He’s the left-wing Muslim shaking up American politics by becoming the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York on a ticket of free buses, cheaper prices and general loveliness. His name is Zohran Mamdani [pictured from his Insta account] and this weekend you would have found him carrying a trans flag on at New York City Pride, attended by over a million people.
In contrast to the extraordinary defiance shown in Budapest, where a banned Pride march drew up to 200,000 people, in Istanbul, Turkey, the story was very different. At least 50 people were arrested during the Instanbul Pride Parade after the police cordoned off the city centre to prevent demonstrations. Among those being detained are four lawyers representing activists while the Turkish Bar Association (lawyers not tenders!) condemned police actions against LGBTQ+ demonstrators.
While many Fortune 500 and Global 100 companies roll back on their former commitment to gay employees and customers with 61% citing the current Trump administration as their reason, certain brands are sticking with the LGBTQ+ community, namely Wildfang, which launched a successful Pride campaign with trans model Vivian Wilson, and Levi’s, whose campaign focussed on LGBTQ+ narratives and community support.
Gunfire erupted outside New York’s Stonewall Inn – the birthplace of the modern gay rights movement – following celebrations for New York Pride leaving one man in a critical condition and a woman stable after hospital treatment. The incident was reported at 10.15pm but the police so far have no suspects or motive and are continuing their investigations.
Often excluded from Holocaust memorials, the gay victims have been honoured in San Diego. The Ruth: Remember Us exhibit at La Jolla Library has added a patch from Holocaust victim Christian Prager, who wore the pink triangle to designate ‘gay’. Curator Sandra Scheller aims to honour LGBTQ+ history within the Holocaust narrative while San Diego leaders are collaborating to secure a permanent exhibition location with fundraising for a unique pink triangle uniform.
