Norfolk County Council staff have begun wearing Progress Pride badges and displaying rainbow backgrounds on computer screens after Reform UK stopped flying the LGBTQ+ and Ukraine flags at County Hall in Norwich.

The show of solidarity has been visible inside the building, with staff also using rainbow screen backgrounds during online meetings following the change to which flags can be flown above the council’s headquarters.

Reform UK took over at Norfolk County Council last month and said it was “entirely appropriate” for only British national and local flags to be flown above the County Hall building. Reform councillor Scott Hussey said feedback from officials had been “largely positive” and that staff “welcomed the new energy and professionalism” of the new administration.

“The decisions we make are designed to do what residents elected us to do: deliver change and achieve results,” Hussey added.

“Rather than engaging in virtue signalling or political grandstanding – none of which improves the lives of residents – we’re focused on common sense, pragmatism and getting the job done.”

Unison representative Kris Holt said there was “a strong sense of disappointment” among employees. “The change to the local authority’s policy on flags – which has led to the removal of the Progress Pride flag – feels like a calculated snub to both staff and Norfolk residents in the LGBTQ+ community,” Holt said.

What Norfolk’s flags policy allows

Under the council’s flags policy, the Norfolk County Council flag, the Union flag, the St George flag and the Norfolk flag are permitted to be flown above County Hall on Martineau Lane. Royal flags and those of the Merchant Navy, the Armed Forces and the emergency services can still be flown on certain days.

The Progress Pride flag was previously flown from County Hall to coincide with Norwich Pride in July.

Hussey defended the decision, saying: “While the Pride flag is often presented as a symbol of inclusivity and diversity, many people view it as a political advocacy flag.”

“As such, it’s seen by some as divisive rather than unifying and the flag does not necessarily represent all the groups it claims to encompass.”

Union criticism and wider Reform rows

The row follows other disputes over Pride visibility in councils run by the party, including the uproar after London’s only Reform council cancelled a Pride flag ceremony and when a Reform-run council banned Essex libraries from promoting LGBTQ+ events.

Holt added: “We would encourage the new members at [County Hall] to focus on learning their briefs and to really engage with the vitally important role of being a county councillor.”

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A technical university in Bangladesh has reportedly expelled four students and handed two others to police following allegations of homosexuality, prompting condemnation in a statement by JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF).

JMBF chief adviser Robert Simon said: “When an educational institution attempts to control private life, personal relationships, and sexual identity, it ceases to be a place of education and humanity and instead becomes an instrument of oppression. This must stop immediately”.

JMBF said the incidents took place on 16 May and 19 May at Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur.

What JMBF says happened

JMBF said that on 19 May the university administration detained two students from the nearby Mahabalipur area and handed them over to local police over allegations of homosexuality.

It also said that on 16 May the university administration temporarily expelled four students from the Faculty of Fisheries and the Department of Finance and Banking over allegations of homosexuality at the nearby Haven City student residence.

JMBF said an official order signed by Registrar Professor Dr. Md. Abu Hasan stated the students’ behaviour had tarnished the university’s image and fell under “immoral activities” according to Section 15 of the Ordinance of Students’ Discipline.

Professor Dr. S. M. Emdadul Hasan, director of the Student Counseling and Guidance Department, said the expulsions were implemented in response to other students’ demands, and that permanent expulsion would be imposed if allegations were proven through investigation.

University Proctor Professor Dr. Nausher One said: “We have adopted a zero-tolerance policy against this social degradation. Immediate actions have already been taken against the accused upon receiving the allegations.”

Rights concerns and wider context

JMBF said the actions were violations of the Constitution of Bangladesh, existing laws, human rights, and fundamental civil liberties.

Bangladesh is a socially conservative country where LGBTQ+ people face significant stigma and safety risks. Same-sex sexual activity has historically been criminalised under colonial-era legal provisions, contributing to fear of reporting and vulnerability to harassment.

Bangladesh is also home to the Hijra community – trans people who don’t identify as male or female. The Hijra have been officially recognised as a third gender since 2013. From 2018, Hijira were allowed to use the third gender option when registering to vote. In 2021 Nazrul Islam Ritu made history, becoming the first trans mayor to be elected in the country.

JMBF also pointed to a previous incident it said took place on 19 January, when the university administration detained one university student and one university admission candidate from a rented residence in the same area and handed them over to police.

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Family, friends, and the LGBTQ+ community are mourning Marlow Trottie, a 35-year-old Black trans woman who was found dead in Alexandria, Louisiana, on 8 June.

Police have confirmed in an Alexandria Police Department press release that her death is being investigated as a homicide, though authorities have not yet released details about how she was killed or whether any suspects have been identified.

Marlow remembered by loved ones

Friends, family members and former classmates have remembered Trottie as a kind-hearted person who could make anyone laugh. One classmate described her in a Facebook comment as “literally the sweetest person I’ve ever met,” while others recalled her constant smile and positive spirit.

While some people who knew Trottie refer to her with “he/him” pronouns online, across several of her social media profiles, Trottie publicly identified as female and frequently shared uplifting messages about resilience, authenticity, and self-acceptance.

“I am me,” one post read. “I don’t pretend to be everyone else. I don’t want to be like everyone else. And I will not change who I am just to fit in.”

LGBTQ+ advocates and journalists emphasise the importance of respecting a person’s self-identification, particularly after death, as per the Trans Journalism Association’s 2024 advisory.

High levels of anti-trans violence

Trottie’s death has sent shockwaves through the trans community, where advocates continue to raise concerns about violence targeting transgender people, especially Black trans women. Trottie is the 11th known trans person to be killed in the last three months.

While the homicide investigation continues, friends and loved ones are calling for answers, accountability and justice for a woman they say deserved far more than to be remembered solely for the circumstances of her death.

If you’ve been affected by this story, you can reach out to Mind on 0300 123 3393, Switchboard on 0800 0119 100 or the Samaritans on 116 123.

Readers in the US can call or text 988. You can also reach Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.

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Three Lions Pride, the official LGBT+ supporters’ group for the England men’s national team, says it will not attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup because it cannot advise members they will be safe as openly LGBT+ fans.

The decision was announced in a statement released by the group and is described in an Amnesty International first-person account by Robert (name changed for protection), 33, a member of the group. He says: “And we cannot in good conscience say that people will be safe going to this year’s World Cup as openly LGBT+ fans, so we won’t have any visibility out there and that’s a choice that we’ve consciously made.”

World Cup 2026 is set to be hosted across Canada, the US and Mexico. Robert says he initially felt optimistic about attending, but now believes he would have to change how he presents in some locations. “As a queer person, I would not be able to visibly be myself in a number of World Cup locations and that is directly down to policy makers, law enforcement and the direction of travel in the US,” he says.

He also raises concerns for trans supporters, adding: “In the US in particular, there’s a dangerous rollback on human rights, in particular trans people’s rights, where the laws vary from state to state.”

How Three Lions Pride was formed

Robert says he helped start Three Lions Pride with friends ahead of the Russia World Cup because “There were LGBTQI+ groups for club teams, but not for our national sides.” He describes the group as a way for fans to travel together, “look out for each other”, and build safety in numbers.

LGBTQ+ supporters’ groups have grown across UK football in recent years, often organising meet-ups and visibility displays, as well as informal welfare networks for travel. Three Lions Pride’s visibility has also faced challenges, including a Pride banner ‘stolen’ during Euro 2024.

Criticism of FIFA engagement

Robert says World Cup 2026 has “disenfranchised LGBT+ fans like no other World Cup because it had so much hope”, and criticises what he describes as “the lack of engagement from FIFA and the organisers”.

Amnesty International is also promoting a petition calling on FIFA World Cup hosts to prioritise safety and rights protections for fans and communities during the tournament.

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Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan has called for Holyrood to review its lavatory access policy after last year’s Supreme Court ruling, and said transgender women should be allowed to use women’s lavatories, in a Herald interview. The remarks were branded as “crank” and prompted condemnation from opponents.

Manivannan, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, said they had heard from constituents with differing views on single-sex spaces. They said: “I have had constituents writing to me on all sides of the opinion, but also women, cis women, who have for a very long time said: ‘I am not in fact threatened by trans women in my toilets. I am threatened by men and the violence that I face from them’.”

They also argued that men can be survivors of sexual assault, adding: “There are men who are survivors of sexual assault [by men] including friends of mine. In that case, why don’t we ban men from men’s bathroom spaces?”

Backlash and accusations

For Women Scotland co-director Marion Calder criticised the remarks, saying: “Q Manivannan should stop trying to colonise our spaces. What Q is calling for would amount to a clear breach of the law and workplace regulations.”

Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman Meghan Gallacher called them “crank comments”, saying: “These crank comments are further proof that the extremist Greens are determined to break the law and undermine women’s rights.”

Greens defend MSP’s remarks

Manivannan was elected on the Scottish Greens’ regional list for Edinburgh & the Lothians last month. They said abuse received after entering parliament had strengthened their resolve to remain in politics, saying: “Not for a moment. If anything, it further reinforced the fact that I should be doing this.”

A Scottish Greens spokesperson said the party believed in self-ID, adding: “To any fair-minded person reading or watching the interview, it is clear that Q was clearly not making a policy proposal to ban men from using men’s bathrooms, but instead was using it as an example to illustrate a point relating to problems that stem from blanket bans on such spaces.”

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Volodymyr Zelensky has said Ukraine should openly discuss LGBTQ+ rights, stressing equal rights for those defending the country as lawmakers continue debating legal recognition such as civil partnerships.

The Ukrainian president made the comments on 11 June during a cultural event in Kyiv, after being asked by Oleksandr Demenko, described as a veteran and head of an LGBTQ+ military and veterans NGO, whether Ukraine needs to “normalise LGBTQ+ topics” and help increase public tolerance.

“I believe that everything should be discussed openly with society, and that is completely normal,” Zelensky replied.

He also linked equality to Ukraine’s wartime unity, adding: “We are all here together, we are defending the state, we are the same and we have absolutely the same rights, regardless of any prejudices held by people from the 15th century. We are modern people,”

Same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not currently recognised by Ukrainian law. Zelensky previously tasked the government with looking into introducing civil partnerships, and said in 2024 that he would sign a civil partnerships law if parliament approved it. A draft law on civil partnerships later became stuck in parliament, despite some officials voicing support.

Civil partnerships and legal reform

The comments come as Ukraine’s parliament has pushed this spring to adopt an updated Civil Code, a process that has drawn criticism and debate. The initial draft sparked backlash with around 30 civil society organisations saying that some provisions of the updated Civil Code “contradict European standards” and “violate Ukraine’s commitments under its EU accession process.”

“The provisions that prevent courts from recognising the existence of family relations between people of the same sex are causing the greatest concern,” the statement read.

Public attitudes have also shifted in recent years. A 2024 Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll found that over 70% of Ukrainians believe LGBTQ+ people should have the same rights as others. At the same time, LGBTQ+ people in Ukraine continue to face threats and violence, particularly from far-right groups.

Parliament speaker meets LGBTQ+ NGOs

On 11 June, parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk met LGBTQ+ NGO representatives to discuss changes linked to the Civil Code overhaul, according to a Stefanchuk Facebook post.

“For us, it’s important to maintain an open and responsible dialogue on issues related to the individual, human dignity, private life, and equal rights,” Stefanchuk said.

He added: “All proposals must be carefully reviewed, taking into account Ukraine’s Constitution, the case law of the European Court of Human Rights, European standards, and the need for a proper social balance.”

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Around 320 people were inside Pulse nightclub, a popular LGBTQ+ venue, in the early hours of 12 June, 2016, when a 29-year-old man entered the building with two guns. The venue was hosting a “Latin Night” and most of those present were Latinx.

As the man opened fire, those inside the club called and texted friends and loved ones, appealing for help. And then, at 2.09am, a chilling message was posted to the venue’s Facebook page: “Everyone get out of Pulse and keep running.”

Shortly after 5am that morning, the gunman was shot dead.

Nine years on, the mass shooting in the Pulse nightclub shooting remains the single deadliest attack on the LGBTQ+ community in the history of the United States.

The events of that night sent shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community all across the world as news spread that 49 people between the ages of 18 and 50 had been shot dead.

In the years that have elapsed, families, friends and loved ones of those who died have worked hard to make sure that those who had their lives cruelly cut short will never be forgotten.

Each year in June, vigils are held in Florida to remember those who were lost. This year’s anniversary comes after a rash of mass shootings across America, and amid renewed calls for gun reform.

Survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre have called for gun law reform

Following a number of mass shootings, including one at a school in Uvalde, Texas in May 2022 that left 19 children and two adults dead, calls for gun reform have become even louder across the US.

Survivors of the shooting have for years used their voices to demand change, and many are growing weary.

“I’ll believe it when I see it because we have been screaming for this for mega years,” Orlando Torres told MyNews13 following the shooting ni Uvalde. “It’s a shame. Look what it had to take the latest shootings. Innocent little children that were 9, 10 years old.”

Fellow survivor Patience Murray shared her frustrations with The Guardian, saying: “We’ve had so many survivors, so many families that have been left behind and they tell their story. And they’re vulnerable, pouring their hearts out to these leaders, and then nothing happens.”

Leonel Melendez, 43, opened up about the long-lasting effects of that traumatic night in an interview with the New York Post in 2021, as the world marked the fifth anniversary of the shooting.

“I can’t hear on my left side and I use a hearing aid… I lost some of my vision,” Melendez said.

“I was pretty much a miracle – but my recovery has been long and hard.”

He added: “[Lawmakers] should make it so that not just anybody can own a gun. Gun control needs to be more strict.

“You should have to pass a background test and take a psychological test before you can own a gun. There has to be a better way, it should be more controlled. If there was more restriction on owning a gun this would have never happened.”

Who were the victims of the Orlando Pulse shooting?

On the ninth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, we are sharing the names of those who lost their lives to ensure that they are never forgotten.

Stanley Almodovar III, 23
Amanda Alvear, 25
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21
Martin Benitez Torres, 33
Antonio D Brown, 30
Darryl R Burt II, 29
Jonathan A Camuy Vega, 24
Angel L Candelario-Padro, 28
Simon A Carrillo Fernandez, 31
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25
Luis D Conde, 39
Cory J Connell, 21
Tevin E Crosby, 25
Franky J Dejesus Velazquez, 50
Deonka D Drayton, 32
Mercedes M Flores, 26
Peter O Gonzalez-Cruz, 22
Juan R Guerrero, 22
Paul T Henry, 41
Frank Hernandez, 27
Miguel A Honorato, 30
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40
Jason B Josaphat, 19
Eddie J Justice, 30
Anthony L Laureano Disla, 25
Christopher A Leinonen, 32
Brenda L Marquez McCool, 49
Jean C Mendez Perez, 35
Akyra Monet Murray, 18
Kimberly Morris, 37
Jean C Nieves Rodriguez, 27
Luis O Ocasio-Capo, 20
Geraldo A Ortiz-Jimenez, 25
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32
Enrique L Rios Jr, 25
Juan P Rivera Velazquez, 37
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24
Christopher J Sanfeliz, 24
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25
Edward Sotomayor Jr, 34
Shane E Tomlinson, 33
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25
Luis S Vielma, 22
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37
Jerald A Wright, 31

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Ten years on from the Pulse nightclub shooting, CNN has spoken to a group of survivors about what the past decade has actually looked like. The picture highlights the lasting human impact of the massacre as LGBTQ+ people mark the anniversary a decade on.

The attack, in the early hours of 12 June 2016, remains one of the most devastating acts of violence against LGBTQ+ people in modern history. A gunman opened fire inside the Orlando gay bar during a Latin night in Pride month, killing 49 people and wounding more than 50 before he was killed by police. Most of those who died were young, gay and Latino. The FBI treated it as both terrorism and a hate crime.

CNN’s feature resists a tidy survivor narrative – the three people at the centre of its reporting have recovered in completely different ways, and none of them describes the work as finished.

A career built in a friend’s memory

Brandon Wolf, perhaps the best-known of the three, lost two close friends that night, including Christopher “Drew” Leinonen. In the years since, Wolf has turned that grief into advocacy, working as a spokesperson for Equality Florida and the Human Rights Campaign, co-founding a nonprofit in Leinonen’s name and writing a memoir. He told CNN he is now moving back to Orlando to take up a new role with Equality Florida.

“Healing is not linear,” Wolf told CNN, adding that Orlando “is a community that will probably never be fully healed.” He marks every anniversary in his own small way, beginning the day with ice cream for breakfast.

The survivor still counting the physical cost

If Wolf’s recovery has played out in public, Keinon Carter’s has been waged largely in hospitals. CNN reports that Carter has undergone so many operations over the past decade that he gave up counting at around 60. He spent a month in a coma after the attack, was told he might never walk again, and still leans on a cane on bad days.

His account also lands on something rarely mentioned in anniversary coverage: the bill. CNN reports his out-of-pocket medical costs ran past $200,000 before the hospital agreed to waive them. This year, Carter plans to visit the grave of his friend Antonio Brown, killed in the attack, for the first time.

Survivor’s guilt, and a way back from it

The third story CNN tells is Tiara Parker’s, and it speaks directly to the weight survivors carry for those they couldn’t save. Parker was at Pulse with her teenage cousin, Akyra Murray, who was killed, the youngest person to die inside the club. Parker survived gunshot wounds but, by her own account, struggled for years afterwards with survivor’s guilt that brought her to a breaking point in 2019.

What pulled her through, she told CNN, was unexpected: a passion for makeup artistry, and later a role helping other mass-shooting survivors through a victims’ nonprofit. “My cousin saved my life,” she said.

For LGBTQ+ people, Pulse has never been an abstract tragedy, and for the local community the questions it raised are still live ones, from how the site should be remembered, with survivors revisiting the nightclub before its demolition, to whether the police response that day cost lives, an issue victims’ families are still pressing 10 years on.

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In several popular gay bars, a photo ID is no longer enough. You also have to submit to a face scan.

San Francisco Gazetteer reporter Cydney Hayes investigated the scanners after an incident at a Castro bar.

Hayes reported that Mix, along with other Castro venues including Badlands and Toad Hall, are using face scanners made by a company called PatronScan.

According to one Reddit user, a violent incident involving an angry patron at Mix last year prompted the bar to install the Guard+ model, which is marketed to owners as a way to catch fake IDs and keep track of unruly customers.

The machines also collect information from patrons including names, addresses, genders, and even details of how they behave inside the venue. That data is then shared across a connected network of similar machines in nearby bars. The stated aim is to keep owners informed of a “blacklist” of problem guests, but the reality is starker. The scanners reportedly delete collected information after 30 days, unless a patron is flagged for “bad behaviour,” in which case it remains in the database.

The company behind the technology has faced several legal challenges over what critics describe as a misleading surveillance model. One class-action lawsuit went so far as to label the technology “Orwellian.”

Adding to the unease is the fact that Mix is gay-owned, which raises questions about the risks of face-scanning tech that could conceivably out people to other businesses.

According to Hayes, none of the Castro bars named responded to requests for comment on their use of the technology.

“People are not expecting that kind of collection and retention when they go to an establishment,” writer and activist Hayley Tsukayama said of the technology in 2024. “It’s a mismatch for consumer expectations, and for that reason, I think it is concerning and there should be more transparency.”

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Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon claimed in a 9 June Right Response livestream that female public school teachers “turn” boys gay, repeating a debunked talking point alongside broader anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

In the same segment, Webbon and his co-hosts also alleged that childhood molestation leads boys to become homosexual. The discussion treated homosexuality as something caused by environment and trauma, despite there being no evidence presented to support those claims.

Webbon told viewers: “Don’t be gay… There is spiritual gayness, and there is literal gayness… and you need to be avoiding both of those…. You will not inherit the kingdom of God if you are a literal sodomite, that’s true, but also if you are effeminate.”

The segment was framed through a discussion of First Corinthians 6:9–11, with the hosts arguing that “feminine” men would not “inherit the kingdom of heaven”. One co-host also claimed gay men have life expectancies that are “30 years” shorter than heterosexual men, without providing evidence during the broadcast.

Claims made in the livestream

The hosts blamed “a full embrace of feminism” for what they described as more effeminate men in culture. One co-host said: “We flatter women in the way that we exalt and esteem, and raise women to a status of superiority… Because we worship women, we idolize women, we have to castrate men.”

Webbon described an effeminate man as “a bad man”, saying: “A man who is physically soft, who dresses soft, who speaks soft, who’s indecisive… you’re not just talking about an effeminate man at that point, you’re talking about a bad man, he’s a bad man.”

He then used a homophobic slur while describing mannerisms he associated with gay men, adding: “This man… he’s a spiritual f**got, and it’s indicative of who he actually is on the inside.”

Who is Joel Webbon?

Webbon is a US-based Christian nationalist pastor and online commentator associated with hard-right “culture war” Christian media. He is part of a broader ecosystem of MAGA-aligned religious influencers who frame LGBTQ+ equality as a threat to “biblical” gender roles, and is known for provocative, inflammatory rhetoric designed for viral clips and audience mobilisation rather than pastoral care.

His content typically blends theology with partisan politics and grievance narratives about feminism and public education, including claims that marijuana makes men “spiritually gay”.

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An NHS safety investigation found 78 under-18s at the WellBN clinic in Brighton were potentially harmed after being prescribed puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones without proper checks. The findings are published on the NHS investigation page.

More than 20 children were given medication without a face-to-face appointment between February 2023 and December 2025. Necessary blood tests were often not carried out, and the overall risk to young patients was potentially high, with actual harm difficult to quantify in part because of poor record-keeping.

NHS England told WellBN it must stop offering new prescriptions to children and said a number of current and former clinicians had been referred to medical regulators. One unnamed doctor was suspended from working as an NHS GP while further investigations are ongoing.

Dr Christopher Tibbs, regional medical director for NHS England, said young people were put at a high risk of harm because clinicians provided “specialist diagnosis, care and treatment that they were neither qualified, nor commissioned to deliver”. He added: “Under no circumstances should this have happened,”

The inquiry found 44 children aged 16 and under were prescribed drugs designed to delay or suppress puberty, including 12 children under 13 and one aged 11. It also found 51 children aged 16 and under were given cross-sex hormones, including four under 13. In 53 of the 78 cases reviewed, there were possible neuro-developmental issues.

How the inquiry began

WellBN opened a transgender health hub in Brighton in 2020 and, by last year, around 2,000 patients of all ages had registered, many from outside the city. The investigation began in June 2025 after families complained about services offered to under-18s and after a civil legal case had started against the clinic and the NHS. It was run by five independent clinicians appointed by NHS Sussex.

WellBN said in a website statement it recognised “the seriousness and sensitivity of the matters raised” and that its priority remained providing “compassionate, safe and effective care for all patients”.

TransActual Response

Trans advocacy group TransActual have released a statement, condemning the withdrawal of treatment from young people being cared for by the clinic.

“We are disturbed to learn that trans young people receiving gender-affirming care through WellBN recently received a letter announcing that their access to endocrine care will be withdrawn at the end of July.”

“For over-16s, this will mean being referred into an NHS CYP gender service with no guarantee of being able to continue gender-affirming hormone treatment. For those under 16, it means no prospect of hormone treatment with the NHS until they reach 18, and no guarantee of access to puberty blockers.”

“Despite many young trans patients reporting a positive experience of care with WellBN, an investigation conducted by NHS Sussex was launched in response to legal action on behalf of one parent unhappy with their teenage child’s transition care.”

“You deserve access to timely, affirming healthcare, free from political interference and we will keep working until access to that care is restored.”

Trans youth healthcare context

In the UK, most specialist NHS gender services are delivered through commissioned providers rather than standard GP practices, with GPs typically referring patients into specialist pathways. However, gender care in England has been undergoing major restructuring since 2024, with increased emphasis on regional services against a backdrop of long waits. Trans people and advocates continue to raise concerns about the impact of poor service provision, including issues raised at Alice Litman’s inquest hearing about waiting lists.

Trans youth are now incapable of obtaining new prescriptions for puberty blockers through the NHS after it has temporarily paused a trial on the treatment.

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Daniel Arnulfo Ceron, 22, was arrested on Wednesday (10 June) and charged in connection with the death of 33-year-old Persia Amarra Conway, according to the Houston Police Department. Police say he later confessed to his involvement.

Conway’s body was discovered on the morning of 25 May in a stormwater catch basin near Brays Bayou, after a person walking along the trail came across it. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and an autopsy found she had suffered multiple blunt force trauma. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences classified her death as a homicide.

According to court documents, Ceron allegedly beat Conway to death with his hands. Video reportedly captured him disposing of items later identified as a mobile phone, a pair of slippers and pieces of acrylic nails, before walking away from the scene. Records state that a woman contacted authorities to say Ceron had confessed to the killing.

Police have not released a motive, and have not said how Ceron and Conway knew each other. Prosecutors have filed a motion to set his bond at $500,000.

Conway’s mother, Michelle Simmons, told ABC13 from her home in Georgia that she had passed information to police after members of the community sent her photos and a video of a man resembling the suspect. “One particular individual sent me two photos of this young man and a video, and in the video, he was literally saying and confessing to the murder two days before,” she said.

Conway was remembered at a vigil held by family members, advocates and members of Houston’s LGBTQ+ community earlier this month. Loved ones said they were determined that she be remembered for who she was, rather than the circumstances of her death.

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Several gay bars in San Francisco’s Castro are reportedly requiring customers to complete a face scan alongside showing photo ID, prompting fears that queer patrons could be tracked across venues via shared databases.

A San Francisco Gazeteer investigation by reporter Cydney Hayes said bars including Mix, Badlands and Toad Hall are using face-scanning ID kiosks made by a company called PatronScan.

The kiosks are described as collecting personal details including “names, addresses, genders, and even how they behave inside the bar.” The investigation also said the machines share that information “with a connected network of other machines in bars nearby”, raising concerns that someone turned away or flagged at one venue could be identified elsewhere.

The data is reportedly deleted after 30 days unless a patron exhibits “bad behavior”, in which case it is said to remain in the database. The kiosks may cost owners over $4,000 per year per venue.

One interviewee quoted in the investigation warned: “It’s really not great to have lists of gay people,” underlining why surveillance-style checks can feel especially fraught in queer nightlife spaces, where some patrons rely on anonymity.

Viral backlash after a Castro visit

The issue gained wider attention after an X post on 10 June from Eddie Kim, who wrote: “I went to the Mix in the Castro, and they collected my photo and ID data without me knowing.”

Kim added: “Turns out, it’s part of a surveillance network, and some worry about a corporation having “lists of gay people” in 2026.”

Why face scanners worry LGBTQ+ patrons

PatronScan is a nightlife security and ID verification vendor that markets scanning systems to venues as tools to detect fake IDs and manage banned patrons. Privacy advocates have criticised venue ID-scanning systems for collecting more data than customers expect, with unclear retention and sharing practices.

Biometric-style identification in nightlife can disproportionately affect marginalised groups, including LGBTQ+ people, who may face heightened risks from outing or targeted harassment. In the US, regulation of private-sector facial recognition and biometric data varies widely by city and state, creating patchwork protections.

Writer and activist Hayley Tsukayama said: “People are not expecting that kind of collection and retention when they go to an establishment,” adding, “It’s a mismatch for consumer expectations, and for that reason, I think it is concerning and there should be more transparency.”

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British artist David Hockney has died aged 88, leaving behind a groundbreaking record of gay life depicted with unusual openness in a Britain where homosexuality remained a criminal offence until 1967.

Born in Bradford in 1937, Hockney rose to prominence as a pop artist in the 1960s and built a six-decade career that refused to be pinned to one style. His early paintings challenged conservative attitudes, including works that portrayed queer desire and intimacy at a time when it was still illegal.

He later became closely associated with sunlit California imagery, particularly swimming pool scenes that helped define a Los Angeles aesthetic. Works such as A Bigger Splash and Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) captured “love, lust and loss” under bright skies, while cementing his place in popular visual culture.

Early life and defiant work

Hockney was the fourth of five children in what he described as a “radical working-class family”. After studying art at Bradford College, he sold his first painting, a portrait of his father, for £10 at the Yorkshire Artists Exhibition in 1957.

A conscientious objector, he completed two years of national service as a hospital orderly before enrolling at London’s Royal College of Art in 1959. He developed a reputation for challenging convention, including pushing back against the school’s rules around graduation requirements.

Records, innovation and personal loss

After moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, Hockney’s work gained acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. In November 2018, his 1972 painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) sold for $90.3m (£70.2m) at Christie’s, a world record for a living artist at the time.

He continued working after a stroke in 2012 that temporarily impaired his speech. Hockney also explored new ways of making images, from photo-collage “joiners” to digital drawing. In a 2013 Interview magazine conversation, he said: “I’m really only interested in technology that is about pictures,” and, “I’m interested in anything that makes a picture.”

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Iran’s sports minister has warned FIFA that Iran’s team manager would be responsible for stopping World Cup matches if fans bring “unofficial flags” or chant slogans against the national team, a threat that could affect Pride displays at Seattle’s scheduled Pride Match.

Ahmad Donyamali said Iran had already raised the issue with FIFA ahead of the tournament. “We have informed FIFA that if unofficial flags are brought or slogans against the national team are chanted in the stadiums where Iran plays in the World Cup, the team manager will definitely be responsible for stopping the match,” he said.

Donyamali added: “We have been assured that no disruptive incidents will occur in the stadium during the match against Egypt.”

The fixture is scheduled for 26 June 2026 in Seattle, with Iran playing Egypt. The match has been branded a “Pride Match” by SeattleFWC26, the local host committee, rather than FIFA.

Why the Seattle Pride Match is a flashpoint

The warning is reportedly widely seen as aimed at preventing displays of the “Lion and Sun” flag associated with pre-1979 Iran, but it could also affect rainbow flags and other Pride symbols inside the stadium.

It is also understood that officials from Iran and Egypt previously asked FIFA to halt Pride-related activities linked to the match and to effectively ban Pride flags during the fixture, following earlier pressure on FIFA around the Seattle plans.

Iran and Egypt were randomly selected in December as the teams for Seattle’s Pride-themed match, prompting public reaction and lobbying around the event.

FIFA’s response and what happens next

FIFA president Gianni Infantino reiterated a “focus on the football” message when discussing Iran’s participation at a pre-tournament press conference. “When Iran plays, the stadium will be full, and I hope there will be a positive atmosphere because this is football,” he said, urging those present to “promote the unity of the World Cup.”

He added: “This is about people forgetting for a moment their realities and being able to focus on a match and on a team,”

The dispute lands amid wider scrutiny of tournament policies on fan expression, including context about FIFA and calls to ban Pride flags at World Cup fixtures, and a travel warning for the 2026 World Cup over safety concerns for LGBTQ+ supporters.

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The shirtless, tattooed inflatable bust appeared on Thursday morning, the day before Musk’s space company SpaceX was due to make its stock market debut on the Nasdaq.

It showed Musk with a heart tattoo reading “ketamine,” a reference to his acknowledged drug use, alongside the printed phrase “SpaceX’s Grok makes AI child porn.” Barricades around it repeated the message and carried the hashtag #StopSpaceXChildNudes.

The protest refers to Grok, the chatbot made by Musk’s AI firm xAI, which has been at the centre of mounting legal action over sexualised images of real people, including children.

This week, prosecutors in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, charged a 66-year-old man with creating CSAM using Grok, after X flagged 37 images he allegedly uploaded or shared through the chatbot in April.

In March, three teenage girls filed a class-action lawsuit against xAI in California, alleging Grok was used to generate sexually explicit images of them as minors. The suit accuses the company of “knowingly” participating in the production and distribution of CSAM and failing to use “industry standard methods of safeguarding” against it. xAI has not publicly responded to the lawsuit’s central claims.

X said it limited Grok’s ability to create sexualised images of real people in January, after such images flooded the platform, though a Common Sense Media assessment found those restrictions easy to bypass.

Musk has not commented on the inflatable as of June 12.

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The Trump administration says it is working to restore the 988 Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth “Press 3” option by the end of 2026, but says the service must comply with an executive order that rejects federal recognition of trans identities.

An HHS spokesperson said SAMHSA is “working with the 988 Network Administrator Vibrant Emotional Health to reactivate Press 3 operations by the end of the year”, describing the effort as part of Congress’s fiscal year 2026 directive to restore the specialised services.

In a 9 June 2026 letter to lawmakers sent on behalf of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, SAMHSA said it is evaluating how to reinstate the LGBTQ+ youth specialised service. Christopher Carroll, SAMHSA’s principal deputy assistant secretary for mental health and substance use, wrote: “SAMHSA is currently assessing the most appropriate approach to implementing this congressional directive for the ‘Press 3’ option within the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, while ensuring compliance with Executive Order 14168,” referring to the order requiring federal agencies to recognise only two sexes.

The Trevor Project, which piloted the programme, said the specialised services helped more than 1.5 million LGBTQ+ young people before they were shut down. CEO Jaymes Black said: “We are grateful to see preliminary indication that the 988 Lifeline’s LGBTQ+ youth specialised services may be reinstated after the program was abruptly shuttered last July,” adding: “However, we remain sceptical as the administration has now plainly said the lifeline must ensure compliance with President Trump’s January 2025 anti-transgender executive order.”

Why ‘Press 3’ was shut down

The LGBTQ+ youth specialised services launched nationally in 2022 after Congress authorised LGBTQ+ youth support within the 988 system. In June 2025, SAMHSA announced it would eliminate the specialised services, arguing it would “no longer silo” LGBTQ+ callers, while proposing to eliminate the programme’s dedicated $33.1 million funding stream. The shutdown took effect on 17 July 2025, ending the “Press 3” option and other pathways, as set out when the administration announced plans to shut down the service.

Fears over trans inclusion

Black said: “The point of the 988 Lifeline’s specialised services is to provide tailored support to groups placed at highest risk for suicide in this country, including veterans and LGBTQ+ young people,” adding: “The administration’s executive order rejects these youth entirely; they cannot be supported if they are not included.”

The Trevor Project has cited survey data showing 36% of LGBTQ+ young people and 40% of transgender and nonbinary young people seriously considered suicide in the past year, and approximately 11% reported attempting suicide.

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A version of her 2024 song “Bye” was used in a TikTok post shared by the administration earlier this week.

Grande commented directly on it, telling the White House to stop using her music. “Please do not ever use my music in relation to this barbaric, inhumane, heinous nonsense. F**k ice,” she wrote, according to Reuters.

A spokesperson for Grande confirmed to Variety that she had made the comment, though “for some reason it’s not publicly visible” on the post. Her team also moved to have the audio removed from the video, and the sound was stripped from the clip shortly afterwards.

In a statement, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson hit back: “We’ll say this one last time: what’s actually barbaric, inhumane, and heinous are the criminal illegal aliens who have injured and murdered innocent American citizens.”

It is not the first time Grande has criticised the Trump administration. In September 2025, she reshared an Instagram post that condemned the administration over ICE raids and transphobic rhetoric, among other concerns. The post was originally written by

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US vice president JD Vance will make his first appearance on ABC’s The View on 16 June, as the show faces heightened FCC scrutiny linked to “equal time” rules and ABC station licence renewals.

Vance will appear live in studio to discuss his new book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, as well as the day’s political headlines and the administration’s priorities. He is expected to join all six co-hosts, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro, for the conversation, as set out in details of the planned co-host panel.

The booking comes as Disney and ABC push back against regulatory pressure from the Federal Communications Commission, led by chairman Brendan Carr. The agency is scrutinising whether The View falls under exemptions that have historically allowed talk shows to interview political candidates without triggering equal-time requirements.

FCC ‘equal time’ scrutiny

The FCC investigation was launched after The View featured James Talarico, described as a Democratic US Senate candidate from Texas. Talarico appeared on the programme in February 2026.

In January 2026, the FCC issued guidance warning that late-night and daytime hosts needed to give equal time to political candidates from various parties, arguing some programmes could be operating along partisan lines.

ABC has characterised the investigation as “unprecedented”, as noted in a report on the network’s response.

ABC licence renewals and the Vance booking

The network is also in a separate dispute over broadcast licensing. The FCC ordered Disney to file for renewals of eight ABC TV station licences years ahead of schedule, and Disney said its applications were made “under protest in response to an unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional order.”

Vance, a Republican politician from Ohio, rose to prominence with his memoir Hillbilly Elegy and later served as a US senator before becoming vice president. His media appearances are closely watched for how the administration communicates through mainstream entertainment platforms, but he has also faced criticism for opining on events such as Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance.

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Idaho officials have told a federal judge that they can use DNA testing to enforce strict trans bathroom laws in the state.

In Idaho, transgender people are required by law to use public bathrooms and changing facilities of the sex they were assigned at birth.

That law was recently questioned by a judge in federal court while considering whether or not to temporarily block the law for a lawsuit brought by six trans people over House Bill 752.

House Bill 752 – What it means

The bill, which is set to take effect from 1 July, will create criminal charges for people who “knowingly and wilfully” enter bathrooms or changing facilities that don’t correspond to their sex assigned at birth. Repeat offenders could receive up to five years in prison.

According to the Idaho Capital Sun, US District Judge Amanda Brailsford asked officials how they could expect to enforce the bathroom law when many trans people now carry ID that corresponds with their correct gender.

Idaho Solicitor General Michael Zarian then told the judge that it shouldn’t be too difficult “because there is DNA testing.”

Zarian then went on to say that trans people would not necessarily need to consent to the proposed DNA testing, but that he doubted that they would be asked to take a DNA test on the spot.

Lambda Legal attorney Kell Olson, who is a trans man, represented the six Idahoans that filed the lawsuit. He questioned the merits of Zarian’s testing proposition, saying that DNA testing usually requires a warrant.

“HB 752 does make Idaho less safe for transgender people. It threatens serious and immediate harm, no matter what trans people do,” Olson told the judge.

Potential harm and pitfalls from the bill

Olson expanded on the pitfalls of the new law while speaking to reporters after the hearing. “If I just go to a restaurant with my family and want to wash my hands before dinner, this law comes into play. Now I have to stop and decide, do I – if this law is in effect – do I go into the restroom that is illegal now, the men’s room?” he asked.

“Or do I walk into the women’s room and take all of the risk that that now comes with, whether that’s assault or harassment, or someone calling the police, because now it looks like I’m violating the law?”

ACLU of Idaho attorney Emily Croston also weighed in, telling reporters: “I don’t think the state has an answer for how you identify someone’s biological sex… Are we just going to look at folks as they enter a restroom and determine whether we think they look enough like a man or a woman? That’s ridiculous.”

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has been publicly criticised by his brother, barrister Charles Davey, over the party’s stance on single-sex spaces following the EHRC’s updated code of practice.

In a LinkedIn post, Charles Davey wrote: “Opposition to single sex spaces demonstrates a sad lack of insight, understanding or compassion for girls and women in a society tainted by violence against girls and women,” before adding: “Single sex spaces are spaces in which women can feel safe. It does not matter if the transgender woman is the most wholesome person in the world. That misses the point.”

The comments came after Ed Davey and Liberal Democrat women and equalities spokesperson Marie Goldman wrote to education secretary Bridget Phillipson criticising the EHRC document. In the letter, they said: “We do not believe that the new code of practice is fit for purpose. It does not provide clear and workable guidance, and it does not do enough to protect everyone from discrimination, harassment and victimisation.”

They also wrote: “We do not want to become a country where people are barred from accessing essential services simply for who they are, or where women are asked to prove that they are women, just to go about their lives.”

A spokeswoman for Sir Ed said he “understands his brother has held a number of views that are different from his over many years and has always respected him for that”.

What the EHRC single-sex code says

The EHRC published updated guidance in May. The code of practice for services, public functions and associations runs to more than 300 pages and covers nine protected characteristics, and was updated in full for the first time since 2011.

The code says a service must be used on the basis of biological sex for it to be classed as single-sex under the Equality Act, reflecting a Supreme Court ruling in 2025. It also suggests it can be legitimate, in limited circumstances, to ask someone to confirm what their sex is, but says this must be done “as sensitively as possible” and must respect privacy.

Lib Dem stance and wider context

The row lands amid wider scrutiny of the party’s approach to trans equality, including previous questions about Ed Davey’s stance on the Supreme Court trans ruling.

Davey is the leader of the Liberal Democrats and MP for Kingston and Surbiton. He served as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change in the 2012–2015 Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition government, and has often campaigned on health and social care. He has spoken publicly about being a long-term carer for his disabled son and previously for his mother.

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Glenn Close will receive an honorary Oscar after eight competitive nominations without a win. The Academy praised the 79-year-old actor, saying: “Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close’s unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema.”

Close’s first nomination came in 1983 for The World According to Garp, with later nods including Fatal Attraction (1987) and Hillbilly Elegy (2020). Her eight nominations tie her with Peter O’Toole for the most without a competitive win.

Close, who starred as a 19th-century transgender butler in the 2011 release Albert Nobbs, has previously spoken about how producers should ‘go out of their way’ to cast transgender actors. She recently starred alongside unlikely co-star Kim Kardashian in Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair.

The Academy also announced honorary Academy Awards for Ridley Scott and Floyd Norman. All recipients will be celebrated at a ceremony on 15 November at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.

Queer Cinema Producers to receive special award

Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, the producers behind queer cinema touchstones including Carol and Boys Don’t Cry, will receive the Academy’s Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at this year’s Governors Awards.

Vachon and Koffler co-founded the New York-based independent production hub Killer Films in 1995. The company’s output includes Velvet Goldmine, Boys Don’t Cry and Carol, and their producer credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch, One Hour Photo and May December. The Thalberg Award is presented to “a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production,” the Academy said, adding that the pair “play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling.”

Ridley Scott and Floyd Norman also honoured

Scott, 88, will also receive an honorary Academy Award. The Academy called him “a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture.” He has never won a competitive Oscar despite four nominations.

Norman will receive an honorary Academy Award as well, with the Academy describing him as “a legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists,” and noting that his 65-year career began in 1956 when he became the first Black animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios. His credits include Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood.

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An Ohio man has been sentenced to 25 to 29 years in prison for the killing of beloved Cincinnati trans woman and LGBTQ+ advocate Laura Schueler.

Ajani Grimes, 19, accepted a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday (9 June) in connection with Schueler’s death, nearly one year after her body was discovered near her home in Cincinnati’s Evanston neighbourhood on 6 June 2025.

Prosecutors told the court that Grimes invited Schueler into his car before she attempted to flee, at which point he allegedly shot her in the back of the head and left her at the scene. Grimes was already out on bond for a previous armed robbery case at the time of the killing, as reported by WKRC.

Schueler’s Legacy

Following the sentencing, Schueler’s family and friends spoke emotionally about the devastating impact of her loss.

Her husband told WKRC that the sentence was not enough. Schueler’s best friend, Martez Meadows, accused Grimes of believing violence could hide the truth about his interactions with trans women, telling the court that “whatever you do behind closed doors is going to come to the light… The last thing I want to say is I hope you rot in hell.”

Those closest to Schueler said they hope her legacy will endure far beyond the courtroom. Her cousin, Geno Griffith, remembered her as a compassionate advocate who consistently showed up for others, particularly members of the LGBTQ+ community who felt unseen or unsupported. “Laura will never be forgotten by anyone who knew her,” Griffith said, describing her as a person who used her voice to uplift others and stand beside people when they needed support most.

The context of anti-trans violence

Schueler’s murder reflects the rise in violent attacks against and murders of trans people across the US in recent years. Transgender women of colour are known to suffer the highest levels of violence as they fall at the unfortunate intersection of transphobia and racism. Despite ongoing work by charities and advocacy groups, hostility continues to rise against LGBTQ+ people, particularly members of the trans community.

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Trans ‘Scary Movie’ actor Benny Zielke has shared how he initially had reservations about being cast in the parody film, but quickly realised that it had created “a safe space” for the trans community.

Many LGBTQ+ social media users rolled their eyes at ‘Scary Movie’ featuring a ‘they/them’ pronoun joke in the first trailer for the film. But Zielke insists that it has taken a refreshing approach to the subject matter.

“Honestly, I had the same kind of fear when I got the full script, and I was reading it,” he told Out in a 10 June interview. “I was like, ‘Is it going to be OK?’ But truthfully, truthfully, I do not think that they are punching down. I don’t think that they’re going for marginalized communities and trying to make fun of them.”

He went on to say that, instead, the film is “pushing boundaries”. “They’re making crazy, raunchy jokes, but I don’t think there is a mean spirit behind it at all,” he continued.

“So, if you’re a trans person and you’re like, ‘I want to see this, but I don’t want another triggering piece of media,’ I really think this is a safe space for that, even though it’s not a safe space.”

In the film, Zielke plays Jess, the trans son of the town’s sheriff (Lochlyn Munro). Much of the comedy surrounding the two characters involves the sheriff accepting his son because he wants to be inclusive.

Zielke also told Out that the jokes are all aimed at those who have problems with the trans community, as opposed to trans people themselves.

“Every time I have gotten to play a trans character before now, it has been in a really heavy, tragic piece or a really stressful, anxious piece,” Zielke said.

“So, to get to be a part of this project where trans people are never the butt of the joke – like we’re getting to make the joke, and the people misgendering us and being confused, blundering around, they’re the butt of the joke – has been really nice.”

That switch-up partly comes from the fact that the film was co-written by ‘Scary Movie’ mainstay Marlon Wayans, who has a trans son himself.

“That’s me and Kai,” Wayans told USA Today on 4 June of the storyline between Jess and his father.

“I wanted to be inclusive, and also from a father’s point of view dealing with their child in a transitional state, but accepting… and finding the humor,” he said. “You send it up and you humanize it. Instead of just making fun of things, you actually come from a different perspective.”

The film previously faced controversy over a non-binary joke in the trailer, with audiences having mixed responses to this.

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A new ranking has named the five US states where life is hardest for LGBTQ+ people, and warns that conditions in those states are deteriorating year on year.

The findings come from the eighth annual State LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index, which tracks how inclusive each state is from the perspective of business leaders.

Now in its eighth year, the index has logged a fourth consecutive year of falling support for LGBTQ+ people nationally.

Who created the ranking?

It is compiled by OutLeadership, a network focused on LGBTQ+ inclusion in the corporate world, and scores states out of 100 across five areas: legal protections, support for families, political and religious climate, healthcare and employment.

According to the index, the worst states in the US for LGBTQ+ Americans are Arkansas, Tennessee, Idaho, South Carolina and Florida.

The report noted that the bottom-ranked states are sliding further each year, while the number of states clustered in the middle of the scale continues to shrink, leaving a starker divide between the most and least welcoming places to live.

OutLeadership chief executive Todd Sears wrote that the distance between welcoming and hostile states had reached a record high and was still growing. He argued the divide carries real costs for companies trying to operate across such an uneven legal landscape, while rewarding those willing to take a stand.

Which states are the best?

Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Illinois have all remained among the least hostile states in the US, according to the index.

Other indexes have previously shown the changing state of life for LGBTQ+ people across the US, with new indexes being developed and updated annually.

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Madonna will appear in a one-off BBC One special with Graham Norton later this month, with the BBC programme listing confirming the broadcast details ahead of her upcoming album Confessions II.

The programme, titled Madonna & Graham, is scheduled for Friday 26 June 2026 at 10:40pm and will run for 49 minutes. It is billed as an “in-depth discussion” about Madonna’s life and career, with the synopsis stating: “Graham meets with Madonna for an in-depth discussion about her incredible life and career.”

The special airs shortly before Madonna’s fifteenth studio album, Confessions II, which is due for release on 3 July 2026. The record is positioned as a sequel to her 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor.

Madonna & Graham: what’s different this time

Madonna has appeared on The Graham Norton Show multiple times, most recently in June 2019, when she visited to promote Madame X.

This booking is presented as a dedicated, single-guest conversation rather than the usual multi-guest chat show format.

Confessions II rollout continues

The BBC One appearance also follows the release of Confessions II – The Film, which unfolds across six tracks and includes snippets of unreleased songs. The project is available as Confessions II – The Film on YouTube.

Madonna continues to reign as the long-term Queen of Pop, continuing to push new sounds and consistent queer and alternative imagery as part of her status as an LGBTQ+ icon. Recently, she has also shown support for LGBTQ+ athletes, including sending a message to queer figure skater Amber Glenn earlier this year.

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David Furnish has warned that criminalisation and defunding of LGBTQ+ civil society is pulling apart the community-led HIV response, putting hard-won progress against AIDS at risk, in an Independent Voices comment piece.

“I am writing this because that legacy is now at risk. The threat isn’t the virus.It’s politics,” Furnish wrote. He argued that governments are cutting prevention and care systems that rely on trust, outreach and public data, particularly in places where stigma makes it harder for LGBTQ+ people to access healthcare.

Furnish also pointed to newer prevention tools, writing that long-acting PrEP, including twice-yearly options like lenacapavir, is “one of the most significant advances in HIV prevention in a generation”.

He said the rollback is already visible in key indicators. “In the United States, the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), the programme credited with saving 26 million lives, has seen a 41 per cent reduction in PrEP initiation,” he wrote, adding that its data shows 4.7 million fewer people were tested for HIV in 2025 than in 2024.

ACT UP and the fight for faster medicine

Furnish traced today’s HIV prevention and treatment systems back to AIDS activism in the 1980s and 1990s, arguing that campaigners reshaped how medicine responds to urgent need. In October 1988, around 1,500 ACT UP members protested at the US Food and Drug Administration headquarters in Maryland.

Furnish wrote that, within months, the FDA committed to dramatically shortening its drug approval process, and that an accelerated approval pathway was formally launched in 1992.

Criminalisation, data loss and LGBTQ+ funding cuts

Furnish wrote that in 2025 UNAIDS confirmed the number of countries criminalising same-sex sexual activity and the gender expression of trans and gender diverse people rose for the first time since monitoring began in 2008, adding that LGBTQ+ civil society organisations are being “defunded, restricted, or closed”.

“When governments stop counting LGBTQ+ people, they make them easier to abandon,” he wrote, adding: “Equality is not separate from public health. It is public health.”

Furnish is a Canadian filmmaker and producer who is married to Elton John. He chairs the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which works in more than 40 countries, and has supported HIV prevention, treatment and LGBTQ+ community programmes, including joining forces with the UK’s only LGBTQ+ national lottery.

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Jinkx Monsoon will make her London West End debut this summer, taking over as Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! at Trafalgar Theatre for a six-week run from 17 August to 26 September.

The casting puts the RuPaul’s Drag Race winner at the heart of a buzzy, awards-winning comedy that has built a cult following since its US run and subsequent West End arrival.

Monsoon is the next performer in a planned rotation of Mary Todd Lincolns across the summer. Catherine Tate, who currently plays the role, is scheduled to give her final performance on 18 July. Cole Escola, who originated the part, will reprise the role from 20 July to 15 August, before Monsoon steps in.

Monsoon can also be seen in London as Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow at Soho Theatre, Walthamstow, and appeared on screen as the Maestro in Doctor Who for the BBC and Disney+.

What to know about Oh, Mary!

Written by Tony Award winner Cole Escola and directed by Tony Award winner Sam Pinkleton, Oh, Mary! is an 80-minute one-act dark comedy set in the weeks before Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, charting Mary Todd Lincoln’s “unrequited longings, alcoholism and suppressed desires”.

The play premiered off-Broadway at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in January 2024, before transferring to Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre in July 2024. It arrived in the West End on 3 December 2025, and claimed Best Entertainment or Comedy Play at this year’s Olivier Awards.

Jinkx Monsoon’s London run

Monsoon is known as a multi-talented performer, hitting new heights for drag performers across live singing, comedy, and theatrical storytelling. She also came out as pansexual, and has spoken publicly about her transition.

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Ten years after the Pulse nightclub massacre, Christopher “Drew” Leinonen’s mother Christine Leinonen has alleged police delays meant her son, shot multiple times, “bled to death” and could have survived with faster intervention, in comments ahead of the anniversary.

Christopher Leinonen was 32 when he was killed. Asked whether he could have survived had police acted differently, Christine Leinonen said: “Absolutely.”

She added: “My son was such a good human being… he finally met the man he was going to marry… It’s just an injustice all the way around.”

Belinnette Ocasio-Capo, the sister of victim Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, also criticised the response. Referring to her brother, who was 20, she said: “If they had acted sooner, I promise you my brother would have been here with us today,”

Ocasio-Capo said: “Seeing the camera footage of police just on their phones chilling while my brother was literally bleeding out for over 30 minutes when they could have saved them…”

“You’re supposed to do your job and follow procedure… I honestly don’t think they did.”

What happened at Pulse

The Pulse nightclub shooting took place on 12 June 2016 at a Florida nightclub, killing 49 people and injuring 58 others. The club was hosting a Latin-themed event and was packed with more than 300 people.

The gunman was Omar Mateen, 29, who was shot dead by police about three hours after the first shots.

A 2018 report on “survivable wounds” claimed 16 victims died after suffering injuries that could have been treated.

Christopher Leinonen was reportedly struck nine times, and his mother alleges the bullets missed vital organs and that he “bled to death”.

Families’ calls for accountability

Christine Leinonen has been a prominent public advocate for victims’ families in the aftermath of Pulse, speaking in media and at memorial contexts about accountability and remembrance. The attack has been widely commemorated within LGBTQ+ communities globally, including remembering the 49 lives violently stolen.

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Pope Leo condemned war during a homily in Barcelona, telling worshippers: “We cannot believe in Jesus and promote war. We cannot believe in Jesus and kill the innocent,” amid a growing public row with US president Donald Trump over Iran.

The pope delivered the remarks at Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica in front of thousands of worshippers, including Spanish King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia. He also appeared to refer to migration, saying Christians could not “abandon… those who flee from misery”.

The Trump administration has repeatedly justified its attack on Iran as a way to prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapons capability. Pope Leo has labelled “outdated” the concept of a “just war” put forward by Washington in the context of the war against Iran initiated by the US and Israel.

US vice president JD Vance has used the “just war” argument and urged the pope to be “careful” on theological matters.

Trump’s criticism of the pope

In April, Pope Leo condemned Trump’s threat to destroy Iran as “truly unacceptable” and urged Americans to demand that US lawmakers “work for peace”.

Trump later criticised the pontiff as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy”, to which Leo replied that he had a “moral duty to speak out”.

Last month, Trump again attacked the pope in an interview, alleging that Leo believed it was “OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”. “I think he’s endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people,” Trump said.

Asked about Trump’s comments, Leo said the Catholic Church’s mission was to “preach peace” and the Gospel. “If anyone wishes to criticise me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so truthfully,” he told reporters.

What Leo has said on migration

The pope has called for a “respectful welcome” for migrants, alongside measures to ease their integration, and returned to the theme in Barcelona with his appeal not to “abandon… those who flee from misery”.

He has also drawn attention for his stance on LGBTQ+ issues, having dismissed the chance of a shift in the Vatican’s stance on LGBTQ+ rights and rejected formal same-sex blessings.

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