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NOTE: This week’s news mentions suicide.
In Canada, a blogger in Thunder Bay, Ontario, has been ordered by Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice to pay $380,000 in damages after making Facebook posts in 2022 accusing drag performers of grooming children, CBC reported. The cases related to Facebook posts made in September 2022 and December 2022 by blogger Brian Webster on a page called “Real Thunder Bay Courthouse—Inside Edition”; the plaintiffs included the organization Rainbow Alliance Dryden as well as drag performers Caitlin Hartlen, Felicia Crichton and John-Marcel Forget. The judgment was made on two separate but related libel cases, and was issued by Justice Helen M. Pierce after being heard in the northwestern Ontario city on Jan. 31 via Zoom.
A gay cruise liner rescued 11 refugees adrift in the Gulf of Mexico, according to PinkNews. Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas—currently chartered by LGBTQ+ vacation company Vacaya—carried out the rescue mission after crew members spotted a small, overloaded vessel. “In my 22 years in the industry, I’ve never had such an emotional day,” posted Vacaya CEO Randle Roper. “I’m so happy we were able to bring them on board safely and provide medical care, dry clothes, food and, most importantly, water. It’s sad that some people have to put themselves through such trauma in hopes of finding a better life.”
In a suicide note posted on X, Saudi trans woman Eden Knight said a lawyer in the United States—where she had been trying to claim asylum—had persuaded her into returning home to a family and country that would not accept her identity, according to Erasing 76 Crimes. The BBC World Service identified this man as Bader Alomair, who has apparently worked at the Saudi Arabian embassy in D.C.; he is connected to controversial returns from the United States of several other Saudi students—including two later accused of committing murder at school. Alomair had not responded to the allegations raised in our investigation. Knight—who took her life in 2023—was from one of the Middle Eastern kingdom’s most respected families. After moving to Virginia in 2019 on a Saudi government scholarship to study at George Mason University, Knight made the decision in early 2022 to transition from presenting as a man to presenting as a woman. Saudi Arabia is known for being very intolerant of trans people.
Two courts have ruled against President Donald Trump’s abandonment of the U.S. refugee program and his freeze of foreign aid, per Erasing 76 Crimes. One ruling, from U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead, stated that Trump’s executive order affecting refugee admissions (issued on the day of his inauguration) amounted to an illegal usurpation of the powers of Congress. Also, U.S. District Judge Amir H. Ali ordered the Trump administration to pay hundreds of millions in foreign assistance funds that have been in limbo despite his previous directive that such aid resume. During the contentious hearing, Justice Department lawyer Indraneel Sur told Ali he was “not in a position to answer” whether the Trump administration had taken needed steps to allow the assistance to begin moving.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court intervened in that case and temporarily blocked a court order requiring the administration to release billions of dollars in foreign aid by Wednesday at midnight, the AP noted. The Trump administration said it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) foreign-aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world, putting numbers on its plans to eliminate the majority of U.S. development and humanitarian help abroad. President Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk have hit foreign aid hard in their push to cut the size of the federal government. Widely successful USAID programs credited with containing outbreaks of Ebola and other threats and saving more than 20 million lives in Africa through HIV and AIDS treatment are among those still cut off from agency funds, USAID officials and partner organizations contend.
Catholic Bishop Stephan Oster, of Germany’s Diocese of Passau has spoken in favor of a proposed national law in his country that will increase transgender equality, according to New Ways Ministry. Oster supports the “Self-Determination Act,” which would reduce legal barriers for transgender people to change their names and gender markers. Under the proposed bill only a personal declaration would be necessary to initiate these changes for people over the age of 14. As Bondings 2.0 reported, leading lay Catholic organizations in Germany have publicly endorsed the legislation.
Scottish National Party (SNP) leader John Swinney reaffirmed his support for trans women by insisting they should be allowed to use women’s restrooms, per PinkNews. While this right must “not come at the disadvantage of other members of staff,” Swinney underscored that trans women are women, The Telegraph noted. His comments were made as an employment tribunal in Scotland focused on the right of trans people to access female-only areas; nurse Sandie Peggie has claimed she was subjected to unlawful harassment by being made to share a changing room at a hospital with transgender doctor Beth Upton, and felt intimidated and embarrassed.
Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud won the 2025 Berlinale Golden Bear for Dreams—a queer love story that completes his Sex, Love, Dreams trilogy, per The Hollywood Reporter. The drama follows a teenage girl’s infatuation with her female teacher as the teen recounts her memories through a novel she has written about the events. The Berlin jury, headed by out Carol director Todd Haynes, picked Dreams from the 19 titles in competition at the 75th Berlinale. Also, Rose Bryne and queer actor Andrew Scott won top acting honors at the Berlinale film festival.
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While people might be more familiar with Tokyo, it’s Osaka that’s Japan’s emerging queer spot, according to GayCities. Osaka recently hosted the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association’s annual convention, welcoming hundreds of queer individuals to network and explore the neighborhoods, historical sites and landmarks; the city will also host the 2025 World Expo on April 13-Oct. 13. According to the article, “There are two main areas for LGBTQ+ offerings: Namba/Shinsaibashi and Doyamacho/Kamiyamacho—the former containing most of the city’s gay bars, restaurants and the city’s LGBTQ+ community center.” Also, the RIHGA Royal Hotel Osaka—with more than 1,000 rooms and suites—is highly recommended.
U.S. President Donald Trump claimed to reporters that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky treated out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent “rudely” when he traveled to the capital of Ukraine and didn’t even meet with him—but then photos of the two men meeting were posted online, contradicting Trump’s story, according to LGBTQ Nation. Bessent visited Kyiv to talk with Zelensky about the Trump administration’s demands to access Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for continued support in resisting Russia’s invasion of the country. However, despite Trump’s claim, “Zelensky met with Bessent at Mariinskyi Palace,” security analyst Jimmy Rushton posted on X. “Multiple photographs were taken and published of their meeting.” According to Axios, the contract that Bessent brought to Zelensky would result in Ukraine giving 50% of revenue from the mining of rare earth minerals to the U.S.; however, Zelensky said that he couldn’t sign it without reviewing it first and getting approval from parliament.
In the 24 hours after President Donald Trump’s election victory, Rainbow Railroad—a Toronto/NYC organization that supports queer people fleeing persecution—saw more requests for relocation support on a single day from a single country than ever before in the charity’s 19-year history, according to Village Report. On that day, more than 1,100 LGBTQ people in the U.S. asked the charity for help to escape to Canada and other nations. “[It’s] distressing to see how people are so terrified and desperate,” said Director of Protection Initiatives Swathi Sekhar. “People are feeling as though the U.S. is not a place where they can safely express their identity.” Also, Toronto LGBTQ+ immigration lawyer Adrienne Smith’s firm has received about 10 emails or calls per day from LGBTQ+ Americans looking to come to Canada—a dramatic increase from pre-Inauguration levels, she said.
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association has officially opened registration for its 2025 Global Convention, taking place Oct. 21-25 at the Palm Springs Convention Center, per a press release. The event is expected to welcome up to 2,000 LGBTQ+ and allied tourism professionals from more than 40 countries to share best business practices and collaborate on ways to create more inclusive travel experiences. Palm Springs made history in 2017 with the first all-LGBTQ+ city council in the U.S. and continues to earn a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index.
Taekwondo master Damián López—a government delegate for his home city of Valencia, Spain—has dedicated his sports career to opening opportunities for LGBTQ+ athletes, according to Queerty. The Taekwondo Federation of the Valencian Community, which he leads, was the first organization of its kind in Spain to create a department that deals exclusively with LGBTQ+-related issues. “From the Taekwondo Federation of the Valencian Community, we firmly believe that sport should be a space of inclusion, respect and safety for everyone,” López posted on the International Day against queerphobia in Sport, which Spain and Latin America observe on Feb. 19.
Lady Gaga confirmed she will perform a free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach on May 3, EDGE Media Network noted. “I’ve been dying to come perform for you for years and was heartbroken when I had to cancel years ago because I was hospitalized,” Gaga said on social media. Gaga’s concert on the beach follows Madonna’s free performance there in May; the “Like a Prayer” singer drew an estimated 1.6 million people. Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes, who was re-elected last year to a four-year term, has pledged to bring a major global concert to the city every May.
Andy Bell—best known for being half of the UK act Erasure—has detailed a new solo album, Ten Crowns, that is set for release on May 2 on vinyl (white, oxblood and picture disc available), CD (standard and two-CD versions), gold cassette and digitally via Crown Recordings, per a press release. He also has shared a single, “Don’t Cha Know.” The new album will coincide with a UK tour, with North American dates to be announced. The new album is the result of Andy embracing a milestone in his life, as Ten Crowns was completed the year Bell turned 60.
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British rock icons Skunk Anansie—led by queer singer Skin—announced their new studio album, The Painful Truth, per a press release. The new album, their seventh studio collection and first in nine years, will be released May 23 via FLG Records. To celebrate, the band will be playing a very special headline show on the day of release at Good Times at the Ridings in Chipping Sodbury. Tracks include “An Artist Is An Artist” (the first single), “Animal,” “Fell in Love with a Girl” and “Meltdown,” among others. The album can be pre-ordered here.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera will play in India for the first time ever, according to Playbill. The Tony-winning international hit will arrive at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai; the limited engagement, which begins March 5 in The Grand Theatre, will continue through March 30. The musical will feature Jonathan Roxmouth in the title role, Grace Roberts as Christine Daaé, and Matt Leisy as Raoul. Phantom opened in London’s West End in 1986 and then went on Broadway in 1988, where it won seven 1988 Tony Awards, including Best Musical; it remains the longest-running show in Broadway history.
Porreres, Spain Mayor Xisca Mora admitted that her small town cannot afford to sue Meghan Markle over the newly unveiled “As Ever” logo—which she claims is “nearly identical” to the village’s centuries-old coat of arms, per Page Six. The politician is urging Markle to change the logo of her newly rebranded lifestyle company after claiming that the design is a replica of the town’s emblem, which dates back to 1370. Porreres’ coat of arms features a palm tree between two swallows inside of a crest, while Markle’s logo depicts a palm tree sandwiched between two hummingbirds. Markle recently announced the rebrand of her lifestyle company—previously called American Riviera Orchard—because of several trademark issues.
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