Germany is set to annul the convictions of gay men under a law criminalizing homosexuality that was applied zealously in post-war Germany, the BBC reported. Justice Minister Heiko Maas is to overturn the convictions and create a "right to compensation." About 50,000 men were convicted between 1946 and 1969 under a 19th-century law that the Nazis had sharpened. Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969, but the legislation was not taken off the books entirely until 1994.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced groundbreaking new federal legislation that will guarantee full protection to the human rights of trans people across Canada, according to a PinkNews item that cites the Associated Press. The new legislation was tabled in the Canadian House of Commons to mark the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
The United Kingdom will be giving 9 percent of its human-rights fund to aid LGBTI people around the world, Gay Star News reported. In an announcement for International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia ( IDAHOT ), foreign and commonwealth minister Baroness Joyce Anelay announced that approximately $1.3 million ) of the Magna Carta fund will go toward LGBTI causes across the globe. While this is a large number, there are still 75 countries that criminalize homosexuality.
In England, celebrity barrister Henry Hendron—who pled guilty to purchasing the "chemsex" drugs that led to the death of his teenage boyfriend—escaped a jail term and has been ordered to do pro bono work instead, Gay Star News reported. In January 2015, Hendron's 18-year-old boyfriend, Miguel Jimenez, died from a drug overdose. After methedrone and GBL were seized from his London apartment, Hendron pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing drugs with intent to supply in March this year. London's Central Criminal Court sentenced Hendron, 35, to 140 hours of unpaid work, reported CNN.
Police in Bangladesh said they have arrested a suspected Muslim militant for his alleged involvement in the killing last month of a gay-rights activist and his friend in the capital of Dhaka, according to LGBTQ Nation. Police identified the suspect as Shariful Islam Shihab, a former member of the banned Islamic group Harkatul Jihad. Shihab allegedly killed Xulhaz Mannan, who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development, because he was a gay-rights activist and promoted the LGBT community's cause through a magazine as an editor.
British pro tennis player Andy Murray—ranked third in the world behind Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer—hopes his split with Amelie Mauresmo isn't seen as a failure for women coaching top players, Tennis.com reported. Murray became the first high-profile tennis player to hire a woman as a coach when he took on Mauresmo—a lesbian Frenchwoman who was successful professionally—in June 2014. Mauresmo said that ''dedicating enough time along with the travel has been a challenge for me.'' She gave birth to her first child in August and took six months off from coaching. Murray won the Italian Open on May 15, defeating Djokovic.
In Northern Ireland, a well-known anti-gay Catholic priest has been outed for having his own secret Grindr profile, LGBTQ Nation noted. Rory Coyle, 35, was a priest in the town of Armagh; he was outed when an unnamed source contacted the local Catholic newspaper to confess he'd sexted with the holy man on Grindr on several occasions. Days after the story broke, Coyle was quietly removed from his clerical duties.
Science Daily reported that a clinical trial of same-day initiation of antiretroviral therapy ( ART ) for HIV patients in South Africa led to a higher proportion of people starting treatment and to better health outcomes, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher. The study, in the journal PLOS Medicine, found that 97 percent of patients in the rapid-initiation group ( dubbed the RapIT intervention ) had started ART within 90 days, compared to 72 percent receiving standard care. And by 10 months after enrollment, 64 percent of patients in the rapid group had good outcomes, in terms of viral suppression, compared to 51 percent in the standard arm.
An AIDS awareness group in Hong Kong has launched a program that will help train doctors to be more friendly to gay patients, Gay Star News reported. AIDS Concern started its Dr. Rainbow Scheme last September, and has since approached more than 200 physicians and 30 medical students to teach about gay-friendly consultations. AIDS Concern's recent online survey revealed that 20.3 percent of the respondents said they would rather not see a doctor for the fear of disclosing their sexual orientation.
In Australia, student Angus McCormack said he was shown the door during a Foundation Day service at his former school, Bendigo's Girton Grammar, because of his choice of outfit, SBS reported. McCormack describes the events in a Facebook post, which has been liked more than 15,000 times and shared more than 4,000 times. In the post, McCormack said he was openly gay and diverted from a plan to wear "killer heels" to instead "tone down" his appearance. He posted a photograph of the outfit, which includes a small earring, a white shirt with a black bowtie, and a black jacket.
A Catholic bishop in the Dominican Republic has called the openly gay U.S. ambassador "a gay activist" and "not an ambassador," Church Militant noted. Bishop Victor Messalles, auxiliary bishop of Santo Domingo, recently called out James "Wally" Brewster, appointed by President Obama in 2013 to be ambassador to the Dominican Republic, for what Messalles said is an aggressive advancement the LGBT agenda.
"Sex roulette" parties—where one person has HIV and nobody is allowed to wear a condom—are reportedly on the rise, The Sun noted. Gay men are thought to attend most of these get-togethers, said to be commonplace in wealthy circles in Serbia. Psychosexual therapist Kate Morley told HelloU, "Going to sex roulette parties is about the risk, partygoers think the higher the risk, the stronger the thrill."
