A new poll has found that around two-thirds of residents of the Faroe Islands support same-sex marriage.
Mexico's Coahuila state legalizes same-sex marriage
For the first time, a Mexican state legislature has voted to legalize same-sex marriage. The new law alters more than 40 parts of the state's Civil Code. Read More
Gay marriage and the courts: Too far, too fast?
THE cascade of rulings invalidating state-level same-sex marriage prohibitions now includes decisions from three federal appellate courts. Last Thursday the seventh circuit court of appeals thwarted gay marriage bans in Wisconsin and Indiana, joining the fourth and tenth circuit courts that have issued recent rulings nullifying one man-one woman marriage laws in Virginia, Utah and Oklahoma. The ninth circuit heard arguments in three gay marriage cases on September 8th and the fifth and sixth circuits are also taking up the question. The Supreme Court is widely expected to review decisions from one or more of these jurisdictions in the coming year.
As speculation turns to how the US Supreme Court justices will handle the tidal wave of state judicial support for same-sex marriage, it might be natural to assume that we’re gearing up for another 4-4 right-left split, with Justice Anthony Kennedy in the middle. Read More
US: Gay Marriage Bans In Idaho, Nevada And Hawaii Head To Court
"Until all 50 states get on board, it's a legal battle from state to state," said Tara Newberry, one of the plaintiffs in the Nevada case, who wants to marry her longtime partner. "The map is changing. But until the Supreme Court of the United States makes the determination, it's state-by-state." Read More
Sex workers, gays get own health clinic in South Africa
Whenever a Cape Town sex worker visited her local primary health care clinic in Gugulethu, not only did she have to spend hours queueing for health services, she was mocked by other patients and health workers - just because she was different. Read More
Poor health among LGBT on both sides of the pond
New reports coming out of the UK and US report that LGBT people report poorer health compared to straight counterparts. In the UK, half of the over 27,000 LGBT people surveyed reported negative experiences with the health care system. A randomized sample of LGBT in the US found that lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women in particular have lower physical well-being than either straight women or GBT men.
Women and PrEP: Dissed By Her Doctor for Wanting HIV Protection
In 2010, Poppy Morgan wanted to stop using condoms so she could have a baby with her HIV-positive husband. She asked her doctor to prescribe Truvada, an HIV drug that can keep her from contracting the virus. But Morgan’s doctor didn’t just say no; she told her that she would no longer treat Morgan if she went ahead with her plan.
Of the 2,319 Americans prescribed Truvada for PrEP in 2012 and 2013, almost half were women. And women are taking it for good reason. Outside of gay enclaves, another HIV epidemic is flourishing that overlaps with but isn’t the same as, the one in gay communities. The African American community has been devastated by HIV, especially in the South. African Americans make up only 12 percent of the population but comprise 44 percent of HIV cases. And it’s African American women who are among the most at risk. Read More
Need for Intimacy Plays Role in Condomless Sex, Study Finds
New study from Brown University finds gay, bi men, and trans women in relationships with other men forgo condoms to "preserve intimacy." Taking a swipe at PrEP naysayers, study authors note that the findings do not indicate MSM will stop using condoms once they get access to PrEP; rather the study finds the participating MSM were already forgoing condom use. Read More
Kazakhstan: Media are ‘brainwashing’ children with gay ‘propaganda’
Mayor Akim Tasmagambetov of Kazakhstan's capital city has accused the international media of “promoting” homosexuality, and “brainwashing” children. “It has not just become a political norm in a range of developed countries, but the perception of the society has been distorted to such an extent that the US state of California approved a compulsory course on historical accomplishments of representatives of sexual minorities. I think you see for yourself how the topic is promoted in the international media.” Read More
Did Anti-Gay Evangelicals Skirt US Sanctions on Russia?
US sanctions may forbid the World Congress of Families' involvement in an upcoming family values conference in Moscow. The conference titled "Large Families: The Future of Humanity," will focus on defending "the way of life of large families" and includes workshops on topics such as the "natural family." Two of the WCF's key Russian allies have placed on a list of individuals sanctioned by the US Treasury Department, making the conference possibly forbidden. Read More
Russia LGBT Activists Worried After Crimea Leader Lashes Out
Head of the Republic of Crimea, Sergey Aksenov, announced that LGBT people will not be allowed to hold public events and may be deported. Gay Forum Ukraine estimates there are about 10,000 gays and other sexual minorities living in Crimea. Russian activist Kochetkov says they have been caught up in the “general deterioration of human rights” in the region since it was annexed by Moscow where the anti-gay propaganda law has led to increased rights violations and violence since the new law was passed last year. Read More
Countries That Criminalize Homosexuality Don't Just Hurt Adults
Youth leader Abongwa Victor delivers an impassioned plea for Cameroonian youths: Over and over the LGBT youth of Cameroon have been subjected to “corrective” rape, torture, and abuse in detention cells, extended stay in custody before being charged, refusal of family visits, denial of counsel — just because of who they are. Read more