The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington has sent its small ensemble, Potomac Fever, on a State Department-sponsored diplomacy tour to promote LGBTQ rights in Ukraine. This tour came about due to the success of our Cuba concert tour last summer. Earlier this year, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine called us up and said they loved what we did in Cuba, and would like us to bring that kind of diplomacy to Ukraine — a country that is deeply in need of unity on LGBTQ and other issues.

In a message marking the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), highlighted that celebrating cultural diversity is a way of recognizing that “the wealth of cultures is the constitutive power of humanity and an important asset for peace and development, the promotion of which is inseparable from the observance of human rights.”

President Obama says protecting LGBT rights worldwide remains an essential goal during his remaining tenure in office. “In too many places, LGBT individuals grow up forced to conceal or deny who they truly are for fear of persecution, discrimination and violence,” he said Tuesday in a statement. "All nations and all communities can, and must, do better.

In an ideal world, the Eurovision Song Contest would be all about music and cross-border camaraderie. In reality, delicate diplomacy is essential to prevent politics from spilling into the annual glitz fest. A cast of hopeful artists from 26 countries will compete in this year's final on Saturday in Sweden, homeland of inventor Alfred Nobel, who gave his name to the famous international peace price.

Advocacy groups in the U.S. and around the world will commemorate the annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia with a series of ceremonies, marches and other events. Special U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry is scheduled to speak at a Human Rights First reception at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 17. 

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has pledged to uphold press freedom, saying it is the government’s “constitutional responsibility” and an indispensable element that makes Hong Kong an international city. Leung was delivering a speech on Monday at the presentation ceremony of the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong’s annual news awards.

The German chancellor, Angel Merkel, has arrived in southern Turkey to inaugurate the EU aid programme for Syrians in the country, amid concerns that her visit validates Turkey’s creeping authoritarianism and overstates the EU’s humanitarian contribution to the Syrian crisis.

A week before President Barack Obama’s arrival to Argentina, the visit had already appeared in the major newspapers. Everyone pondered the agenda and the meaning of the trip. It was during this time that I received an email from the U.S. Embassy notifying me that I had been selected to participate in one of the major events that Obama would attend in Argentina: a town hall meeting.