Pascal Kaiser, left, kisses his fiance, Moritz, on the field – Photo: FC Koln via Instagram, Inset Photo: Pascal Kaiser via Instagram
Pascal Kaiser, a bisexual German football referee, proposed to his boyfriend, Moritz, at Cologne’s RheinEnergieStadion ahead of a January 30 match between 1. FC Köln and VfL Wolfsburg, which ended in a 1-0 victory. Nearly 50,000 spectators witnessed the moment, which was widely shared online, according to the British magazine Attitude.
During the proposal, Kaiser emphasized queer visibility in sport, saying he wanted people to see “a man loving a man in football.” The video became one of FC Köln’s most-liked Instagram Reels, with the team calling it a “special moment.” It has received more than 184,000 likes.
In the days after the proposal went viral, Kaiser received threats tied to it, including messages referencing his home address, according to the French newspaper L’Équipe. He said he contacted police, who sent officers to patrol the area around his Cologne home but advised there was no immediate danger.
About 20 minutes after speaking with police, Kaiser says he went into his garden to smoke a cigarette and found three men waiting for him. He says they attacked him, leaving him with an injury to his right eye.
Kaiser’s lawyer, Moritz Lange, told German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle that Kaiser — who posted a photo of his bruised face on Instagram — was admitted to the hospital after the assault. Lange said that prior to the attack, Kaiser had received a message reading: “We see you and follow you. Just wait until the police are no longer there.”
Police said the motives for the attack remain unclear, adding that Germany’s security services are aware of the case and are examining it as a potential hate crime motivated by homophobia.
After the proposal went viral, a local Cologne bar accused Kaiser of fraud during his time working there — allegations he denied. Lange said the bar publicized Kaiser’s home address in retaliation, which the bar denies, according to Deutsche Welle.
Spanish politician and LGBTQ activist Carla Antonelli shared an image of Kaiser’s bruised face from his Instagram account.
“Terrible message, if you make yourself visible, we’ll put you in the closet,” she wrote.
Kaiser, one of the few openly LGBTQ referees in professional European football, alongside Ryan Atkin and James Adcock of the United Kingdom. “I see this as my mission: to create visibility. To be a voice. And to encourage people who aren’t yet brave enough to speak up,” he told the German queer news outlet Schwulissimolast year.
“I know how lonely it can be to think you’re the only one. I want no one to have to feel that way again,” he said, speaking about the isolation that can accompany coming out.
He also urged closeted players to give football a chance despite concerns about homophobia in the sport.
“Don’t let outdated notions of masculinity or stupid comments convince you that you don’t belong here,” he said. “Because you don’t just have a place — your presence changes the space. Maybe it won’t always be easy. Maybe you’ll hear things that hurt. But you’ll also experience how strong you truly are.”
A man shopping in the cereal aisle of an Alexandria, Virginia, Giant supermarket on Christmas Day was accosted by an angry woman who hurled anti-gay slurs at him while shoving his cart and placing her hands on him.
The confrontation was captured in a video later posted to TikTok. "Just got hate-crimed in the grocery store. TikTok do your thing," wrote the user, who goes by the handle @deonteiy.
A New York City subway rider was slashed in the face earlier this month by an unidentified assailant who took offense to him kissing his transgender partner. The attack occurred around 7:50 p.m. on January 10 aboard a southbound No. 6 train as it traveled through Manhattan.
According to police, the 28-year-old victim was kissing his partner when the suspect began shouting anti-gay slurs. The verbal abuse quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. During the argument, the suspect struck the victim with a sharp object, causing a deep laceration on the right side of his face, according to New York CW affiliate WPIX.
Some LGBTQ athletes from the United States got off to a strong start at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games, bringing home at least two gold medals in the opening days.
Breezy Johnson led the charge, winning the women's downhill skiing competition to become the first out LGBTQ athlete and the first American to capture gold at these Games. The 30-year-old defending downhill world champion finished the course in 1 minute 36.10 seconds, according to Outsports.
Johnson fell off the pace early in her run but steadily built speed, charging through the section where she crashed four years ago at nearly 70 miles per hour. After crossing the finish line, she endured a tense wait as other competitors took their turns. Her winning time was nearly eclipsed by Germany's Emma Aicher, who finished just four-hundredths of a second behind her.
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