Chicago elects black, gay woman as mayor in historic vote

People react on Saint Peter's Square after Pope Francis voiced support for same-sex couples, calling them "children of God" and saying they should be allowed to have legally recognised civil unions, in a radical shift from the positions of previous pontiffs.

Waving rainbow flags and shedding tears of joy, two Taiwanese same-sex couples tie the knot at a mass wedding hosted by the military in a landmark for Asia's LGBT community.

When you think of your typical American cowboy, you imagine the hat, the stirrups, the horse... And chances are you probably imagine him a white man. And yet, after the civil war, as many as one-third of all cowboys were black. That reality, however, has been either hidden, ignored or overlooked in both American history books and in the country’s pop culture. But a group of modern-day cowboys is trying to change just that.

American travelers pack into Chicago O'Hare's departure hall ahead of Christmas, despite official warnings to stay put over the holiday period to curb the spread of Covid-19 across the country.

Demonstrators march through the streets of Chicago in memory of victims of gun violence. The number of victims has risen dramatically in the third-largest US city in 2020. Police in the Windy City recorded 762 homicides in 2020, up 55 percent from 2019, according to a December 27 count.

Browsing the internet as a young policeman in China, Ma Baoli recalls the sheer volume of web pages telling him he was a pervert, diseased and in need of treatment -- simply because he was gay. Two decades later, the softly spoken 43-year-old now helms Blued, one of the world's largest dating platforms for gay men. Two decades later, the softly spoken 43-year-old now helms Blued, one of the world's largest dating platforms for gay men.

The US Senate confirms Joe Biden's pick for secretary of transportation in a 86-13 vote, making Pete Buttigieg the first openly gay member of a White House cabinet.

Barber Mike Brown has made it his mission to raise awareness around misinformation over Covid vaccines as he gives his African-American customers a new haircut. "A lot of the Black people in the community, they don't trust the corporate-level pharmaceutical companies," he says. "They won't really go to a doctor or see a doctor until their arm is about to fall off."

Images from the Chicago Fire Department show the moment a desperate cat leap from the 5th floor of a burning multi-story apartment building in Chicago on Thursday afternoon. The black cat appears through the thick smoke at a broken window and pauses for a second before taking the plunge. Onlookers gasp as the cat falls gracefully through the air before landing on his feet with a bounce on the grass.

As an LGBTQ activist and Vietnam's first openly gay candidate running for a seat in the one-party state's parliament, Luong The Huy is determined to spearhead lasting change. He is one of nine independent candidates running in Sunday's elections, and hopes to boost the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the southeast Asian country.

A few weeks ago, at the Vatican, the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published an official document reiterating that Catholic priests cannot give blessings to same-sex unions. The document was supposed to draw a definitive line under the issue, but instead it sparked controversy and further debate. Indeed, some priests reject the interpretation, judging it "hurtful" to gay couples and calling for more openness. Our correspondents report from northern Italy.

NFL player Carl Nassib has taken to Instagram to come out as gay. The move is being called a watershed moment for American football, the country's most popular sport. Nassib's announcement comes as he enters his sixth season in the league and during Pride Month. We take a closer look.