World
Out in the World: LGBTQ news from Europe and Asia
Russia investigating Duolingo for allegedly spreading ‘LGBTQ propaganda’
RUSSIA
The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media agency, abbreviated as Roskomnadzor, has launched an investigation into the language learning app Duolingo for allegedly spreading “LGBTQ propaganda.”
The popular learning app teaches more than 40 languages to more than 60 million users worldwide.
Russian media news outlet Novaya Gazeta reported that a complaint, filed by a group Radetel, based in Novosibirsk in central Russia, and claims on its social media and website that it is on a mission to protect “public morality, culture and traditional values,” accused the learning app of violations of Article 5 the Russian “on the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development” law which specifies the promotion of “non-traditional sexual relations as detrimental to children’s health and development.”
Russian state media outlet TASS reported that Roskomnadzor confirmed that the agancy would be investigating Duolingo for potential “distribution of information that promotes LGBTQ.”
For its part as defined on its website, Duolingo states: “Duolingo believes deeply in diversity and representation. This made it a no-brainer to include all types of characters of different ages, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations.”
The app’s statement goes on reading:
“The second reason is our learners. Something really unique about Duolingo is the extremely vast and diverse audience for our content: Language learners of all ages, from all around the world. Yes, that’s a lot of people. And with such a broad base of learners, we have a responsibility to reflect and relate to the experiences of all kinds of people, LGBTQIA+ folks included.
Of course, characters are also much more compelling when they’re relatable, not only because of their dreams and their flaws but also who they love. So when we create Stories, which are written first in English and then adapted to other languages, we aim to make our content entertaining and relatable for learners worldwide. This is a fun and oftentimes difficult challenge. We’re proud to have our characters, especially our LGBTQ characters, help us do that.”
Radetel, which referred to members of the LGBTQ community as “sodomites” in its complaint to Roskomnadzor, said that “outraged” parents had brought Duolingo’s LGBTQ “propaganda” to its attention, adding that they had said they didn’t know how to explain the sentences to their primary school-age children “without traumatizing them,” Novaya Gazeta reported.
(Human Rights Watch) – Russian courts have issued the first known extremism convictions arising from the 2023 Supreme Court ruling designating the “international LGBT movement” as extremist, Human Rights Watch said on Feb. 14. The Supreme Court ruling, which was handed down on Nov. 30 but became public only in mid-January 2024, indicates that many more convictions may follow.
The Supreme Court ruling also declared the rainbow flag a forbidden symbol of the “LGBT movement.” Displaying the flag is the basis for administrative penalties in at least three cases that courts have tried in recent weeks. In late January, a court in Nizhny Novgorod sentenced a woman to five days detention for wearing rainbow-colored earrings after an individual accosted her and her friend in a cafe. Also in late January, a judge in Volgograd region handed down a fine over a rainbow flag published on a social media page. In early February, a court in Saratov fined a woman for posting a rainbow flag on social media.
“The Supreme Court decision opened the floodgates to allow arbitrary prosecution of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, along with anyone who defends their rights or expresses solidarity with them,” said Tanya Lokshina, associate Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “For years, Russian authorities tried to erase LGBT visibility, and now they have criminalized it.”
At least three groups supporting LGBT rights have shut down their operations for fear of prosecution. Other consequences of the ruling have included a series of police raids of gay clubs, incidents of self-censorship, and an uptick in requests for legal advice from remaining LGBT support groups, which have now turned to working clandestinely.
The Supreme Court ruling and prosecutions flowing from it are discriminatory, violate a wide range of rights, and should be overturned, Human Rights Watch said.
Under Russian criminal law, a person found guilty of displaying extremist group symbols faces up to 15 days in detention for the first offense and up to four years in prison for a repeat offense. Participating in or financing an extremist organization is punishable by up to 12 years in prison. The authorities may include individuals suspected of involvement with an extremist organization in the countrywide “list of extremists” and freeze their bank accounts. People deemed to be involved with an extremist organization are barred from running for public office. Draft legislation further expanding the notion of “justifying extremism” has passed first reading in Russia’s Parliament.
The Supreme Court’s perverse decision to accept the “international public LGBT movement” as a fictional defendant in this case was compounded by their denial of all requests by LGBT activists to participate, followed by the claim that “the defendant party failed to appear.” The court also refused to consider numerous appeals lodged by LGBT rights activists, saying that only the parties to the case had the right to appeal the ruling. By using the twisted legal fiction that there was an identifiable defendant called the “international LGBT movement” to contest the case, the Supreme Court denied all Russian LGBT persons and their allies directly impacted by the decision any due process rights, including by refusing to disclose the text of the judgment or reasons for the decision.
The text of the ruling, which was later seen by a regional media outlet in the course of a court case and published in January, states that the rainbow flag is the movement’s symbol. Because Russian law enforcement practice treats even old social media posts that are still available online as grounds for prosecution, thousands of people, and most likely more,who have posted the rainbow flag over the years face the risk of prosecution. The ruling states that 281 “active participants” in the movement have been personally identified, but it does not clarify how or by whom.
The Supreme Court ruling is the most recent example of authorities’ long record of misusing Russia’s broad and vague anti-extremism legislation to prosecute peaceful critics and members of certain religious groups, Human Rights Watch said. Hundreds of people have been wrongfully prosecuted under criminal extremism legislation, according to the SOVA Research Center and the list of political prisoners released by prominent human rights group Memorial.
Since a court banned three organizations affiliated with political opposition leader Aleksey Navalny as “extremist” in 2021, Navalny and five of his supporters have been sentenced to prison on a range of extremism charges for legitimate activism, while dozens more have received fines and short-term jail sentences. Six members of Vesna, a democratic youth movement, have been in pretrial custody since June 2023 on various spurious charges, including extremism. Hundreds of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been jailed since the organization was banned as “extremist” in 2017.
Editor’s Note: On Feb. 16, it was announced that opposition leader Aleksey Navalny had died in a Russian Penal Camp.
The Russian Federal Prison Service said early Feb. 16 that Navalny felt unwell after a walk and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived, and its crew tried to rehabilitate him but was unsuccessful, it added.
Navalny was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism, and in December was moved from a different prison to the highest-security level facility in the country near the Arctic Circle. The “special regime” penal colony prison in the town of Kharp, which is about 1,200 miles northeast of Moscow, is in a remote area known for its severe winters.
Navalny has been imprisoned since January 2021, when he returned to Russia after recovering from a poisoning that he blamed on Putin, who has denied trying to kill Navalny with a nerve agent.
The Supreme Court ruling has drawn strong criticism internationally. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights deplored the ruling, stating that “the law must never be used to perpetuate inequality and discrimination,” and saying that Russia should repeal laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people.
Five U.N. human rights experts reminded Russian authorities that under international human rights law, peaceful advocacy and expression of sexual orientation and gender identity can neither be considered “extremist” nor legitimate grounds for administrative and criminal prosecution.
“The ruling has no basis in reality; it is filled with conspiracy theories, false and unsubstantiated claims, and hateful stereotypes; and it seeks to impose ‘traditional values’ ideology through repressive criminal law,” Lokshina said. “The only way to remedy this travesty of justice is to vacate the recent convictions and reverse the absurd ‘extremism’ designation.”
POLAND
BY ROB SALERNO — A newscaster on Poland’s public television service delivered an apology for his and the network’s previous vicious and dehumanizing coverage of LGBTQ people and issues, after Poland’s new government replaced the far-right editorial board of the broadcaster.
News host Wojciech Szelag acknowledged that TVP had frequently demonized LGBTQ people and delivered his apology ahead of a segment in which he interviewed two queer activists.
“For many years in Poland, shameful words have been directed at numerous individuals simply because they chose to determine for themselves who they are and whom they love,” Szelag said. “LGBT+ people are not an ideology, but people, specific names, faces, relatives, and friends. All these people should hear the word sorry from this place today. This is where I apologize.”
Poland’s new center-left government took office in December, ending eight years of government by the extremely right-wing Law and Justice Party that strongly opposed LGBTQ rights. The new government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk has moved to reshape institutions that the previous government had filled with party cronies, which caused controversy when the government fired the TVP management. TVP had long been accused of having become a mouthpiece for the Law and Justice Party.
Some liberals accused the government of repeating the mistakes of the right, but the government insists it is simply trying to restore editorial balance.
Bart Staszewski, one of the LGBTQ activists that was interviewed on the program said the apology was evidence that Poland is moving in the right direction.
“Today, first time in Polish TV, after eight years of right-wing government, the LGBT+ activists appeared in live broadcast. I was seating there and heard journalist shaking voice. He made an apology after years of portraying LGBT-people a threat to Polish nation in the same studio. I was moved. Apology an important part of reconciliation. This is Poland I want to fight for… Thank you,” Staszewski wrote on X.
Straszewski later posted an image of an old broadcast in which Szelag said “LGBT ideology destroys family,” as evidence of how far the network had come.
Tusk has made several promises to the LGBTQ community as part of his election platform and coalition government agreement. He’s promised to institute a hate speech law, legalize same-sex civil unions and legalize abortion — all issues that were strongly rejected by the previous government.
It’s not clear at present when or if these proposals will become law, as the Law and Justice Party still holds the presidency with its veto power, at least until elections expected next May.
UNITED KINGDOM
19-year-old Summer Betts-Ramsey appeared before a magistrate at Willesden Magistrates Court on Feb. 13, charged with attempted murder and possession of an deadly weapon in public after she allegedly stabbed an 18-year-old transgender woman at who was with friends headed to the Harrow Leisure Center for a roller-skating party.
Metropolitan Police Detective Inspector Nicola Hannant, who is leading the investigation, said:
“This was a shocking and violent attack and we continue to support the victim and her family as she recovers from her injuries. At this stage, we are treating this as a transphobic hate crime and we know this will cause significant concern.
Since the incident occurred, we have been working tirelessly to identify those responsible and are making good progress with our investigation.
We have already arrested four people however we continue to appeal for anyone who may have been in the area or who believes they have further information to come forward and speak to us. We have increased police patrols and would encourage people to approach these officers with any information or concerns.”
According to Hannant, the victim was subjected to transphobic slurs before being stabbed 14 times. She was rushed to hospital for treatment and subsequently discharged.
The attack comes just over a year after a pair of 15-year-olds stabbed trans teen Brianna Ghey, 16, to death in a park near her home in Birchwood. The teens, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, now 16, were both handed life sentences earlier this month.
The Metropolitan Police have dedicated LGBTQ points of contact across London who can offer advice and support. Their contact details can be found here: (Link)
IRAQ
An unnamed security official with the Al-Qadisiyah Governorate, told Iraqi media outlet Shafaq News that a trans blogger was killed after being repeatedly stabbed in the center of the city of Al Diwaniyah, the capital city of the governorate that is located roughly 100 miles southeast of the country’s capital city of Baghdad.
The police official told Shafaq News: “Simsim, 28-years-old was killed by unknown assailants with several sharp knife stabs near the mural roundabout in the center of Diwaniyah city.” The official went on to note “the killers escaped to an unidentified location and the forensic team took the body to complete the legal formalities.”
Iraq has witnessed a series of assassinations of trans people, Shafaq News noted. One of the most prominent cases was the murder of NOOR BM, a popular TikTok figure who was shot dead by an unknown gunman in Baghdad in September 2023.
Last August, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission has ordered media outlets and social media companies that operate in the country to refer to homosexuality as “sexual deviance.”
Homosexuality is legal in Iraq, but violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity remains commonplace in the country.
JAPAN
In a landmark ruling last week, the Okayama Family Court’s Tsuyama Branch recognized a trans man’s petition to legally change his gender without having first undergone sterilization.
Japanese media outlet The Mainichi reported that the plaintiff, 50-year-old Tacaquito Usui, a farmer from a rural area of the prefecture of Okayama, legally change his gender without having first undergoing sterilization, after the Supreme Court’s presiding judge, Yukihiko Imasaki, ruled the requirement unconstitutional this past October.
But while the Supreme Court did issue a ruling on sterilization surgery, the high court is re-evaluating the requirement that a person’s genitals must conform in appearance with those of the gender they identify with.
The Okayama court judged that the man fulfilled the appearance criterion, the same conclusion it reached in his first petition, due to factors including his having undergone hormone therapy.
The Mainichi reported Usui, operates a farm in the village of Shinjo, where he lives with his 46-year-old partner and her son, aged 13. With Usui’s gender now legally recognized, the pair will be able to fulfill their long-held wish to marry.
“I want to thank my family. I feel a new life is beginning,” Usui said in a press conference after the decision.
Usui was assigned as female at birth and has said that he felt uncomfortable being treated as such from a young age. After becoming an adult, he was diagnosed with gender identity disorder. Usui told reporters the latest outcome “left me feeling society has changed” and that he is “moved by the progress that has been made.”
Additional reporting by Rob Salerno, the BBC, PinkNewsUK, Human Rights Watch, Novaya Gazeta, Agence France-Presse, The Mainichi, Shafaq News and Euronews 24.
Tel Aviv-Yafo authorities on Wednesday announced the cancellation of Tel Aviv’s annual Pride parade.
The municipality said it will instead hold a rally as a sign of pride, hope, and freedom.
The decision was made after municipality representatives consulted with LGBTQ community organizations, LGBTQ party promoters and venue owners in the city. Possible alternatives to the Pride parade were discussed.
Mayor Ron Huldai in a post he published expressed the self-evident reasons for making the change.
“This is not the time for celebrations,” Huldai wrote. “In coordination with the organizations of the LGBTQ community, we decided that this year, instead of the Pride parade, we will hold a rally in Tel Aviv-Yafo as a sign of pride, hope, and freedom. 132 of our sons and daughters are still kidnapped in Gaza, the circle of bereavement is expanding every day, and we are in one of the most difficult periods of the State of Israel.”
“Tel Aviv-Yafo is the home of the LGBTQ community, it was and always will be,” he added. “Out of our great commitment to the community, this year we decided to divert part of the budget intended for the production of the Pride parade in favor of the activities of the ‘LGBTQ Center’ in Tel Aviv-Yafo. We feel the pain of the entire country, and at the same time we do not stop for a moment the fight for equality and freedom — for everyone and everything. See you at the Pride parade in June 2025.”
The coalition of LGBTQ community organizations welcomed the decision.
“We welcome the decision of the Tel Aviv Municipality not to hold the Pride parade as usual this year,” they said. “In these difficult days, when we are all in pain and grieving and when many of our brothers and sisters are not at home, either as evacuees from their homes or kidnapped in Gaza, and our hearts are not whole until they return. It is true that the Pride events will undergo adjustments to the times.”
“Since time immemorial, the Pride parade in Tel Aviv, in contrast to the other parades and events throughout the country, has been a celebration of freedom, love, and equal rights and now, in these difficult days, it is important to continue to fight for a free and tolerant future even if we avoid the celebration,” they added. “Participation in the various Pride events around the country is more important than ever and we call on all members and members of the gay community and everyone who believes in a liberal, freer, and more just society to get out of the house and take part both in the rally in Tel Aviv and in the various events for the fight for equality and tolerance across the country.”
Russia
Vladimir Putin takes office for fifth term as Russia’s president
Kremlin’s crackdown on LGBTQ people expected to continue
On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin took his oath of office becoming the second ever longest serving leader of the modern Russian state since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, who held power from 1922 until his death in 1953.
Putin’s tenure in office has been marked by his acquisition of concentrated political power in part due to his eradication and imprisonment or the deaths of his political opponents, such as his rumored unproven involvement in the assassination of fierce Putin critic Boris Nemtsov on Feb. 27, 2015, just steps away from the gate to the Kremlin, and more recently in the prosecution and imprisonment of another high profile Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, who died on Feb. 16 at a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle.
Putin ordered military operations in August 2008, which led to the Russo-Georgian War and diplomatic relations were broken. To this day, the two countries have maintained no formal diplomatic relations. Then in February and March 2014, Russian troops at his direction invaded the Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and annexed it. The resulting hostilities also spread to the far-eastern Ukrainian oblasts, [provinces] which culminated with Russia invading Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, an escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War that started in 2014. The invasion became the largest attack on a European country since the end of World War II in 1945.
As the war drags on Putin’s threats of military escalation against NATO countries and use of battlefield nuclear weapons has created a tense relationship with a majority of the European Union as well as with the United States. Russia has been heavily sanctioned by the West and is turning to other totalitarian regimes like China, Iran, and North Korea for support.
In his inaugural speech Putin made oblique reference to his oft stated desire to recreate a hybrid of the former Soviet Union:
“In these solemn and crucial moments of assuming the office of the president, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the citizens of Russia across all regions of our country, as well as those living in the historical territories of Russia who have won their right to stand united with our Motherland.”
The Russian president then thanked the forces fighting in the invasion of Ukraine saying:
“I humbly honor our heroes, the participants in the special military operation, and all those who are fighting for our Fatherland. I would like to thank you again for the trust you have placed in me and for your unwavering support. These words are directed to every citizen of Russia.”
On the domestic front Putin has stifled media outlets with draconian laws passed designed to keep the Russian population largely ignorant of the cost both human lives and governmental spending as the warfare in Ukraine drags on and losses to the Russian military continue.
The Associated Press reported neither the U.S., U.K. nor German ambassadors attended. The U.S. Embassy said Amb. Lynne Tracy was out of the country on “prescheduled, personal travel.”
A handful of EU envoys attended even though top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said he told them “the right thing to do is not to attend this inauguration,” because Putin is the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
In his speech Putin issued a veiled threat to critics of his regime that dissention would not be tolerated:
“We can see that the atmosphere in society has changed, and how much we now value reliability, responsibility, sincerity, integrity, generosity, and courage. I will do everything in my power to ensure that those who have displayed these admirable human and professional traits, and who have proved their loyalty to the fatherland through their deeds, achieve leading positions in state governance, the economy and all other spheres.
We must ensure reliable continuity in the development of our country for decades to come and bring up new generations who will strengthen Russia’s might and develop our state based on interethnic accord, the preservation of the traditions of all ethnic groups living in Russia, a civilizational nation united by the Russian language and our multi-ethnic culture.”
The Russian president has also targeted the country’s LGBTQ community with passage of multiple laws that forbid public mention or acknowledgment of queer Russians. In his speech he emphasized his commitment to maintaining “family values.”
“Our top priority is the preservation of the people. I am confident that the support of centuries-old family values and traditions will continue to unite public and religious associations, political parties, and all levels of government.
Our decisions regarding the development of the country and its regions must be effective and fair and must promote the prosperity of Russian families and improve their quality of life,” he said.
The Wilson Center, a nonpartisan think tank in D.C., noted recently:
“Escalating state discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in Russia is directly informed by the Putin regime’s struggle to maintain legitimacy and public support, especially as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on. Russian federal elections are scheduled for 2024, and officials are reportedly planning to project record levels of public support for Putin.”
The war in Ukraine and discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community are both popular policies among the socially conservative interest groups that make up Putin’s strongest base of support, and Russian policymakers draw clear connections between the Kremlin’s narrative that Russia is fighting Western ideology by proxy in Ukraine and the Kremlin’s attack on the LGBTQ+ experience in Russia.
Putin’s inaugural speech today signaled his future intentions on conducting the war in Ukraine and his ongoing persecution of LGBTQ+ Russians.”
World
Out in the World: LGBTQ news from Europe and Asia
Silvester Belt is first LGBTQ person to represent Lithuania in Eurovision
RUSSIA
Russia’s largest publishing houses working in concert with the country’s libraries and book sellers formed an advisory union body earlier this month to address the increasingly repressive nature of laws centered around the subject matters of LGBTQ people and the war in Ukraine.
Making the task difficult is removal of materials from classic Russian literature in addition to contemporary works. Russian media outlet Vedomosti business daily reported that the Russian Book Union’s self-labeled expert center will issue recommendations on individual books, but leave the final decision to pull the books from sale up to the publishers.
According to Vedomosti, AST, one of Russia’s largest publishers, announced earlier this week that it would suspend sales of three books by U.S. authors James Baldwin and Michael Cunningham, as well as the Russian postmodern writer Vladimir Sorokin, for allegedly containing “LGBTQ propaganda,” which is now outlawed in the country.
Roberto Carnero, an Italian literature professor at the University of Bologna’s biographical who wrote a book on the openly gay Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini had been heavily edited with some 70 out of its 400 pages containing sections that were redacted by its Russian publisher, Reuters reported last week.
According to Carnero, speaking with the wire service, that publisher also AST, would only agree to publish his critical essay on Pasolini only with severe cuts.
“I am very concerned about this,” he said in a phone interview from Milan. “This is something that happens in dictatorships.”
The striking images of Carnero’s book have thrown a spotlight on issues of government censorship in Russia at a time when the Kremlin says it is fighting an existential war with the West to defend its “traditional values,” Reuters noted.
English language media outlet the Moscow Times reported that Russian law allows citations for scientific, educational, and critical purposes. If brought to court, Russian publishers would be forced to prove that they retold an unlicensed book for purposes that do not include entertainment.
Russian law firms say publishers risk being hit by lawsuits and fined double the value of books sold if their summaries hew too close to the original text.
LITHUANIA
A singer-songwriter who has been entertaining audiences since he was 12-years-old is now the first openly queer person to represent Lithuania at the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
Silvester Belthe in 2010 had been a finalist in Lithuania’s preselection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that year and now he returns 14 years later at age 26 taking the contest by storm.
A veteran of the musical variety contest show circuit, he competed on the Lithuanian version of the “X Factor,” and the Baltic TV3 Group’s music show “Aš – superhitas,” which he won in 2017.
PinkNewsUK reported Eurovision 2024 marks Belthe’s biggest career move to-date, and so far, it’s going well. His song, hypnotic eurobanger “Luktelk,” has hit over five million Spotify streams worldwide. In Lithuania, it hit number on the charts and stayed there for several weeks.
In an interview with PinkNewsUK when asked about LGBTQ representation in his homeland’s music scene. he responded: “Zero. It’s nada. It’s non-existent,” says Belt. “Everyone is pretending to be what they’re not, and it pisses me off so much.”
Eurovision has been supportive of LGBTQ musical artists for decades, but Lithuania has never sent an out artist to the contest. According to Belthe there is a culture of fear among Lithuanian artists about being seen as queer, as they feel there is “so much at stake” and that they could “lose [their] career” if they were to ever come out he noted.
The main reason he is frustrated by the lack of LGBTQ representation in his country he tells PinkNewsUK is that he thinks it would change the population’s mindset. Six in 10 Lithuanians still believe that same-sex relationships are “wrong.”
“If every single LGBTQ artist in Lithuania, not even artists, if everyone [would] come out, I feel like Lithuania would change in a day,” he says. “It’s just crazy that we have this massive elephant in the room and we’re just pretending it’s not there.”
UNITED KINGDOM
At the end of last month Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell announced sanctions on high profile Ugandan politicians charged with corruption, and the speaker of the Parliament of Uganda.
It is the first time the UK government has used the Global Anti-Corruption Sanctions regime on individuals involved in corruption in Uganda.
The three individuals, two of whom were previously ministers responsible for Uganda’s poorest region, Karamoja, and have been charged with corruption at Uganda’s Anti-Corruption Court, will be subject to travel bans and asset freezes.
The two former ministers sanctioned — Mary Goretti Kitutu and Agnes Nandutu — stole thousands of iron sheets used for roofing and infrastructure from a Ugandan government-funded project aimed at housing some of the most vulnerable communities in the region, providing them to prominent politicians and their families instead.
Parliament Speaker Anita Annet Among benefited from the proceeds.
Over 60 percent of people in Karamoja live in poverty and many suffer from the devastating impacts of drought and insecurity.
Mitchell said in a media statement:
“The actions of these individuals, in taking aid from those who need it most, and keeping the proceeds, is corruption at its worst and has no place in society. The Ugandan courts are rightly taking action to crack down on those politicians who seek to line their own pockets at their constituents’ expense.
Today the UK is sending a clear message to those who think benefiting at the expense of others is acceptable. Corruption has consequences and you will be held responsible,” Mitchell added.
The three individuals sanctioned were:
- Anita Annet Among, who has been the speaker of the Parliament of Uganda since 2022.
- Mary Goretti Kitutu, who was the Minister for Karamoja Affairs between 2021 and 2024.
- Agnes Nandutu, who was the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs between 2021 and 2024.
These measures follow previous UK sanctions under the Global Anti-Corruption sanctions regime, which has targeted individuals involved in serious corruption cases across the world, including Bulgaria, Lebanon, Moldova, Russia, South Africa, South Sudan, and Venezuela.
Since its introduction in April 2021, the UK has introduced sanctions on 42 individuals and entities under this regime globally to combat corruption across the world.
A fully inclusive rugby club, with the majority of their members being part of Berkshire’s LGBTQ community, competes against other inclusive teams from across the world.
Recently the club won the International Gay Rugby UK league for the first time in their seven year history. John Hamp, the tighthead prop, one of the three players who form the front row of the scrum, told the BBC that being part of an LGBTQ inclusive club meant “you don’t have to hide any part of yourself.”
“With any inclusive rugby team, the need is that there are people who really enjoy rugby and really enjoy the sport, but haven’t necessarily found their home in a traditional club setup,” Hamp said.
“We provide a home and a welcoming environment where anyone and everyone can come and learn the sport,” he added.
Hamp, who is also the teams’ communications manager, told the BBC an inclusive club meant “regardless of any of your defining features or characteristics, especially for us that includes a sexual orientation, you can join our club and find a safe and welcoming environment — somewhere that you can be yourself.”
“I have a rugby family, and I tried as a child, and it just didn’t feel right for me — I knew that I was a bit different, I think other people knew that I felt different, and it didn’t feel comfortable for me,” he said.
“Sadly my my father passed away and I needed to do something; I needed something different — there was a need to be with community that understood me and a connection that I wanted to get back involved in rugby.”
“So I found the unicorns, and it was the perfect marriage of those two things.”
The club was founded in 2016, and has grown in size to over 50 playing and social members. This season, the team went unbeaten, scoring over 400 points across their 11 games in the process.
NORTHERN IRELAND
For the first time in the 132 history of the largely ceremonial role of Lord Mayor of Belfast, an openly gay man has been chosen. Micky Murray, an Alliance Party city councilman representing the Balmoral area, was selected to succeed the outgoing Sinn Féin’s Ryan Murphy in June.
On his X account Murray stated: “It’s truly an honor to have been selected by my party to be the next Lord Mayor of Belfast in June. This is a significant moment for the LGBTQ+ community, as I step into a role which has never represented us before. I look forward to getting stuck in!”
The 32-year-old politico in an interview with LGBTQ media outlet GCN Ireland said:
“In my role as Lord Mayor I want to meet people in all areas of Belfast and recognise those who are making a difference in every quarter, finding ways to work alongside them for the better.
He added: “Supporting the most vulnerable is a priority of mine, and I want to use my experience working in the homeless sector to ensure our city does more to help people.”
“I want to help transform Belfast into a more inclusive city where everyone can enjoy, regardless of who you are or where you’re from. We’re 26 years on from the Good Friday Agreement and we were promised peace, which has largely been delivered, but now is the time to further break down barriers and create a thriving city.
Our city should be recognized for its inclusivity, rather than its division. As the first openly gay Lord Mayor, I want to use this platform to represent the LGBTQ+ community and be a positive role model for them.”
In an interview with the Belfast Telegraph Murray said: “As a schoolboy who was badly bullied because of my sexuality, I never thought I’d have the privilege of serving in a role like this.”
The councilman continued: “The position of Lord Mayor has existed for over 130 years, and I’ll be the first openly LGBTQ person to hold it. It’s a huge honor for me personally to be given this opportunity by my party colleagues.
While some people may question why my sexuality is relevant, it does matter for members of my community. We are finally represented in a role we’ve never been before. It’s imbued with symbolism.”
IRELAND
Pride is back again this year for Drogheda, an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 26 miles north of Dublin. The four-day festival which kicks off on July 18, will include live musical performances, dance parties, film screenings, and family-friendly events.
This year’s event promises to be a fantastic experience, with preparation well underway and organizer Peter James Nugent told GCN Ireland. Nugent is working on the four-day festival, which will include live music performances, dance parties, film screenings, and family-friendly events.
This year’s parade will take place on July 20. Following the parade, talented local musical artist Kobrah Kage will headline the main event with a highly-anticipated performance.
GCN also reported that Festival organizers are also calling upon anyone with a talent, be it a drag queen, a singer, a dancer, or any other talent, to apply to be a part of the 2024 fantastic event. This is a great opportunity for the local community to showcase their support and join in the celebrations. A complete listing of events is available on Drogheda Pride’s socials and their website.
Additional reporting from the BBC, PinkNewsUK, The Moscow Times, Agence France-Presse the Belfast Telegraph, and GCN Ireland.
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