A group of young transgender activists have staged a \u201cdie-in\u201d outside the Supreme Court to protest against transphobia in the UK,\u00a0PinkNews<\/a>\u00a0noted. Dressed in black, the youths from direct-action group Trans Kids Deserve Better, placed a coffin with the trans flag painted along its sides and the word \u201cdignity\u201d written on the lid, outside the doors of the Supreme Court in London\u2019s Parliament Square. Others stood behind them, holding flowers and waving flags. The protest happened after London Trans Pride and the court\u2019s ruling which determined that the 2010 Equality Act\u2019s definition of sex referred to \u201cbiological sex\u201d and of women referred to \u201cbiological\u201d women.<\/p>\n Gay makeup artist Andry Hern\u00e1ndez Romero has been reunited with his family in Venezuela and is now recounting the torture he experienced for 125 days in a Salvadoran megaprison (known as CECOT) after the U.S. wrongly sent him there, per\u00a0LGBTQ Nation<\/a>. He told local media that he and his fellow inmates faced torture, sexual abuse and the denial of food at CECOT, among other things. \u201cIt was an encounter with torture and death,\u201d Romero said. \u201cMany of our fellows have wounds from the nightsticks; they have fractured ribs, fractured fingers and toes, marks from the handcuffs, others have marks on their chests, on their face \u2026 from the projectiles.\u201d Romero was falsely accused of being a member of the transnational Tren de Aragua terrorist gang because of his crown tattoos that said \u201cmom\u201d and \u201cdad.\u201d<\/p>\n Experts meeting at the International AIDS Society\u2019s Conference on HIV Science in Kigali, Rwanda, warned that global gains in the fight against AIDS are at risk because of sudden funding cuts from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), per\u00a0Erasing 76 Crimes<\/a>. International AIDS Society Senior Technical Advisor Anna Grimsrud presented evidence from Mozambique that funding cuts have disrupted HIV services and strained national health systems. The study projected that, if the funding interruption persists, Mozambique could see an estimated increase of 83,000 new HIV acquisitions (a 15% rise) and 14,000 additional HIV-related deaths (a 10% increase) by 2030. The conference also heard similar reports from Khensani Chauke of the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health, in Pretoria, South Africa, who presented a study showing how funding cuts halted progress toward ending the HIV pandemic in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n ]<\/p>\n Hong Kong legislators took two days to complete an examination of a bill to recognize certain rights for same-sex couples, despite strong opposition in the city\u2019s legislature, per\u00a0The South China Morning Post<\/a>. Legislators raised almost more than 60 questions during the discussions, with their concerns including criminal offenses associated with the proposed registration policy for same-sex couples. The Registration of Same-sex Partnerships Bill is the government\u2019s response to a 2023 ruling from the Court of Final Appeal that gave authorities two years to construct laws setting \u201ccore rights\u201d for same-sex couples, although it did not outline what they might be.<\/p>\n Also regarding Hong Kong, that region\u2019s highest appeals court ruled in favor of a transgender man, finding that a regulation criminalizing \u201copposite sex\u201d use of public bathrooms is unconstitutional, according to\u00a0Them<\/a>. High Court Judge Russell Coleman ruled that a law requiring \u201csegregation of the sexes\u201d in public bathrooms violates Hong Kong\u2019s constitutional guarantee of equality under the law. Coleman\u2019s ruling was based in part on another High Court ruling from 2023, in which the court struck down a requirement for trans people to obtain bottom surgery in order to change the gender markers on official identification cards.<\/p>\n The Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court invalidated a colonial-era law in St. Lucia that criminalized same-sex relations, according to\u00a0ABC News<\/a>. Nonprofit group Raise Your Voice St. Lucia called the ruling a \u201cmonumental step for human rights in the Eastern Caribbean.\u201d St. Lucia\u2019s colonial-era law penalized gay sex with up to 10 years in prison; while the government didn\u2019t enforce the law, activists and legal experts say it remained a threat to the island\u2019s LGBTQ+ community. In 2019, the Eastern Caribbean Alliance for Diversity and Equality filed five legal challenges against such laws in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia; three years later, courts in Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis struck down those laws.<\/p>\n A Canadian court temporarily paused the deportation of nonbinary individual Angel Jenkel to the U.S., citing the Trump administration\u2019s hostility to transgender and nonbinary people,\u00a0The Advocate<\/a>\u00a0noted. Jenkel, an artist from Minnesota, had planned to stay three months when they arrived three years ago; however, their fianc\u00e9 has epilepsy and, as his condition worsened, Jenkel overstayed their visa to care for him. Jenkel was scheduled to be deported July 3 \u201cafter an initial risk assessment determined they didn\u2019t face a credible threat in the U.S.,\u201d per the CBC\u2014but Federal Court Justice Julie Blackhawk stopped the deportation until Jenkel\u2019s case can be reviewed further.<\/p>\n Colombian man Yostin Andres Mosquera accused of the gruesome murder of two gay men in London has been found guilty, per\u00a0LGBTQ Nation<\/a>, citing\u00a0Sky News. Mosquera, 35, was convicted of the July 2024 murders of 71-year-old Paul Longworth and 62-year-old Albert Alfonso, who were civil partners. The couple struck up a friendship with Mosquera, who shared paid sexual content on the internet, after Alfonso first met him online and later became involved sexually with him. Video of Alfonso\u2019s murder\u2014in which Mosquera stabbed Alfonso repeatedly while they were having sex\u2014was captured by cameras installed in the couple\u2019s home and shown in court.<\/p>\n Anthony Morley\u2014the first-ever winner of the Mr. Gay UK pageant in 1993\u2014was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the October 2008 slaying, dismembering and eating of Damian Oldfield, per\u00a0LGBTQ Nation<\/a>, citing\u00a0The Mirror. After killing Oldfield, Morley walked to a nearby takeout restaurant wearing a blood-drenched bathrobe and sandals, and quietly asked employees to call police while he waited outside. Presiding Judge James Stewart called the case one of the most gruesome he has ever encountered.<\/p>\n Amanda Donaghey\u2014the mother of Air India crash victim Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek\u2014said she was \u201cheartbroken\u201d after she received the wrong body for burial, per\u00a0PinkNews<\/a>. Greenlaw-Meek, 39, and his 45-year-old husband Jamie were among the 260 people killed when Flight 171 crashed just seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad in June; they were returning to Britain after celebrating their wedding anniversary in India. \u201cWe don\u2019t know what poor person is in that casket,\u201d she told The Sunday Times. \u201cI had my doubts but to be told that was heartbreaking. This is an appalling thing to have happened.\u201d Another relative has said the coffin he believed to contain his mother\u2019s body was found to have \u201cother remains,\u201d Metro reported.<\/p>\n In Germany, an educational commission of Catholic bishops drafted a document on sexual diversity in Catholic schools that emphasizes visibility and respect for queer (including trans) students and staff, per New Ways Ministry, citing\u00a0Katholisch.de<\/a>. The paper was crafted as a response to a recent survey of more than 2,000 students, teachers and parents at German Catholic schools conducted by the Berlin Institute for Christian Ethics and Politics; most of the surveyed individuals said addressing the \u201cdiversity of sexual identities\u201d as an important task for their schools.<\/p>\n Queer Grammy-nominated artist\/actor Omar Apollo has teamed with alt-pop trio Latin Mafia on a new cumbia single called \u201cHecho Para Ti\u201d (\u201cMade For You\u201d),\u00a0Variety<\/a>\u00a0noted. The Spanish-language single is co-produced by Tyler Spry (who contributed to Bad Bunny\u2019s hit \u201cDTMF\u201d). The song was first performed live during Latin Mafia\u2019s July 5 show at Mexico City\u2019s Palacio de los Deportes, where they surprised fans with Apollo and the unreleased preview.<\/p>\n Out<\/a>\u00a0ran an article on K-pop stars who are openly LGBTQ+. They include South Korean singer Cherry, the first K-pop star to open up about their transgender identity; Lara Raj, who opened up about her identity on the Korean social-media app Weverse; KATSEYE member Megan; Holland, who came out in 2018; JUST B member Bain; former WASSUP member Jiae, who came out as bi in 2020; and MRSHLL, who became the first openly gay K-pop idol back in 2017. K-pop star Bibi has hinted about her own sexual fluidity in her music and on stage.<\/p>\n Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi\u2014a couple who were famous for collaborating with Mattel on custom Barbie dolls, including a Madonna-inspired doll\u2014died in a car accident in Italy,\u00a0Out<\/a>\u00a0noted. According to an Italian publication, the older man involved in the collision, Egidio Ceriano, 82, and the passenger in the couple\u2019s car died. The Daily Beast also reported that Ceriano renewed his license in 2023 and was driving on the wrong side of the road for a little more than four miles. The couple owned a company called Magnia2000, where they created tribute dolls to icons like Cher, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga and Sarah Jessica Parker.<\/p>\n British actress and staunch queer ally Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) is leading the BAFTA-winning anthology series\u00a0I Am\u2019s fourth season, per\u00a0Variety<\/a>. Kate Winslet, Letitia Wright, Lesley Manville and Samantha Morton are among those who have starred in the series.\u00a0I Am Helen\u00a0(starring Coughlan) follows the success of three previous\u00a0I Am\u00a0series, exploring the personal experiences of women through what is described as \u201cprovocative, emotionally raw storytelling.\u201d<\/p>\n World of Wonder unveiled the superstar guest judge lineup in the official trailer for the inaugural season of\u00a0Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale, which will debut Aug. 13, a press release touted. The judges joining host Paolo Ballesteros on the new series include\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race Global All Stars\u00a0winner Alyssa Edwards,\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u00a0S16 winner Nymphia Wind,\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race\u00a0S15 winner Sasha Colby and\u00a0RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race: All Stars 8\u00a0winner Jimbo, among other\u00a0Drag Race\u00a0alumni. Resident\u00a0Drag Race Philippines\u00a0panel judge\/TV personality\/activist KaladKaren also returns as a guest judge in the new series.<\/p>\n RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race UK\u00a0season 4 star Pixie Polite said she was targeted in a \u201chomophobic\u201d assault \u201cin Tesco at Colliers Wood [an area in London]\u201d that involved \u201cviolence,\u201d per\u00a0Out<\/a>. On Instagram Stories, she noted that she was specifically punched \u201cin the back of her neck\/head.\u201d At one point, Polite said, \u201cMain point is I\u2019m ok, police were surprisingly great. An incident that evolved from general comments and mocking, into verbal homophobic abuse, then into violence.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Hong](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pexels-nextvoyage-872698.jpg\")
Hong Kong. Photo by Nextvoyage for Pexels<\/p>\n![\"Omar](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Omar-Apollos-album-God-Said-No.-Album-artwork-courtesy-of-Warner-Records-1.png\")
Omar Apollo on his album God Said No. Album artwork courtesy of Warner Records<\/p>\n![\"LGBTQ+](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/pexels-intitupac-13028578.jpg\")
LGBTQ+ protest in London. Photo by Inti Tupac Liberman for Pexels<\/p>\n