THE9+. Queer News. June 11. Espionage and LGBT, Hungary Under Legal Fire, Queer as Folk 25 Years and much more

A weekly digest of the essential queer news in your backyard!

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EU. Human Rights. Hungary’s LGBTQ+ Law Violates Rights, Says Top EU Court Adviser

A senior legal adviser to the EU’s top court said on Thursday that Hungary’s law banning LGBTQ+ content from schools and pre-watershed broadcasting breaches fundamental rights. Tamara Ćapeta, advocate general at the European Court of Justice, found the legislation—passed in 2021—violates rights to human dignity, non-discrimination, and freedom of expression. The law, part of a “child protection” package, bars depictions of gay and transgender people in educational materials and media before 10pm. Ćapeta criticised the law as being rooted in prejudice rather than scientific evidence and said it “expands” harm to minors by reinforcing stigma and denying representation. Though non-binding, her opinion is influential. Sixteen EU member states and the European Parliament support the European Commission’s case against Hungary.

Russia. Politics. Government Bans British Council, Accuses It of Espionage and LGBT Advocacy

Russia has officially declared the British Council an “undesirable organisation,” effectively banning its activities and accusing it of conducting intelligence operations and promoting LGBT rights. The Prosecutor General’s Office claimed the UK’s cultural institute operates under the guise of education to promote British interests and discredit Russian policy. It also alleged links to the “international LGBT movement,” which Russia designated a terrorist group in 2023. The British Council has had no operations in Russia since 2018, when it was forced to close following the fallout from the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the UK—an act London blames on Moscow. Russia’s FSB (Intelligence Service) has urged allied nations to also shut down the Council’s operations, calling it a tool of British intelligence. The move follows a wider crackdown on foreign NGOs and LGBTQ+ organisations since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The British Council, which promotes UK culture and education, was ordered to cease Russian operations in 2018. It has not commented on the latest accusations.

Hungary. Politics. German Activist Maja T. Begins Hunger Strike in Hungarian Prison Over Conditions and Trial

German activist Maja T., a non-binary individual accused of left-wing extremism, has announced a hunger strike in protest against alleged inhumane detention conditions and to demand extradition to Germany. “Here in Hungary, I am buried alive in solitary confinement,” Maja stated. Detained for nearly 11 months, Maja claims to face psychological torture, including continuous isolation, sleep deprivation, and inadequate hygiene. Maja’s father, Wolfram Jarosch, likened the conditions to torture and urged the German government to intervene. Despite Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court blocking the extradition in 2024, Hungarian authorities proceeded regardless. Maja is accused of participating in attacks on far-right extremists during Budapest’s controversial “Day of Honour” event in February 2023. Rejecting a 14-year plea deal, Maja now faces a prolonged trial and a potential 24-year sentence. The British Embassy and German Foreign Office have not commented on the case.

The USA. Politics. US Navy to Rename Harvey Milk Ship in Move Criticised as Anti-LGBT+

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the renaming of the USNS Harvey Milk, a Navy supply ship named after the iconic gay rights activist, according to a memo obtained by Military.com. The decision, set to be announced on 13 June, is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to restore a “warrior culture” in the military. The move, made during Pride Month, has sparked sharp criticism. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it “a shameful and revenge-driven erasure” of progress in equality. Harvey Milk, a former Navy lieutenant, was the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States before his assassination in 1978. The ship bearing his name was christened in 2021 under President Obama. Other ships deemed “too woke” — including those named after Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Harriet Tubman — are also slated for renaming.

The USA. Fashion. Paul Tazewell Makes History with Dual Tony and Oscar Wins in 2025

Paul Tazewell (73) has become only the second costume designer in history — and the first Black man — to win both a Tony and an Oscar in the same year. He won the 2025 Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Wicked: Part 1, reimagining the iconic world of Oz, followed by a Tony on 8 June for Death Becomes Her, a Broadway musical packed with glittering camp and bold silhouettes. Known for his detailed, character-driven approach, Tazewell said, “Designing for musicals and movies requires a point of view — I try to merge both effectively.” Reflecting on his journey, he added: “The Black, queer, little boy in Akron, Ohio, had no idea that in 2025, he would have the year that he had.” With a career spanning over 35 years, Tazewell now joins the ranks of legendary designers like Ann Roth and Irene Sharaff — a visionary in both stage and screen.

Hungary. Justice. Court Orders Legal Recognition of Foreign Same-Sex Marriages as Partnerships

Hungary’s Constitutional Court has ruled that same-sex marriages performed abroad must be recognised as registered partnerships within the country, setting a deadline of 31 October for Parliament to legislate accordingly. The case was brought by a Hungarian-German couple married in Germany in 2021. While same-sex marriage remains banned in Hungary, registered partnerships have been legally possible since 2009. A 2016 government decree already allowed for the recognition of foreign same-sex marriages as partnerships, but Parliament never codified it into law. The court has now declared this omission unconstitutional, citing human dignity and the right to self-determination. The ruling challenges Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s long-standing opposition to LGBT+ rights and puts pressure on his nationalist government to formally acknowledge legal protections for same-sex couples.

Germany. Politics. The State Moves to Reclassify “Safe Countries,” Easing Deportation of Asylum Seekers

Germany’s conservative-led coalition has advanced a key migration reform, allowing the federal government to classify countries as “safe countries of origin” without Bundesrat approval, the Federal Press Office announced on Wednesday. The change, led by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU), aims to speed up asylum procedures and deportations. Algeria, India, Morocco, and Tunisia are expected to be classified as “safe” under the plan, which circumvents opposition from Green- and Left-led states. Critics, including queer rights groups, condemned the move, noting that homosexuality is criminalised in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. The LSVD+ warned such a classification endangers queer asylum seekers. Additionally, the reform abolishes the requirement to provide state-appointed legal counsel for those in deportation or transfer detention. Opposition parties decried Dobrindt’s decision to address the press before parliamentary questioning, while neighbouring states reportedly welcomed the policy shift.

The USA. Pop Culture. Hollywood Launches Pride LIVE! Festival Celebrating with 25 Years Reunion of Queer as Folk

Hollywood is set to host the inaugural Pride LIVE! festival from June 11 to 29, a month-long celebration spotlighting LGBTQ+ contributions to entertainment. The event will feature screenings, panels, and tributes across iconic venues, including NeueHouse, Emerson College, and the W Hollywood Hotel. A highlight is the 25th anniversary reunion of Showtime’s groundbreaking series Queer as Folk on June 12, reuniting cast members Scott Lowell, Robert Gant, Michelle Clunie, Peter Paige, Sharon Gless, and creators Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman. The festival opens with a tribute to late television pioneer Norman Lear, and also commemorates the 40th anniversary of “The Golden Girls” with a special panel. Curated by authors Frank DeCaro and Jim Colucci, and produced by Jeroen Hallaert, Pride LIVE! aims to honour Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ legacy while fostering community and cultural dialogue.

Israel. Pride. Jerusalem Pride Under Threat

Under heavy security, thousands marched in Jerusalem’s annual Pride parade on Thursday, marking a decade since the murder of 16‑year‑old Shira Banki. Around 2,000 police officers were deployed along the route and at checkpoints amid longstanding concerns over the city’s safety for LGBTQ+ individuals. Opposition leader Yair Lapid joined the procession, condemning far‑right and ultra‑Orthodox figures such as Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben‑Gvir for their anti‑LGBTQ+ rhetoric. “They won’t tell us who we’re allowed to love,” he said. Jerusalem has a history of violent threats to Pride events — including fatal and non-fatal stabbings in 2005 and 2015 — and remains tense as far-right ideologies and sporadic clashes persist .

Ireland. Education. Trinity College Dublin Severes Ties with Israeli Institutions Amid Gaza Conflict

Trinity College Dublin has voted to terminate all ties with Israeli academic institutions, companies, and organisations, following mounting student pressure and protests. The university’s board approved the decision on Wednesday morning, coinciding with a demonstration outside Trinity Business School demanding full divestment over Israel’s actions in Gaza. Trinity will halt future academic, commercial, and research collaborations, while honouring existing contracts deemed unconnected to human rights breaches. Erasmus+ exchanges with Israeli universities will also end. This move follows recommendations from the Israeli Divestment Taskforce, formed after a student-led encampment last year. TCD Students’ Union President Jenny Maguire hailed the outcome: “Investments, suppliers, academic ties – all stopped.” Campaigners say the decision sets a precedent. “This is a massive step forward,” said TCD BDS Chair Harry Johnston. Since October 2023, over 56,000 people have reportedly been killed in Gaza.

Austria. Culture. Vienna to Open its First Major Queer Cultural Centre

Austria is set to launch its first large-scale queer cultural centre, Qwien, in Vienna on June 11. The centre represents a “quantum leap” in the nation’s queer cultural infrastructure, according to Andreas Brunner, Qwien’s scientific director. Housed in Vienna’s fourth district, Qwien has been operating since 2009 as a historical centre dedicated to LGBTQ+ archives, research and city tours. From June, it will host two major temporary exhibitions annually with “very different approaches” to queer history, says curator Hannes Sulzenbacher. In addition, a flexible space will accommodate artistic experiments and smaller exhibitions. Vienna, long regarded as Austria’s queer capital, has a deeply rooted LGBTQ+ community, particularly around Naschmarkt between the fourth and sixth districts. GAY45 Editor-in-Chief interviewed Andreas Brunner here.

Must Read of GAY45

• Two op-eds to read during the Pride: Pride Should Go Back to What It Was Before, Ditching Corporate Sponsorships by Raz Ion and The Deep Corruption in LGBT Organisations Complicates the Fight by Sasha Brandt

• An excellent article of Sasha Brandt about Jean Genet: the Queer White Writer and the Black Panthers.

• An interview with Viennese historian and activist Andreas Brunner conducted by Jude Jones, GAY45 Editor-in-Chief.

Quote of the Week

If I only know my own dreams, then I will never understand where my desire for freedom negatively impacts the story of others, where my interpretation of another life is weakened by the limitations of my own language, imagination, or desire. 

— Joan Nestle

Film of the Week

A Nice Indian Boy (2025) is a warm, feel-good romantic comedy that begins and ends with a wedding and features Karan Soni and Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter, Angels in America, Looking, Boss), who have a very sweet chemistry. Groff is, as usual, exceptional, a comfortable actor with any type of role. Roshan Sethi’s quietly confident film unspools a tender love story between two men—and the generations learning to accept them—with wit, nuance, and no interest in clichés. Good for a lazy night. Not a masterpiece.

Book of the Week

The Words of Dr. L by Karen E. Bender is brilliant fiction. These often speculative stories take place in worlds in which troubling features of our own are amplified. In one, a young woman living under laws “enforcing motherhood” searches for incantatory words that will end her pregnancy. In another, people “unduly burdened” by feelings of shame have those feelings excised by “noninvasive laser technology” and transferred to shameless government officials, in a societal gambit to improve governance. Beyond the collection’s interest in political commentary, what most animates it is familial heartache. In a particularly affecting tale, the protagonist sees her ailing father and truly grasps that parents and children are “together just temporarily.” (The New Yorker)

Music of the Week

Fall Out Boy album So Much (for) Stardust was launched in 2023. An album that exudes charm and euphoria, while still very much being Fall Out Boy’s DNA. The raw energy and occasionally questionable anger of their early years has nicely matured into a confidence and consistency that they’ve never had before, a diverse set of songs which feels more than the sum of its parts thanks to the band’s locked-in chemistry with their longtime producer.

Conversation starters, cooking, fashion and games from our favourite newspapers

• Read Pride Can’t Go Back to What It Was Before in The Atlantic
• Shine: We have tips for restoring all of your rusty metal.
• Cook: A spoonful of curry paste electrifies this pad prik king.
• Imprint: Here’s how to use natural plant dyes to infuse memories onto fabrics.

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