UK

Ralph Fiennes. (Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images) Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes says he “can’t understand” the “level of hatred” directed towards JK Rowling over her views on trans rights. The British actor, who played Lord Voldemort in the beloved movie franchise, told The Telegraph newspaper that he finds the backlash the author has faced “disturbing”. “I find the
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Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). (Getty) The British government on Tuesday (16 March) effectively doubled crucial funding to its national rollout of pre-exposure prophylaxis, otherwise known as PrEP. Health ministers have injected a thumping financial boost to the routine commissioning of the daily drug, the most effective protection against HIV transmission. The public health grant, used to fund local authority health
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LGBT+ prisoners are often segregated “for their own protection”. (Envato) Prisons in England and Scotland are “traumatising, rigid and frequently dangerous places” for LGBT+ inmates, research has found. A report from the University of Dundee titled LGBT+ people in prisons: Experiences in England and Scotland, used interviews and focus groups with more than 60 prison staff
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Former Welsh rugby captain Gareth Thomas announced he is HIV positive after “evils” threatened to out him. (Clemens Bilan/AFP/Getty) Welsh rugby star and TV personality Gareth Thomas has described being “petrified” each time someone knocked on his door, while he was blackmailed over being HIV-positive. In 2019, Thomas was forced to publicly reveal his HIV
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Piers Morgan has quit Good Morning Britain. (Getty/ Indigo/ Max Mumby) Piers Morgan has “decided” to leave Good Morning Britain following his “diabolical” comments about Meghan Markle. On Monday’s (8 March) episode of Good Morning Britain, the day after Meghan Markle‘s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on ITV, Morgan declared he did not “believe a
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Boris Johnson. (Christopher Furlong/WPA Pool /Getty) MPs from across the UK have insisted that any ban on conversion therapy must also include trans people. During a debate in Westminster Hall on Monday evening (8 March), MPs urged the government to ban the harmful, pseudoscientific practice. The debate, triggered by a petition to government signed by
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Drag Race UK star Lawrence Chaney has deleted her Twitter following “disgusting” abuse she received after last night’s episode. The Glasgow drag performer deactivated her social media account following Thursday (4 March) night’s dramatic episode. It’s believed this came out after the episode featured a fallow out between Lawrence and fellow Drag Race UK contestant
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Jimmy Fowlie (L) and Sydnee Washington (R) will star in Grindr’s upcoming original comedy series Bridesman. (Santiago Felipe/Getty Images/FilmMagic) LGBT+ dating app Grindr is getting its own original scripted TV show, which is set to air this fall. Bridesman will be a new scripted comedy series following a gay bridesman as he undermines his best friend’s
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Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons. (Scott Legato/Getty Images) Dan Reynolds, professional tall man and Imagine Dragons singer, has donated his childhood home worth $1 million for it to become an LGBT+ youth centre. As part of LGBT+ advocacy group Encircle’s ‘$8 Million, Eight Houses’ campaign, the 34-year-old reflected on the difficulties queer youth face. Reynolds,
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A gay man who was left scarred for life after a brutal homophobic hate crime has called for “tougher penalties” for attackers. Aspiring drag artist Ryan Turner, 24, was knocked unconscious by Brandon Forrester, 19, during the brutal assault on 13 July, 2019, in Preston, Lancashire. Before the attack, Forrester and others in the group
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Anne Robinson’s cruel comments on The Weakest Link have been subjected to scrutiny online (BBC) Problematic and unpleasant clips of The Weakest Link‘s Anne Robinson berating contestants have resurfaced after it was announced she would take over as the host of Countdown. It was revealed on Monday (15 February) that Robinson would become the first
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Lily Parr (b. 1905) was a well-known lesbian footballer who lived her life proudly and freely. (Getty/Creative Commons) LGBT+ History Month is all about remembering our forefathers, foremothers and forepeople who paved the way for the rest of us, and there are few UK figures who are more trailblazing than chain-smoking lesbian footballer Lily Parr.
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London Green Party mayoral candidate Siân Berry. (NurPhoto via Getty/WIktor Szymanowicz) Siân Berry, the Green Party candidate for mayor of London, has said a commission and action plan on trans rights will be “one of the first things” she’ll do if elected. On Wednesday (10 February) the Green Party co-leader, who is vying to replace
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Kemi Badenoch, minister for equalities and Samuel Kasumu. (Chris McAndrew/Official portrait of Kemi Badenoch/Twitter) A government advisor on ethnic minorities tried to quit after Conservative equalities minister Kemi Badenoch publicly lambasted a young journalist for asking a question. Samuel Kasumu, a senior advisor to Boris Johnson, sent a letter of resignation to the prime minister
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Kemi Badenoch, minister for equalities and Saffron Walden MP. (Chris McAndrew/Official portrait of Kemi Badenoch) LGBT+ advocates are “alarmed” by the revelation that Conservative equalities minister Kemi Badenoch met with anti-trans hate group LGB Alliance last summer. The under-fire Tory MP had an “introductory meeting” with the LGB Alliance on 13 July, 2020, according to
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Islamic scholar Khalid Zaheer delivers a 2014 anti-gay lecture hosted on the charity website A newly-registered Muslim charity is facing scrutiny over sermons on its website that suggest homosexuality is a disease that needs to be cured. The Cheshire-based Ghamidi Centre of Islamic Communication, which registered as a charity in December, hosted videos and audio
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Humza Yousaf put forward the proposed amendment to his hate crime bill. (Getty/Fraser Bremner) The Scottish government has pulled an amendment that sought to exempt “criticism of transgender identity” from hate crime laws. The country’s justice minister Humza Yousaf announced via Twitter on Monday (1 February) that he had pulled a planned amendment to the
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Michael Sheen questioned the Salvation Army on its LGBT+ policies (Dominik Bindl/Getty) The actor Michael Sheen confronted the Salvation Army on its notoriously anti-trans reputation after his recent donation was criticised by several LGBT+ fans. The Good Omens star announced on Sunday (30 January) that he had sponsored Skewen Temple, a branch of the Salvation
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