T-shirts, Al-Qaeda and a cancelled concert

Your Daily Package of newsy and naughty bits from around the world


Colombia gets equal marriage

After a surprise ruling last week rejecting discriminatory language in marriage law, Colombia’s constitutional court has clarified that gay couples deserve an equal right to marriage. The first same-sex marriages are expected to begin within days.

Read more at El Tiempo.

Al-Qaeda killed Bangladeshi LGBT activists

Terror group Al-Qaeda’s Bangladesh branch has claimed responsibility for murdering two prominent LGBT activists in the country earlier this week. One of the men, Xulhaz Mannan, was described as the Harvey Milk of Bangladesh, and activists say his death has shaken the country’s LGBT community.

Read more at BuzzFeed.

Rock band’s Jordan concert cancelled due to gay singer

The Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila has been told their concert scheduled this week in Amman, Jordan will be cancelled, probably because the lead singer is gay. While the official explanation is that the band doesn’t fit the “authenticity” of the venue, a Roman amphitheatre, officials admitted the real reason was because of the band’s pro-gay politics.

Read more at the BBC.

Marriage on the islands

Both the Isle of Man, a British Crown dependency, and the Faroe Islands, a self-governing archipelago of the Kingdom of Denmark, have taken final moves towards equal marriage this week. Both regions only need symbolic final signings into law before same-sex marriages can begin.

The internet disapproves of “no fats, no fems” shirt

When online clothing retailer Merek + Richard started selling a shirt with the world “no fats, no fems”, the internet called foul. When the company claimed the shirt is “satire”, it got worse. At Mic, however, Mathew Rodriguez says the shirt is part of a larger body image problem in the gay community.

 

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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