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On February 1st, 2009, she became the Prime Minister of Iceland and the first openly-gay head of state in the World. Thanks in part to her action to advance the rights of women and the LGBT population, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir remains very popular, in a country that remains highly weary of politicians.

It’s getting hot in here! Montréal’s own Sarah Bernard, aka 2Bmag’s chosen nakedly amitious DJ The Salivation Army gives it her all for her birthday, this Sat., Jan 28th at the RP. Free entry before 11.

Mad Men, Proust, and Gay Sex in the 70s all make the reference list for American gay writer par excellence Edmund White’s new work, Jack Holmes and His Friend, serving unrequited love with a big twist and lots (and lots) of sex.

In a meeting of the Royal Commonwealth Society in London, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird urged the 41 Commonwealth Nations that still have laws criminalising homosexuality to protect their gay citizens, equating the laws to a “hangover” from a bygone era.

For its forth edition, the Massimadi Festival has a thoughtful home-grown documentary and a host of LGBT feature films filling its exciting programme of Afro-Caribbean cinema. Photo of Alexis Musanganya and Arc-en-ciel d’Afrique members Carlos Ibidouo and Steve François by inkedKenny, special to 2Bmag.

The Montréal launch of Will Aitken’s new book on the Luchino Visconti gay classic takes place this Thursday, Jan 26, 6pm. Mark Ambrose Harris tells us why this canonical tale of pederastic desire – that won the Palme d’Or over forty years ago – is still relevant today.

A Canadian justice department lawyer sparked a media frenzy last week when he told a foreign lesbian couple who were married in Canada and seeking a divorce that there was no need, arguing that same-sex marriages performed in Canada are not “legally valid” unless also recognized by a couple’s home country. Mike Hawrysh recaps the drama that ensued…

Activist Doris Peltier comes to Concordia to speak about Aboriginal women and HIV/AIDS, Thursday, January 26 at 6 pm. Her talk at Concordia will no doubt be potent, as she discusses the historical legacies of abuse and colonialism that affect the way Aboriginal women confront HIV/AIDS.

Unitarian Delegate to the United Nations Bruce Knotts on patience, persistence, and religious responses to the global homophobia epidemic. His Compass for Compassion coalition of faith leaders and diplomats are trying to fight the homophobic fire with a fire for justice at the international level.

Straddling the banks of the Danube in central Hungary, Budapest is one of Europe’s most delightful cities with its artistic abundance of concerts, galas, exhibitions, and large bath complexes. Yet this attractive picture sharply contrasts with the recent protests against the anti-gay laws that have come into effect in January of this year.