Table of Contents
This week: The Berlin Attack, a conspiracy theory in Indonesia, the Ohio billboards, Trump vs. Mulvaney, a 2026 TED Talk, the Dialog Society list, the politics of philanthropy, Volker Turk & much more
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The terrorist attack at Berlin Pride last week is a tragic reminder that LGBTQ+ people navigate a world in which safety can never be taken for granted. It is tempting to believe it has finally bent history in its favor—that prejudice has been defeated, and the arc of progress will continue uninterrupted. Yet the past two decades have shown that homophobia and transphobia do not simply disappear; they recede, mutate, and return in new forms—something other minorities have understood throughout history. The idea that LGBTQ+ people deserve the same dignity, security, and place in society as everyone else remains contested, even in the world’s most progressive democracies. That is why the greatest danger facing our community today is complacency: mistaking temporary victories for permanent ones, disengaging from the institutions that shape our future, or assuming someone else will do the work.
Global News
Germany: Terror attack kills one, injures 29 at Berlin Pride
A 21-year-old German-Lebanese man, Abdul Ballout, drove a rented van into the crowd at Christopher Street Day on July 25 before attacking bystanders with a machete; a 65-year-old woman was killed, and 29 people were hurt. Police shot Ballout dead the next day after a 24-hour manhunt. Prosecutors found video of him pledging allegiance to ISIL, and he had been convicted in May for preparing an act of subversive violence and publishing ISIS propaganda — yet was still free, mid-deradicalization screening, when he rented the van. Read more in Al Jazeera.
Germany (too): Pride and the Courage to Be Seen
After seeing reports of the attack, my mother emailed me: “This is exactly why you shouldn’t take your children to Pride. I’ve been saying it for a long time. This time it was an Islamist, but it could just as easily have been a far-right extremist or any other lunatic...” It reminded me of the courage required simply to gather in public with our loved ones, something Mark Segal wrote about this week. Recalling Pulse, protests at local Pride events, and the first New York Pride March in 1970, Segal argued that visibility remains both an act of defiance and a force for change: every person who marches makes it easier for someone else to live openly.
Uganda: Women jailed for a kiss are freed, but not safe
Wendy Faith and Alesi Diana Denise spent five months in an Arua City cell after being accused of same-sex activity under Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act; a magistrate discontinued the case last week. Both describe being beaten by police and say they still can’t walk the streets together without being followed and threatened. “What kept Wendy and Alesi from a life sentence wasn’t the law protecting them, it was public pressure,“ said activist Hans Senfuma. See in The Guardian.
Poland: Tribunal blocks recognition of EU same-sex marriages
Poland’s top court unanimously struck down a government plan to enter same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the EU into Polish civil registries, ruling it incompatible with the constitution’s man-woman definition of marriage. The move follows a November 2025 EU Court of Justice ruling that Poland must at least register such unions for freedom-of-movement purposes — setting up a fresh standoff between Warsaw and Brussels. Poland remains one of just four EU states with no legal recognition of same-sex unions. Details in DW.
Romania: Oradea defies fourth consecutive Pride ban
Organizers in Oradea marched anyway last weekend after the city rejected more than 100 proposed routes, the fourth straight year local authorities have effectively banned Pride through administrative refusals. More than 125 European rights organizations signed a joint letter condemning the pattern, and the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities called for the march to proceed safely. As a reminder, Romania’s economy has stalled, with real growth of 0.9% last year, and the Government is seeking foreign investment. See in Attitude.
France: Six sentenced over Grindr entrapment
A Sarreguemines court handed down sentences of up to five years for six men who lured at least seven gay men using the Grindr app to ambush, rob and beat people between July and October 2025. Judges acknowledged the violence but again declined to apply France’s homophobia aggravating-circumstance clause, despite victims reporting slurs and the attackers exclusively targeting men on a gay dating app — a pattern now repeating across similar Grindr guet-apens cases globally. See in Têtu.
Russia: Journalists at country’s largest LGBTQ+ outlet flee into exile
The team behind Parni+, the largest Russian-language LGBTQ+ publication and one founded in 2008 as an HIV resource, has scattered abroad after a Moscow court branded the site an “extremist organization” in April. See in PinkNews.
Serbia: Advocates describe an “epidemic of violence”
I was reminding someone this week that Serbia recently had an out lesbian Prime Minister and how little it did for the community. Drag performer Aleksandar Savic was stabbed on a Belgrade bus on July 11, hours after author Vladimir Arsenijevic was assaulted by right-wing thugs in the same city. Da se Zna! logged 110 attacks last year — the highest on record — as the country slides to 29th on ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map. Details in DW.
Indonesia: A Dangerous Vaccine Conspiracy
False claims that vaccines, food, and medicines are being used by a “global elite” (that would be YOU!) to change people’s sexual orientation have gained traction online in Indonesia, a country where homophobia and transphobia are spiraling out of control. The conspiracy theory, amplified amid growing political and religious hostility toward LGBTQ+ people, has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. See here.
Argentina: Court Restores Gender-Affirming Care
A federal appeals court in Argentina has suspended a decree issued by President Javier Milei that barred gender-affirming hormone treatments for people under 18, restoring the full application of the country’s landmark Gender Identity Law while the case proceeds. The court found the government had failed to justify bypassing Congress and ruled that the blanket ban could violate minors’ rights and jeopardize their health. See here.
US News
Trump’s Mulvaney Callback
At Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ dinner, Trump mocked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins by comparing her to Dylan Mulvaney, invoking the 2023 Bud Light partnership and claiming it cost the brand $35 billion in market cap — then followed up by posting an AI-altered image superimposing Collins’s face onto Mulvaney’s body from the original ad; Mulvaney responded with a video thanking him “for reminding me that I am more powerful than I even knew,” framing the renewed attention as, in her words, “the greatest compliment of all.” It’s so easy to prefer Dylan. See here.
Prosecutors Link Charlie Kirk Killing to Anti-LGBTQ+ Views
Prosecutors in Utah say the man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk targeted him because of his political views, including his opposition to same-sex marriage and transgender rights. In newly filed court documents, prosecutors argue that Kirk’s advocacy against LGBTQ+ equality made him a symbolic target, citing text messages allegedly sent by the suspect after the shooting stating he had “had enough of (Kirk’s) hatred.“ The defense disputes the claim that there is evidence linking the alleged motive to the suspect’s beliefs. See here.
Democratic think tank’s trans-rights “reset“ splits advocates
The Center for American Progress published a framework urging Democrats to hold the line on trans civil rights while conceding that sports eligibility “restrictions may be appropriate under some circumstances.“ Trans civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo called it a de facto endorsement of the NCAA’s Trump-era ban; CAP’s Caleb Smith, who is trans, insists the paper draws a hard line everywhere else. Read more in The Advocate.
House narrowly rejects codifying Trump’s trans military ban
Lauren Boebert’s amendment to permanently write Trump’s transgender military ban into the NDAA failed 212-217, with four Republicans crossing over. The ban itself stays in effect regardless — the U.S. Supreme Court let it proceed pending appeal — but the vote blocks it from becoming much harder to reverse later. The House separately passed two other Nancy Mace amendments restricting trans troops’ TRICARE coverage and travel benefits. See in Metro Weekly.
White House threatens Maryland district
The Education and Justice Departments say Anne Arundel County schools violated federal privacy law by not disclosing a student’s gender transition to their parents, threatening litigation or a funding cutoff. It’s the latest of several Maryland districts, including Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, to face federal Title IX probes over restroom and locker-room policies. According to the Washington Blade.
Pennsylvania scraps its last HIV-specific criminal penalty
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Senate Bill 45, which strips HIV entirely from the state’s criminal code and ends a decades-old rule that let prostitution-related misdemeanors become felonies for HIV-positive defendants. Advocates note the enhancement applied regardless of viral load or condom use. Read more in Metro Weekly.
Ohio billboard campaign draws statewide backlash
“No child has two dads. No child has two moms” billboards from Seattle-based Them Before Us appeared across rural Ohio (see the Lima billboard); a fundraiser by LGBTQ+ nonprofit Have a Gay Day for competing billboards has topped $18,000. HRC called the campaign “disgusting and desperate,” pointing to polling showing most Ohioans support marriage equality. Details in Attitude.
Queering the Boardroom
The Cost of the Closet in Leadership
In a Los Angeles Times essay, law professor Darren Rosenblum argues that the debate surrounding the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s rumored sexuality is less about one individual than about the enduring cost of the closet in leadership. Despite major advances in LGBTQ+ rights, openly LGBTQ+ people remain almost invisible at the highest levels of business and politics. Rosenblum contends that homophobia continues to shape who is seen as “leadership material,” forcing many ambitious LGBTQ+ professionals to choose between authenticity and advancement. Read more here.
despite the relatively rapid entry of LGBTQ+ people into society, the world at the top looks radically different. It’s almost totally straight.
Reuters: DEI Rollback Reaches Corporate Boards
The US administration’s campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion is now reshaping corporate boards. According to new data from executive search firm Spencer Stuart, just 40% of new independent directors appointed to S&P 500 boards over the past year were women or people of color—the lowest share in more than a decade. Recruiters and governance experts say companies are placing less emphasis on diversity amid legal challenges to DEI programs and shifting political pressure, raising concerns that years of progress toward more representative corporate leadership could begin to erode. Of course, there are no words in the article on sexual orientation or gender identity. See here.
The Gay Business
HRC: LGBTQ+ consumers are punishing DEI retreats
The HRC Foundation’s Pride in the Marketplace 2026 report finds roughly 70% of LGBTQ+ consumers have cut spending at brands seen as walking back DEI — Target, Walmart, Amazon, Chick-fil-A and Home Depot topping the list — while directing more money to Costco, Apple, Ben & Jerry’s, Delta and Kroger. Fortune 500 participation in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index fell by 65% in a single year, from 377 companies to 131. See on Yahoo Finance.
Do fewer LGBTQ+ professionals feel being out helps their career?
This online survey should be interpreted with caution due to the usual methodological limitations. Just 49% of the sample (probably white-collar workers in NYC) said being out benefits their career, down from 78% in 2023, even as 88% allegedly reported feeling comfortable being themselves at work. I suspect a representative sample would show that LGBTQ+ professionals are actually retreating to the closet. Details in Daily Caller.
Labor dispute at Advocates for Trans Equality
Workers at Advocates for Trans Equality accuse leadership of announcing possible layoffs to donors before informing staff, in apparent violation of a collective bargaining agreement signed weeks earlier. The union says A4TE’s C-suite has grown by at least eight positions since a 2024 merger while its top executive’s compensation rose from $189,000 to $436,000 over three years. Read more in The Advocate.
The Politics of the Purse: J. Bob Alotta on Funding LGBTQ+ Justice
Former Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice Executive Director J. Bob Alotta joins host Tiffany Mugo for a candid conversation on the politics of philanthropy and feminist funding. Drawing on decades of experience in LGBTQ+ and social justice grantmaking, Alotta explores how donor priorities shape movements, why some communities remain chronically underfunded, and the importance of trust, risk-taking, and solidarity in moving resources where they are needed most. Listen to it here.
Semi-Cultural Desk
Should I watch Leviticus?
The older I get, the more I suspect everyone might be better off if I stay single (although you have to check out this story). It’s only when a queer horror movie comes along that I wish I had a live-in boyfriend. Leviticus follows two teenagers who become haunted by a violent supernatural entity summoned by their religious community. The entity takes the form of the person they desire most: each other.
Les Bisounours
Today I learned that Care Bears are actually the “bisounours”. A digital LGBTQ+ history exhibition in Leicestershire — this year’s Museum & Heritage Awards Team of the Year — reinterpreted Funshine Bear’s shift from she/her to he/him pronouns across decades of Care Bears adaptations as a possible trans narrative. Conservative commentators piled on, with one advocacy group calling it a “blatant attempt to sexualize children’s toys”; curators say the piece simply explores how fans have found meaning in the character. See in LGBTQ Nation.
Hunter Biden’s “Closetocracy” Sparks Debate
Hunter Biden has ignited a lively debate after claiming that a “closeted gay mafia” of Republican politicians is one of America’s biggest problems, arguing that the psychological toll of living in the closet can fuel hostility toward LGBTQ+ people. The comments, made on the I’ve Had It podcast, were praised by some as an indictment of political hypocrisy and criticized by others for reinforcing stereotypes about closeted LGBTQ+ people. It’s a conversation worth having—but one that requires nuance. I’ll have more to say on Sunday about why homophobia remains a profoundly self-inflicted wound. See in Pinknews.
Kick It Out: homophobia reports in English football up 46%
I am sure this is affecting Gianni Infantino’s sleep. The anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out logged 203 reports of homophobia across the 2025/26 season, matching the total of the previous four seasons combined for mass homophobic chanting alone, with youth football incidents up 90%. Campaign group Football v Homophobia is calling on senior figures in the sport to take more visible action. Reports Yahoo Sports.
The WNBA’s All-Star Game Is Almost Half LGBTQ+
On the other hand, the WNBA continues to set the standard for LGBTQ+ visibility in professional sports. Of the 22 players selected for the 2026 All-Star Game, 10—more than 45%—are publicly out as LGBTQ+, according to Outsports. The roster includes stars such as Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Olivia Miles, with Bueckers also earning the distinction of being the league’s top All-Star vote-getter and serving as a team captain.
The “Snuggle for Existence”
I received James O’Keefe’s 2016 TEDx talk, Homosexuality: It’s About Survival — Not Sex, some time ago but only watched it this week. Its central argument is that because humans survive through cooperation as much as competition, homosexuality is a key component for our survival. O’Keefe calls this the “snuggle for existence,” arguing that LGBTQ+ people can strengthen families and communities through caregiving, emotional intelligence and social cohesion. Some of his claims about genes, epigenetics and personality are more speculative than he acknowledges, but the larger idea is compelling: human diversity is not an evolutionary flaw, and a society that rejects part of that diversity ultimately weakens itself. Check it out and also reread my piece Biology, Consciousness, and the Quest for the LGBTQ+ Social Role.
Têtu rounds up nine podcasts for the summer
The French outlet’s summer podcast list spans a trans exile memoir (Le cœur sur la table), a chosen-family co-parenting documentary, and author interviews with Paul B. Preciado and Abdellah Taïa in Bookmakers — a solid entry point into French-language queer audio. Read more in Têtu.
Why am I including this Vogue wedding?
I am not sure. Maybe to showcase what the freedom to marry movement brought us: photogenic weddings in the Italian countryside. See here. Also the quote of the week
We wanted to incorporate personal touches from everyday life wherever possible. We hosted a pop-up Barry’s Bootcamp for all our guests and brought our favorite NYC trainer.
Coming and Going
Rob Jetten to open WorldPride’s human rights conference
Jetten will open the WorldPride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam on August 5 alongside Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema and UN independent expert Graeme Reid. Read more in ILGA World.
Peter Thiel’s Dialog Society
This controversy is right up there with the No Influencers on Nantucket saga: the ethical dilemma of rich, powerful, beautiful, and famous Americans yawn. A major data leak has pulled back the curtain on Dialog, the invitation-only network co-founded by billionaire Peter Thiel that convenes some of the world’s most influential figures in technology, politics, finance, and media. According to WIRED, exposed registration records revealed more than 200 attendees for this year’s retreat in Ireland—including senior government officials, AI executives, investors, celebrities, and public intellectuals—along with an agenda featuring sessions on artificial intelligence, geopolitics, nuclear power, cult-building, and even matchmaking (see the list here).
Volker Türk Renewed
Volker’s term as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has been extended for four years starting October 2026, despite opposition from some major countries. AAWSAT
The Gay Agenda
August 5: International Pride Awards ceremony, Amsterdam. Hosted by British-Iraqi writer and drag performer Amrou Al-Kadhi, broadcast live on YouTube and OutTV as part of WorldPride.
August 5–7: WorldPride Human Rights Conference, Amsterdam. Opened by Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten (see Coming and Going, above).
Through August 10: WorldPride Amst
