The Council of Europe has successfully voted to ban so-called ‘conversion therapy’ despite anti-trans lobbying calling for a ban to be reconsidered.

The human rights body, which is separate from the European Union, voted to pass a resolution brought by labour MP Kate Osborne calling for the abusive practices to be prohibited across its 26 member states.

So-called ‘conversion practices‘ are acts of physical or psychological abuse that attempt to change an LGBTQ+ person’s sexuality or gender identity, which is not possible. They are typically performed by conservative religious groups and includes forms of torture such as shock therapy.

Seventy-one members voted in favour of banning continued use of the widely-condemned tactic during a Thursday (28 January) vote. Twenty-six members voted against it, and two abstained.

Osborne, 59, tabled the resolution on 6 January as part of a campaign urging member states to “prevent and counter the harm caused” by conversion practices.

“Conversion practices have no scientific basis and have harmful consequences on the individuals to them,” Osborne wrote.

“They induce or strengthen feelings of shame, guilt, self-disgust, and worthlessness, and lead to increased rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts.”

According to the Trevor Project, survivors of conversion practices are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide and nearly three times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in a year.

Sex Matters condemned for lobbying against conversion therapy ban

Members succeeded in passing the ban despite lobbying from the ‘gender-critical’ group Sex Matters, which called on the Council Europe to reject what it described as a “shocking resolution”.

It claimed in a statement that prohibiting conversion practices would make it “even harder” to subject trans youngsters to psychological screenings, which it insisted could reveal whether they are “confused about their sex”.

The statement called on supporters to email their MPs over their concerns that the resolution would sanction those who “do not affirm a child’s declared trans identity”.

Despite Sex Matters’ claims that trans children can grow out of their gender dysphoria, research from the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) reports that they are as consistent in their identity as cisgender youngsters.

In the lead-up to the vote, legal campaign organisation, Good Law Project, urged immediate action against Sex Matters for attempting to repeal the resolution.

According to the organisation, more than 10,000 people emailed their UK parliamentary representatives at the Council of Europe urging for them to “stand up for what’s right”.

Good Law Project’s trans rights lead, Jess O’Thomson, said following the resolution’s passage that the vote was a major win for the community and all marginalised people.

“As a member of the queer community, I sadly have many friends who have been subjected to conversion practices. I was unfortunate enough to experience them myself,” they said. “No person deserves to be tortured for who they are.”

O’Thomson turned next to the UK government, which has yet to follow-through on its promise to ban conversion therapy after former prime minister Theresa May made the pledge in 2018.

“It’s now time for the UK government to follow the Council of Europe and ensure a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices,” they said.

Share your story! Do you have an important, exciting or uplifting story to tell? Email us at news@pinknews.co.uk

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Nintendo’s upcoming game Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will allow players to form same-sex couples as well as permitting the creation of non-binary and asexual characters.

After nearly a decade of waiting and hoping, the Nintendo Switch game will allow players to select gender identity and dating preferences during character creation. This gender and sexuality update, however, though warmly welcomed by fans, has (predictably) triggered some right-wingers.

Tomodachi Life, first released in 2013, follows the daily lives of Mii characters, known as islanders. Gamers oversee the Mii’s interactions as they build relationships, solve problems, and interact with the player on a remote island.

When creating a character, players will be able to select the character’s gender. Options displayed appear as male, female and non-binary.

“TOMODACHI LIFE HAS NON BINARY OPTIONS OMFG NINTENDO HAS GONE WOKE,” one fan posted with confetti canon emojis.

TOMODACHI LIFE HAS NON BINARY OPTIONS OMFG NINTENDO HAS GONE WOKE pic.twitter.com/AokM08x8KY

— bea (@SlLENTPRINCESS) January 29, 2026

Then, you can also choose the Mii’s dating preferences. A note on the screen reads: “You can pick one, more than one, or none.” Options that appear allow a character to be attracted to male characters, female characters, non-binary characters, any or none of the options.

‘My jaw dropped, I feel seen.’

This essentially means that gamers can create gay, lesbian, bisexual and asexual Miis.

“Oh my god you can actually be asexual in Tomodachi Life holy s**t my jaw dropped, I feel seen,” another fan posted.

Oh my god you can actually be Asexual in Tomodachi Life holy shit my jaw dropped, I feel seen pic.twitter.com/Y9N5DdyJHi

— PJiggles (@PJiggles_) January 29, 2026

Previously, Nintendo had said it didn’t plan to add same-sex relationships to the game because it “never intended to make any form of social commentary.”

However, following backlash to the comment, the game company released a statement that it would “strive to design a gameplay experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players”.

While many were thrilled with this update, others were angered by it.

“Really???” one user posted in response to the news of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s dating preferences.

Another, in response to the same post, shared: “rip Nintendo”

“As if I had another reason to not buy this game,” one user also posted.

However, overwhelmingly, the response to the new Tomodachi Life era has been positive.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream heads to Nintendo Switch on 16 April 2026.

The post Nintendo fans rejoice as game adds LGBTQ+ options – but right-wingers are fuming appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Kennedy Center vice president Kevin Couch has stepped down just 12 days after being appointed to the role. 

During his short stint, Couch served as vice president of artistic programming at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, known as the Kennedy Center – the national cultural centre of the US.

In December, Kennedy Center’s board “unanimously” voted to rename the institution the Trump-Kennedy Center following Trump replacing the chairman with himself and removing existing board members. 

Couch’s appointment followed his predecessor, Jeffrey Finn, resigning in September after nearly a decade. Finn gave no reason for his departure. 

The entertainment leader stepped down on Wednesday (28 January), but gave no reason why, as per The Washington Post. 

His departure comes less than two weeks after the centre announced his success in securing the role. 

In a statement announcing his appointment, Couch said at the time: “I am honored to join the Trump Kennedy Center at such a pivotal moment for the performing arts. 

“I look forward to the extraordinary creative possibilities ahead — championing our artists and partners to deliver meaningful experiences at America’s cultural center.”

The change to the centre’s name prompted artists protest by refusing to perform, with Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz cancelling his appearance, joining the Hamilton musical production, actor Issa Rae, veteran jazz band The Cookers and musician Chuck Redd, who has hosted a Christmas performance since 2006. 

The Kennedy Center has been embroiled in growing controversy. Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors 2025 where he claimed he “turned down plenty” of “too woke” nominees.

Also, ticket sales at the Kennedy Center have plummeted. According to a report from The Washington Post, sales for orchestra, theatre and dance performances are the worst they’ve been since the pandemic.

The report outlines that over 43 per cent of seats went unsold between September 3 and October 19, compared to only 7 per cent during the same period in 2024.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

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Long-running TLC show 1000-Lb Sisters is back for its eighth season – and fan-favourite Tammy Slaton is completely unrecognisable from the first episode.

Starting back in 2020 off the back of Tammy and sister Amy’s popular YouTube channel, the reality show followed their difficult journey to lose weight. It’s also given fans a direct look at their personal lives, including their romantic relationships and their struggles with other family members.

Despite a difficult start for Tammy, she’s become the real success story of the show, losing around 500lbs and more recently finding love with her fiancée Andrea, after coming out as pansexual in 2021.

Slaton started off on the show weighing 608lbs, however she has said: “At my heaviest, I was 700+lbs.” Viewers watched as she struggled to crack her food addiction.

But in recent years, with the help of bariatric surgery, she’s dropped to an incredible 238lbs.

“Everybody keeps telling me I’m looking smaller than Amy,” she said on the show. “That’s kind of hard to believe.”

The sisters started the show with a combined weight of over 1,000lbs, hence the 1000-Lb Sisters title. So how did Tammy lose the weight?

How did Tammy Slaton lose weight?

Tammy and Amy had been struggling with their weight all their lives, turning to food as a comfort when their grandmother died.

However when the show started, Tammy was seen really trying to kick bad habits. She first went to rehab for food addiction, but she still struggled, leaving one centre early in 2021.

She left the centre after shedding 60lbs, which was 40lbs less than her goal. In season three, she said it had showed her what she needed to do, so she didn’t need to be there anymore.

But she soon put the weight back on – and more – and went to her heaviest weight of 725 lbs.

She was put in an induced coma because her lungs had “given up”, and three weeks later she was released from hospital.

Things started to change in 2022.

She entered another facility in Ohio and lost 180lbs, which meant she was eligible for bariatric surgery. The surgery decrease’s a patient’s food consumption. Tammy had the surgery the same year.

By the summer of 2023, after checking into another facility, she had lost almost 300lbs.

Fast forward to the season seven premiere of 1000-Lb Sisters, which aired in early 2025, Tammy shared that she was “down 500lbs”.

However, her extreme weight loss left her with some other issues which needed more surgery.

What surgeries has Tammy Slaton had?

After her successful bariatric surgery, Tammy was left with a lot of loose skin all over her body.

During an eight-hour procedure, the reality star had more than 15lbs of excess skin removed from her lower stomach, “bat wing” arms and her chin.

The surgery journey was documented on the seventh season of the show in 2025.

And it’s clear she’s enjoying her new life and showing off her results.

In a recent episode, she told a friend she’d had something done to her face too to help with her smile, as her weight had left her with a “resting b**** face”.

And it’s safe to say she’s been smiling plenty, as she has a new love in her life.

Last year, she got engaged to her partner Andrea Dalton, and their relationship is documented on season eight of the show.

1000-Lb Sisters airs on TLC.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.

The post 1000-Lb Sisters’ Tammy Slaton’s weight loss journey and surgery she’s had appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney is the latest target of anti-LGBTQ+ fake news, after an viral Instagram post alleged that she donated money to “find a cure” for being queer.

The unsubstantiated claim states that the 28-year-old actor donated $1,000,000 to “advocacy groups”. This latest rumour comes just weeks after conspiracy theorists claimed she is secretly transgender.

It began with a post on Wednesday (28 January) that outlined the fake news, which subsequently went viral. At the time of writing, the post has over 95,400 likes.

However, the account’s bio reads: “This page features satire and parody stories that are exaggerated, developing fictional — created for entertainment purposes only.”

View this post on Instagram

The post details: “The actress was widely praised for the seven-figure donation, which supporters called one of the most meaningful celebrity contributions in recent memory.

“Advocacy groups applauded the move, saying the money could significantly boost healthcare, education, and outreach programs.

“During a discussion tied to the donation, Sweeney allegedly said she hoped “they find a cure”.”

In the comments, one user noted: “It’s sad how many people think this is true.” Another wrote: “Obviously this isn’t real.”

A number of comments seem to believe the post, which also attracted a significant volume of anti-LGBTQ+ hate speech. One person wrote: “They do need a cure… it is a sickness that needs real funding.” Another comment (which we reported to Meta) incited violence against the queer community: “There is a cure. Slugs and bullets.”

These sorts of posts, aiming for virality, are no rarity online. In fact, the Sydney Sweeney rumour is reminiscent of targeted posts about Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown, claiming she was homophobic.

Outside of this fabricated ‘news’, Sweeney’s controversial comments have made headlines recently.

In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, Sweeney said she does not want to engage with claims that she is a “MAGA Barbie.”

She outlined: “I’ve never been here to talk about politics. I’ve always been here to make art, so this is just not a conversation I want to be at the forefront of.

“And I think because of that, people want to take it even further and use me as their own pawn. But it’s somebody else assigning something to me, and I can’t control that.”

She furthered that she’s “not a hateful person” but says there’s “no winning” when it comes to correcting MAGA claims.

“I can’t make everyone love me. I know what I stand for,” she also noted.

Sweeney became embroiled in controversy last year after her “great jeans” American Eagle ad was perceived to align with right-wing political views. Many claimed the ad made light of white supremacist and eugenicist rhetoric.

The Trump administration defended the ad, calling those outraged “moronic and dense”.

This wasn’t the first time Sweeney was roped into the right-wing political circle. In 2022, she shared images where her family members were wearing MAGA hats and “Blue Lives Matter” shirts.

Addressing the controversy, Sweeney tweeted: “You guys this is wild. An innocent celebration for my mom’s milestone 60th birthday has turned into an absurd political statement, which was not the attention. Please stop making assumptions.”

The post No, Sydney Sweeney hasn’t donated $1,000,000 to ‘cure’ the LGBTQ+ community appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.

Happy birthday Olivia Colman! The Oscar-winning Heartstopper star turns 52 today (30 January), and to mark the occasion, we thought it would be a good time to highlight her inspiring LGBTQ+ allyship over the years.

Olivia Colman first rose to fame in cult comedy Peep Show (2003-2015), but her major breakthrough came with the hit drama series Broadchurch (2013-2017), where she starred alongside David Tennant.

Since then, her career has gone from strength to strength, racking up awards along the way. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite (2018) and her acclaimed performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown bagged her both a Golden Globe and an Emmy.

But despite her ever-increasing fame, she has stayed loyal to the LGBTQ+ community, and has always been an outspoken supporter of the queer community. Here are five examples of her excellent allyship:

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She condemned ‘violence and hostility against trans women’

In November 2020, Olivia Colman signed an open letter condemning “hostility and violence” against trans women, alongside other famous names such as Paloma Faith, to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls.

The open letter said: “We are feminists and we write, on international day for the elimination of violence against women and girls, to express our solidarity with trans women, particularly trans women of colour, who experience violence and hostility so frequently it is almost a way of life.

“Trans women are more likely to be murdered, more likely to be victims of violent attacks in their own homes, and more likely to be homeless, again increasing the risk of violence, than their cis sisters. 

“Those who use hostile, crude or mocking language towards trans women, demeaning their bodies, and refusing to accept that they are who they say they are, contribute to the culture which creates those discriminatory disparities,  a culture which de-humanises trans women and girls thereby legitimising prejudice and violence against them.

“Those people, many of them in high places of fame, wealth and power, absolutely do not speak for us.”

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She wishes she could work with the LGBTQ+ community ‘on every film’

Speaking to Vanity Fair in January 2025 about her film Jimpa, in which she plays the mother of a non-binary teenager, Colman shared her experience with working within LGBTQ+ spaces.

“The people on the film were all from the queer community, and I don’t know if it’s because they’ve had to all have a journey of their own to get to where they are—seen and confident—but I’ve never felt more welcomed by a group of people,” she said.

“I find it so upsetting and so mystifying that there is such hatred towards any group of people,” Colman continued. “But clearly, hatred can only come from people that just don’t know any of these people, because I don’t know how you could hate people that are so kind and lovely. It’s just about acceptance and love. How can that p*ss people off? I will never understand.”

She also shared that she loved being surrounded by the LGBTQ+ community on set. “If I could work with the queer community and trans people on every film, I’d have the happiest life,” she said.

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She backs LGBTQ+ inclusive education

In 2019, Olivia Colman backed LGBTQ+ inclusive education in a quick-fire video interview with Vogue for its ’73 Questions’ series.

In the video, filmed at the Ritz in London, she humorously answered questions over “high tea.”

But when she was asked: “Is there any particular cause that is important for you to get behind?” Colman responded: “I would like all children to have relationship classes in schools.”

From September 2020, in spite of protests, inclusive relationships and sex education became statutory in the UK. Primary school children learn about different types of families, including those with same-sex parents, while secondary school students learn about sexual orientation and gender identity.

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She blasted ‘bullies’ who forced Kit Connor to come out as bisexual

In 2022, Olivia Colman made it very clear that said she was “so proud” of Heartstopper co-star Kit Connor for the way he handled coming out as bisexual amid accusations of queerbaiting. 

Colman, who plays the 21-year-old’s mother on the Netflix series, shared her admiration for Connor at the LA premiere of her drama Empire of Light. 

“I am so proud of him, but I am not proud of how people bullied him,” Colman told Variety at the time.

“I think people should be allowed to have their own journey,” she added, “but I’m incredibly proud of him as a young man to deal with all of that and be in the spotlight. It’s unfair.

“But he’s amazing. He’s a very beautiful human being.”

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She said ‘gay rights’ at the 2019 BAFTAs

Comedy-drama The Favourite, which stars Colman as a lesbian Queen Anne, cleaned up at the 2019 BAFTAs on winning a total of seven awards, but despite having a very busy night, the proud ally still took time out of her evening to interact with an LGBTQ+ fan.

A young woman called Grace, who goes by @lgbtdisney on what was then Twitter, approached Olivia Colman and her co-star Rachel Weisz on the red carpet, and asked them to say “gay rights” into the camera.

They did, and the clips of the stars repeating the phrase racked up nearly half a million views between them.

Happy birthday Olivia Colman! Hope you have a fantastic day…. from all of your queer fans.

The post Five times Olivia Colman proved she’s an amazing LGBTQ+ ally appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.