Day: July 8, 2026

Dozens of people have reportedly been arrested in Niger as authorities intensify a crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community following the country’s recent criminalisation of same-sex intimacy. The Guardian described the operation as a “witch-hunt”, reporting that up to 40 people have been arrested, including 16 men who have been imprisoned across the West African country. […]

Tributes are flowing from across Aotearoa’s rainbow and HIV communities following the passing of Michael Bancroft, a deeply respected advocate, celebrant, priest, and guardian of the New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt. Bancroft, who lived from 19 September 1949 to 7 July 2026, is being remembered for decades of care, compassion and service during some of […]

Turkey has barred a scheduled gay cruise from docking in the port city of Kuşadası, citing the country’s “moral values”, following another crackdown on LGBTQ+ Pride events. The Athens-to-Venice cruise, chartered by American LGBTQ+ travel company Atlantis Events, was prevented from stopping in Turkey on 7 July as originally planned. The cruise was aboard Virgin […]

Reports have raised concerns that Steam may be limiting how LGBTQ+ content is discoverable on its platform in China, after users began encountering error messages when searching for games tagged with LGBTQ+ themes. A screenshot shared on 25 June by ResetEra user Neha showed a failed attempt to search for LGBTQ+-tagged titles on Steam’s Chinese […]

The Queen of Pop is back with Confessions II, Madonna’s first studio album in seven years — and she is firmly back on the dance floor. The 67-year-old “Vogue” singer-songwriter-producer’s 15th studio album bursts with dance tracks, pop hooks and club-ready grooves that are already soundtracking the season. Released on 3 July 2026 through Warner […]

Gay Olympian Mark Foster has opened up about the years he spent hiding his sexuality in his new tell-all memoir, My Double Life. The BBC pundit and former Strictly Come Dancing contestant came out in 2017 at the age of 47, after a long and successful career as a professional swimmer. Foster won an Olympic […]