NZ cabinet minister diagnosed with cancer
New Zealand Labour MP Kiritapu Allan has stepped down from her cabinet portfolios after being diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer. Allan who is a lesbian became the Minister for Conservation, and Minister for Emergency Management shortly after New Zealand’s general election in 2020. In a public post on Facebook, Allan said she was facing the fight of her life and “The ‘C” word hits you like a jolt I had never experienced. I gripped the wall in the airport.”
The gay couple who raised a boy they found on a subway platform
In a story that is 21 years in the making, a gay couple have raised a hispanic baby one of the men found on the floor of a New York subway station. Rushing home to have dinner with this partner in August 2000, Danny Stewart saw the baby wrapped in a sweatshirt against a wall of the station. Some time after alerting authorities, Stewart was invited to a family court hearing and the presiding judge asked if he would like to adopt the boy. He did so, and the decision changed the lives of Stewart, his partner and the baby. It is a heartwarming tale, and you can read the full details here.
LGBT candidate stands for Mayor in Seoul
A candidate in Seoul’s upcoming mayoral election knows he won’t win, but is running for office to draw attention to LGBTQ issues. Oh Tae-yang says if elected he would issue city ordinances banning discrimination and permitting same-sex marriages. The likely winner in the election Oh Se-hoon, (no relation to Tae-yang) has said that democracy is based on diversity and different people having a voice. So even if Oh Tae-yang doesn’t become mayor, his candidacy may already be making a difference.
Arkansas bans transgender treatment for under 18s
The US state of Arkansas has become the first in the country to outlaw gender confirming treatments and surgery for transgender people under the age of 18. The law faced opposition from medical groups and civil liberties organisation, and was surprisingly vetoed by the Republican governor. However the state’s Republican controlled House and Senate overruled the veto. Similar legislation is also being debated in Alabama and Tennessee.
Photo book of lesbians reissued for first time in 41 years
A photo book featuring pictures of American lesbians entitled Eye to Eye is to be republished for the first time since 1979. Photographer Joan E. Biren (known as JEB), created the book because she said lesbians at the time were invisible. While many of the photographs may seem quite ordinary now, back in the 70s they were revolutionary. You can read more about the book here.