LGBT News

USA Today reports: Travel safety blog Asher & Lyric has ranked the worst countries for LGBTQ travelers in 2019. The site looked at the 150 countries across the world that had the most international tourists and created an index based on factors such as legality of same-sex relationships and morality laws. See the full report.

The Huffington Post reports: President Donald Trump’s Interior Department removed “sexual orientation” from a statement in the agency’s ethics guide regarding workplace discrimination. “You shall adhere to all laws and regulations that provide equal opportunities for all Americans regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, or handicap,” reads one of 14 principles of ethical behavior in the agency’s 2017 guidelines. …

Variety reports: The Rio de Janeiro H.Q. of Porta dos Fundos, the Brazilian comedy troupe behind the Netflix gay Jesus Christmas Special sparking outrage in Brazil, was hit by a Molotov cocktail attack in the early hours of Dec. 24. Two petrol bombs were thrown at the building. causing a fire, which was put out by one of the office’s …

The Guardian reports: A scene showing a lesbian kiss has been cut from the Singaporean version of the Star Wars film The Rise of Skywalker. The country’s media regulatory body said Disney removed the clip to avoid the film being given a higher age rating. It is PG13, which means parental guidance is advised for children under 13. In Singapore, …

Yahoo News reports: The U.S. has decided to withdraw its ambassador to Zambia, after the president of the southern African nation said he didn’t want him there for criticizing the jailing of two men for having a consensual relationship, according to two people familiar with the matter. The State Department is “dismayed” with Zambia for having effectively declared Foote a …

The Des Moines Register reports: An Ames man was sentenced Wednesday to about 16 years in prison after he set fire to a church LGBTQ flag in June. Adolfo Martinez, 30, of Ames, last month was found guilty of a hate crime — a class “D” felony — third-degree harassment and reckless use of fire. Police said he stole a …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Following hints from J.J. Abrams that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would include an LGBTQ moment or character, the film’s premiere on Monday revealed the scene to which the director was referring. In a celebration sequence in the film, two female members of the Resistance share an exuberant kiss during the joyful moment. They are …

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports: Construction began Friday on the future Harvey Milk, a fleet oiler named for the slain gay rights leader and the first openly gay man elected in the state. Milk was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1978 and was assassinated 10 months later by an ex-supervisor. His life was the subject of …

CNN reports: The Hallmark Channel is reversing its decision to pull advertisements featuring same-sex couples and apologizing for removing them in the first place, a network spokeswoman told CNN Business. The decision comes after Hallmark parent company Crown Media Family Networks faced calls for viewers and advertisers to boycott its television channel. The ads, from online wedding planning company Zola, …

The Independent reports: LGBT+ conversion therapy could soon be banned across Canada after Justin Trudeau made this one of the priorities for his new government. In a letter to the country’s justice secretary on Friday, the prime minister stated that banning the controversial practice of attempting to forcibly change people’s gender or sexuality must be a “top priority”. He said …

Austin’s CBS News affiliate reports: Two men from Dallas pleaded guilty to federal hate crimes on Thursday for their connection to a scheme to target gay men for violent crimes. Daryl Henry, 24, and Pablo Deleon, 19, both used the dating app Grindr to lure gay men to a vacant apartment and other areas in and around Dallas for robbery, …

The BBC reports: Three teenagers who used fake Grindr profiles to carry out robberies and homophobic assaults have been jailed. Muhammad Umar, Mohammed Sohail Khan and Qaasim Ahmad, all 18, used the gay dating app to lure four men on false dates. One of the victims was spat on while another was tied up, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said. …

Reuters reports: Gabon has passed a law against gay sex, becoming the 70th country to ban the practice, an official confirmed, as the global pace of reform falters. The central African country banned “sexual relations between people of the same sex” in a new penal code earlier this year, according to copies of the law online. A government official who …

ABC News reports: The language mavens at Merriam-Webster have declared the personal pronoun “they” their word of the year based on a 313 percent increase in look-ups on the company’s search site, Merriam-Webster.com, this year when compared with 2018. “They” got an early start last January with the rise of model Oslo Grace on top fashion runways. The Northern Californian …

Sports Illustrated reports: On July 7, in the 61st minute of the 2019 World Cup final against the Netherlands, Megan Rapinoe scored to put the U.S. up 1–0. To her, though, this was more than the goal that would win the Americans a record fourth title. It was the equivalent of flashing double-barrel middle fingers. She’d have loved to have …

The Associated Press reports: As Democrats champion anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community and Republicans counter with worries about safeguarding religious freedom, one congressional Republican is offering a proposal on Friday that aims to achieve both goals. The bill that Utah GOP Rep. Chris Stewart plans to unveil would shield LGBTQ individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, education, and other …

The Washington Post reports: In 2005, Gilead Sciences notified federal regulators that it was suspending development of a potentially safer, more potent HIV-fighting drug than the one on the market. The company did not restart its Food and Drug Administration application until 2010. Now the five-year delay of a promising drug is at the core of accusations by advocates that …

Yahoo Sports reports: Olympic silver medalist Gus Kenworthy, who grew up in Colorado and had represented the United States thus far in his career, officially represents Great Britain — where he has dual citizenship — as of Tuesday. Kenworthy’s agent said in November that he was considering the change. Kenworthy told Sky Sports he wants to honor his British-born mother …

Tampa’s ABC News affiliate reports: A father who police say left his juvenile son on the side of the road because he suspects his son is gay is due in court Tuesday. The incident occurred Sunday, Haines City Police say in an affidavit. The boy, whose age was redacted, was dropped off in front of the closed police department with …

The BBC reports: The US ambassador to Zambia has said he has been threatened over his comments on the sentencing of a gay couple, deepening a diplomatic row. Daniel Foote said he was “horrified” by the jailing of Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba. A judge quashed an appeal against their conviction last week, sentencing them both to 15 years in …