THE MONTH IN A MINUTE
By promoting successful LGBTI leaders… we are hoping to send a message that inclusion works and ensures better outcomes… We know that depression and suicide rates are significantly higher among LGBTI youth… we hope to reach these individuals and reassure them that they’re great just the way they are.” Robbie Robertson, the National Partner Sponsor for Deloitte’s LGBTI network, GLOBE, speaking as Australia’s 2018 List Of 50 LGBTI Leaders is published.
HATE CRIME
A man is charged after a gay couple is attacked in Sydney, Australia leaving one victim with a broken arm. The two men, Kurt Johnson and Adrian Kalaiziovksi, were set upon after leaving their Uber in the city. Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.
CHURCH WEDDINGS
The Uniting Church in Australia says it will allow same-sex marriages to take place in its venues. Once the change in policy is enacted, it will be the first Christian denomination in the country to permit gay people to marry in church.
REFORM
The Boy Scouts announce it will change its name to Scouts BSA in February 2019 to allow girls and trans youth to join. Scout chiefs say the change heralds a more inclusive era for the association. Right-wing critics claim it’s another example of a “war on men and masculinity”.
MURDER SUICIDE
Police are called to a house in Texas, USA after a gay couple is found dead in an apparent murder-suicide. Ben and Rene Ruiz had been together for 20 years but were divorcing. Their $US1.5 million home was put on the market days before their deaths. It’s thought they both died from gunshot wounds.
HATER RELEASED
Chicago’s LGBTIQ community is outraged after a man, threatening to commit mass shootings in gay clubs in the city, is “accidentally” released from prison. Shane Sleeper, 31, was being detained on charges of state terrorism and hate crime. Police say he was let go due to an administration error where additional charges were not recorded. At the time of going to press, Sleeper was still on the run.
LEATHER
San Francisco authorities will create a Leather And LGBTQ Cultural District that will encapsulate the city’s famous leather bars and, once erected, will be the first neighbourhood of its kind in America.
CROSS-DRESSING
Nineties hitmakers the Backstreet Boys go viral after dressing up in drag as the Spice Girls. The five guys mimicked the five girls while performing on a cruise ship sailing around the Caribbean. They say the stunt was a homage to the Girl Power group.
ROMANCE
In Italy, two gay porn stars tie the knot 12 years after meeting on set at American’s famous COLT Studios. Ruggero Freddi (porn name, Carlo Masi) who now works as a maths teacher and Gustavo Leguizamon (porn name, Adam Champ) marry in a romantic ceremony. The couple say there was chemistry between them from the word “action”.
RANT
CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper lets rip at President Trump in a live rant. The TV presenter, who came out in 2012, says: “Don’t you think that it’s kind of surreal that we are in a place now as a county where we’re, like, ‘Oh, don’t listen to the President,’ like he’s a crazy person on a park bench with an onion tied to his belt, just mumbling incoherently?”