International development expert Zikora Ibeh wondered if Pope Leo XIV’s approach to LGBTQ+ issues will be similar to Pope Francis’ approach, because there is one group for whom the answer to this question can have serious consequences: queer Africans, according to New Ways Ministry. Writing in the journal International Politics and Society, Ibeh explained that Francis’ historic 2013 statement “Who am I to judge?” caught the attention of the globe, but did so particularly in Africa, adding, “His words also reverberated across Africa, a continent that accounts for 20 percent of the global Catholic population and where culture and religion have for decades served as powerful tools to reinforce the most virulent forms of homophobic stigma.” According to Gay Christian Africa founder Adélard Kananira, Pope Francis changed the tone and broke the silence allowing Catholic communities to open up space to finally talk about queer reality, stating, “His approach addressed the elephant in the room, which had been impossible for decades.”
And speaking of the pontiff, ahead of his formal installation Mass, Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed core Catholic teaching opposing same-sex marriage in remarks to the Vatican diplomatic corps, LGBTQ Nation noted. The family is founded on the “stable union between a man and a woman,” he said in his prepared text, according to the AP. While predecessor Pope Francis never sought to change church doctrine defining marriage as a union between a man and woman, or abandon the Church’s position that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered,” he did reach out to LGBTQ+ Catholics and encouraged their inclusion in the life of the Church.
Just before Pope Francis passed away, representatives of the Catholic Church of Italy (meeting as a national synod) voted against a reform document due to its weak stance on homosexuality and the role of women, per New Ways Ministry. Voters who were some of the 957 delegates said they rejected the document because homosexuality and women’s rights were two major issues that were not fully addressed in the document. The National Committee of the Synodal Path will work to address criticisms of the document for the new October meeting; it has only had to hold a new meeting for further discussion three times before: when John Paul II died, and twice during the COVID pandemic.
Thousands attended a trans rights rally in Belfast that was held on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHO; May 17), the BBC reported. Organizers said the recent UK Supreme Court decision to legally define a woman by biological sex at birth for the purposes of the Equality Act was a major attack on trans rights. Rainbow Project Policy, Campaigns and Communications Manager Alexa Moore said trans people have seen a “regression in our rights” across the UK and Northern Ireland, telling BBC News NI, “We’ve seen with the puberty blocker ban that was instituted last year and now with the recent Supreme Court judgement on the definition of sex and the Equality Act.”
The organization UN Women issued a statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). In part, the statement read, “UN Women joins the UN Secretary-General [António Guterres] in acknowledging the persistent violence and discrimination that continue to shape the everyday lives of millions of LGBTIQ+ people. Worldwide, they face hate, violence, discrimination—enduring assault, torture, and even death simply because of who they are. Services that ensure their safety and dignity are under attack, at a time when funding is being scaled back. No one should live in fear for being who they are.” In his statement, Guterres said, “The theme of this year’s international day—“the power of communities”—reminds us that we are strongest together. LGBTIQ+ people, and those working with them to secure their rights, have proved time and again the value of communities in providing support and driving change.”
And also speaking of IDAHO, soccer forward Mostafa Mohamed said that his refusal to play a crucial game that had all squads marking the day of tribute was motivated by his religious convictions, Yahoo! Sports noted. “Certain deeply rooted values, linked to my origins and my faith, make it difficult for me to take part in this initiative,” the 27-year-old Egyptian international posted on Instagram. Mohamed has already missed games in the past which have coincided with French league campaigns against homophobia; in 2023, he refused to play in a match when the teams wore shirts with rainbow-colored numbers on the back, with his entourage saying he faced threats if he competed.
In a related matter, Lyon soccer player Nemanja Matic competed in his team’s 2-0 win against Angers on May 17 with an anti-homophobia logo on his shirt appearing to be covered, The Athletic noted. For IDAHO, French clubs customized their kits with a rainbow patch on their shirt sleeves. Matic, 36, came on as a substitute for U.S. player Tanner Tessman in the 69th minute with a piece of white material appearing to cover the campaign’s rainbow logo. Another symbol—the word “homophobia” in French crossed out with a red line and “football”underneath it—was not covered. The Athletic has contacted Lyon for comment.
Austria won the 69th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Switzerland this year, per Variety. The country’s queer 24-year-old entrant—Johannes Pietsch, known as JJ—won the total cumulative votes from the public and judges with his emotional song “Wasted Love”; last year’s winner, nonbinary Swiss singer Nemo, was also 24 when they won. Accepting his trophy after the four-hour show, the countertenor repeatedly thanked Europe for “making my dreams come true.” Waving the glass trophy, JJ told the crowd, “Love is the strongest force in the world. Let’s spread more love.” Israel, which finished in second place, was represented by Yuval Raphael and her ballad “New Day Will Rise.” Estonian entry Tommy Cash came in third.
Organizers of four major LGBTQ+ Pride marches in the UK have barred political parties from their events this year, citing the “abandonment” of transgender civil rights by both liberals and conservatives, according to Them. Organizers of Birmingham Pride, Brighton Pride, Pride in London and Manchester Pride wrote that they were “united” in “unequivocal solidarity with our trans community” amid attacks on trans rights in the UK. The statement specifically referenced the recent UK Supreme Court ruling that declared trans people must be legally classified by their “biological sex” as assigned at birth. “[T]his is not a symbolic gesture,” the organizers stated. “It is a direct call for accountability and a refusal to platform those who have not protected our rights. We demand real commitments and measurable progress.”
In Malaysia, the Kuala Terengganu City Council is defending an anti-LGBTQ+ billboard, per Erasing 76 Crimes. The billboards include an illustration of two men holding hands below a heart in a circle with a red line through it, indicating forbidden, while flames are depicted below them. The Malaysian trans women’s advocacy organization Justice for Sisters published criticism that has been endorsed by at least 10 other human-rights groups, including SEED Malaysia, Amnesty International Malaysia and ILGA Asia.
A Russian court fined Apple more than 10 million rubles ($130,000) by a court in Russia for extremist “LGBT propaganda” and refusing to censor content, Erasing 76 Crimes noted, citing Mediazona. There were three charges related to “LGBT propaganda,” for which Apple was fined 2.5 million rubles per count; the company faced an additional charge for refusing to censor content at the request of the authorities, for which it received a fine of 3 million rubles. The new laws broadened the scope of a 2013 law banning the dissemination of LGBTQ-related information to minors, extending that ban to adults.
MambaOnline received reports that the next Pan-African Conference on Family Values—an anti-LGBTQ+ event—will take place in South Africa in 2027 with the backing of longtime anti-queer activist Errol Naidoo. The second edition of the conference recently concluded in Nairobi, Kenya, and it was dominated by figures from the U.S. right-wing and Christian anti-gender and anti-rights movement who specifically targeted the sexual, gender and reproductive rights of women and LGBTQ+ people. The Nairobi conference concluded with the adoption of a “Declaration on Family Values,” which claims to promote family values but instead advances a conservative and exclusionary agenda that threatens the rights of women and LGBTIQ+ people across Africa.
It turns out that Gus Kenworthy wants to get back into competitive skiing, according to Instinct. Kenworthy earned silver at Sochi in 2014 and publicly came out the following year, and he also competed in PyeongChang in 2018, then took his final Olympic bow in Beijing in 2022 (representing the UK). “After taking a step away, I realized I miss skiing and I really want to compete again,” Kenworthy told ESPN. “I didn’t know if I would be able to come back after three-and-a-half years, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to after seven and a half. So, it’s this Olympics or nothing. I’m never going to have this opportunity again.” He plans to represent the UK again in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy.
Sweden’s new national security adviser, Tobias Thyberg, quit hours after taking the position when sensitive pictures of him on Grindr were sent anonymously to the government, the BBC noted. The government stated that Thyberg had omitted the information during security background checks. “These are old pictures from an account I previously had on the dating site Grindr. I should have informed about this, but I did not,” Thyberg, the former Swedish ambassador to Ukraine, told newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The resignation happened months after Thyberg’s predecessor stepped down and was charged with negligent handling of classified data.
Actors Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Juliette Binoche and Riz Ahmed as well as director Guillermo del Toro were among those who added their names to a letter condemning the film industry for its “silence” over the impact of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, Variety reported. The letter—published on the first day of the Cannes Film Festival and initially signed by more than 370 actors and filmmakers— also condemned Israel’s killing of Fatma Hossana, the protagonist of the festival-bound doc Put Your Soul in Your Hand and Walk. The original list of signatories included Hannah Einbinder, Mark Ruffalo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, Melissa Barrera, Yorgos Lanthimos, Javier Bardem, Pedro Almodóvar, David Cronenberg, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Leigh, Alex Gibney, Viggo Mortensen, Cynthia Nixon and Tessa Ross.
LGBTQ+ actor Ezra Miller (The Flash) showed up on the Cannes Film Festival red carpet to support director Lynne Ramsay, who premiered Die My Love, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson, Variety noted. Miller starred in Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, which played in competition at Cannes in 2011. Wearing a burgundy tux and trousers, Miller had long hair and a beret—but did not stop for photographers on the carpet this year. Miller has been keeping a low profile since The Flash premiered in 2023; the previous year, they apologized for their recent behavior, saying they were seeking help for “complex mental health issues.”
Controversial gay actor Kevin Spacey delivered a lengthy and emotional speech in Cannes, marking his first visit to the city during its global film gathering in almost a decade and since being found not guilty on sexual-assault charges, Variety noted. Spacey spoke at a gala held by the Better World Fund that was unaffiliated with the festival but where he was presented with an “engagement award.” Talking for almost 10 minutes, Spacey compared his own ousting from Hollywood to the blacklisting of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, adding, ““As my friend Elton John once said, and the reason that this means so much to me, is because I’m still standing, I’m still standing.”
Former WNBA (and Chicago Sky) player Chennedy Carter is now playing in the Mexican league—and made news for signing a fan’s breasts, per The New York Post. Carter approached some fans at an arena who were asking for pictures, while another fan gave her a marker to get her autograph on her chest. When she was done signing her name, she went in and kissed the fan’s chest. Carter—who was at the center of a controversial moment involving the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark last season—played for three teams in four years and was also suspended by the Atlanta Dream for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
