The assassination of Charlie Kirk was one of the biggest stories of the year, and the OUTinPerth team shared the news just minutes after confirmation of his death arrived.
Here at home the local government elections brough a whole range of questionable candidates and calls for reform in the sector.
News and Politics
Trump ally and right-wing conservative speaker Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at a Utah university. Soon after a suspect was announced to be in custody and President Trump called for the death penalty to be applied.
Tyler Robinson was revealed to be the alleged shooter and police revealed messages he’d allegedly written on the shell casings. There was also reports that he had been in a relationship with a transgender woman, although to date no official motive has been put forward by authorities. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty but stressed President Trump’s call for it had not been a factor.
In Arizona police arrested a man after he threated to shoot up a gay bar in Charlie Kirk’s honour. In Texas a man was jailed for threatening a Pride parade, while in Missouri police investigated threats against a Pride centre.
US politician Ashely Hinson said she was appalled to find out that teenagers knew about bisexuality.
Pope Leo XIV met with the Reverend James Martin who ministers to the LGBTIQA+ communities. French first lady Brigitte Marcon filed a lawsuit against conservative commentator Candice Owens. Owens has repeatedly claimed that Macron is secretly transgender.
African nation Burkina Faso brought in ew laws criminalising homosexuality.
The Trump administration explored banning transgender people from owning guns. President Trump also said he’d have no problem banning Pride flags from Washington’s streets. Tucker Carlson said former Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg was a “fake gay”. Buttigieg declined to take the test. It was revealed that Kamala Harris wanted Buttigieg to be her running mate but it was deemed to risky to have a Black woman and a gay man on the ticket.
New research showed more families were being created through IVF. Another piece of research showed a growing number of Australians considered homosexuality to be immoral. Across the globe anti-LGBTIOQA+ rhetoric in elections was growing.
Habitual fraudster Dong Qiao Li was sentenced to three months behind bars. He had been hooking up with men via Grindr in luxury hotels and then stealing their credit cards. As broadcaster Alan Jones headed to court police added more charges in his case with alleged multiple occasions of sexual harassment and assault, some were dropped soon after.
Sussan Ley dumped Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the coalition’s front bench after the senator publicly declined to back Ley’s leadership.
Police in Tasmania arrested someone over the vandalism to Pride flags earlier in the year. In the state’s parliament there unanimous support for a financial redress scheme for people affected by the state’s previous laws against homosexuality and cross-dressing.
We chatted to Professor Paula Gerber about her new book and the need for legal protections for people who are transgender.
Former AFL boss Andrew Demetriou shared his thoughts on how the game would respond to a current player announcing they were gay or bisexual saying they’d be welcomed.
Sydney’s iconic LGBTIQA+ Book Shop in Darlinghurst announced it would be closing after more than 40 years of operations.
On the Local Front
The City of Perth extended the lease Pride WA have on their Northbridge home until 2030. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence proposed a giant memorial to people affected by gay hate crimes and homophobia. The Perth Gay Men’s Chorus was launched.
Dr Daniel Vujcich from WAAC talked about the 2030 goals of tackling HIV transmission.
Police in Perth issued a warning about vigilante groups taking the law into their own hands after video emerged of teenage boys luring people to meetings via dating apps and then accusing them of being pedophiles. In a separate case, two more teenagers were sentenced over vigilante style attacks where gay men were lured using dating app Grindr.
The local government elections campaign began, Busselton had a known neo-Nazi candidate who wanted to ban Pride symbols. The mayor asked people to really look at the candidates before voting. A candidate in Albany denied she had compared the Pride flag to Nazi Germany in a social media comment. While another candidate in an exclusive Perth suburb was revealed to be before the courts on charges of making a Nazi sign.
People asked the state government what ever happened to it’s reform of hate speech laws. The state government said it was open to reforms and compulsory voting in the future.
We chatted to Denise Mercer who was running for a seat in Joondalup.
Debate began in the Legislative Assembly about updating the state’s laws around surrogacy and Assisted Reproductive Technology and there was concern about the tone of the debate. Deputy Liberal leader Libby Mettam said she was opposed to the bill, but leader Basil Zempilas voiced support. The bill passed the lower house.
In the Legislative Assembly Liberal MP Michelle Hoffman presented a petition against the surrogacy laws.
Culture and Celebrity
People questioned if Snoop Dogg was the best choice for the AFL Grand Final entertainment, given they’d been battling platers making homophobic comments all year, and the rapper had just made a comment about queer characters in kids films.
US singer D4vid was helping police with their inquires when a girls decomposing body was found in the boot of his car that had been taken to an impound compound.
Adelaide Crows player Izak Rankine returned to Australia after serving most of his four week suspension overseas, he apologised for using gay slurs on the field.
Fashion designer Giorgio Armani died at the age of 91. Drag star Maxi Shield announced she was undergoing treatment for cancer. The Broadway production of Cabaret announced it would be closing earlier than expected after star Billy Porter fell ill.
Basketballer Jason Collins shared that he’d been diagnosed with brain cancer. Darren Hayes shared he was on the mend after nearly dying earlier in the year. Dolly Parton also revealed some health challenges. Singer Lola Young collapsed on stage in the USA.
Filmmaker Stefan Elliot shared that before actor Terence Stamp died he had already filmed scenes for a Priscilla sequel.
Tina Arena announced she’d be celebrating her 50 years in the entertainment industry, the National Gallery unveiled a stunning portrait of the singer.
Former Australian Idol contestant Cle returned to our screen on The Voice and shared the heartbreaking story of losing her wife. Aussie band Playlunch took on a queer classic for Triple J’s Like a Version. Brandi Carlisle had new music. Omar Rudberg shared his video for the emotional song Dying.
After Lizzo’s album sank without a trace she released a mixtape, which also sank without a trace. Sophie Ellis-Bextor announced a tour for 2026. Madonna announced a new album would be coming in 2026. Morrissey canceled shows in the USA after getting death threats. Singer songwriter Labi Sifre asked far right politicians to stop using his music at their rallies.
US Late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live was taken off the air after threats from the broadcasting authority chairman, a key ally of President Trump. It was quickly brought back though after a massive viewer backlash that drove down corporate owner Disney’s stock price. Former President Barack Obama sounded the alarm on the current administration’s media intimidation.
Writer and anti-transgender campaigner Graham Lineham was arrested in London, the charges were later dropped. Business writer Malcolm Gladwell said he was opposed to transgender people playing sport in the category aligning with their gender.
Alan Cumming and David Morrissey joined the cast of Russell T Davies new show Tip Toe. The film Jimpa announced its Australian premiere would be at the 2026 Adelaide Film Festival. Heartstopper star Joe Locke was filming a new thriller.
The second season of The English Teacher arrived, and Mae Martin delivered spooky series Wayward. It was revealed that Gretel Killeen would host a new version of The Traitors – Australia. Nathan Lane’s comedy Mid-Century Modern was cancelled.
Australian director Michael Shanks was shocked to discover gay characters in his film Together had been replaced with the use of A.I. for screenings in China. The film was pulled from distribution in the region.
Olympian Greg Louganis revealed he’d sold his medals to fund a relocation to Panama. Comedy legend Sandra Bernhard announced a huge tour including a date in Perth, but the show was later quietly cancelled due to “scheduling” issues.
The WA Ballet revealed bold new work Butterfly Effect. Blue Room show Leg Business left an impression. Jenny Rogerson won The Lester Prize for portraiture. Emily Williams and Greg Gould celebrated the lives and careers of Whitney Houston and George Michael.
We chatted to King Princess. Mo’Ju got on the line too.
Australia’s communications watchdog released its findings into radio broadcaster Marty Sheargold’s controversial and offensive comments from earlier in the year saying he definitely stepped over the line. Adult film star Austin Wolf was sentenced to 19 years in prison over child sex offences.
