We continue our trip through all the big stories of 2025 with US President Donald Trump signing executive orders at a rapid rate, Western Australians getting ready for a state election, and Kylie coming to town!
Here’s everything that was going on in February 2025.
News and Politics
Donald Trump signed an executive order banning women who are transgender from taking part in sport in the female category. His administration also started adding warnings on to websites. Meanwhile US Republican politician Nancy Mace was yelling out transgender slurs during a congressional hearing.
Actor Hunter Schafer expressed her frustration that he new passport listed her as being male under the Trump administrations new rules.
Sky News kept asking Liberal leader Peter Dutton to be more like Trump and crack down on thew transgender community in Australia. For a second time, he said no.
Clive Palmer launched a new political party Trumpet of Patriots. They would go on to win zero seats despite a multi-million dollar advertising blitz.
As the Queensland government introduced its ban on young people experiencing gender dysphoria having access to puberty blockers or gender hormones, human rights lawyers raised concern about the government’s approach. During the month there was also rallies across the country protesting the ban, and leading health experts begged them to abandon the plan.
Queensland senator Pauline Hanson had another go and pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into transgender healthcare and failed, again. Liberal MP James Stevens complained about transgender people being counted in the next census.
As anti-trans policies quickly grew overseas Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said she should not be bringing in similar policies. In New South Wales new hate speech laws were being debated, and there were calls to review the mandatory HIV testing laws.
David Polson, one Australian leading campaigners in the realm of HIV, and founder of Qtopia, the LGBTIQA+ museum in Sydney, died at the age of 70.
In the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer showed how easy it was to take a HIV test. His action came as new research showed heterosexual British men were not getting the message about HIV.
In Washington DC a military helicopter colliding with a plane, online internet sleuths quickly blamed transgender polit Jo Ellis for the tragedy. She wasn’t the pilot of the helicopter.
In London football superstar Sam Kerr headed to court accused of racially abusing a taxi driver. She was found not guilty.
Binary boss Kirralie Smith was handed an apprehended violence order over her campaigning against people who are transgender who play sport. retiring Labor MP Graham Perrett spoke about the importance of politicians being trans allies.
Tasmania politician was Louise Elliot was the latest politician to claim that students were identifying as cats and using kitty litter trays in class. She came back at OUTinPerth with quite a response when we asked for more details on her claim. Later in the month there were claims that a Queensland school teacher presented at work as a cat. The teacher said there was no truth to the claim.
We chatted to the amazing Alok Vaid-Menon about the state of the world, comedy, and fashion choices. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras got underway.
A study from researchers in NSW found LGBTIQA+ SB people experience sexual violence at a much higher rate than the average person.
South African police began investigating the shooting death of gay Muslim imam Muhsin Hendricks. They’re still looking for his killers.
On The Local Front
As the Western Australian election drew closer one local politican tried to cash in on the overseas popularity of Donald Trump, the politician changed his name to Austin Letts Trump. He then urged other politicians he was aligned with change their names too.
The Greens shared their specific LGBTIQA+ policies, and would go on to have their largest lower house representation ever after the votes were counted.
Paul Mansfield the Liberal candidate for Darling Range was asked about posts on his social media that made fun of LGBTIQA+ people and other posts that were described as degrading to women, he said he couldn’t remember posting them. He did not win.
The Liberals Albany candidate Tomas Brough was referred to a medical tribunal over his professional conduct.
The Liberal candidate for Kimberly was dropped by the party over posts he’d made on social media that were racist. He did not win. Premier Roger Cook questioned why Liberal leader Libby Mettam took a stance against Spackman when so many others in her party had been let off.
The Australian Christian Lobby threw their support behind Basil Zempilas in his run for the seat of Churchlands. Rainbow Futures released their election scorecard analysing policies from an LGBTIQA+ perspective.
Western Australian police charged a sixth Perth teenager over a series of homophobic assaults that had occurred in the city’s southern suburbs. Former UWA academic Malcolm Ernest Greenway was jailed for having sex with underage boys.
Culture and Celebrity
Kylie Minogue kicked off her Tenson World Tour here in Perth. Ahead of the tour she released a new collaboration with Alok. Initially the tour got bad reviews – but they were from people who had not been at the show but were checking out short clips online – including some newspaper journalists.
Acclaimed American author Tom Robbins died at the age of 92, singer Gwen McRae also died, as did Roberta Flack. Mystery surrounded the tragic death of Hollywood legend Gene Hackman.
Radio station Triple M quickly parted ways with host Marty Sheargold after he made a series of offensive remarks on air.
We chatted to the amazing Pamela Rabe about her role in August Osage County, and also caught up with cast mates Bee Cruse.
The musical Jesus Christ Superstar came to town, opinions were mixed. Larsen C was brilliant.
The Village People threated comedian Jim Jeffries with legal action after he mocked their claims that YMCA did not have any gay subtext. Songwriter Billy Steinberg shared that he’d only met Madonna one time despite writing one of her most iconic hits.
We got our first look at the Uzo Aduba series The Residence, later in the year it would be one of our must-watch shows. Kylie Minogue is in the series too – she’s everywhere.
Stephen Oliver and Narelda Jacobs were in tow filming The Big Backyard Quiz. Sue Perkins headed off on a big adventure, and Max Balegde and Geraldine Hickey were booted from I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
Our weekly obsession with The White Lotus began. Russell T Davies revealed her was at work on a new series to be set in Manchester’s Canal Street gay village, it’ll be his fourth series set i nthe location following Queer as Folk, Bon and Rose and dual series Cucumber and Banana.
Invisible Boys arrived on Stan – which was really frustrating for one OIP editor who was overseas and had to wait until he return to Australia to see it. Holden Shepard shared the cover of his next book King of Dirt.
Elliot Page revealed he’d signed on for Christopher Nolan’s epic film undertaking The Odyssey. Daniel Craig impressed us in Queer. We got a look at Jacob Elordi’s film On Swift Horses.
Lady Gaga blew our minds with Abracadabra. We chatted with the legendary Marc Almond. We discover the music of Ruby Gill. Robert Baxter had a new tune.
Eurovision grew closer and we began checking out more of the acts taking part. Australia picked Go-Jo as our representative.
