MONTH IN A MINUTE

GAY PENGUINS’ ANNIVERSARY Humans cheer as gay penguin couple, Sphen and Magic at Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, celebrate their third anniversary. The pair got together in 2018 and are a bonded couple. They looked after an adopted egg until it hatched and have successfully raised a chick, making them gay dads. Keepers say Sphen and Magic are close to the perfect couple and set an example to other penguins in the enclosure.

ADOPTION PROGRESS Taiwan’s LGBTQIA+ communities celebrate a step forward in state recognition as a court rules that a gay man can adopt his husband’s biological child. The case involves dad, 38-year-old Wang Chen-wei, and his 34-year-old husband, Chen Chun-ju, who are now the happy legal fathers of the child. The decision only applies to their specific case, but activists see it as a step forward towards more adoption rights for gay couples.

SINGAPORE HARDENS ON ONLYFANS Singaporean OnlyFans star, Titus Low Kaide (pictured) is arrested and charged with distributing “obscene material”. Digital transmission of porn is illegal in Singapore. Kaide awaits a court hearing, with punishments ranging from a fine to six months in prison. He argues that as his OnlyFans is behind a paywall, nude photos aren’t publicly available. The case is seen as a potential benchmark for future OnlyFans creators in Singapore.

GAY CAKE ROW IN PIECES The Irishman who sued a Christian bakery for refusing to decorate his cake with a pro-gay marriage slogan loses his case after a seven-year court battle. Gareth Lee asked Ashers Bakery to deliver him the cake back in 2014 as part of a campaign to promote marriage equality in Northern Ireland. The case was first heard in the UK courts, which ruled against the bakery, citing discrimination laws. The UK Supreme Court then overturned this ruling, judging in the bakery’s favour. Now, the European Court of Human Rights has dismissed the case, effectively saying that the bakery was within its rights to refuse due to their religious beliefs. The case is seen as a step backwards for equality and a dangerous precedent for antigay, religious companies that want the right not to serve LGBTQIA+ people.

GRINDR KILLER SHOW SHOCKS A new BBC drama about the “Grindr killer”, Stephen Port, who murdered four young London men he lured via the app, raises questions about homophobia in the Met Police. The series, Four Lives starring Stephen Merchant (pictured), tells the story of a bungled investigation by police, who appear to have missed connections that could have stopped Port earlier. The show was a primetime hit in Britain over Christmas, taking the issue of alleged institutionalized homophobia in the police force to a wider (straight) audience.

TUTU DIES World leaders mourn the death of South African “beacon of light” Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was 90. Tutu was a tireless human rights campaigner whose voice was powerful in African countries and around the world. He was a dedicated campaigner for acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, used the term “rainbow nation” to describe a multi-cultural South Africa, and leaves a legacy of justice and freedom.

PARDON FOR GAY SEX “CRIMES” The UK’s Home Secretar y, Priti Patel announces that all gay men convicted under historical antigay laws will be pardoned. It comes after years of campaigning by LGBTQ+ activists, who have long demanded that such criminal records be expunged.

BUTTIGIEG ABUSER FIRED A real estate agent who posted anti-gay comments about US politician Pete Buttigieg is sacked from his job. Andre Kravchenko used Instagram to make homophobic remarks about Buttigieg (currently the United States Secretary Of Transportation) and his husband and their children. Kravchenko’s employers were alerted to the posts and speedily fired him, saying they support gay rights.

AWARDS FIRST Mj Rodriguez (pictured) makes history becoming the first transgender actor to win a Golden Globe. The 31-year-old took home the award for her role as Blanca in the series Pose. In 2021 she became the first transgender performer to be nominated for an Emmy, but didn’t win.

SHUTTERSTOCK

“I don’t care who anybody sleeps with. If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it’s fine if they want to get married… I don’t know how people can get so antisomething. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs, and don’t worry about other people so much.”

– Golden Girl Betty White, who died in January, just weeks before her 100th birthday.