Europe
Istanbul once again bans Pride march
Organizers sharply criticized authorities’ decision

The BeyoÄlu and Kadıkƶy District governors’ offices which oversee the mega metropolitan area of this ancient city located on both banks of the Bosporus connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara have once again banned the city’s Pride march.
The governors’ offices announced a ban on all gatherings in both districts, where Pride week events have traditionally been held, on Monday, the Diken news siteĀ reported, citing the Turkish Law on Demonstrations and Public Meetings.
āWe have obtained information that between 21 June 2022 (Tuesday) and 23 June 2022 (Thursday) gatherings, press releases, marches, distribution of leaflets, etc are planned to be held within the scope of the 30th āIstanbul LGBTI+ Pride Week,’ā the governorās statement said.
āAll events are banned in all open and closed areas for seven days.ā
Had the Pride week march and accompanying festivities been allowed to take place, it would have marked the 30th anniversary of Pride in the megacity. Istanbulās Pride Parades, which attracted up to 100,000 people from across the region, have been banned since 2014, with officials citing security reasons for the ban.
In the past years since the ban first was enacted, Turkish police and LGBTQ activists had clashed with police units firing tear-gas pellets at the crowd along with physically violent arrests.

Ahval, an independent Turkish media outlet, reported Monday that Turkeyās LGBTQ groups accused the government of President Recep Tayyip ErdoÄan of waging a āhate campaignā against them, encouraging violence against a vulnerable community.
Turkey has ranked second worst country in the EU for LGBTQ people, scoring only above Azerbaijan, according the 2022 āRainbow Europeā ranking compiled by Brussels-based ILGA-Europe.
Less than a week ago in Ankara, Turkish police officers carrying clear-plastic riot shields, wielding batons and deploying pepper powder balls as well as tear gas violently broke up a Pride Parade organized by Middle East Technical University students on their campus.

PinkNewsUK reportedĀ the Istanbul LGBTQ+ Pride Week Committee issued aĀ statementĀ shortly after the announcement, saying that the decision was āillegalā and that they would use āour rights [to] make the necessary objectionsā.
āToday, with the start of Istanbul 30th LGBTI+ Pride Week, police inspected the venues where the events would take place, under the guise of āgeneral control,āā the group said. āThe law enforcement officers tried to put pressure on the venues by asking for documents such as tax plates.”
āWe would like to thank our entire network of lawyers and venues that have supported us. We wonāt give up, we are not afraid!ā
The Vatican
Vatican approves Italian guidelines for gay priests
Seminary candidates cannot be denied because of sexual orientation, must remain celibate

The Vatican has approved new guidelines that opens the door for gay men in Italy to become priests.
The New York Times on Jan. 10 reported the Vatican approved the guidelines the Italian Bishop’s Conference adopted last November.
The guidelines specifically stipulate seminaries cannot reject applicants simply because of their sexual orientation, as long as they remain celibate. They will remain in place for what the Times described as a “3-year trial period.”
āThis development is a big step forward,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ Catholic organization, in a press release. “It clarifies previous ambiguous statements about gay seminary candidates, which viewed them with suspicion. This ambiguity caused lots of fear and discrimination in the church, way beyond the arena of seminary admissions.”
āThis new clarification treats gay candidates in the same way that heterosexual candidates are treated,” added DeBernardo. “That type of equal treatment is what the church should be aiming for in regards to all LGBTQ+ issues.”
The Vatican in 2016 reaffirmed gay men becoming priests.
āThe church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called āgay culture,āā reads a document the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy released that Pope Francis approved.
The document essentially reaffirmed the Vatican’s 2005 position on the issue. (Benedict XVI was pope at the time.)
The Vaticanās tone towards LGBTQ and intersex issues has softened since Francis became pope in 2013.
Francis publicly backs civil unions for same-sex couples, and has described laws that criminalize homosexuality as āunjust.ā Francis in 2023 said priests can bless same-sex couples.
The pontiff earlier this month named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, who DeBernardo notes has made “strong positive statements regarding LGBTQ+ issues,” as the new archbishop of Washington. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Brian Burch, the president and co-founder of CatholicVote, an anti-LGBTQ Catholic group, to become the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
Francis during a 2023 interview with an Argentine newspaper described gender ideology as āone of the most dangerous ideological colonizationsā in the world because āit blurs differences and the value of men and women.ā A declaration the Vaticanās Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released last March with Francisās approval condemned gender-affirming surgeries and āgender theory.ā
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein marriage equality law takes effect
US embassy praises ācountless individuals who worked tirelessly for equalityā

A law that extends marriage rights to same-sex couples in Liechtenstein took effect on Wednesday.
Lawmakers in the small European country that borders Switzerland and Austria approved a marriage equality bill in May 2024. Liechtenstein is the last country in which German is the primary language to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Switzerland and Austria since 2022 and 2019 respectively. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017.
āThis milestone is a testament to the dedication and advocacy of countless individuals who worked tirelessly for equality,ā said the U.S. Embassy in Bern, the Swiss capital, in an X post.
Congratulations to š±š® on the enactment of same-sex marriage, effective as of today! This milestone is a testament to the dedication and advocacy of countless individuals who worked tirelessly for equality. Wishing everyone a joyful and inclusive start to the New Year! šāØ pic.twitter.com/ZbG5Vd4tOf
— U.S. Embassy Bern (@USEmbassyBern) January 1, 2025
The Washington Blade in 2022 interviewed Scott Miller, the openly gay U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. He was among those who spoke at Liechtensteinās first-ever Pride event that took place that year.
āIt will be a discussion that I think activists will have to work on a lot,ā he said, referring to marriage equality efforts in Liechtenstein. āI will support (them) in any way I can.ā
The Vatican
LGBTQ pilgrimage to take place during Catholic Churchās 2025 Jubilee
Event not āsponsored or organized byā the Vatican

A group of LGBTQ Christians in Italy has said the Vatican has approved its request to make a pilgrimage during the Catholic Churchās 2025 Jubilee.
The National Catholic Register on Dec. 11 reported La Tenda di Gionata (Jonathanās Tent) ā an Italian Christian group that helps āLGBT people and their families feel welcome in their churchā ā asked members to āsave the dateā of Sept. 6, 2025, and invited āall associations and groups dedicated to supporting LGBT+ individuals and their families to join us as we officially cross the Holy Door of the Jubilee at St. Peterās Basilicaā at 3 p.m.
The National Catholic Register notes the pilgrims have also been invited to a Mass at the Jesuit Church of the GesĆ¹ that Msgr. Francesco Savino, vice president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, will celebrate.
Church Jubilees take place every 25 years.
Jubilee 2025 officially begins on Christmas Eve.
Jubilee spokesperson Agnese Palmucci confirmed to the National Catholic Register that La Tenda di Gionataās proposed pilgrimage has been āincluded in the general calendar as a pilgrimage, along with all the other pilgrimages that other dioceses will make,ā but noted it is ānot a Jubilee event sponsored or organized by us.ā
āIt is a pilgrimage organized by this association which, like the other dioceses, bodies and associations, will make the pilgrimage as they wish,ā said Palmucci.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ Catholic organization, on Dec. 10 noted he traveled to Rome in 2000, the last Jubilee year, and spoke at the first WorldPride that took place that summer.
āOne of the things I remember most about that time was the anger expressed by the Vatican and the pope himself that World Pride was taking place in Rome during the Jubilee year,ā wrote DeBernardo on New Ways Ministryās website. āPerhaps particularly galling to John Paul II was that the pride event was taking place in the first week of July, which was the same week that pilgrims from the popeās native Poland were scheduled to flood the city. And indeed, everywhere you looked you saw people with bright red neckerchiefs, a symbol of Polish heritage.ā
DeBenardo noted the āmood inā Rome āwas incredibly tense.ā
āVatican anti-gay rhetoric had fueled anti-gay sentiment beyond the Catholic Church, and many right-wing Italian political groups were denouncing World Pride, which was to culminate in a march from the Porta San Paolo to the Colosseum,ā he wrote. āAnti-gay messages were plastered all over the city buildings. One message in particular remains strong in my memory: āGay al Colosseo? SƬ, con i leoni.ā (Translation: āGays at the Colosseum? Yes, with lions.ā)ā
DeBenardo wrote the inclusion of an LGBTQ pilgrimage during the 2025 Jubilee ātouched my heart.ā
āWhile 2025ās event may seem like a small step, when compared with how the Vatican reacted to the presence of gay people in Rome during 2000, we can see what a sea change has taken place in terms of responding to LGBTQ+ people,ā he said.
The Vaticanās tone towards LGBTQ and intersex issues has softened since Pope Francis assumed the papacy in 2013.
Francis publicly backs civil unions for same-sex couples, and has described laws that criminalize homosexuality asĀ āunjust.āĀ
He met with two African LGBTQ activists ā Clare Byarugaba of Chapter Four Uganda and Rightify Ghana Director Ebenezer Peegah ā at the Vatican on Aug. 14. Sister Jeannine Gramick, one of the co-founders of New Ways Ministry, organized a meeting between Francis and a group of transgender and intersex Catholics and LGBTQ allies that took place at the pontiffās official residence on Oct. 12.
Francis during a 2023 interview with an Argentine newspaper described gender ideology as āone of the most dangerous ideological colonizationsā in the world because āit blurs differences and the value of men and women.ā A declaration the Vaticanās Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released in March with Francisās approval condemned gender-affirming surgeries and āgender theory.ā
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