Greece

Some parents of students at a primary school in Corinth, a Greek city 48 miles west of Athens, are outraged after discovering that after a renovation, maintenance and painting of the building facilities, the undersides of balconies of the school appeared to have been enblazened with Pride flags.

Posting pictures to Facebook, the Parents’ Association of the 2nd Primary School of Corinth’s conservative members sent letters of complaint addressed to the city government, the Directorate of Primary Education and the school’s management.

The city’s deputy mayor, Yannis Gezerlis, responded to the incident, clarifying that the new paint scheme was not about the Pride colors and the LGBTQ community but about the colors of the iris or the sky arc symbolizing.

“Let me remind you here that the colors of the LGBT Pride flag; have the same arrangement as the rainbow but they are six and not seven like the colors of the iris which also includes blue, and there was rather than only an established identification of childhood and education, rebirth with the knowledge symbolized by the rainbow, and where it existed before the LGBTI community appeared,” he said adding: “And of course we cannot uncritically erase the past like this because it looks like something we oppose.”

Slovakia

Early parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Slovakia on Sept. 30, and the European People’s Party, (EPP) a center-right, major pro-European political group, has endorsed KDH, the Christian-democratic political party in Slovakia that is a member of the EPP, despite KDH Leader Milan Majersk’s homophobic public comments and position.

During a pre-election TV debate ahead of the snap elections at the end of this month, in response to a question from the audience, Majersk referred to LGBTQ people as an “ideology” a “scourge” to the country as bad as corruption in government.

“Both are the misfortune of any country, not just Slovakia – both corruption and LGBTI. They are scourges that are destroying the country. Any country,” Majerský said. In a Facebook post after the debate Majerský attempted to walk back his harsh rhetoric writing that that he meant LGBTQ “ideology,” not people.

Andrea Letanovská, leader of Demokrati, another EPP-affiliated party from Slovakia, also echoed the criticism, reminding that “hateful words can kill,” as two young people were shot dead in a terrorist attack outside the Tepláreň gay bar last October.

“To hear this from someone who stands for democratic and Christian values, from someone who is supposed to love his neighbor, it is very sad indeed,” said Letanovská.

Ukraine

Instead of a Pride parade at the end of August, LGBTQ activists tied cardboard figures to trees in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Co-organizer Sofia said they represented people “who cannot join the march for some reasons.” 

“I think that people should be protected, especially now, during the war, when anything can happen at any time. We are not immune to anything,” she said.

According to the Kharkiv Pride Instagram account, only 100 people were able to register for the event for security reasons.

United Kingdom

Appearing on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Monday, London’s LGBTQ-friendly mayor, Sadiq Khan, sparred with the conservative presenter and journalist after Morgan asked the mayor to define a woman. This question has become a anti-transgender dog whistle for TERFs and “gender criticals” in Britain who are opposed to transgender rights.

Morgan has made several public statements in opposition to trans rights in the U.K. Although the mayor was not on the show discuss trans or women’s issues, he took the opportunity to insist that trans women are women.

“I answer that question knowing full well that there are people watching this who have gender dysphoria and have concerns in relation to this issue,” Khan said adding: “A woman, when it comes to biology and sex, is an adult girl,” he continued. “There are some women who have gender dysphoria and trans women can also be women as well.”

Ireland

Counter protesters in Corcaigh, Ireland’s second largest city, surrounded the Cork City Library to shield patrons and staff from a far-right protest occurring outside of the building.

PinkNewsUK reported that on Sept. 2 about 300 people turned out in support of the library and its staff, and in opposition to the Ireland Says No rally, which was organized by conservative groups.

The conservative groups and far right protestors are angered over LGBTQ books and want them removed. The city had previously been forced to shut the library during another anti-LGBTQ book demonstration, out of fear for the safety of library staff. 

Speaking to CorkBeo, Sinn Féin Councilor Mick Nugent said: “For me, it’s primarily in support of library workers in terms of what they’ve had to put up with over the past number of months. The library is open today, which is good, business as usual.” 

“It’s about equality, it’s about liberty, it’s about fraternity and it’s about diversity. We’re supporting all communities that decided to make Cork their home.”

China

Pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham won a partial victory in the Court of Final Appeal, Hong Kong’s high court, when it ruled this week that the government formulate an alternative framework for same-sex couples seeking legal recognition as the court refused to recognize same-sex marriages which are not currently allowed.

A poll this year found that 60 percent of Hong Kongers supported same-sex marriage, compared to just 38 percent a decade ago France 24/AFP reported.

Sham, 36, who is one of dozens of activists behind bars awaiting prosecution under the Beijing-imposed Hong Kong security law on charges unrelated to LGBTQ rights, had twice failed to convince the courts that Hong Kong should legally recognize his marriage to a same-sex partner, which was registered in New York nearly 10 years ago.

Tuesday’s ruling said that the government’s failure to actively provide alternative options — like civil unions — for same-sex partners violates their rights.

“The absence of legal recognition of (same-sex partners’) relationship is apt to disrupt and demean their private lives together in ways that constitute arbitrary interference,” the court said in its ruling.

LGBTQ rights in China have steadily eroded as the government has cracked down over the past several years. 

In Asia only Nepal and Taiwan recognize same-sex marriage while in South Korea lawmakers have recently introduced legislation that would recognize same-sex partnerships AFP also noted.

Rights advocacy has partly gone underground after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub.