WA prominent Russian gay-rights campaigner was delighted to announce that the city of Ivanovo had approved a march in favor of same-sex marriage—only to have the permission withdrawn the same day, BBC.com reported. Nikolai Alexeyev, the founder of Moscow Pride, posted a letter from the deputy mayor on his VKontakte page that said the parade and two other public meetings could go ahead, as long as they were moved to different locations in the city, to which Alexeyev immediately agreed. However, within hours, a city spokeswoman told Govorit Moskva radio station that the letter was a "mix up" and the deputy mayor had "no authority to grant permission" for the march.
The pro-LGBT organization Outright Action International has released a statement about how the Haitian partner group SEROvie needs help in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. The release stated, in part, "LGBT members of Haiti face significant hurdles to aid. With their ties to the community, SEROvie will be at the forefront of ensuring access to aid." Those interested in making donations can visit https://iglhrc.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/supporthaiti?mc_cid=a19978f3cd&mc_eid=d4879a16bf.
In Australia, Liberal MP Warren Entsch has called for exemptions to discrimination law for same-sex marriage to be "as narrow as possible," rejecting calls by conservatives to allow businesses the "right to refuse" same-sex weddings, The Guardian Australia noted. Entsch told Guardian Australia that only ministers of religion and religious organisations should be able to refuse gay weddings, not other providers of goods and services. Liberal National party MP George Christensen has called for venues, photographers and bakers to be allowed to refuse gay weddings, and senator Cory Bernardi said all businesses should be free to refuse service to anyone for any reason at all.
Australian singer Kylie Minogue and her fiance, British actor Joshua Sasse, said they would love to get married in Australia but won't until same-sex marriage is legalized there, Time.com reported. The pair have been outspoken in their support of same-sex marriage in Australia; recently, Sasse launched the "Say I Do, Down Under" campaign to support various organizations fighting for marriage quality. Australian actress Margot Robbie was seen wearing the campaign's T-shirt, which features a map of Australia in rainbow colors, on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live.
On a related note, Australian singer Sia has come out in favor of marriage equality, according to Same Same. Also backing the "Say I Do, Down Under" campaign, the "Cheap Thrills" singer Posting a photo on her Facebook page, the singer wrote, "Team Sia supports marriage equality for everyone! Say I Do Down Under." Sia has previously spoken openly about the exploration of her sexuality. After having a relationship with a woman back in 2008, she told AfterEllen, "There are so many stereotypes that I have to learn about."
The Isle of Man is set to introduce a gay pardon law as early as next year, PinkNews reported. Juan Watterson, the former home affairs minister, announced that he is pushing for the provision to be included in the new Sexual Offences Bill. The announcement follows Theresa Mays pledge to implement the Alan Turing law, named after the late gay codebreaker.
Chile's president, Michelle Bachelet, said during a United Nations General Assembly panel on LGBT rights that she would send a bill legalizing same-sex marriage to Congress in the first half of 2017, NBC News reported. The move would follow the Chilean Congress' legalization of same-sex civil unions in January of last year and comes as many Latin American nations are extending rights to gay and lesbian citizens. Same-sex marriage has been legalized in recent years in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and parts of Mexico, despite the powerful influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes such unions.
In Britain, a chef allegedly murdered four men he met on gay networking sites by giving them a fatal dose of the drug GHB, BBC.com reported. Stephen Port allegedly plied them with the drug at his home in east London so he could have sex with his victims while they were unconscious. Port denies 29 charges, including four murders and seven rapes.
A gay bar in Cameroon was raided by police, leading to the arrests of all people inside, PinkNews reported. Authorities began the raid by surrounding Mistral, a gay bar in Yaounde, with vans and blockades in the early hours of Oct. 9, making it impossible for patrons to flee the venue. Although the bar is not advertised as a gay venue due the country's harsh anti-gay laws, Mistral is seen as a safe haven for the area's LGBT community.
Former X Factor winner Steve Brookstein has ranted about "bitchy homosexuals" in his latest Twitter rant, PinkNews reported. Brookstein rose to prominence on the original British X Factor series in 2004, but was quickly ditched by his record label and fell into obscurity. Responding to someone else's tweet, he wrote: "oh look a bitchy homosexual. You don't get many of those on Twitter." Brookstein previously lamented that gay showbiz journalist Dan Wootton had not been infected with HIV.
The Romanian team behind the controversial "Orthodox priests" calendar is back with another 12 months of sin—and salvation, The Huffington Post noted. As in previous years, the 2017 Orthodox Calendar features steamy images of hunky models striking homoerotic poses amidst religious iconography. Now in its fifth edition, this year's installment is titled "P.I.L.F.," or "Priests I'd Like To F**k." a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Orasul Meu ( or "My City, My Colors" ), a local NGO focused on providing health care for disadvantaged youth, according to press rep Magdalena De Iona. See Orthodox-Calendar.com .
Actor Lee Tien-chu celebrated winning a prestigious award by claiming homosexuality is a "curse" that will "end humanity, according to PinkNews. The Taiwanese actor made the comments after receiving an a Golden Bell Awards—which is similar to the BAFTA and Emmy awards. Asked why he had rejected work in the past by reporters backstage, the actor claimed it was because he refused to "support homosexuality."
