Australia: Sydney Mardi Gras Parade pays tribute to slain Gay couple
After two murders that jarred the country's entire Queer community, the 46th annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade came to a halt on Saturday in a powerful act of remembrance for the Gay couple, Jesse Baird and Luke Davies.

In its float, Qantas Airways paid tribute to Davies, who worked for the carrier as a flight attendant. A company spokesperson confirmed that Davies' name was added prominently on the side of the float, and Executive Manager Crew Leeanne Langridge said in a statement that Davies "was a much-loved member of the Qantas cabin crew community in Brisbane and Sydney.

According to the BBC, the murder of the couple caused the Mardi Gras organizers to uninvite the New South Wales Police Force.
In a press statement, the parade's board said the decision to exclude police, who have taken part in the annual march for over two decades, was "not taken lightly" but that it was essential to create a safe environment "to protest, celebrate,... honor, and grieve those we've lost."

Sydney's Mardi Gras parade has a complex history of both Queer activism and police brutality. The first march, held in 1978, resulted in dozens of people being beaten and arrested by officers. Tensions between organizers, participants, and police have risen and fallen over several decades.

Ghana intensifies crackdown on Queer community
Ghana's parliament has passed legislation that intensifies a crackdown on the rights of Queer people and those promoting Lesbian, Gay or other nonconventional sexual or gender identities in the West African country.

The new legislation passed on Wednesday imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for the "willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities."

The bill still has to be validated by the president before becoming law, which observers believe is unlikely before a general election in December.

The sweeping legislation received sponsorship from a coalition comprising Christian, Muslim, and traditional Ghanaian leaders, and passed through an unopposed voice vote.

Mexican-British man arrested in Qatar for sexuality; HIV meds withheld
A British man, Manuel Guerrero Aviña, is being held in prison in Qatar after reportedly being arrested because of his sexuality.

The former British Airways manager has been detained since February 4, after allegedly replying to a fake message on Grindr, The Mirror reported.

Aviña's family has claimed that lifesaving HIV medication is being refused while he is in prison.

According to Aviña's brother Enrique in The Mirror, "Qatar police used a false Grindr profile to contact Manuel and invite him to participate in a meeting with other people from the LGBT community in the city of Doha... Manuel was supposed to meet a person he thought he had arranged an appointment with on the night of 4 February but instead encountered police officers who were waiting to arrest him."

Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, with no protection from discrimination, according to the equality ratings site Equaldex. The country scores just seven out of 100 in terms of Queer rights.