Russian LGBT activists arrested in May Day parades
Police in St. Petersburg arrested at least 15 LGBT activists who marched in a May Day parade. Police snatched rainbow flags from marchers’ hands, and forced them into a police van. The LGBT marchers were not given permission to march in the parade, even though a neo-Nazi group was approved.
Read more at the Washington Blade.
US consul to China marries Taiwanese man
The US consul general stationed in Shanghai has made awkward news in China by marrying his Taiwanese boyfriend in a ceremony in San Francisco. Same-sex marriage is not recognized in China, and Taiwan’s sovereignty is a sensitive issue on the mainland. Hanscom Smith continues the fine tradition of gay ambassadorial trolling perfected by US Dominican Republic ambassador Wally Brewster.
Read more at the New York Times.
Wales elects three gay lawmakers
Wales’ election of its National Assembly on May 5 not only elected the country’s first gay politician, but also its second and third. The Welsh Labour Party elected two gay lawmakers, and the socialist independence party Plaid Cymru elected one.
White House to create Stonewall national monument
The Washington Post reports that the White House is poised to make the Stonewall Inn in New York a national monument to gay rights. The Inn was the flashpoint of riots in 1969 that are widely seen as the beginning of the contemporary gay rights movement.
Kenyan court to hear anal testing challenge
Two Kenyan men are suing police for using forced “anal testing” to look for evidence of homosexual behavior. The practice of determining homosexuality by testing the “tone” of the anus has been medically discredited, and is considered in violation of international law.
Read more at Human Rights Watch.
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