Uganda's government institutions will lose U.S. funding as punishment for enacting a law that makes some same-sex acts punishable by life in prison. In addition, the White House said Thursday that Washington will cancel a planned military exercise with Uganda and deny entry to certain Ugandan citizens, including those "involved in serious human rights abuses, including against LGBT individuals." However, the United States will not end its humanitarian support for Uganda or its cooperation to vanquish the Lord's Resistance Army, which Joseph Kony leads.
LGBT individuals fear they could be targeted in riots as Ugandans express their anger over tax rises caused by the country's new anti-gay law, according to Gay Star News. The U.S. government punished the Ugandan government for the Anti-Homosexuality Act by cutting some aid and redirecting some to non-governmental organizations. However, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has responded to the cuts by unveiling a new budget with sharply rises taxes and eradicates sales tax exemptions on essentials like food and even water.
The Luxembourg House of Representatives approved a same-sex marriage bill on June 18, by a vote of 56 to four, according to HRW.org . Luxembourg is now the 17th country to pass legislation providing for the right to same-sex marriage in its national laws. Following the formation of a political coalition after the 2013 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel publicly announced that his government would introduce legislation guaranteeing the right to marriage equality and adoption by same-sex couples.
A European Union drug agency is saying that gay sex parties in the United Kingdom where men inject a cocktail of illicit drugs before engaging in "risky sexual practices" have been flagged as a "public health priority," according to The Huffington Post UK. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction ( EMCDDA ) contends that so-called "chem-sex parties" see gay men take a range of highly-addictive drugs—including crystal meth, which has ravaged communities in the United States—and can last from eight hours up to three days. Participants are combining drugs such as mephedrone—previously known as "Meow Meow" in its legal high form—with other substances such as cocaine, crystal meth and Viagra to boost their sexual experiences.
Mexico's World cup soccer coach defended the use of a gay slur used by the team's fans at the World Cup after soccer's governing body started an investigation, The Chicago Tribune reported. Fans at the World Cup have carried on a practice common in Mexico of shouting a derogatory term every time the opposing goalkeeper takes a kick. FIFA, the World Cup's governing body, said it has started disciplinary proceedings. "We're with our fans," said Mexico coach Miguel Hererra. "It's something they do to pressure the opposing goalkeeper."
In Turkey, the Interior Ministry has defended the dismissal of a policeman due to his sexual orientation, on the grounds that the law stipulates "the weeding out of these kinds of public servants," according to Hurriyet Daily News. Security forces had raided the house of a policeman in Istanbul in 2009, following an informant's notice that he had child-porn videos in his home computer. The criminal accusation proved groundless, but "evidence" showing that the officer was gay triggered an internal investigation.
Spain's newly enthroned King Felipe and Queen Letizia broke with tradition by officially receiving representatives from Spain's LGBT groups at the royal El Pardo palace, and highlighting that their work "deserves to be better known and acknowledged," TheLocal.es reported. Boti Garcia ( president of Spain's State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals ) and Jose MarÃa Nunez-Blanco ( president of LGBT-rights group the Triangle Foundation ) were invited, along with representatives of 350 other non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) and charities involved with social causes.
A 12-year-old transgender Canadian boy now has a new birth certificate recognizing him as male, Gay Star News reported. A mayor presented Wren Kauffman, from Alberta, with the new document at the weekend during the Pride festival brunch. Kauffman and his family had filed a complaint with the Alberta Human Rights Commission demanding the government recognize their son as a boy.
Figures have revealed increased levels of anti-LGBT crime for each London borough, Gay Star News reported. There were 1,185 crimes across London from May 2013 to May 2014, compared to 1,109 from the previous year. Among other recent incidents, a 23-year-old gay man was sprayed with ammonia outside a nightclub in Vauxhall. City hall says London Mayor Boris Johnson is working on a new strategy to down on these attacks.
In a related matter, a gay couple claims they are afraid to walk around East London after a teenage gang branded them "faggots" and assaulted them, The Evening Standard noted. Walter Adrian, 23, and his boyfriend, who asked not to be named, were attacked outside Barclays bank on Whitechapel Road after leaving a friend's party. Adrian was left unconscious after the attack, when the pair were hit at least 10 times; he sufferred bruises around his temple and stomach, while his partner had a swollen jaw.
Researchers from Poland are reporting that a pair of male brown bears at a zoo in Croatia have been engaging in oral sex—and lots of it, according to The Huffington Post. Over the course of 116 hours of recent observation, the animals engaged in fellatio 28 times. The scientists have speculated that the activity may be a substitute for suckling their mothers for milk. The researchers note that fellatio has been documented in other mammals, including primates, spotted hyenas, goats, sheep, cheetahs and short-nosed fruit bats.
