Welcome back, lovely readers, to the LGBTQ+ News section of Prism. As I'm sure most people are aware, there's been a lot happening over in the United States. I'd love to include all of that information within this article, but sadly there's too much for me to properly cover all of it. Instead, I chose to cover some LGBTQ+ news-related pieces from across the globe that might be slightly lesser known.

Europe
We'll start with some happy news in Europe. Estonia's parliament passed a law that'd legalize same-sex marriage with a vote of 55 to 101 - being one of the first Central European countries to do so - that'll go into effect next year. Within recent years there's been a very steady increase of supporters of same-sex marriage within the country and a lot of Estonians are happy to celebrate the occasion.

The leader of the Swedish Liberal Party made a video where he's dressed as a drag queen to let everyone know that drag queens aren't dangerous. The Democrat party within the country had claimed that drag queens often perform with sexual innuendos and that they're therefore not suitable for an environment with kids. It's a clear stance against the other party, and it's wonderful to see such a stance being taken.

Within Iceland, the parliament has passed a ban on conversion therapy when the practice would be based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. With a vote of 53 in favour and no votes against (though three abstentions), it was passed easily. Those who force someone to undergo this kind of therapy can face prison time for three to five years, depending on if it's an adult or child being forced. Those who offer the therapy can face prison time up to two years. Overall, Iceland is a very LGBTQ+ friendly country, and they scored 92 on the Equaldex Equality Index.

World-Wide
Activists in Pakistan are fighting the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) for their declaration that the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was un-Islamic. The Transgender Persons Act was passed in 2018, giving trans people legal status and helped outlaw harassment and discrimination against them. The ruling states that people can't change their gender identity and instead must live with their assigned sex at birth. The FSC claimed it was easier to assault women if they didn't do anything against the law and also states that the term transgender creates confusion. Transgender rights in Pakistan are not great, and most people make their money from begging, dancing, and sex work in the country. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan is hopeful for the Supreme Court to overrule the decision.

Mexico added a non-binary option to their passports, following many other countries. Like those other countries, an 'X' stands for neither male nor female. The first non-binary passport was given to Ociel Baena, magistrate, and activist, and happened on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (May 17th). This follows last year's change to non-binary on a birth certificate for Fausto Martinez, who had to fight for it in federal court.

Over in Kenya, the government has been copying the Kill the Gays bill that was passed in Uganda. Many refugees fled to this country as it's the only East African country to accept them without questioning their sexual orientation. Human rights violations have been recorded at most of the refugee camps, and this copycat bill will mean they'll likely have to flee their country once again.

So much recent news from around the world shows us the steps that still need to be taken, but at least there's always some light shining through in other places. Let's hope next month we'll have some more happy pieces of news to report on.

Welcome back, lovely Prism readers, to Representation in Media. This time around, we'll be covering short movies in cartoon styles, so even the busiest amongst us can get a chance to see some wonderful LGBTQ+ representation on the screen. Do be aware of some spoilers, if you wish to check these out before knowing the end.

Starting off with our first short, Out. Found on YouTube or Disney+, Out is a Pixar short movie that's almost 10 minutes long. It came out in 2020 and was inspired by a true story. It features Disney's first main character who's a homosexual, and the first on-screen kiss between a same-sex couple. It was shortlisted for the Best Animated Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, though it didn't make it onto the nominee list. It also won GLAAD's Special Recognition Award in 2023.

The plot focuses on Greg, a closeted gay man, who's packing with his boyfriend Manuel when suddenly his parents show up. He makes Manuel leave quickly, who states he should finally tell them. Then a whole ordeal happens where Greg turns into his dog, and he overhears his mom talking about wanting him to find someone who loves him, stating "he" should make Greg happy. Once Greg turns back into himself, he has Manuel over for dinner, where he tells his parents, and it ends with a wholesome hug between his father and Manuel.

Secondly, we've got In a Heartbeat, a short created in 2017 by Ringling College of Art and Design. This project was started through funding on Kickstarter with a goal of $3,000 and ended up having 416 contributors - they went way over and reached $14,191 instead! It's a computer-animated short without any speech or dialogue, and was shortlisted for the 2017 Academy Awards, though this too, sadly didn't make it onto the final list. It was included on YouTube's top 10 trending videos of 2017, as well. This short is only four minutes long and can be found on YouTube, just like the previous one.

This short's plot includes Sherwin spying on his crush Jonathan. Sherwin's heart suddenly becomes a real object and decides to go on a wander to Jonathan, leaving Sherwin trying to chase him while remaining unseen. This fails on two different occasions, and in the middle of the hallway at school, Sherwin ends up falling on Jonathan, with the heart between them. It slowly starts breaking as Sherwin tries to get off of Jonathan, and eventually fully breaks. This is when Sherwin walks off and is seen crying at a tree. Jonathan joins him and fixes the heart, which is when both of their hearts fade into one, and then the short ends.

Thirdly, a YouTube Original Short - Cupcake, released during Pride Month 2021, helped raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Trevor Project, and akt. As can be seen on their YouTube donation section within the video, over $100,000 were raised for these charities. It's another story that doesn't need speech to convey what's happening - you can simply just watch. This one's only three and a half minutes.

We start off with a gay couple going into a store to find a wedding topper but quickly being turned away by the store owner. Overnight, the magical toppers quickly start moving around and turn the shop into a happy and cute Pride-themed cupcake store. When the owner comes in, she's initially surprised but quickly embraces the changes that were made. She quickly starts baking more rainbow-inspired cakes and creates a topper for the customers she turned away earlier. When they walk past the store, you can see her happily smiling back at them, and that's how the short ends.

There are many more shorts on YouTube and elsewhere about the lives of the LGBTQ+ community, which I hope to discuss with you in a later edition of Representation in Media. I hope you enjoyed reading through these, or maybe even watching them alongside me. I hope you'll come back next month to find out more about the representation of our community.