One of the most prolific and popular actors of his generation, he reflects on therapy, homophobia, why he suspects now is the worst time in history for trans people, and his secret life as a geek

Russell Tovey’s best characters often seem to have it all together, typically as a barrier to further interrogation. Take his recent projects: in surreal BBC sitcom Juice, Tovey plays Guy, a buttoned-up therapist with a seemingly perfect life, hobbled by an aversion to recklessness. Then there’s the closeted Andrew Waters in award-winning American indie film Plainclothes, a well-respected married man of faith who secretly cruises New York shopping mall toilets. Even in the forthcoming Doctor Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, Tovey’s character, Barclay, is an ordinary office clerk who is swept up into a planet-saving mission while trying to keep his family from falling apart. In each performance, Tovey anchors his characters with a beguiling mix of strength, empathy and vulnerability.

In interviews, the immaculately put together Tovey, 44, often seems similarly well-adjusted, speaking eloquently about his acting, his passion for art (he co-hosts the successful podcast Talk Art and has co-written three books on the subject) and his advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Flaws, if there are any, are carefully stage-managed.

Complaint slams government’s actions as ‘unlawful and invalid’ after air force revoked early retirement benefits

A group of 17 transgender US air force members has sued the Trump administration for denying them early retirement pensions and benefits.

The complaint, submitted in federal court, describes the government’s move against them as “unlawful and invalid”.

Withdrawal of Blued and Finka raises fears of further crackdowns on LGBT rights amid growing restrictions

Two of China’s most popular gay dating apps have disappeared from app stores in the country, raising fears of a further crackdown on LGBT communities.

As of Tuesday, Blued and Finka were unavailable on Apple’s app store and several Android platforms. Users who had already downloaded the apps appeared to still be able to use them.

Justices turn away appeal from former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples

The supreme court on Monday rejected a call to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide.

The justices, without comment, turned away an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Kentucky court clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the high court’s 2015 ruling in Obergefell v Hodges.

Workers at the SunTrapp – opened in 1973 in Salt Lake City – claim the shuttering was a ‘stunt’ to prevent unionization

Salt Lake City’s oldest and longest-running LGBTQ+ bar has closed, with workers claiming the shuttering was a “stunt” to prevent unionization.

The SunTrapp, widely considered the oldest LGBTQ+ bar in Utah was founded in 1973 and is one of the few safe havens for the community. It shut on 31 October after workers pushed to unionize.

More than 150 psychiatrists sign letter condemning contract to host exams in country with well-documented human rights abuses

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is facing a backlash from members over a controversial partnership with Qatar’s state healthcare provider.

The college has signed a contract with the state-owned Hamad Medical Corporation to host international exams in Doha, enabling psychiatrists from across the Middle East and beyond to apply for membership.

Court could revisit issue in case brought by county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples

The US supreme court on Friday is considering taking up a case that could challenge the legality of same-sex marriage across the country.

Hours after ruling that Donald Trump’s administration can block transgender and non-binary people from selecting passport sex markers that align with their gender identity, the justices are holding their first conference on the Davis v Ermold case. While their deliberations are typically kept private, the court may announce whether it will take the case as early as Monday.

Decision by high court’s conservative majority is Trump administration’s latest win on emergency docket

The supreme court on Thursday allowed Donald Trump’s administration to enforce a policy blocking transgender and non-binary people from choosing passport sex markers that align with their gender identity.

The decision by the high court’s conservative majority is Trump’s latest win on the high court’s emergency docket, and it means his administration can enforce the policy while a lawsuit over it plays out. It halts a lower-court order requiring the government to keep letting people choose male, female or X on their passport to line up with their gender identity on new or renewed passports.

From military-level force in cities to tens of thousands of federal workers fired by the Trump administration, effects have been felt at every level

Last year, as Donald Trump’s campaign promises and policy proposals became increasingly clear, the Guardian published a series called The Stakes to outline the impact the administration would likely have on the country. The stories were broken down by subject matter – spanning civil rights, health, immigration and cities.

Much of what was covered in the series has played out on American streets and inside homes since Trump was inaugurated in January. From military-level force used in urban centers, to tens of thousands of federal workers fired by the administration, the effects have been felt at every level.

Various venues, Oxford
From historical cottaging locations to attempts to fool an AI, the fifth edition of this biennial festival is a refreshing celebration of the form’s most DIY and downright uncommercial delights

It is the first day of Photo Oxford’s fifth edition but the first venue I arrive at, Maison Française, is closed. Is this what Roland Barthes meant when he wrote that “in order to see a photograph well, it is best to look away”?

There is at least an exhibition outside – one of the 30 shows in the city’s community spaces, churches, colleges and pubs that are part of the festival this year. Michael Christopher Brown’s 90 Miles refers to the distance between Havana and Florida, a perilous stretch of ocean crossed by many Cubans fleeing the country on DIY boats – a record number between 2022 and 2023. Brown uses AI the way draftsmen created illustrations for newspapers before photography. He has collected eye witness accounts, news stories and historical reportage of Cuba’s history from Castro to today, and used them as prompts for the software. In one image, the figures positioned on and around a classically Cuban vintage car, strangely stranded in a turbulent ocean, have warped faces and limbs that melt and drip like a Francis Bacon painting. These aren’t real images – but they are truthful.