MONTH IN A MINUTE
CONVERTED The man behind US “gay conversion therapy” organisation Hope For Wholeness comes out and repents his actions. McKrae Game, 51, says he realises he’s “harmed generations of people” and insists he is now an ally to the LGBTIQ community.
RAW A clip of two male lions having sex goes viral, watched by millions online. Onlookers are heard gasping as the bigger lion tops the other and starts pumping. When a lioness approaches to investigate she is driven off by the top lion.
HELL Anti-gay Aussie rugby player, Israel Folau is hired as headline speaker at Sydney’s Australian Christian Lobby conference. Organisers say Folau, who was fired from the game after repeatedly stating that hell awaits gay men, is a poster boy for “standing boldly for Christian faith”. However, Folau also condemns to hell all other Christians who don’t follow his cultish version of the religion.
KNIFED A New York teenager who stabbed his classmate to death after suffering years of antigay bullying is sentenced to 14 years in prison. Abel Cedeno is convicted of the manslaughter of Matthew McCree, with the judge saying he can’t be excused for his crimes despite the attacks against him. Cadeno is also found guilty of injuring another school mate with a knife.
GENE-IUS Spanish scientists say they’ve discovered a gene that makes people immune to HIV. The rare anomaly, which causes a form of muscular dystrophy, is being studied to discover more about how the HIV virus is transmitted – and what can stop it.
YOU’RE FIRED President Trump requests that the US Supreme Court “loosens” LGBTIQ protection laws, which, in effect, would make legal to fire gay, bi or trans employees. An argument ensues about the wording of legislation, stalling Trump’s efforts. Activists are outraged, while Trump maintains he is a friend to LGBTIQ Americans.
POWER COUPLE Twitter erupts as two of Europe’s out gay leaders are photographed meeting in Serbia. Luxembourg’s prime minister Xavier Bettel and his husband Gauthier Destenay, and Serbia’s prime minister Ana Brnabic and her partner Milica Ðurdic, are pictured in what some described as a vision of the future – more LGBTIQ people in political power.
ROO PAUL RuPaul’s Drag Race announces an Aussie version will happen and is scheduled for broadcast in 2020. It’s the latest in a series of international editions of the popular show, with a British version debuting in October 2019.
NO TO EQUALITY China says it won’t introduce marriage equality any time soon, insisting that marriage is only between one man and one woman. Attention has been on China’s position following Taiwan’s legalisation of same-sex marriage in May.
WORLDPRIDE OZ? Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore, announces the city’s financial backing of Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras’ bid to host WorldPride in 2023. “The City Of Sydney is proud to support the bid… hosting WorldPride would send a strong message around the globe that Sydney is a welcoming and inclusive destination for LGBTIQ communities.”