In Canada, Alberta’s United Conservative Party government passed three anti-LGBTQ+ bills—and trans-rights activists are fighting back by filing the first in an expected series of lawsuits, the Los Angeles Blade noted. The measures ban trans youth under 16 from accessing gender care; bar trans women and girls from women’s sports; require parental notification and consent if a student under 16 wishes to use a different name or pronoun; and require parental notification and consent ahead of any discussion of sexual orientation, gender identity or sexuality in classrooms. Canada’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, Egale, filed a joint legal challenge with the Calgary-based trans support center Skipping Stone and five families against the medical-care ban; Egale says the law violates the rights of trans people under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
In the Congo, LGBTQ+-rights activist Alphonse Mihigo was hospitalized after a mid-November attack that interrupted his campaign against homophobic Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba, Erasing 76 Crimes noted, citing Notabilite Afrique. Mutamba has prosecutions “against the perpetrators of deviant practices of a sexual and homosexual nature.” As a member of parliament before he was promoted to minister of justice, Mutamba unsuccessfully proposed an anti-homosexuality measure that would have imposed prison sentences of up to 15 years for violators.
A Kenyan court convicted photographer Jacktone Odhiambo for the murder of LGBTQ+-rights activist Edwin Kiprotich Kipruto—popularly known as Edwin Chiloba—whose body was found dumped in a metal box nearly two years ago, the BBC reported. Chiloba’s body had been found dumped on the roadside in Eldoret, where he was a university student. Odhiambo—who was believed to have been in a relationship with Chinoba, and who lived with him—was accused of killing the deceased between Dec. 31, 2022 and Jan. 3, 2023; he had denied the charges. Odhiambo is slated to be sentenced on Dec. 16.
Jacques Audiard’s trans-centered movie Emilia Pérez dominated the European Film Awards in Lucerne, Switzerland, taking Best Film, Actress, Screenplay and Director, according to Deadline. The Netflix crime drama won all four of its nominations. (Audiard’s work came into this evening tied with Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door for the most noms.) Flow won for best animated film and the Palestinian-Israeli film No Other Land took the Best Documentary prize; Isabella Rossellini was honored with the European Achievement in World Cinema award.
And speaking of Emilia Pérez, co-star Selena Gomez defended herself from actor Eugenio Derbez‘s criticism of her work in the movie, per Deadline. Derbez was a guest on the Hablando de Cine podcast, and he said that Gomez’s acting was “indefensible.” Gomez is not fluent in Spanish but, in the film, she speaks that language—something that Derbez didn’t think was right. On social media, Gomez responded by posting, “I understand where you are coming from. I’m sorry; I did the best I could with the time I was given. Doesn’t take away from how much work and heart I put into this movie.”
A Lithuania court, for the first time, recognized a same-sex partner as a child’s parent in a groundbreaking ruling in a country where same-sex couples and families have few legal rights, per the Los Angeles Blade. The couple involved in the case are Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson Birutė Sabatauskaitė and her partner, Jūratė Juškaitė, director of the Lithuanian Center for Human Rights. Juškaitė will now be able to have her name listed as a parent on all of her daughter’s documents, giving her all the rights of a mother.
The High Court of Uganda ordered Kyengera Town Council and its former mayor to pay damages to 20 youths residing in a shelter who were arrested and beaten on suspicion that they were gay during the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020, Erasing 76 Crimes reported. On March 29, 2020—the day after the first COVID-19 lockdown was announced by President Yoweri Museveni, Kyengera Town Council Chairperson Hajji Abdul Kiyimba led a group of local government officials, police officers and vigilantes who demanded access to a shelter where the individuals were at the time, claiming gay people lived there. The court ruled that there was evidence that the 20 individuals suffered torture as well as inhuman and degrading treatment meted out by Kiyimba, that Kiyimba’s actions in entering the house without a search warrant constituted a violation of their right to privacy, and that Kyengera Town Council was vicariously liable for Kiyimba’s actions.
Also regarding Uganda, a new report published by Open for Business—a coalition of leading global businesses advocating for LGBTQ+ inclusion—showed the economic impact the Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) has had on the country. The report reveals that in the 12 months following the passage of the AHA, the resulting economic losses are estimated to be between USD $470 million to $1,663 million. The report, titled The Impact of the Anti-Homosexuality Act on Uganda’s Economy, states that the losses translate to between 0.9% and 3.2% of Uganda’s GDP—a fivefold increase from previous estimates before the legislation was enacted. When it comes to public health, the report notes that AHA exacerbates public health challenges, particularly in managing HIV/AIDS, with projected losses of USD $70-$312 million annually.
Dr. Alice Weidel—the chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)—is an unlikely public face for a male-dominated, anti-immigration party, as she is raising two sons with a Sri Lankan-born filmmaker who happens to be a woman, Reuters reported. Also, Weidel (known as a critic of the euro) worked for Goldman Sachs and Allianz Global Investors and as a freelance business consultant before entering politics. However, political pundits say it’s Weidel’s unusual profile that makes her an asset to the AfD, lending a veneer of liberal respectability to a party that authorities suspect of being antidemocratic.
Transport for London (TfL) renamed its London Overground lines, with a piece of LGBTQ+ history honored in the new Mildmay Line, PinkNews noted. The line, which runs between Richmond, Clapham Junction and Stratford, is to be renamed after Mildmay Mission Hospital, a charitable hospital that played a “pivotal role” in the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The hospital—visited by Princess Diana several times during the crisis and by Prince Harry in 2015—continues to be a specialist HIV hospital, with TfL saying it is a “valued and respected place for the LGBTQ+ community today.”
Brazilian tennis player João Lucas Reis da Silva, 24, has publicly come out as gay—becoming the first active male professional tennis player to do so, per Attitude. He made the announcement on Instagram, sharing photos with actor/model Gui Sampaio Ricardo to celebrate Ricardo’s birthday. Reis da Silva is the first active male professional tennis player to come out, following former ATP player Brian Vahaly, who came out in 2017 after retiring. Compared to women, relatively few active male athletes have come out: In soccer, Jake Daniels of Blackpool FC came out in 2022, becoming the UK’s first active male professional footballer to do so since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United came out in 2021, becoming the only openly gay male elite-level professional soccer player at the time.
Ranking Vatican leader Cardinal Peter Turkson reiterated his opposition to Ghana’s new anti-LGBTQ+ law—although he added that sexual acts between people of the same-gender can be outlawed, per New Ways Ministry. Turkson—once-prefect of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and a native of Ghana—told an interviewer that he stood by his 2023 statement against anti-LGBTQ+ criminalization laws, noting, “Nobody can accuse or blame you for being what you are.” The Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill (which would allow prison sentences up to five years for same-gender relations and 10 years for pro-LGBTQ+ advocacy) passed unanimously in the Ghanaian Parliament back in February, although President Nana Akufo-Addo has not yet signed it.
Openly LGBTQ+ skater Amber Glenn (who identifies as pansexual) capped her breakout 2024 by earning the biggest title for a U.S. women’s singles figure skater since 2010 in taking the Grand Prix final, according to NBC Sports. Glenn, 25, won over the rest of the world’s top-ranked women. Glenn became the first U.S. woman since Alissa Czisny in 2010 to win the Grand Prix Final—the sport’s third-most prestigious event after the Olympics and World Championships. In winning, Glenn prevailed over Mone Chiba; three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto was third—her first defeat in top-level competition since the 2022 Grand Prix final. Also, U.S. figure skater Ilia Malinin defended his men’s title while Madison Chock and Evan Bates claimed ice dance gold to make it a clean sweep for the United States on the closing day of competition in Grenoble, France, The Guardian noted.
FIFA officially confirmed Saudi Arabia as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer, the AP noted. The country was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. (FIFA limited the bidding to nations from Asia and Oceania as Morocco, Portugal and Spain will co-host the 2030 tournament.) However, Saudi Arabia is known for its anti-LGBTQ+ policies. In September, Hammad Albalawi, the head of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid unit, said his country welcomes all visitors, including queer people, adding their bid to host the event has nothing to do with “sportswashing” its human-rights record, per Reuters. In August, Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia failed to meet FIFA’s human-rights requirements and called for urgent action.
World of Wonder announced that the French iteration of Drag Race France will return next year with a new format, Drag Race France All Stars, per a press release. Queens from the first three seasons of Drag Race France will return to the Werk Room and battle it out to win the coveted crown. Earlier this year, Le Filip won the title of France’s Drag Superstar after seven weeks of competition, and was crowned during the finale in front of a live audience at the Grand Rex in Paris; she joins the Winner’s Circle alongside queens Paloma and Keiona from seasons one and two, respectively.
U.S. house-music icon Crystal Waters (known for songs such as “100% Pure Love”) celebrated the success of her I AM HOUSE Radio show, a press release noted. With an additional 3.5 million listeners gained through syndication this year alone and podcast plays spanning 50+ countries, Waters has reached more than 9 million monthly listeners across 63 stations in 24 countries. I AM HOUSE Radio maintains a strong global presence with 58,273 average daily podcast plays across 50+ countries. Key stations include KISS FM Australia (250,000 reach), MOVE Ibiza (500,000), Radyo S Turkey (100,000) and In Demand UK (250,000).
The most successful driver-team pairing in Formula 1 history recently ended as LGBTQ+ ally Lewis Hamilton drove his last race for Mercedes at the 2024 season finale in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, per NBC News. Over 12 seasons with the team, the British racer captured six championships, 84 race wins and 78 pole positions and 153 podium finishes. Hamilton is headed to Ferrari next season and will drive alongside Charles Leclerc, who has raced for the Italian team since 2019.
U.S. conservative figure Candace Owens falsely claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a “homosexual actor” in a post on social media, adding it would be spiritually wrong for her to support a victory by Ukraine over Russia, The Advocate noted. “No amount of media brainwash [sic] in the world could ever make me hope that Zelensky triumphs over an orthodox Russia,” Owens posted. “Spiritually, I just know that’s wrong. You simply do not support a homosexual actor that is locking up churches and bishops.” Zelensky has never identified as LGBTQ+.
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