Rainbow flag designer passes away, Chechnya rounds up over 100 gay men, Gia Gunn comes out as trans, Dutch couple victims of homophobic hate crime and Mariah Carey’s George Michael tribute: the biggest international LGBT stories in today’s Cuppán Gay

• Chechen police “have rounded up more than 100 suspected gay men” in a horrifying anti-gay purge. The Guardian reports that Chechen authorities have rounded up over 100 men suspected of being gay, and killed three men during the roundup process. Alvi Karimov, spokesperson for the Russian republic of Chechnya’s leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, called the report “absolute lies and disinformation,” with the denial being based on a claim that there were no gay people in the predominantly Muslim Chechnya. “You cannot detain and persecute people who simply do not exist in the republic,” he said. (The Guardian)

• Former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Gia Gunn comes out as trans. The drag queen took to Instagram to share her story, writing “This is me,” on International Transgender Visibility Day.  “I have been on hormone replacement therapy now for almost about a year and I identify as female and I indeed am transgender.” (Huffington Post)

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• Mariah Carey performs a touching George Michael tribute in Dubai. “This is George Michael, one of his greatest records. I always loved him, he was a really great person. So we’ll make it through this,” Mariah said before launching into ‘One More Try’ from Michael’s album Faith. (Facebook)

• A Dutch gay couple was attacked this weekend by a group of six to eight teens and assaulted with a bolt cutters. “I think they were Moroccans. They began to shout: disgusting, dirty, homo,” Jasper told RTL. “Suddenly I saw a guy pull bolt cutters out of his jacket and I heard Ronnie screaming: Jasper, Jasper, they knocked all my teeth out of my mouth’.” (Towleroad)

• The creator of the LGBT rainbow flag, Gilbert Baker, passes away leading a homophobic radio host to claim the LGBT community was culpable of the “worst example of cultural appropriation ever.” (Attitude)

Worst example of cultural appropriation ever: LGBTs stole the rainbow from God. It's his. He invented it. Gen. 9:11-17. Give it back.

— Rev. Bryan Fischer – Host, Bryan Fischer Podcast (@BryanJFischer) April 2, 2017

That’s it for today’s Cuppán Gay.