Election night in the US delivered a string of LGBTQ+ firsts: Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire, Sarah McBride is re-elected, Georgia elects its first out trans and nonbinary lawmaker, and Virginia voters strip the same-sex marriage ban from their constitution. In Texas, Democrats won after a flood of anti-trans ads.
Watch · 0:55 The story in under a minute Rainbow Wave 2026: Chris Pappas Becomes the First Out Gay Man Elected to the US Senate, and Virginia Votes for Marriage Equality Watch now New guest every dayInspired by today's news
Tonight: Eli, from San Antonio
A Texan who watched the count all night, and a homemade sticker he can finally wear.
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A Dundee employment tribunal has dismissed all three of the Fife nurse's direct discrimination complaints against her union. It accepted her gender-critical belief is protected, but found it didn't shape how the RCN treated her. Here's what was decided, what wasn't, and where the wider Fife case stands.
After weeks of clashes in Tirana, Albania's government amended the law on assemblies with an emergency normative act: 72-hour bans near institutions, tenfold fines and new police powers. Lawyers say it may be unconstitutional. What it could mean for LGBTQ+ activism.
Since 2018, men convicted under Northern Ireland's old anti-gay laws have been able to apply to have them wiped. Three have applied. None qualified. The Department of Justice is now reviewing the scheme.
Stonewall and YouGov asked 3,473 LGBTQ+ people across the UK about family, safety, health, work and the future. Nearly half say acceptance has grown in ten years. Half are pessimistic about where equality is heading, including 80% of trans+ people.
The Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities adopted “Free to speak, free to meet,” a report telling cities and regions how to guarantee LGBTI people's freedom of expression and assembly, as reported harassment climbs from 37% to 55%.
A new CIN-CG investigation finds LGBTIQ+ people in Montenegro still losing jobs, hiding who they are at work and thinking about leaving the country, while the ombudsman recorded zero employment cases on sexual orientation or gender identity in 2024.
The Royal British Legion is standing by its Pride poppy badge, made for those who served under the pre-2000 ban. Meanwhile, applications for up to £70,000 in payments for veterans hurt by that ban close on December 12, 2026.
A court in Trikomo (İskele) sentenced a man to six months, including one month for hate-motivated abuse targeting a woman's sexual orientation. Local media call it the first such prison sentence in the north, 12 years after it became Europe's last administration to decriminalise gay sex.
An AP analysis of AdImpact data counts about 217,000 trans-focused GOP spots through October 25, more than at the same point in 2024. Meanwhile, 12% of voters call trans issues a top priority, against 85% for the economy. Here's where the money went and what it means for trans Americans.
Five judges in Gaborone heard two days of arguments from Bonolo Selelo and Tsholofelo Kumile, LEGABIBO, the government and three church and cultural groups. If the couple wins, Botswana becomes the second African country with marriage equality.
East Asia's biggest Pride marched under the theme “Our Voices, Our Journey”. President Lai said the fight for equality “must not be reversed”, and Taipei's mayor was met with chants of “don't raid gay bars”.
ILGA-Europe and Aleanca LGBT are bringing the second UNSTOPPABLE Pride Organisers' Summit to Tirana, December 10–13. Here's who can apply, what's covered, and why Albania's protest-filled year makes the city a pointed choice.
About 350 people walked from the Government building to Argentina Square on October 3 for the 14th Montenegro Pride. It passed peacefully, and the demands were concrete: trans recognition without forced medical procedures, and partnership rights that actually work.
Postponed from June by a heat wave, the Marche des Fiertés crossed Paris on October 3 with tens of thousands of people and one clear message ahead of next year's presidential election: the far right is not welcome.
The Star Trek and X-Men actor died at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday after Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. He called supporting gay rights 'a natural and uncomplicated choice', and Ian McKellen, who married him to his wife Sunny, has written that he loved him.
A month after announcing a comeback, Dutch public broadcaster NPO says it's 'too early' to compete in 2027. Here's what changed, who else is sitting out, and what it means for the fans who treat Eurovision as a queer holiday.
A degenerative knee injury has ended the Adelaide 36ers centre's career. Four years after he came out on court, Humphries is staying with the club, and his legacy is bigger than his stat line.
Pip Archer and Stella Pryor said their vows on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, with a gale outside and one of the most quietly queer lines the show has ever broadcast. Here's why a farming soap getting this right matters.
The Albanian activist, who left Tirana in 2017 after death threats, says he and his partner Erjon Tela are expecting a daughter, Lili, via surrogacy in Canada. Back home, a family like theirs still can't exist on paper.
Only 12% of LGBTIQ people in Albania, 21% in North Macedonia and 29% in Serbia say they're fairly or very open, against 51% across the EU. On National Coming Out Day, here's what the numbers mean, and why coming out is yours to time.
Most anti-LGBTI violence in Albania is never reported. A 2026 Council of Europe report explains why, and what does exist: a free anti-discrimination complaints line, a hate-crime provision, and a dedicated LGBTI shelter. Here's how it all works.
We've lived in Tirana on and off since 2022, and spent time in Sarandë and Durrës too. Here's our honest answer to the question we get asked most: is Albania actually safe for a gay couple?
Albania just issued its first hormone therapy guideline for trans adults, and the country's religious leaders are pushing back hard. We're spending part of our year in Tirana. Here's what that argument looks like from the ground.
As Amsterdam hosts the global Pride movement this fortnight, the view from Tirana is a reminder that the distance between a canal parade and a still-banned march is measured in more than kilometers.
Skopje, Sarajevo, Pristina, Belgrade — one Pride after another went off this season, many without incident. Living here, we've learned the real question isn't the march. It's the 51 weeks after it.
Tirana Pride marches Saturday. On Friday we went to the diplomatic reception that traditionally opens Pride week here, and the most telling thing in the room was who was no longer at the front of it.
