Can it really be 20 years since perhaps the most romantic gay-themed movie of all time, Brokeback Mountain? Seems like it. And to celebrate the anniversary, which falls on Sunday, Focus Features is re-releasing the movie, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger and directed by Ang Lee. There will be special screenings and a new poster for your wall.
President Trump’s cuts to international AIDS organisations are already biting in Africa. Emmanuel Cherem, a 25-year-old gay man in Nigeria tested positive for HIV after US funding cut his access to PrEP, after the Trump administration decided to cut grants by USAID to at-risk groups. UNAIDS has warned that the discontinuation of PEPFAR support could lead to thousands of additional cases.
Portugal’s neo-Nazi group 1143, which operates in Lisbon, Porto and Guimarães has been engaging in hate speech and violence against the LGBTQ+ community, calling itself a ‘hetero movement’ with a stated aim of spreading anti-gay hatred. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has been called on to act against the group while security forces are being asked to make sure they protect the human rights of the community.
Climbers in Yosemite National Park in the US raised a huge 55- by 35-foot Transgender Pride flag on El Capitan mountain… just because they could. The display aimed to support transgender rights amidst rising concerns over US policies aimed at removing rights from trans people. Organised by the Transcendence Coalition, the effort included climber Pattie Gonia (get it?) The flag was taken down after for eco reasons but park officials confirmed that the display complied with regulations and posed no risk to visitors.
