The Secret of the River is the new Netflix series focused on a transgender character and set in Mexico.
The series follows two children named Erik and Manuel in a small Mexican village, who became friends and witness a horrific death together which they must keep secret.
Nearly 20 years later, the two friends cross paths again. But their differences might be more pronounces than ever especially as Manuel now goes by Sicarú.
Despite trying to figure out who they are to each other now, they must face their past together before it all comes crashing down around them.
The stars are Diego Calva as Erik and Trinidad González as Sicarú.
Heartstopper Season 3 is already out on Netflix. The series, based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, follows loved-up teens Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), and their gang of friends.
Alice Oseman told: “Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand the extent of Charlie’s mental health issues, and it’s this that will drive the story through Season 3. While Heartstopper will always celebrate the joyful and point towards hope, I’m really excited that we are allowing the tone of the show to mature alongside our beloved characters growing up."
"Mental health, sex, university ambitions, and more: Nick, Charlie, and the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood,” she added.
Heartstopper Season 3 took inspiration from Volume 4 and Volume 5; there is a sixth and final novel on the way. Oseman confirms she is in talks with Netflix and Heartstopper’s production company about what will come next for the television series.
Unicorns is a powerful story of forbidden love and colliding cultures unfolds when hard-working single father Luke meets beautiful, seductive drag queen Aysha. Ben Hardy and newcomer Jason Patel shine in this must-see romance.
Unable to deny the spark between them the pair are forced down the unexpected path of transformation, where they must question their identities and confront their individual truths.
Co-directed by Sally El Hosaini and filmmaker-actor James Krishna Floyd, the film alternates between the thrill of raw desire, the gravity of familial responsibility, and the transformative power of being seen for who you really are.
The movie, recently won both the Barrière Special Jury Prize and the Hitchcock Audience Award for Best Feature at Dinard Film Festival.
A Taiwanese & Chinese gay couple officially registered their marriage in Taiwan, becoming the island's first-ever legally married cross-strait same-sex couple.
Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriages in 2019 and last year, the island changed its previous interpretation to recognize gay marriages between its citizens and their foreign partners even if the partners' countries do not allow such unions.
The couple, a 38-year-old Kaohsiung resident and a 48-year-old from Beijing, received the long-awaited paperwork that recognizes their union from a household registration office in the southern port city.
The couple first met in Kaohsiung in 2016. However, their application in October 2020 was initially rejected by the island's immigration agency.
After the couple partially won lawsuits to have their marriage legally recognized on the island, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said on Sept. 19 that cross-strait same-sex couples married in a third country can register their marriage in Taiwan.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that Member States of the European Union (EU) should recognise legal gender recognition granted in another Member State.
This decision supports Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi, a Romanian trans man who was denied recognition in Romania after changing his gender marker in the UK. The CJEU ruled in favour of Arian, stating that Romania must recognise the legal gender recognition granted in the UK.
The Court emphasised that the refusal to acknowledge changes of forename and gender acquired in another Member State is contrary to the fundamental rights of EU citizens, particularly the principles of free movement and non-discrimination.
The importance of this judgement extends beyond the applicant’s individual circumstance, and underscores the broader issue faced by trans people whose legal gender recognition in one Member State is not acknowledged elsewhere in the EU, preventing them to travel freely, live, work or study across the EU, or even to vote, as any other citizen is able to.
The judgement confirms the principle that rights legally obtained in one Member State must remain valid throughout the EU.
The Taliban have been slashing away at women’s rights since returning to power in Afghanistan in August 2021.
The Taliban have issued more than 70 edicts, including limiting girls to primary-level education, banning women from most professions and prohibiting them from using parks, gyms and other public places.
Among the rules, it is mandatory for a woman to veil her body at all times in public and that a face covering is essential to avoid temptation and tempting others. It is forbidden for women to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.
Afghanistan’s rulers also are cracking down on the sound of women’s voices in public and prohibit women from speaking outside their homes. A woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading aloud in public.
Don't forget, under the Taliban's Islamic regim, conviction of same-sex sexual conduct is punishable by death, flogging or imprisonment. They made public statements reiterating that their interpretation of sharia includes the death penalty for homosexuality.
Until when?
Read a report about LGBTQ+ persecution in Afghanistan under the Taliban here.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed legislation to finalize a law to bring marriage equality to Thailand, capping off a legislative process that originated earlier this year.
The Prime Minister of Thailand announced in November 2023 that his cabinet approved a bill to provide legal recognition to same-sex marriages. This year, Thailand’s House of Representatives approved the law in March, while the Senate passed it in June, sending it to the king.
The marriage equality law will go into effect in 120 days, paving the way for queer couples to marry by January.
The new marriage law also removes gendered references to “husband” and “wife” and establishes some adoption and inheritance rights.
Thailand is now the third country in Asia, along with Taiwan and Nepal, to extend marriage rights to LGBTQ couples.
'Freedom To Be' is an initiative led by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to center the voices and experiences of trans people in America through storytelling and the creation of a large monument to be displayed on the National Mall in Washington D.C. in 2025 for Trans Day of Visibility.
The 'Freedom To Be' campaign shows transgender people and their families from across the country finding joy and community, grounded in the basic principle that we all deserve the freedom to control our own families, bodies, and lives.
It will be a year-long, multimedia, multi-platform campaign, with a focus on long- and short-form video content, including a portrait series of trans people, digital and billboard ads, art installations created by and for trans people that will blanket the National Mall next year, and call to action surrounding a pledge to support trans youth.
The campaign couldn’t come at a more important time. The Skrmetti Supreme Court case could affirm Tennesse’s ban on gender-affirming care, eroding the medically necessary care that many trans youth depend on.
Fighting for the freedom to be loved, to be safe, to be trusted with decisions about their own health care. Watch their storytellers and how they are advocating for their freedom to be, and donate for helping, here.
Vice President Kamala Harris leads the race for the Oval Office among LGBTQ voters by a wide margin. More than 70 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer voters indicating they will cast a ballot for the Democratic ticket, according to a nationwide poll.
VP Harris holds a nearly 67-point lead over Donald Trump, according to the survey from the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, and an almost 70-point lead when the results are restricted to those who plan to vote.
Data collection began two weeks after President Biden abandoned his reelection campaign and endorsed Kamala Harris and just days after she selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, as her running mate.
About 8 percent of respondents who intend to vote said they would vote for Trump compared with 77 percent who said they would vote for Harris and Walz. The remaining share of LGBTQ adults said they planned to back a third-party candidate or did not plan on voting.
President Joe Biden shared his thoughts and reflections in a wide-ranging sit-down interview with the Washington Blade in the Oval Office, which marked the first time in which an LGBTQ newspaper has conducted an exclusive interview with a sitting U.S. president.
Biden-Harris Administration has been hailed as the most pro-LGBTQ in American history, achieving major milestones in the struggle to expand freedoms and protections for the community.
Looking back on the movement, the president repeatedly expressed his admiration for the “men and women who broke the back of the prejudice, or began to break the back” starting with those involved in the nascent movement for gay rights that was kicked off in earnest with the 1969 Stonewall Riots.
The president has spoken publicly about his deep respect and admiration for LGBTQ people, including the trans community, and trans youth, whom he has repeatedly said are some of the bravest people he knows.
President Biden said, “I wanted an administration that looked like America,” adding, “all the LGBTQ+ people that have worked for me or with me have reinforced my view that it’s not what your sexual preference is, it’s what your intellectual capacity is and what your courage is.”
New guidance has been written for care homes to support inclusive care practice for older LGBTQ people in the U.K.
Researchers from the University of Kent, in collaboration with the University of Surrey and the University of Hertfordshire, have developed the free guide to help with care for LGBTQ people.
There was an urgent need for improvement and the guide offers practical tips about positive actions care staff can take. When it comes to care homes, many older LGBTQ people fear having to go back into the closet to be safe.
The care home guide was produced as part of a larger research study examining LGBTQ inclusion in care homes called CIRCLE (Creating Inclusive Residential Care for LGBTQ Elders) led by Dr Jolie Keemink from Kent’s Centre for Health Services Studies.
Dr Keemink said: "Research shows that the older LGBTQ population is expected to rely more heavily on social care than their heterosexual counterparts, because they are less likely to have children and more likely to experience a lack of social support".
Downloadable and printable formats of the guide, as well as a video version, can be found on here.
A new study from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law showed that 47% of LGBTQ workers in the U.S. have experienced discrimination at some point during their careers.
The study, looked at a survey of LGBTQ workers about their experiences in the workplace in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County decision in 2020, which granted employment protections to LGBTQ people.
Considering 46% of LGBTQ people are not out to their supervisor, and 20% are not out to any of their coworkers, the results show 47% of the LGBTQ employees say they have experienced discrimination, and 42% have experienced harassment.
The rates of discrimination are the worst for trans and nonbinary workers, with 55% of them having experienced discrimination.
Besides, 72% of respondents said that they had heard negative comments, slurs, or jokes about LGBTQ people at work at some point in their lives. And 36% had heard negative comments about the LGBTQ community within the past year.
Recently, a similar survey published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) suggested more than half (52%) of LGBTQ people in UK reported being bullied or harassed at work, in the last five years.
Several thousand of LGBTQ supporters turned out for the Pride march in Belgrade, where organizers said their demands that the government pass laws to recognize same-sex unions and gender identity remain their top priorities.
Marchers waved rainbow flags as they walked along a route secured by a heavy police presence behind a colorful banner with the phrase "Pride Means People" in Serbian. Several beat drums, while others held posters with phrases such as, “No one is free until everyone is free,” and, “Love wins.”
Four government ministers, including Tanja Miscevic, who is in charge of Serbia's EU integration, took part. "It is a matter of protection of a part of citizens who must be equal in law with other citizens," she said.
The march ended without any incidents after passing by the Serbian parliament building and the building that houses the presidency, pointing out the discrimination and violence faced by LGBTQ people.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Serbia in 1994, but LGBT people say they still experience repression and violence. Human Rights Watch warned in a report in early 2024 that LGBTQ people in Serbia face intolerance, threats, and violence.
The Florida’s tourism marketing site quietly took down part of its website dedicated to attracting LGBTQ visitors.
For years, LGBTQ travelers have flocked to cities and towns like St. Petersburg, Key West and Sarasota, which have been welcoming to them. Visit Florida’s website once contained a robust marketing section on its website that once promoted Pride events and popular destinations for LGBTQ travelers.
For example, the site had dedicated pages promoting Florida’s top 10 gay beaches and LGBTQ-friendly destinations. But anyone who had the page bookmarked and tries to go to that section now will end up at a generic "Things To Do" page instead.
Although no one has been able to pinpoint exactly when the pages were removed, it had happened sometime this summer. Some residents, activists and people in the local tourism industry said that erasing the pages sends the message that LGBTQ travelers aren’t welcome in the state.
Asked Republican Gov. DeSantis about, he simply said: “Our view as a state is we are the best place to visit, we’re welcome to all, but we’re not going to be segregating people by these different characteristics.”
Ever since the known "Don't Say Gay" law was passed, DeSantis has turned Florida into a test kitchen for anti-LGBTQ restrictions that have since spread to other Republican states.
Biden-Harris’ Administration issued a strong statement against this anti-LGBTQ legislation in Florida. Secretary Pete Buttigieg replied this is an absolutely dangerous legislation: “And the reason is that it tells youth who are different or whose families are different that there’s something wrong with them out of the gate".
Queer is an 2024 gay romance drama film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by Justin Kuritzkes, based on the 1985 novel by William S. Burroughs. Set in 1940s Mexico City, the film follows an outcast American expat William Lee (Daniel Craig) who becomes infatuated with a beautiful younger man called Eugene (Drew Starkey).
The movie, in its first half, is a luscious barbed comedy of liberation, punched along by its anachronistic music choices (Nirvana, Prince, New Order). Lee, who calls himself a “man of independent means” (he has family money), is content to live this life of pleasure and indolence, to revel in his addictions. The Mexico City queer scene we see is both squalid and a kind of paradise. The men share their cruising stories and bitch at each other with bitter understanding.
In its second half, turns into a very different movie, a trippy road comedy about the search for mind-altering transcendence, because Lee wants to find the fabled hallucinogen yage, or ayahuasca, because he’s heard it gives the user telepathic powers and he wants to discover what Eugene really thinks and feels about him. Even as film sinks into a kind of torpor, it is also a fulfillment of the film’s vision of Burroughs, and of queer love.
Asked about the film, Craig said “I always felt that Burroughs had a very public face, and I wanted to know what the private part of him was like,” said Craig, who spoke to a few people who knew him. “I think in ‘Queer’ you sort of see more of that than you do in his other books.”
“There’s nothing intimate about filming a sex scene … we just wanted to make it as touching and as real and as natural as we possibly could,” Craig said. “Drew is a wonderful, beautiful, fantastic actor to work with. We kind of had a laugh. We tried to make it fun,” he added.
A federal complaint was filed in Orlando, Florida by five major publishing houses and several authors, over a law pushed by Republican Gov. DeSantis that makes it easier to ban books.
It claims that a Florida law, HB 1069, which makes it easier to challenge books that contain sexual conduct or are “pornagraphic”, violates the First Amendment rights of publishers, authors, teachers, and students.
The complaint was filed by Hachette, Harper Collins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuester, along with SourceBooks, and several authors.
The lawsuit argues that the books that have been removed from schools and libraries using the Florida law are “not remotely obscene” and that the wording of the law is too broad and could be used to encompass a wide range of books depending on interpretation.
Each attempt to ban a book represents a direct attack on every person’s right to freely choose what books to read and what ideas to explore, and to suppress the voices of LGBTQ community.
A survey published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) suggested more than half (52%) of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people in UK report being bullied or harassed at work, in the last five years.
The new poll found:
Around one in five (19%) LGBT people had been exposed to verbal abuse at work in the last five years.
More than a quarter (28%) said they had homophobic, biphobic or transphobic remarks directed at them or made in their presence.
And one in 20 (5%) told that they had experienced physical violence, threats or intimidation at work because of their sexual orientation.
As a result, it is not surprising that nearly three in 10 (29%) of LGBT people keep their sexual orientation a secret at work.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:
“This new report shines a light on the extent of discrimination LGBT workers face in our workplaces. LGBT+ people should be safe and supported at work. But instead, they’re experiencing shockingly high levels of bulling and harassment – including assault.
“Workplace culture clearly needs to change. No one should think that a colleague being LGBT means it’s ok to make discriminatory comments or ask them inappropriate questions – let alone carry out serious acts of assault.
“Ministers must change the law to put the responsibility for preventing harassment on employers, not victims. We need stronger workplace rights to protect all staff from abuse at work. Good, secure jobs are essential to building a motivated, healthy workforce – and are what every worker deserves.
“And employers must adopt a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of bullying, harassment and discrimination.”
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is out with a new report that lays bare the dramatic differences in how federal agencies approached LGBTQ+ rights under the administrations of Donald Trump and President Joe Biden.
The comprehensive analysis provides a critical look at the policies that have shaped the lives of LGBTQ+ people over the past several years. It reveals that under Biden the LGBTQ+ community is faring much better than under Trump.
“The analysis makes clear what we have seen across the country,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “Actions have consequences. Time and again, the Trump Administration ushered in policies and positions that did damage to LGBTQ+ lives. Meanwhile, in their first term, the Biden-Harris Administration has taken steps to make our lives better. Federal agencies take actions that impact nearly every aspect of our lives. And Americans deserve a government that steps up to defend freedom and equality for all.”
Under Trump, the rollback of LGBTQ+ rights was relentless, according to the report. Agencies systematically rescinded rules and guidance that had previously affirmed legal protections for LGBTQ+ people. In stark contrast, the President Biden administration has worked diligently to restore and expand protections for LGBTQ+ people, HRC reports.
President Joe Biden made history by selecting Kamala Harris as the first woman of color as a vice president (VP), and a rising political star who has demonstrated a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community. Kamala Harris has a strong record of support for LGBTQ+ causes.
Prague Pride Festival 2024 is seven days of celebrating LGBTQ+ equality, with a particular focus on the theme of family and love this year, reflecting the ongoing struggle for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people in the Czech Republic. More than 100,000 visit the festival this year.
The highlight of Prague Pride is the annual parade, with tens of thousands walking through the center of the Czech capital. Among the participants were politicians, representatives of various companies and organizations, ambassadors, celebrities, and families with children.
Over 60,000 of attendees walked through the streets of central Prague this year to celebrate LGBTQ+ inclusion, many attended workshops and other events. Despite increased security measures, police reported no major incidents at the annual event.
Before the parade began, participants gathered in the lower part of Wenceslas Square, where they could make banners, apply face paint, and listen to music from DJ Jan Witek. This year’s parade was notable for its commitment to sustainability, with no vehicles powered by internal combustion engines leading the procession.
🥉 Lauren Doyle, Alev Kelter, Steph Rovetti, Kristi Kirshe, Nicole Heavirland, Kris Thomas (USA), bronze in Rugby Sevens
🥉 Natalya Diehm (Australia), bronze in BMX
🥉 Tabea Schendekehl (Germany), bronze in Rowing
🥉 Beatriz Ferreira (Brazil), bronze in Boxing
🥉 Carl Hester (UK), bronze in Equestrian
🥉 Rafaela Silva (Brazil), bronze in Judo
🥉 Nesthy Petecio (Philippines), bronze in Boxing
🥉 Cindy Ngamba (Refugee team from Cameroon), bronze in Boxing
🥉 Laura Aarts (Netherlands), gold in Water Polo
🥉 Lea Schuller, Sara Doorsoun, Felicitas Rauch, Ann-Katrin Berger (Germany), bronze in Soccer
🥉 Gabi Guimaraes, Ana Carolina Da Silva, Rosamaria Montibeller, Roberta (Brazil), bronze in Indoor Volleyball
🥉 Samantha Whitcomb, Amy Atwell (Australia), bronze in Basketball
In the Tokyo Olympics, the 186 out LGBTQ athletes finished 7th overall in the medal count with 32 medals. The current 195 out athletes in the Paris Olympics won 42 medals and finished 7th, the most ever won by the collective Team LGBTQ in the Olympics, congratulations!!!
U.S. President Joe Biden made history by selecting Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) as the first woman of color as a vice president (VP) in 2020, and a rising political star who has demonstrated a commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
VP Kamala Harris was a relative newcomer to Washington, but her record on LGBTQ+ rights extends back to her tenure as a District Attorney for San Francisco and California Attorney General as well as her work during her first term as U.S. Senator.
Kamala Harris has a strong record of support for LGBTQ+ causes. In 2010, one of her signature issues in her campaign for attorney general was her opposition to Proposition 8, the voter-approved ballot initiative that revoked marriage equality in California in 2008.
As Attorney General of California, Harris denied gender affirmation surgery to transgender inmates. She went on to lead efforts to abolish gay and trans panic defenses in criminal trials. Harris also showed her support for LGBTQ+ rights as San Francisco District Attorney; in 2004, when Mayor Gavin Newsom declared same-sex marriage legal in the city, Harris conducted marriages for same-sex couples.
As a member of the U.S. Senate, she co-sponsored the Equality Act. In July 2018, Harris led her colleagues in introducing the Gay and Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2018, a nationwide bill that would curtail the effectiveness of the so-called gay and trans panic defenses, an issue she pioneered during her tenure as District Attorney of San Francisco.
In October 2019, Harris participated in a CNN/Human Rights Campaign town hall on the topic of LGBTQ+ rights, where she pledged her support for "all of the folks who are fighting for equality" in cases that would determine whether gay and transgender people were protected under laws banning federal workplace discrimination.
On campaign, she spoken out against and promises to reverse Trump’s ban on transgender people serving in the military. And she has promised to appoint an Attorney General who will prioritize investigating and prosecuting anti-LGBTQ+ bias crimes and invest money in ensuring local police departments receive proper training on how to interact with members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Kamala Harris, the next President of the United States!!!
Masoud Pezeshkian is due to take office as Iran’s next president, his election follows the death of Ebrahim Raisi last May. Describing himself as a “reformist-principalist”, Pezeshkian is loyal to Iran’s Supreme Leader and the principles of the revolution which established the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.
Pezeshkian is explicitly telling the world he wants a new global order, centered around China, Russia and his Islamic Republic. The United States of America, and the West, does not fit into this vision. However, Pezeshkian wants Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Besides, he is against using force to impose the compulsory hijab rule and lamented the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Kurdish girl who was murdered in Iranian custody. Her death sparked nationwide protests calling for “women, life and freedom.”
The Iran president criticized the LGBTQ+ community, he said: “The West today is trying to promote the idea of homosexuality and by promoting homosexuality they are trying to end the generation of human beings.“ And he added: “The Western countries try to identify homosexuality as an index of civilization, while this is one of the dirtiest issues.”
Despite the election of a reformist president, the Iranian regime has executed at least 266 prisoners across the country in the first half of 2024, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported. Iran is considered one of the most dangerous places to be gay. Under the Islamic Shariaa law practiced in Iran, same-sex relations are a criminal offence and the punishment ranges from flogging to the death penalty.
The 2024 Paris Olympics will feature at least 194 publicly out LGBTQ athletes, marking the second consecutive Summer Games with triple-digit representation. The final total of Team LGBTQ members in Tokyo was 186 athletes, but the current number will grow as the Games progress.
Check the medal count of Team LGBTQ in Paris Olympics here.
The numbers reflect growing acceptance in the sports world, especially for women athletes, despite the total of out LGBTQ Olympians still hovering at less than 2% of the expected overall figure of around 10,700 participants.
The list of out athletes is heavily weighted to parts of the world where being LGBTQ is both legally and culturally accepted. This includes countries in North and South America, Western and Northern Europe and Australia and New Zealand. There are out athletes from 23 of the 206 participating nations.
The countries with the most out athletes at the Paris Olympics: USA (30), Brazil (25), Australia (18), Great Britain (10), Germany (9) and Netherlands (9).
There are only three out athletes from Asia: two boxers from the Philippines and one from Thailand. There are only four athletes from Africa (three South Africans) and one from the Refugee Team, boxer Cindy Ngamba, born in Cameroon and now living in Great Britain. There is only one athlete from any Muslim-dominated country (a Turkish volleyball player), places where being out and gay is often illegal or dangerous, and none from Russia, which has cracked down on LGBTQ rights in the past decade.
The United Nations (UN) human rights chief and UNAIDS’s executive director have reiterated their calls for countries to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.
“Laws criminalizing LGBTQ+ people must be consigned to history,” said Volker Türk and Winnie Byanyima in a statement. The “decriminalization of LGBTQ+ people is vital for protecting everyone’s human rights and everyone’s health,” they added.
The statement notes Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, the Cook Islands, Dominica, Gabon, India, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Palau, St. Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Singapore, and Trinidad and Tobago over the last decade have repealed laws that criminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations.
There are 61 countries that have laws that criminalise homosexuality, and nearly half of these are in Africa. Check them below:
