US state department says law could drive away foreign investment while David Cameron described it as ‘dangerous and worrying’ Human rights groups and diplomats have criticised a law passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people. The US state department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said in a statement that the law on passed Saturday “threatens those most at risk in Iraqi society” and “can be used to hamper free-speech and expression”. He warned that the legislation could drive away foreign investment ..read more

Sexual violence within the queer community is rarely visible in the media – we need to see our stories on the small screen Jeffrey Ingold was a LGBTQ+ consultant on Baby Reindeer Richard Gadd’s critically acclaimed Netflix series Baby Reindeer has proved wildly popular since its release two weeks ago.It’s a harrowing, semi-autobiographical tale about a young bisexual man who is stalked by an older woman. Much of the discussion around the show has focused on “Martha”, the fictional portrayal of Gadd’s real-life stalker. But Baby Reindeer is also a story of how trauma can shape the present, of ..read more

Amendments to anti-prostitution law also enable courts to sentence trans people to three years in prison Iraq’s parliament has passed a bill making same-sex relations punishable by up to 15 years in prison, in a move condemned as an “attack on human rights”. Transgender people will also be sentenced to three years in jail under the amendments to a 1988 anti-prostitution law, which were adopted during a session attended by 170 out of 329 lawmakers on Saturday ..read more

The law is badly lagging behind when it comes to rights for LGBTQ+ families. We need urgent root-and-branch reform The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act is 10 years old. In the UK, any couple can marry. Likewise, thanks to this courageous pair, any couple can now get a civil partnership. On marriage, the law has kept pace with the diversifying society it exists to regulate and protect. If you reflect on what was updated – the religious institution of marriage – and how long it had been the way it was, it hits you afresh how monumental this step forward was. Yet here we are. The equality of love ..read more

Muscular bodies dripping with sweat are all over cinema screens – and each other. But these films are very different from the sports romances of old This spring is shaping up to be the season of the artful athletic romance in cinema. Rose Glass’s Love Lies Bleeding and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers both offer up their own twisted queer romances set within the world of sport. Both film-makers share a preoccupation with their athletes, lingering over their bodies in ultra-closeup. Muscles ripple and swell like the powerful pulse of the tide. Perfect, glistening orbs of sweat form then drift off ..read more

From James Baldwin to Sarah Waters, writers have been telling rich, nuanced LGBTQ+ tales for decades – here are some good titles to try Cinema listings seem to be stacked with films about queer relationships at the moment. From the eerie yet tender romance in All of Us Strangers to the electric sapphic fling in the forthcoming Love Lies Bleeding, these new offerings feel refreshingly nuanced, placing LGBTQ+ characters centre stage without pandering to reductive narratives or heteronormative taste. If you want to find such stories in your reading, too, why not try some of the following books? W ..read more

Fighting With Pride charity will lead work for memorial at National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire The UK’s first memorial commemorating the “lost legion” of LGBT people who have served in the armed forces is to be built at the National Memorial Arboretum. The memorial will be built after a charity spearheading efforts to get justice for veterans affected by the pre-2000 ban on LGBT people serving in the UK armed forces was awarded a £350,000 grant ..read more

Rights chief also warns Britain will be ‘judged harshly by history for its failure to help prevent civilian slaughter in Gaza’ The UK has been accused by Amnesty International of “deliberately destabilising” human rights on the global stage for its own political ends. In its annual global report, released today, the organisation said Britain was weakening human rights protections nationally and globally, amid a near-breakdown of international law ..read more

Tsai Ing-wen congratulates and praises drag star, who drew massive support in her home country, for ‘living fearlessly’ A drag queen has sparked national celebration as the “pride of Taiwan” and won praise and congratulations from the island’s president after winning RuPaul’s Drag Race at the weekend. On Saturday, the long-running, Emmy award-winning US reality show, in which drag queens compete in challenges including lip-sync performances, revealed the winner of its 16th season as Nymphia Wind, the drag personality creation of Leo Tsao, a 28-year-old Taiwanese designer ..read more

High court action will claim US owner allowed access to app users’ private information in breach of UK law Grindr faces the prospect of legal action by hundreds of users who will allege that the dating app shared highly sensitive personal information, including in some cases their HIV status, with advertising companies. The law firm Austen Hays is to file a claim on Monday in London’s high court alleging that the US owner of the app breached British data protection laws ..read more