gay Muslims.
Censors in Vietnam have allowed the release of the film 50 Shades of Grey in the country—but only after deleting all the sex scenes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The censors cut all scenes it deemed sensitive, meaning all that are sexual in nature, cutting the running time of the erotic drama by 20 minutes. The resulting film, which has soared past $500 million globally, has reportedly flopped at the Vietnamese box office.
Doctors have performed the world's first successful penis transplant, Sky News reported. The nine-hour operation by surgeons in Cape Town offers hope to high numbers of South African men who lose their penises due to complications with traditional circumcision. Experts thought the unnamed 21-year-old patient—who had to have his penis amputated three years ago after circumcision—would take two years to regain all function; however, it has taken the relatively short time of four months.
