Ghana: Activists detained

Reuters reported on June 4 that a court in Ghana has delayed bail on 21 LGBTQ+ activists, who were detained two weeks ago for "unlawful gathering," a charge rights groups reportedly deny. Reuters added the context of Ghana's laws against Gay sex, which is punishable by up to three years in prison.

Promoting Gay rights in itself is not illegal in the West African country, which hasn't prosecuted anyone for that in years, but human rights groups and researchers make it clear that LGBT people face blackmail and other abuse, while efforts to establish LBGT support centers are met with backlash from churches, lawmakers, and anti—Gay rights organizations.

A variety of firsts

NBC News is celebrating Pride this month with a digital wall of 30 stories of LGBTQ+ "firsts," in the US and beyond. It covers a wide spectrum of professions, achievements, nationalities, and identities, such as Charmane McGuffey, Ohio's first Lesbian sheriff; Gottmik, the first Transman drag queen; Sarah McBride, the first Transgender state senator in the US; and Nicholas Yatromanolakis, Greece's first Gay minister. Each story focuses on the voice and experiences of its subject, with brief biographies and personal quotations.