Category: Around the World

Aug 11
World’s Best LGBTQ+ Cities Revealed — and San Francisco Is Number One

San Francisco has been named the world’s best city for LGBTQ+ life in a new international ranking, although the report suggests American cities are losing ground as LGBTQ+ rights and protections come under political pressure. The finding comes from the 2026 Sexually Liberal City Index, compiled by adult entertainment platform Erobella. The annual index compared […]

Aug 11
Miss North Carolina USA stripped of crown as pageant condemns racism, homophobia and transphobia

Brittany Boltinhouse has been stripped of her Miss North Carolina USA 2026 title just over a month after being crowned, with the Miss USA Organisation declaring that racism, homophobia and transphobia have no place within the pageant. The decision was announced on Wednesday, 5 August, weeks before Boltinhouse was due to represent North Carolina at […]

Aug 11
‘Africa’s Moment’: Cape Town Becomes WorldPride’s Next Host

Cape Town has officially taken up the WorldPride mantle, marking the beginning of preparations for the first edition of the global LGBTQIA+ celebration ever to be held on African soil. A South African delegation formally received hosting duties from Amsterdam during the WorldPride 2026 closing celebrations on Saturday, 8 August. More than 25,000 people gathered […]

Aug 11
Why 141 LGBTQ+ Groups Want Macron to Pause a UN Decriminalisation Push

Civil society organisations working in countries where consensual same-sex relations remain criminalised are urging French President Emmanuel Macron to halt plans for a new United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on decriminalisation. It might initially sound counter-intuitive. The 141 organisations behind the appeal strongly support the worldwide repeal of laws criminalising LGBTQ+ people. Their concern […]

Aug 09
Lesbian Mud Wrestling Steals the Show at Lollapalooza

What started as a joke about Lollapalooza’s rain-soaked grounds turned into one of the festival’s most unexpected queer celebrations, as hundreds gathered for an impromptu lesbian mud-wrestling contest. The event, gloriously named Scissor Slam 2K26, was the brainchild of 38-year-old Lindsay Perrin, an Indianapolis mother who saw an opportunity to turn the Chicago festival’s muddy […]

Aug 09
Poll Finds Inflation Matters Far More to U.S Voters Than Attacking Trans Rights

A new poll suggests rising living costs are a far greater concern for US voters than transgender issues, despite efforts by some Republican politicians to make restrictions on trans rights a central issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The GLAAD-commissioned survey found that only 8 per cent of voters identified transgender issues as a […]

Aug 08
‘The Year Is 2026, Not 1986’: New York lawmakers move to revive gay bathhouses

New York lawmakers are seeking to repeal a decades-old public-health restriction that effectively prevents venues from operating as gay bathhouses, arguing that regulated spaces would be safer than forcing sexual activity into less visible settings. State Senator Erik Bottcher and Assemblymember Tony Simone, two openly gay lawmakers representing overlapping parts of Manhattan’s West Side, have […]

Aug 05
Pentagon Pressure Forces Scouting America To Drop LGBTQ+ Spaces

Scouting America’s National Jamboree stopped providing dedicated spaces for LGBTQ+ young people, women and people of colour after Pentagon officials demanded the organisation abandon initiatives they characterised as “woke”. Around 15,000 scouts, troop leaders and volunteers recently gathered at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia for the 10-day outdoor event, according to the Associated […]