Men released after Venezuela gay sauna raid
Violence in Eastern Europe sparking concern for human rights backsliding
Local news outlet A24 has a breakdown of what happened in the mass arrest of 33 queer people following a gay pride march in Venezuela last week. The Washington Blade adds that the three men who remained in prison were finally released.
A shocking knife attack appears to be causing enough political uproar in Bulgaria that the country is starting to investigate how it treats domestic violence. Bulgaria has refused to ratify the Istanbul Convention on domestic violence over trumped up concerns that it would legitimize same-sex marriage and gender concepts — it is one of only six EU states that has refused to do so.
The Nation has an article about how the government of Georgia (Tblisi) is failing to uphold the human rights of LGBT people, which could hamper its EU aspirations. Tblisi Pride Festival was again cancelled this year after it was threatened by far-right, pro-Russia thugs.
El Sol De Puebla has a report on the state of conversion therapy bans in Mexico. While a federal ban is pending and is expected to be voted on in Congress in the fall, 16 of the 32 states have passed bans already. El Sol reports that conversion therapy bans are also under consideration in 14 more states: Tamaulipas, Morelos, Nayarit, Coahuila, Tabasco, Campeche, Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Quintana Roo, San Luis PotosÃ, Veracruz and Guerrero – that’s every state except Durango and Chiapas.
Thailand’s political turmoil will drag on for another couple of weeks as Parliament has postponed elected a prime minister until the results of a constitutional challenge against the barring of the leader of the largest party from Parliament, which is due to be heard August 16. Both leading contenders have promised to pass same-sex marriage.