Welcome back to another Monday! Whether you’re enjoying a well-deserved summer vacation, or procrastinating on work tasks (hey, same!), take a break with us and catch up with our top queer news stories of the day.
1. A judge in Poland has sided with a homophobic protestor, claiming the hateful messages he was spreading are “true”
2. Trans woman Rikkie Valerie Kollé has been crowned Miss Netherlands 2023, the first trans woman to hold the title
3. Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley resigns
4. Queer soccer player Megan Rapinoe has announced she will be retiring after the World Cup
5. The world premiere of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was yesterday—and it was a star-studded pink carpet
1. A judge in Poland has sided with a homophobic protestor, claiming the hateful messages he was spreading are “true”
A judge in Poland has acquitted a man who displayed homophobic and transphobic slogans on his van during a Pride parade, with the court finding “truthfulness” in the hate speech.
Slogans such as “homosexuals much more often molest children,” and “stop the rainbow plague” were found to be “within the framework of freedom of speech,” said the driver’s lawyer, Paweł Szafraniec.
The event itself happened in 2019 at the first-ever LGBT Equality Parade in Gorzów Wielkopolski. In April, the Gorzów Wielkopolski district court fined the driver and ordered him to pay compensation, but the driver took up his right to appeal. A new judge, Roman Makowski, accepted the appeal, and overturned the verdict.
“This is typical hate speech, speech that polarizes society and arouses hatred for the LGBTQ+ community, which is, after all, a social group like any other,” said Jerzy Wierchowicz, the lawyer for the foundation that organized the parade. “The fact that they are in the minority does not mean that they can be discriminated against.”
2. Trans woman Rikkie Valerie Kollé has been crowned Miss Netherlands 2023, the first trans woman to hold the title
Rikkie Valerie Kollé was crowned Miss Netherlands 2023 this weekend, taking home the crown at a ceremony in Leusden on Saturday.
The twenty-two-year-old said the competition was “educational and wonderful.”
“I made my community proud and showed it can be done,” she said. “And yes, I am a trans woman and I would like to share my story, but I am also Rikkie and that is what counts for me. I did this on my own strength and enjoyed every moment.”
The official Miss Netherlands account announced Kollé’s win on Instagram, writing that “this finalist has radiated throughout the show and has also made the greatest progress in the process.”
Kollé will now compete in Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador in December, where contestants from 24 countries will compete for the ultimate crown.
3. Stonewall CEO Nancy Kelley resigns
The CEO of U.K.-based LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall announced on Twitter this morning that she’ll be leaving the charity at the end of the month.
“I can’t say it’s always been a pleasure, but it has surely been a privilege leading Stonewall,” she said in a Twitter thread. “And whatever comes next for me, in every way I can, I will continue to stand with our community, and continue to fight for a world where we are ALL free.
“I leave this job as the anti-gender/anti-rights movement is running rampant around the globe, and the transphobic moral panic created here in the U.K. is being exported everywhere,” she added. “The time for us all to stand up is long past. We need your help.”
Stonewall faced an extra barrage of hate during Kelley’s tenure, as the organization dealt with constant attacks for supporting trans rights. In 2021, the BBC removed itself from the charity’s Diversity Champion scheme, prompting a spokesperson at the time to say, “It is shocking that organizations are being pressured into rolling back support for LGBTQ+ employees … ultimately, it is LGBTQ+ people who suffer.”
4. Queer soccer star Megan Rapinoe has announced she will be retiring after the World Cup
Lesbian soccer player Megan Rapino has said that she’ll be retiring from her sport at the end of her current season, after a decorated career that saw her win Olympic gold with the U.S. soccer team and come out on top in two FIFA Women’s World Cups.
The star announced her decision in a tweet on Saturday, sharing a picture of herself as a child.
“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” she said. “I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape & change my life forever, but by the look on this little girl’s face, she knew all along.”
Rapinoe will hang up her boots at the end of the National Women’s Soccer League season in October.
5. The world premiere of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was yesterday—and it was a star-studded pink carpet
We’ve been waiting for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling since it was announced, and yesterday, the pink carpet was finally rolled out for fans to see inside Barbie’s dreamhouse. The star-studded cast includes Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera, and critics are already loving the film.
One reviewer called the movie their “favourite film of the year,” saying that “Greta Gerwig somehow exceeded my expectations.”
Variety’s social media editor Katcy Stephan also said the movie was “perfection.”
“Greta Gerwig delivers a nuanced commentary on what it means to be a woman in a whimsical, wonderful and laugh-out-loud funny romp,” she tweeted. “The entire cast shines, especially Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in roles they were clearly born to play.”
Plus, everyone brought their best all-out Barbie glam to the pink carpet—here’s a few of our favourite looks:
(The movie will officially be released in the U.S. and Canada on July 21.)
🌈Bonus good news (because we need it)🌈
It’s Non-binary Awareness Week! Shoutout to our non-binary readers—we see you!
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