Argentina President Javier Milei’s government officially closed the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism (INADI), The Washington Blade reported. INADI, created in 1995, was crucial in the promotion and protection of human rights in Argentina, offering support and resources to people affected by discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race and other traits. “One of President Milei’s ideals is the reduction of the state and the elimination of everything that does not generate a benefit for Argentines,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said in February when he announced INADI’s closure. Human-rights groups have expressed concern about the development.
A seventh person has been seemingly cured of HIV after a stem cell transplant for cancer treatment, according to a case study to be presented at the International AIDS Conference in Munich, according to POZ. The 60-year-old anonymous man and his donor both have only a single copy of a rare mutation that prevents HIV from entering cells, raising questions about the key parts to a functional cure. The patient received a transplant to treat acute myeloid leukemia in October 2015; he stopped antiretroviral therapy in September 2018 and still has sustained HIV remission nearly six years later, Christian Gaebler, MD, of Berlin’s Charité University of Medicine told reporters. To date, only a small number of people have been cured of HIV after stem cell transplants. The first, Timothy Ray Brown—the original Berlin Patient—received two transplants to treat acute myeloid leukemia in 2006; he died of cancer in 2020 at age 54.
In Nigeria, popular cross-dresser Area Mama was killed, The Washington Blade reported. Authorities found Mama’s body along the Katampe-Mabushi Expressway in Abuja. LGBTQ+-rights activists have labeled the 33-year-old’s death as a brutal homophobic murder; his body was found naked with bruises on his face. His appearance on the YouTube podcast “Living in Abuja with Deka George” earlier this year has also been linked to his death. Among other things, Mama said he knew he was gay since he was 10 and he revealed that he was a male sex worker whose clients often included high-profile people.
Pope Francis met with Ugandan LGBTQ+ activist Clare Byarugaba—and during their conversation, he once again condemned discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, per New Ways Ministry. She tweeted, “Honored to meet @Pontifex. I briefed on the ruinous impact of Uganda’s *two in a decade Anti-LGBTIQ rights Laws*#AHA23 and the gross human rights violations therein. He reiterated;- Discrimination is a sin and violence against LGBTIQ communities is Unacceptable #RepealAHA23.” Byarugaba is the DEI officer for the Ugandan group Chapter Four, which includes sexual orientation and gender in its mission.
In Australia, the Archbishop of Sydney said the Catholic Church will have to consider shutting down schools and hospitals if it loses the right to discriminate against LGBTIQA+ employees and students, according to Out in Perth. Speaking with The Australian, Archbishop Anthony Fisher said Australia was heading to a “crunch point” in the debate over religious discrimination protections, adding that Catholic schools would have to consider closing “if we were told we were not allowed to take religion into account in who we employ, or in the ethos of our schools, which is quite a push at the moment.” Fisher’s suggestion that schools and hospitals would be forced to close if they were unable to hire and fire staff in line with religious doctrine has raised some eyebrows, though; the Australian state of Tasmania has laws protecting LGBTIQA+ staff, and Catholic schools and hospitals have continued operating for decades since they were introduced.
Tom Daley—a five-time Olympian and five-time Olympic medalist—announced his retirement from diving at age 30, per Yahoo! Sports. The out athlete, who’s married to Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, told British Vogue that now is “the right time to call it a day.” Near the start of the 2024 games, Daley earned his fifth Olympic medal, a silver, with partner Noah Williams in the men’s 10-meter synchronized dive. Daley was also selected as one of the UK’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony, alongside rower Helen Glover. Daley earned his first Olympic medal in 2012, earning a bronze in the 10-meter platform in front of a home crowd in London.
Olympic gold-medal-winning boxer Imane Khelif—who endured intense scrutiny about her gender throughout the Paris Games—filed a formal legal complaint in which she said she was the victim of online abuse—and the suit names J.K. Rowling and Elon Musk, per ESPN. In a statement posted to Instagram, Khelif’s attorney, Nabil Boudi, said Khelif, who won the Olympic women’s 66-kilogram boxing title, asked his legal firm to file a complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office on her behalf. Boudi asked for the criminal investigation to determine who initiated the “misogynistic, racist and sexist campaign” against Khelif. It all stems from the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association’s decision to disqualify Khelif and fellow two-time Olympian Li Yu-ting of Taiwan (who also won Olympic gold in her weight class) from last year’s world championships, claiming both failed an eligibility test for women’s competition that IBA officials have declined to answer basic questions about.
University of Toronto scientists discovered that same-sex sexual behavior is far more prevalent across the animal kingdom than research suggests, according to Toronto.com. The study, published in PLOS One, surveyed 65 animal scientists and ecologists who had studied a range of mammals in the field, from monkeys to elephants. Those researchers said they witnessed same-sex behavior in almost 80 percent of the 54 species they completed surveys on; however, about 80 percent of those researchers never published their data. Additionally, there were 17 species in which no research indicated they engaged in same-sex behavior, but it had been witnessed.
The World Health Organization declared mpox (formerly monkeypox) a global public health emergency for the second time in two years amid an outbreak in central Africa, per Yahoo! News. The outbreak of the viral infection started in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has spread to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases; it causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
Mexico City passed a local law banning murders against transgender women, according to LGBTQ Nation. Murderers convicted under the law would face between 35 to 70 years in prison. The new law—which passed almost unanimously through the state’s Congress—was named in memory of Paola Buenrostro, a trans sex worker who was murdered in 2016. This law is especially important as, according to the organization Transgender Europe, nearly 600 trans people have been murdered between 2008 and 2021; at least 10 trans women have been murdered this year in Mexico City alone.
Members of Canada’s LGBTQ+ community have denounced a resurgence of “hateful comments and attacks,” including seeing rainbow flags burned, Pride marches disrupted and increasing violence targeting them—a marked contrast to the country’s reputation for tolerance, per The South China Morning Post. Canada, a “pioneer of diversity and inclusion” in the world, is experiencing a “significant change” with a “marked decline” in public support for the LGBTQ+ community, said Sanyam Sethi of polling firm Ipsos Canada. Only 49 percent of Canadians said they support LGBTQ+ people speaking openly about their sexual orientation or gender identity, compared to 61 percent in 2021.
The Orthodox Church in Bulgaria has welcomed a ban on school teaching about “non-traditional sexual orientations” despite protests from human groups and appeals for action by the European Union, Church Times noted. “We are grateful to the people’s representatives for reaching agreement on common values for Bulgarian society,” said the Church’s Holy Synod. The statement followed the recent overwhelming parliamentary vote for an Education Law amendment, tabled by Bulgaria’s pro-Russia Vazrazhdane party, banning the “propagation, promotion, or incitement” in the education system of “ideas and views related to non-traditional sexual orientation and/or gender identity other than biological.”
Artist Sasha Skochilenko and other Russian prisoners were exchanged in a historic East-West swap—and now the queer artist plans to marry partner Sofya Subbotina in Germany, the AP reported. Skochilenko, an artist and musician, was jailed in 2022 for speaking out against Russia’s war in Ukraine; Subbotina campaigned for her partner’s release while also trying to make her life behind bars as tolerable as possible. They were always very open about their relationship, despite anti-LGBTQ+ laws driven by President Vladimir Putin’s close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Gayse, a forward for the UK soccer team Manchester United, said she has been subjected to “deeply hurtful” homophobic attacks after going public about her relationship with her girlfriend, according to Outsports. The Brazil international, who moved to Manchester United from Barcelona last summer, posted on X, saying LGBTQ love such as theirs deserves respect and that she will not be intimidated by hate. In June and July, Geyse—who has won more than 50 international matches for her country and was part of the Brazilian squads at the last two Women’s World Cup tournaments, and at the Tokyo Olympics—posted several photos of herself with girlfriend Bruna Gois on her X account.
The political turmoil in Bangladesh that led to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and subsequent abandonment of the country has left the LGBTQ+ community under unprecedented threat, according to The Los Angeles Blade. The Washington Blade heard accounts of targeted violence and intimidation that have forced many LGBTQ+ residents to go into hiding. Inclusive Bangladesh Program Director Tushar Kanti Baidya noted that the recent rise of right-wing political parties—which have spearheaded anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ movements—poses an even greater threat to the queer community.
French authorities evacuated the area around the Eiffel Tower after a man was seen climbing the Paris landmark hours before the Olympics closing ceremony, the AP noted. The shirtless man was seen climbing the 1,083-foot tall tower in the afternoon; it was unclear where he began his ascent, but he was spotted just above the Olympic rings adorning the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck.
Following the less-than-successful debut of her recent single, “Woman’s World,” singer Katy Perry appears to have found herself in more hot water—this time for the unauthorized filming of her new music video, “Lifetimes,” on Spain’s Balearic Islands, Yahoo! Entertainment noted. An investigation has been opened after the production company responsible for the music video didn’t request the required authorization to film at the protected dunes at Ses Salines Natural Park. Perry’s forthcoming album, 143, was created in collaboration with controversial producer Dr. Luke, and is expected to arrive on Sept. 20.
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