Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

WORLD Marriage status in Cuba, Shigella outbreak, anti-LGBTQ crime
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2019-12-30

This article shared 5008 times since Mon Dec 30, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Cuba Justice Minister Oscar Silvera Martinez announced the Family Code—the law that could establish marriage equality in the country—will not be introduced in the National Assembly until December 2021, when one of the parliamentary commissions will be in session, The Washington Blade reported. Martinez presented an expected work agenda for the coming years, including two special sessions in addition to those that are normally scheduled, to approve the roughly 40 laws currently before the current legislature. The marriage provision was the most debated part of the constitution the National Assembly approved a year ago and put to a referendum in February; legislators decided to postpone the debate ( on marriage equality ) for two years.

There has been an outbreak of drug-resistant Shigella among gay and bisexual men in the Australian state of Victoria, Advocate.com noted. Shigella is a highly contagious gastrointestinal disease, similar to E.coli, that is spread through stool. Symptoms, which include diarrhea, fever, and stomach pain, can persist up to a week; in serious cases, symptoms last a month. An individual can remain contagious for up to two weeks after symptoms disappear.

A trans woman, a gay man and their friend were brutally battered in Palestine by a group of men—kicked and shoved into a car—before being robbed, PinkNews reported. Sammy, a trans woman, was in the West Bank to attend a doctor's appointment with two friends when refugees descended upon them from a nearby camp. Assaulting the trio, the attackers damaged their car, leaving the doors dented, and took off with their money—while nearby authorities allegedly did nothing.

The HRC ( Human Rights Campaign ) Foundation launched its third annual HRC Equidad MX: Programa Global de Equidad Laboral—a survey evaluating LGBT workplace inclusion within major Mexican businesses and multinationals, the organization noted. Since its inception, the program has experienced unprecedented growth; this year, 120 employers have earned top ratings in the 2020 HRC Equidad MX report. The full press release is at https://www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-recognizes-over-100-employers-in-mexico-for-commitment-to-equality.

Julie Berman—a 51-year-old Toronto-based transgender activist who spent 30 years opposing violence against trans women and helping trans people thrive—was found murdered in her apartment, LGBTQ Nation reported. Police have arrested 29-year-old suspect Colin Harnack at the scene of the crime and charged him with second-degree murder. For the last 30 years, Berman helped organize events at local LGBTQ charity The 519 and with the Trans Access Project, an educational charity assisting local trans people.

The Guardia Civil arrested three men for savagely beating and robbing a man who they had lured through a dating site in Seville, Spain, Euro Weekly News reported. As reported by the police, the victim had conversed with a young male that he had met online Dec. 14, and they agreed to meet later that night for sex. While driving back to the victim's home, the young man asked the victim to pull over into a secluded road; later, a vehicle arrived with two men inside the car. Then, the victim was dragged out of his car, kicked, punched and insulted about his sexual orientation.

Intersex Ugandan athlete Annet Negesa—who had irreversible surgery after her natural testosterone levels meant she was barred from competing in the Olympics—is suing World Athletics for "violating her human rights," PinkNews reported. Negesa, an 800-meter runner, was training in Kampala, Uganda, in 2012 when she was told that her natural testosterone levels meant she would not be allowed to compete in the London Olympics. Negesa, 27, claimed she was advised to have the irreversible and damaging surgery by a World Athletics doctor ( with World Athletics denying this ), and that since having it she has suffered from depression and joint pains, and hasn't competed. Other intersex women who have been barred from competing in women's sport unless they modify their testosterone levels include lesbian South African runner Caster Semenya.

The Rivne City Council in western Ukraine has barred the holding of equality marches, RFERL.org noted. The local LGBTQ community had plans to hold an event Jan. 1 in the regional capital. However, the ban—initiated by the head of the council's budget committee, City Councilman Oleh Karpyak, of the nationalist Svoboda party—cited the Family Code as justification. Thirty-six local deputies voted for the ban, two abstained and zero voted against.

Marnie McBean—one of Canada's most decorated Olympians and an athletic mentor—dispensed advice for young athletes, especially LGBTQIs: Have the courage to be authentic to unlock your potential and maximize your performance, The Japan Times reported. McBean recently took part in a seminar focused on LGBTIQ issues and sports as a panelist at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo. "My message to young athletes is [to] take the time you need and when you're ready, be strong. There is a team around you who will love you and embrace you, and your authentic self is the strongest that you have," the retired competitive rower said.

George Michael's sister Melanie Panayiotou died at age 55—three years after the death of the famous British singer, The Huffington Post UK noted. She was found dead at her home in North London by her sister Yioda on Christmas Day, the third anniversary of Michael's death. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told the Scottish Sun that the hairdresser's death is "not being treated as suspicious", adding that "a report will be compiled for the coroner into the circumstances."

Nicola Gratteri—a 61-year-old anti-Mafia investigator in Calabria, Italy ( the toe of Italy's "boot" )—revealed that the 'Ndrangheta family, the richest crime family in Southern Italy, has become more tolerant of gay members "so long as they don't parade it in public," LGBTQ Nation noted. The 'Ndrangheta family is allegedly responsible for tens of billions in the European cocaine trade. Gratteri claims that the mafia has become more accepting; he has reportedly read "passionate" love letters between a crime boss and a young lieutenant, and eavesdropped on foot soldiers admitting their love of drag bars.

NBC Out listed seven prime winter destinations in LGBTQ-friendly countries, based on their rankings in the Williams Institute's Global Acceptance Index. Among the sites are Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, Uruguay ( with beach resort towns like Punta del Este or Punta del Diablo ), New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating German automaker BMW, CNBC reported, citing the Wall Street Journal. The news organization reported the investigation is regarding BMW's sales practices, specifically whether the company is "punching" its sales—when a dealer, sometimes at the behest of an automaker, self-registers cars as loaners, and later sells them as used with little mileage on them.

More than 50 years after its first publication, British writer Robin Maugham's controversial gay-themed 1967 novel The Wrong People is getting a movie adaptation, Deadline noted. Arthouse outfit Peccadillo Pictures, the UK's foremost distributor of LGBT movies, is teaming with veteran UK screenwriter David McGillivray ( Schizo ), who has adapted the novel and will make his directorial debut. The book was reprinted several times, including in the Gay Modern Classics series, and was once optioned for a film version by Hollywood actor Sal Mineo ( Rebel Without a Cause ).

A French legal ruling that ordered Jeff Koons to pay damages to another artist whose work he allegedly plagiarized has been upheld by a Parisian court, Page Six noted. Two years ago, the court found that Koons' 1988 sculpture "Naked" was copied from a photo by the late Jean-Francois Bauret, Agence France-Presse reported. Koons has been ordered to pay $22,000 to the artist's family, and the court also ruled that Koons' studio has to compensate Bauret's family an additional $4,000 for using a photo of the sculpture on Koons' website.

President Donald Trump's cameo in the 1992 movie Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was cut from a Canadian television channel's recent broadcasts, CBS News noted. "As is often the case with feature films adapted for television, Home Alone 2 was edited for time," CBC spokesperson Chuck Thompson said in a statement. "The scene with Donald Trump was one of several that were cut from the movie as none of them were integral to the plot. These edits were done in 2014, when we first acquired the film and before Mr. Trump was elected president." Some viewers were happy with the cut, while others slammed the broadcaster for omitting that scene.

Twin brothers who starred on the British TLC reality show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding died in an apparent joint suicide, Page Six noted. Bill and Joe Smith, 32, were discovered suspended from a tree in the Kent woodlands in the United Kingdom.


This article shared 5008 times since Mon Dec 30, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Nex Benedict's autopsy report released
2024-03-27
The full autopsy report for Nex Benedict (he/they)—a 16-year-old transgender and Indigenous student from Oklahoma's Owasso High School who died in February a day after a school fight—has been released. The Oklahoma Office of the Chie ...


Gay News

Thailand parliament passes landmark marriage bill
2024-03-27
On March 27, Thailand's parliament approved a marriage-equality bill by an overwhelmingly large margin—a landmark step that moves one of Asia's most liberal countries closer to legalizing same-sex unions, media ...


Gay News

Family of 2004 murder victim holds event in Lake View; reward announced
2024-03-24
The year 2004, for the family and friends of Lake View resident Kevin Clewer, will forever be marked by tragedy. On March 24 of that year, Clewer, 31, was found in his apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.; he was the ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Va. marriage bill, AARP, online counseling, Idaho items, late activist
2024-03-21
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed bills protecting same-sex marriages at a state level, surprising some, WRIC reported. The bills—passed out of both chambers along mostly party lines—will require clerks ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes
2024-03-15
Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ people attacked by mobs in Greece
2024-03-14
Just weeks after a landmark law granted same-sex couples in Greece the right to marry, nearly 200 people dressed in black chased a transgender couple through the town square in Thessaloniki, the country's "second city" and ...


Gay News

WORLD Canadian politics, Australian murders, Finnish study, 'Anatomy'
2024-03-01
Canadian conservatives are divided over an anti-trans policy that Alberta Premier Danielle Smith handed down in her province, The Guardian reported. The policy includes a ban on hormonal treatment, puberty ...


Gay News

NATIONAL School items, HIV/AIDS activist dies, Nex Benedict, inclusive parade
2024-03-01
In a new survey, the Pew Research Center asked public K-12 teachers, teens and the U.S. public about the ongoing scrutiny placed on classroom curricula, mainly regarding race and LGBTQ+ identities, ABC News noted. Among other ...


Gay News

911 calls, videos show cascade of failures in Nex Benedict's death, GLAAD responds
2024-02-24
"It is haunting to hear Nex Benedict, in their own words, describe how school and state leaders failed, at every level of leadership, to keep them safe from bullying and harm. Less than 24 hours later, ...


Gay News

Federal jury finds man guilty of killing trans woman in landmark case
2024-02-24
In a groundbreaking case, a federal jury in Columbia, South Carolina found Daqua Lameek Ritter guilty of killing transgender woman Dime Doe after deliberating for almost four hours, The State reported. It is the first time ...


Gay News

HIV criminal laws disproportionately impact Black men in Mississippi
2024-02-21
--From a press release - A new report by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that at least 43 people in Mississippi were arrested for HIV-related crimes between 2004 and 2021. Half of all arrests in the state ...


Gay News

Owasso High School student of Bridge v. Oklahoma State Board of Education case dies, groups respond
2024-02-20
--From press releases - Oklahoma City, Okla. — In response to the death of 16-year-old Owasso High School student Nex Benedict following an assault in the school restroom, Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Oklahoma ...


Gay News

Greek legislature approves marriage equality
2024-02-15
Greece has become the 36th country, and the first Christian Orthodox-majority one, to legalize same-sex marriage. The BBC reported that same-sex couples will now also be legally allowed to adopt children after the 176-76 vote that ...


Gay News

Tenn. legislators back bill that lets officials refuse to perform same-sex weddings
2024-02-15
Defying a national ruling that authorized marriage equality, Tennessee lawmakers approved a measure that would allow public officials to refuse to perform weddings of same-sex couples, The Hill reported. Tennessee's House Bill 878/Senate Bill 596 says ...


Gay News

Yemeni court sentences 13 men to death for being LGBTQ+
2024-02-09
In the Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen, a court has reportedly sentenced 13 people to death who had been charged with homosexuality, The Washington Blade noted. Agence France-Presse reported that the court in Ibb Governorate, which ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.