WORLD Belgrade Pride, Canada’s health plan, Green Party official suspended

The Green Party of England and Wales suspended health spokesperson Pallavi Devulapalli following comments she made about trans issues, PinkNews reported. At an event, she said, in part, “Sex-based rights are important. We need to maintain that distinction and I speak here as a GP: Biology is a real thing. It is not a belief to say that female sex is different to the male sex and there’s nothing wrong in accepting that, of course. There are some people who fall between the two but they are very, very few and far between. … There has been something strange in the air with the mushrooming of people wanting to change gender, and the Cass Review has shone such beautiful light on it.” Devulapalli was suspended two days before the Green’s annual conference in Manchester; she subsequently issued a statement confirming her support for the Case Report. The report, published in April, made dozens of recommendations to restructure the way in which transgender youngsters receive care, including suspending the prescription of puberty blockers.

On Sept. 7, thousands of people marched through the Serbian capital in what organizers are calling the largest Belgrade Pride yet, per The Washington Blade. The march went off peacefully under the protection of a heavy police presence—a marked contrast to previous marches that were threatened or canceled because of anti-LGBTQ+ groups. The march route took participants past the Serbian parliament, where organizers read a list of demands and one person hung a rainbow flag from an office window.

In Canada, trans employees say that a new gender-affirming care provision under the federal government’s employee health plan has turned into a nightmare for some of them who say they’re rethinking future surgeries because they’re already running into walls getting claims reimbursed, CBC reported. The new provision under the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) came into effect in July 2023, at the same time Canada Life took over the plan’s administration. Plan members can have up to 80 percent of each treatment covered—to a lifetime maximum of $75,000—for procedures performed in Canada but not covered by provincial or territorial health plans.

A new study in Australia shows puberty blockers are both safe and reversible, refuting arguments against providing transgender health care for minors, The Advocate noted. The latest findings come from a Sax Institute review. While the review—which looked at a research set and scientific literature from 2019 to 2023—said more research should be done in the field of gender dysphoria treatment, existing data shows “positive results across the domains of body image, gender dysphoria, depression, anxiety, suicide risk, quality of life and cognitive function.” The study also determined “regret levels” among patients later in life remain low, including for those receiving gender-affirming surgeries.

Out gay Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s pro-euthanasia movie The Room Next Door won the Venice Film Festival’s best film award, per The BBC. The film starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore took the prestigious Golden Lion award on Sept. 7. Accepting the award, Almodovar (who also thanked Swinton and Moore for their performances) told the audience, “I believe that saying goodbye to this world cleanly and with dignity is a fundamental right of every human being.” Earlier in the week, the movie received an 18-minute standing ovation after it premiered at the festival—one of the longest in recent memory.

Sir Elton John wept at the Toronto International Film Festival as the global premiere of Elton John: Never Too Late was shown, Variety noted. A tearful John told the crowd at Roy Thomson Hall that family is more important to him than fame. “On my tombstone, I don’t want it to say he sold a million records. I want it to say he was a great dad and great husband.” Never Too Late captures John’s journey to becoming one of the world’s biggest rock stars, bookended by performances at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1975 to more than 100,000 fans and again in 2022 during the final North American stop on his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour. The documentary also chronicles the relationships with husband David Furnish and their sons. Also, John cited 1989’s Field of Dreams as a film that stayed with him “because it’s a father-and-son thing” and listed The Godfather Part II as his favorite movie.

Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that healthcare workers at the highest risk of exposure to mpox clade I, as well as close contacts of confirmed cases, will receive free Jynneos vaccinations, according to Yahoo! News. This measure aims to provide protection to those most in need, he said during a press conference at the Ministry of Health. One added that the Ministry of Health (MOH) will keep monitoring the situation and adjust the vaccination approach as the global mpox situation and vaccine supplies evolve.

Transgender Italian Paralympian Valentina Petrillo responded to JK Rowling after the controversial Harry Potter author called her a “cheat,” according to PinkNews. Petrillo recently told reporters, “I’m flattered that Rowling is talking about me. I’ve never even read Harry Potter. I’m told she wrote it but I didn’t read it. I was told that she wrote about a sport where there is no gender. So, I was expecting different behaviour from Rowling.” Petrillo is a visually impaired sprinter who competed in the T12 200m and 400m at this year’s Paris Paralympics; she was the first out trans person to compete at the Games but failed to qualify for the final of either event.

LGBTQ+ equestrian star Lee Pearson—one of Great Britain’s most successful Paralympians—has been suspended by British Equestrian amid an ongoing investigation into his conduct, resulting in him not being on the 2024 Paris Paralympics team, The New York Times noted. Pearson, , who was knighted in 2017 (giving him the right to the title of Sir) for his sporting achievements and charity work and was Britain’s first openly gay Paralympic champion, had been called the “godfather” of para dressage on the Paris 2024 website; he was also ParalympicsGB’s flag bearer for Rio 2016. Pearson declined to comment when approached by The Athletic but in a statement posted on Facebook on July 4, he said he was not seeking selection for Paris 2024 after overcoming one of the “most traumatic hurdles” of his life because of a “group of truly horrendous people.”

In South Africa, LGBTQ+ organizations have condemned the tragic murder of a lesbian couple in Dambuza on Aug. 27, Watermark Online reported. Reports indicate the couple—Nombulelo Thandathina Bixa and Minenhle Ngcobo—were shot dead by Ngcobo’s ex-boyfriend, who was reportedly not happy with her recent relationship with Bixa. The pro-LGBTQ+ organization the Uthingo Network said the couple’s death was a horrific incident that could have been averted, noting Ngcobo’s ex-boyfriend had been harassing them and ignored a protection order. The Uthingo Network also said it is calling for urgent and comprehensive action at all levels.

In Zimbabwe, two men face being jailed for up to 14 years each over charges of sodomy, PinkNews noted. LGBTQ+ people face prison sentences (from colonial-era laws) for consensual same-sex activity and have no protections from sexuality or gender discrimination in employment or housing in the southern African country. According to prosecutors, Tavimbanashe Chawatama and Leonard Nyakudya moved in together last year, and engaged in same-sex sexual activity—evidence of which was said to have been recorded on their phones. Last month, one of them accused the other of infidelity and there were accusations of money going missing; they decided to call the police to resolve the issue of the cash—but were subsequently arrested as details of their alleged relationship emerged.

Right-wing commentator Auron Kalaja, a member of the Albanian parliament, stirred homophobic controversy over a third-grade language textbook that depicts a wizard in a rainbow robe on its cover, The Washington Blade noted. On Instagram, Kalaja wrote, “What is the meaning of the rainbow and its colors on the cover of the most beautiful subject?! Will this creature holding a magic wand change the children’s minds so that the latter ones change sex or … ?!” Tritan Shehu, an MP from the right-leaning Democratic Party, added that the textbook was an attempt by the government to “deform” children. However, the book’s publisher, Albas, supported the design in a statement, noting the book has been used in schools for almost a decade without any complaints from parents or educators.

French paralympian Dimitri Pavade recently opened up about his sexuality via Instagram, sharing a photo of him smiling while holding rainbow-colored interlocking male gender symbols, per Instinct Magazine. He stated (via a Google translation from HuffPost), “Yes, I am SMALL, MIXED-RACE, ONE-LEGGED, and to add another layer, GAY!!!!!! The person I am, and like others, have never had to make a choice, so stop with your pitiful speeches and your judgments without reasoning because you will never change the world.” The para-athlete—who lost his right leg at age 18 in a workplace accident—specializes in the long jump, and he represented France at the 2020 and 2024 Paralympics.

Mexico City’s Hera HSBC music festival brought together an all-woman lineup of both Latina and international talent, including Kesha, Demi Lovato and Camila Cabello—as well as almost 50,000 fans, according to The Globe and Mail. Named after the Greek goddess of women, family, the sky and stars, the festival came at a historic moment in the country, as Mexico prepares to inaugurate its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum. Despite progress, gender inequality remains in the music industry; according to a study by the University of Southern California, 164 artists appeared on the Hot 100 Billboard Year-End Chart in 2023—of those, 64.6% were men, 34.8% were women and 0.6% were gender non-binary.

Frankie Goes to Hollywood frontman Holly Johnson said he was blacklisted by the music industry after he shared his HIV diagnosis, according to the BBC. Johnson said very few people from the music industry contacted him after he made his status public during an interview in 1993, adding, “It was a bit like living in a desert for about 10 years.” He also said, “The gay community supported me, I did some performances at [clubs], but jobs were hard to come by at that time. I was sort of cancelled by the music industry.” The musician was speaking ahead of the opening of The Holly Johnson Story—an exhibition at the Museum of Liverpool exploring his life and rise to fame as one the earliest openly gay and openly HIV+ high-profile artists.  

Drag Race México crowned Leexa Fox as the winner of its second season, per a press release. The viewing event for the final episode took place at the Conjunto Santander in Guadalajara to a sold-out theater. International fans were able to watch Fox be crowned on World of Wonder’s streaming service, WOW Presents Plus. Fox, originally from Mexicali, received a crown and scepter from Amped Accessories, a year of products from Anastasia Beverly Hills, and the cash prize of $550,000 Mexican pesos. Drag Race Mexico is hosted by Mexican drag stars Lolita Banana and Taiga Brava, alongside Oscar Madrazo.

And in related news, Drag Race España will debut its fourth season on Sept. 22, per a press release. Supremme de Luxe returns as host, joined by returning judges Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo and Ana Locking. The 12 competitors (ranging in age from 22 to 44) include Angelita la Perversa, Chloe Vittu, Dita Dubois, Kelly Passa!?, La Niña Delantro, Le Cocó, Mariana Stars, Megui Yeillow, Miss Khristo, Porca Theclubkid, Shani Lasanta and Vampirashian. Out revealed that Megui Yeillow is actually Guillermo Flores—who was a Pit Crew member on the first three seasons of Drag Race España.

Peruvian-Italian actor Nicola Porcella denied being pansexual after previously appearing to come out on Mexico’s version of Celebrity Big Brother, La Casa de los Famosos México, according to PinkNews. At the time, Porcella appeared to say to two LGBTQ+ cast members, trans influencer Wendy Guevara and bisexual singer Apio Quijano that he was pansexual.  However, Porcella has recently claimed that he is not a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and was “joking” with Guevara. 

In Magazine released a list of 10 queer movies from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) that are must-see items.  Some of them include the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late; the Jacob Elordi film On Swift Horses; Emilia Perez, which stars Zoe Saldana as a lawyer named Rita who helps an escaped Mexican cartel leader (played by Karla Sofía Gascón) undergo sex-reassignment surgery to hide her identity from law enforcement while simultaneously asserting her gender; and Pedro Almodovar’s award-winning pro-euthanasia movie The Room Next Door. TIFF runs through Sept. 15.

UK EDM pioneers Utah Saints announced the reissue of their eponymous debut album—out of print since its original release over 30 years ago—on vinyl 2xLP,  2xCD and DSPs on Oct. 18 in the United States and on Oct. 19 in the UK for National Album Day, per a press release. As prelude to the album reissue, fellow Yorkshiremen Soul Mass Transit System have remixed the Saints’ dance classic “What Can You Do For Me.” Formed in Leeds in 1991, the group consisted of Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt. 

Recently, The Weeknd delivered a sold-out stadium spectacular live performance from Sao Paulo, Brazil that was streamed exclusively on YouTube, per a press release. Fans worldwide tuned in to witness the unique concert that featured surprise guests Playboi Carti and queer musician Anitta. Ten percent of net proceeds from all merchandise sales at the event and online are going to the Brazilian Soul Fund of BrazilFoundation, supporting communities affected by natural disasters and economic hardships in southern Brazil.

Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 5, four Delaware men (Sidi Diakite, Almamy Diaby, Abdul Aziz Sangare and Abdoul Aziz Traore) were arrested and/or self-surrendered in Delaware on federal charges relating to an alleged international “sextortion” scheme that targeted thousands of victims throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, per a U.S. Department of Justice media release. The alleged conspirators posed as young females online and initiated communications with thousands of potential victims, who were primarily young men and included minors from those three areas. The superseding indictment also charges Hadja Kone, of Wilmington, Delaware, who was previously arrested in April; and Siaka Ouattara, of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, whom the Ivorian authorities separately arrested in February. 

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