Welcome to your monthly dive into the colourful universe of LGBTQIA+ news – where the extraordinary, the eyebrow-raising, and everything in between converge.
A Modern Gay’s Guide is here to ensure you’re in the loop, whether you’ve got an encyclopedia of queer knowledge or just a thirst for the latest.
So brace yourself for the ultimate rundown of the last months happenings from around the world, neatly sorted into the ‘Good Gay News’ and ‘Not-So-Good Gay News’…because no one needs to read bad news if you’re already having a rough day!
GOOD GAY NEWS
Let’s start our globe-trotting review of this month’s news, 14,300km from home at the heart of the Catholic Church, and world’s smallest independent nation; The Vatican.
We’re not here on a wing and a prayer though, rather as Pope Francis himself makes the news with his decision to agree Catholic Priests will now be able to bless same sex couples (note: only as union, but unfortunately has still not blessed gay marriage).
A sign of the recognition of LGBTQIA+ union is a positive first step but it isn’t quite the celebration some may want as this still does not recognise spiritual marriage. It might not be the miracle we may have been praying for but from water, wine comes….hopefully!
Now let’s head 1,430km north west to…ye’ old London town!
The news of a newly appointed United Nations Women UK Champion – the celebrated British trans activist and campaigner, Monroe Burgdorf. Never shy to speak her mind or to elevate the voices of the LGBTQIA+ community, their new role will be a crucial contribution to improving gender equality across the 193 member states. For those who don’t know, the United Nations is an organization of countries that meet to find solutions to commonly experienced problems such as poverty and human rights.
Staying in the UK Capital, news has broken that the BBC has made a landmark decision for the newest iteration of The Doctor (of cult-classic Doctor Who), to be played by a fabulous multi-racial, publicly gay actor, Ncoti Gatwa. Some pessimists may see this as a tick box exercise but Ncoti has proved his acting prowess with three BAFTA Television Awards and nominations for Best Male Comedy Performance. His adventure as the 15th incarnation of time globally revered Time Lord begins this month! Who fancies a trip in the tardis to…well wherever he’s going #Doctor Crush).
Next we’re heading to Nepal! Yes, you read that correctly, we are at the home of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest for a fantastic story of political growth. The landlocked country sandwiched between the often less than open-minded countries of India and China has managed to maintain its own identity for thousands of years and still continues to tread its own path when it comes to their political standing. This month marks the first time in Nepalese history that a same sex marriage has been legally recognised and how amazing is that given its neighbours often archaic political values. See? It pays to stand out from the crowd!
NOT-SO-GOOD GAY NEWS
LGBTQIA+ regression at any point of the year is always hard to read but the new years period, as we all think, retrospectively, means bad news stories pack an even harder punch. Evariste Ndayishimiye, The Burundian President has called for all gay people to be stoned to death as they are a ‘curse to the country’. For some background, Barundai is a small country in the center of East Africa, bordering Rwanda and Tanzania where over an 8th of the 13 million residents need humanitarian assistance and 87% of people live on less than $1.90 a day.
From the continent of Africa we unwillingly travel 9,500 km to the liberated land of Russia. Infamous for its dictator’s lack of empathy towards the LGBTQIA+ community, the newest dig at human rights comes in the form of new legislation signed by Putin (or one of his many doubles) to illegalise what he calls, ‘gay propaganda’. For many the flight of a flag is a simple nod to a global community alliance but in Russia this will get you a hefty prison sentence. From one aging authoritarian nation to one of the most advanced democracies in East Asia, we’re off to South Korea.
The home of music phenomenon BTS and neighbors to China and Japan, South Korea boasts one of the most advanced democratic systems in Asia however reports have come to light that suggest that it still upholds anti gay laws when it comes to its military forces. Progression doesn’t happen overnight but with ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ clear in our rear view mirror, change can only be round the corner.
Our last trip is to the premier state, the home of the Sydney Opera House, the Blue mountains and miles of natural sand beaches; New South Wales. It is this natural idyll that is the sad setting for a tragedy that has been quietly building for the past four decades. It is reported that, following a landmark inquiry into New South Wales Police (NSW) conduct and capability, that the police force failed to properly investigate over 32 suspected murders over the last 40 years. The inquiry’s instigator, John Sakar, went as far to say that NSWP continues to treat LGBTQIA+ hate crimes as adversarial, aka too divisive to act upon. Whilst not all NSW police share the same sentiment towards LGBTQIA+ targeted crime, please make sure that you keep reporting any crimes of this nature.
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