Argentina: Trans footballer makes history by signing with premier league women’s team

by EMMA POWYS MAURICE 

The Argentinian football club Villa San Carlos has signed its first ever transgender player for the top women’s league, Primera Division A.

As well as being the first for the club, Argentine striker Mara Gomez, 22, will also be the first transgender woman ever to play in an official Argentine FA tournament.

Gomez previously played for Toronto City and the amateur league side Malvinas, where she won two league titles and became the club’s top goalscorer.

A picture of her standing next to another of the team’s newest acquisitions, Ludmila Angeli, went viral as a piece of the country’s footballing history.

“Being able to be in professional football represents a historical struggle,” she told EN24. “Just as women’s football fought for professionalisation, we all fight for the right to achieve a football in which we can all participate.” Read more via Pink News

China: Tech Giant Alibaba Releases Ad Featuring Same-Sex Couple

by Lexi Jones 

Chinese gay communities applauded tech giant Alibaba after it released an advertisement with, what seems to be, a same-sex couple.

The 23-second advertisement is for Tmall, an e-commerce platform owned by the company. It starts with a young man bringing another man home for Lunar New Year. He then introduces him to his family as “Kelvin.”

The father looks at the men with suspicion while two girls giggle at them. During dinner, the father hands Kelvin soup and Kelvin responds with, “Thanks, Dad,” creating an awkward silence. The ad then ends, promoting a discount for dried seeds and nuts.

LoveMatters, an organization providing education and advice about sex and relationships, shared the advertisement on Chinese social media site Weibo. It has since received over 25,000 shares and 4,500 comments. Read more via Grit Daily