The West African nation of Mali—which has been ruled by a military junta for more than three years—almost unanimously voted for a new penal code that will outlaw homosexuality, according to Erasing 76 Crimes, citing Agence France-Presse. The nation’s ruling National Transitional Council adopted the measure by a vote of 131 to one. In addition, the Transitional Legislative Assembly of neighboring Burkina-Faso, also run by a junta, is slated to meet soon to decide on sanctions to be adopted to crack down on homosexuality.
Police are being encouraged to look at new evidence that could help solve the mystery of what happened to Levi Davis, whose coming-out moment made history in professional rugby, Outsports noted. In an interview in 2020 with the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday, Davis became the first player in the men’s pro game to say publicly that they are bisexual; at the time, he was playing with the English second-tier team Ealing Trailfinders. However, two years later, Davis disappeared suddenly while in Barcelona, resulting in one of Europe’s most publicized missing-person cases of recent times. Recently, the independent newspaper Byline Times detailed previously unreported evidence about Davis, igniting hopes that the cold case will be reopened; investigative journalists Dan Evans and Tom Latchem have been looking into the matter for 14 months, with the support of his mother.
Lesbians and queer women in Haiti are living in fear after gang leader Krisla (full name: Caïd Christ-Roi Chéry)—who is believed to be behind numerous kidnappings—threatened to target lesbian teenagers in the southern Port-au-Prince suburbs of Fontamara and Tibwa, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. On social networks such as Whatsapp, Krisla’s recordings have included promises to ban signs and gestures of affection between young teenage girls in public, calling them “Madivine”—a derogatory Creole term for lesbians. Krisla has been accused of playing a bloody role in a November 2018 gang attack in La Saline, a Port-au-Prince slum, in which at least 70 people were killed, 11 women were raped, and 150 homes were looted or destroyed.
Turin, Italy has been chosen as the host city for EuroPride 2027 after receiving 53% of the votes cast, PinkNews reported. The English city of Gloucester picked up 18% to finish in second place, while Vilnius, Lithuania, was third with 16%; Spanish resort Torremolinos was the only other bidder. The event will take place June 18-26, 2027. Coordinamento Torino Pride’s Alessandro Battaglia welcomed their selection, saying, “We have been working as a team on Torino’s bid since 2017, so having succeeded in realizing this dream fills us with pride.”
OutRight International issued a statement concerning Donald Trump’s presidential-election win. “The U.S. election results have raised deep concerns for many of us who care about fundamental human rights, freedoms, and democratic norms for LGBTIQ people and everyone else around the world,” Executive Director Maria Sjödin said. “Nationalism, authoritarianism, white supremacy, xenophobia, anti-[queerness] and anti-transness have been on stark display throughout the election campaign. Such narratives risk eroding years of progress and scapegoat marginalized communities.” Sjödin suggested that people stay informed, amplify their platforms and support activism.
In the UK, the official LGBT+ Conservatives group has been ridiculed for congratulating Kemi Badenoch on winning the Tory Party leadership contest, according to PinkNews. The group’s post was mocked by other sections of the queer community, who pointed out Badenoch’s history of anti-LGBTQ+—particularly anti-trans—rhetoric. Badenoch became the new Conservative leader on Nov. 2 after beating Robert Jenrick by more than 12,400 votes among party members, becoming the first Black woman to lead the party.
A Kenyan court awarded two gay men charged with “unnatural sex” for engaging in consensual sexual relations a total of Sh4 million ($31,000) in compensation, The Washington Blade reported. During the arrest, the two men were forcefully subjected to genital examination and HIV tests against their constitutional rights to privacy and the rights of an arrested person, including being allowed to speak with an attorney. The Magistrates Court in the coastal city of Mombasa faulted prosecutors’ unlawful extraction of evidence.
It turned out that, earlier this year, Sylvie Pierre-Brossolette, the president of France’s High Council for Equality, was accused by numerous employees of making racist, homophobic and Islamophobic remarks in public, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. She was forced to resign, but that did not happen quickly. In July, the government’s Official Journal confirmed that, by ministerial decree, Pierre-Brossolette had been replaced by Former Minister for equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination Bérangère Couillard. Pierre-Brossolette was not forced to step down until seven months
after her employees publicized her objectionable comments in early January.
World of Wonder unveiled the superstar guest-judge lineup and official trailer for the fifth season of Canada’s Drag Race, premiering Thursday, Nov. 21, only on WOW Presents Plus in the United States and select territories worldwide, according to a press release. Guest judges include model/activist Lauren Chan, JUNO and GLAAD Media Award-nominated country musician Orville Peck, musician Peaches, RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Shea Coulee and recurring RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Ts Madison, among others.
Out British journalist James Longman will release a book, The Inherited Mind, described as part memoir and part science, per Instinct Magazine. Longman’s depth of knowledge comes from a bachelor’s degree in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African studies and a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics. Also, he has reported for major networks and news programs, including Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC News Live, the BBC and World News Tonight. With The Inherited Mind, Longman advocates for mental health, tackling the story of his father’s schizophrenia and eventual suicide. The book is slated to be released Jan. 7, 2025.
The Irish movie Kneecap—about the rise of a Belfast-based hip-hop trio of the same name—received 14 nominations in this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), including Best Director and Best Screenplay, according to Deadline. The lesbian-themed punk-rock movie Love Lies Bleeding, starring Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart, gathered 12 nods, including Best Joint Lead Performance and Best Director (Rose Glass). Winners will be revealed at the BIFA awards ceremony on Dec. 8, which has the event returning to the Roundhouse in Camden (in London).
Luca Guadagnino—director of the Daniel Craig movie Queer—has been appointed jury president at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival, replacing previously announced Thomas Vinterberg, who has cancelled his attendance for personal reasons, Deadline noted. Guadagnino will be joined by The Apprentice director Ali Abbasi, Indian director Zoya Akhtar, U.S. actor Patricia Arquette, Belgian actor Virginie Efira, Australian actor Jacob Elordi, British-American actor Andrew Garfield, Moroccan actor Nadia Kounda (Summer Days) and Argentine director Santiago Mitre.
BBC Chair Samir Shah said the British broadcaster is guilty of leaving employees “dangling” after they make misconduct complaints about colleagues, according to Deadline. Shah was speaking after the BBC has been plagued by high-profile misconduct issues, including news anchor Huw Edwards’ access of child-abuse images and concerns about training methods on Strictly Come Dancing, Britain’s equivalent of Dancing with the Stars. Shah also wants the corporation’s funding to be separated from government decision-making.
Multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis is an official partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, which will take place in the office’s headquarters of Basel, Switzerland, per a press release. The Eurovision Song contest is one of the most watched non-sporting events globally, attracting more than 170 million TV viewers for the finals, in addition to the billions of social and in-person brand impressions. Non-binary performer Nemo won Eurovision earlier this year.
Three weeks after One Direction singer Liam Payne fell to his death at a Buenos Aires hotel last month, officials in Argentina charged three individuals in the case, per Deadline. One of the trio charged was someone who was close to Payne and perhaps worked for him, according to officials; the two other persons were a hotel employee and another individual who provided drugs to the singer.
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