Hong Kong: LGBT community disappointed by long awaited report on discrimination against sexual minorities

A long-awaited report on discrimination against sexual minorities was finally released yesterday. In wording that disappointed rights activists, the report recommended “a further study” on other jurisdictions to inform “future consultation” on both legislative proposals and administrative measures. The group also called on the government to draw up a non-discrimination charter to be voluntarily adopted by employers, schools and landlords, as well as training for teachers, medical practitioners and social workers.

Hong Kong’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities have for years been asking for wider recognition of their rights. But their bid for legislation to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation was dashed on the last day of the year.

“It took two years to discuss, and the conclusion is to ‘further study’ whether to hold public consultation [over whether to legislate to protect sexual minorities from discrimination]? This is unacceptable,” said Brian Leung Siu-fai, of LGBT rights group Big Love Alliance.

Chan, a People Power lawmaker, criticised the group: “The report has been toned down and is very conservative now,” said Chan. “The current administration is absolutely not sincere in launching legislative work at all.”  Read more via South China Morning Post

US: Can states protect LGBT rights without compromising religious freedom?

Twenty-eight. That’s the number of states where it’s not against the law to discriminate against a gay person who’s looking for an apartment, applying for a job, or buying something from a store. Five more states have protections, but with exceptions: New York, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin don’t forbid discrimination against transgender people, for example, and Massachusetts and Utah don’t protect all LGBT people in all situations in which discrimination might arise.

The federal government does not protect against this kind of discrimination, either, except in limited cases. Although Democrats have proposed legislation that would change that, the chances of it successfully sliding through a Republican Congress in an election year seem slim.

The irony of gay marriage becoming legal in the United States is that it has made discrimination against LBGT people easier. For example: Many newlywed couples may be asking their employers for spousal benefits for the first time. Depending on where they live, it may or may not be illegal for that employer to respond by firing them—something that happened in a number of states in 2015. Some state legislatures have tentatively taken on this issue; Pennsylvania and Idaho, for example, both saw bills introduced in 2015.

But in many places, these efforts are complicated by a tangled political question: Should these laws make exceptions for religious individuals and organizations that object to employing and providing services to gay people? This question could produce some of the biggest political fights of 2016. Read more via the Atlantic

North America: Are bisexuals shut out of the LGBT club?

New studies from University of Massachusetts and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto show that bi people are being excluded by both straight and gay peers. No, bisexuals don’t have twice as much sex as everyone else. But there is mounting evidence to suggest that they experience double the types of discrimination as their gay and lesbian peers.

Two studies published in the December 2015 issue of the Journal of Bisexuality confirm what bi people have been saying for some time: The discrimination they face within the LGBT community is as real as the discrimination they face outside of it.  

Researcher Tangela Roberts believes that her study sheds light on a troubling but often ignored fault line within the LGBT population: “This is the thing that isn’t talked about,” she said. “It’s like airing out the dirty laundry of the supposed ‘LGBT community.’ It’s saying, ‘Look, we haven’t been acting like this community that we’re supposed to be and we need to do something about that.’”   Read more via the Daily Beast

Chile: Ministry of Health to stop “normalising” interventions on intersex children

The Chilean Ministry of Health has issued instructions to its national health sector to stop “normalising” medical interventions on intersex infants and children. This guidance is a global first: the first time that a health ministry has shown leadership in taking this step without legislation or legal action. They have done this while awaiting the development of human rights-affirming treatment protocols and legislation to offer protection from discrimination on grounds of “sexual characteristics”.

The report entitled “Instructions on aspects of health care to intersex children“ instructs the ceasing of “unnecessary “normalization” treatment of intersex children, including irreversible genital surgeries, until they are old enough to decide about their bodies“, while work takes place to develop protocols that meet human rights standards. Read more via OII

Thailand: Tangerine Community Health Centre for trans-specific healthcare

In a historic movement for transgender rights in Thailand, the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre, with USAid and partners, has unveiled the Tangerine Community Health Centre -- the first clinic in Thailand to provide trans-specific healthcare and counselling services.

Transgender people have been fixtures in the tourism and entertainment industries. However, stigma and discrimination have prevented them from accessing many public services. Healthcare is one of the most crucial areas they are vulnerable. 

"To be honest, we don't really need a school or a hospital especially set aside for trans. If we keep on separating, how can we coexist peacefully in society?" said Jetsada. "However, with Tangerine, I don't view it as a separation. We need Tangerine, right now, as there's not enough knowledge body within our existing healthcare system. We hope, in the future, states will adapt and apply the Tangerine model to public hospitals." Read more via Bangkok Post 

Netherlands: Test-and-treat could slash new HIV infections among gay men

Testing men who have sex with men for HIV and immediately treating those who are HIV positive could greatly reduce new infections among the MSM population as a whole, at least in the Netherlands. Publishing their findings in Science Translational Medicine, researchers analyzed medical records data as well as genetic information about the virus in 617 recently diagnosed Dutch MSM, in order to make estimates about the likely source of their infections.

An estimated 71% of the new HIV cases transmitted from undiagnosed men, 22% from men who were diagnosed but not on treatment, 6% from men who had started treatment, and 1% of diagnosed men who had not been linked to medical care within 18 months. About 43% of the transmissions derived from men infected for less than a year.

The researchers estimated that 19% of the new HIV cases could have been averted if MSM tested annually for HIV and if those who tested positive were immediately provided treatment. Two-thirds of cases could have been averted if all men testing positive received ARVs and if Truvada as PrEP was provided to half of all men testing negative. The researchers concluded that their findings support making PrEP available worldwide. Read more via Science Magazine

New study says PrEP is just as safe as aspirin

A study published in the Oxford Journal’s Open Forum Infectious Diseases states that pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs are just as safe as the painkiller aspirin. While the effectiveness of PrEP for the prevention of HIV had been proven, doubts remained over possible side effects of the drug, including nausea and unintentional weight loss.

The study compared the effects to patients in 5 major research trials. According to the study: “PrEP for HIV infection favourably compares to aspirin in terms of user safety. While long-term studies are needed, providers should feel reassured about the safety of short- and medium-term PrEP for HIV infection with FTC-TDF.”   Read more via GayTimes 

US: Atlanta’s alarming HIV/AIDS epidemic reminiscent of New York in the ’80s

Georgia ranks second among U.S. states in the rate of new HIV diagnoses, behind Louisiana, and Atlanta ranks fifth among metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.

The issue is particularly acute for young gay and bisexual black men. Grady Memorial, one of the nation’s largest public health hospitals, also found alarming numbers, through a grant-funded project that allowed its staff to offer opt-out HIV screening to all patients entering its emergency room: About half the patients diagnosed with HIV already had clinical AIDS. This means they had the virus for years and not received the sort of treatment that would prevent further deterioration of their immune systems.

“None of my colleagues [nationally] are seeing those numbers,” said Dr. Wendy Armstrong, a researcher at Emory University’s Center for AIDS Research. “It’s appalling.”

Despite the rise, the area is finding new new public- and private-sector efforts to bring the area in step with other large cities nationwide that have kept the virus and disease in check.   Read more via Aljazeera

Grindr Sells Stake to Chinese Company

Grindr, the popular dating and social networking app for gay men, has found itself a match.

The company on Monday said it had sold a majority stake to the Beijing Kunlun Tech Company, a Chinese gaming company, valuing the six-year-old start-up at $155 million. Beijing Kunlun will acquire 60 percent of Grindr, with the remainder to be owned by Grindr employees and Joel Simkhai, the company’s founder. Grindr has previously not raised capital from outside investors.

“We have users in every country in the world, but in order to get to the next phase of our business and grow faster, we needed a partner,” Carter McJunkin, chief operating officer of Grindr, said in an interview. Mr. McJunkin said the pairing made sense for Grindr because of Beijing Kunlun’s digital expertise, and its agreement to let Grindr’s founders continue its operating structure and retain its current team.

For Beijing Kunlun, Grindr offers a chance to expand beyond its core gaming assets and into other lifestyle categories, as well as markets outside China.

“We have been very impressed by Grindr’s progress to date and are extremely excited about the future of the company,” Yahui Zhou, chairman of Kunlun, said in a statement. “We will continue to seek out and invest in high-quality technology companies led by top-tier management across the globe.”

Founded in 2009 by Mr. Simkhai with a few thousand dollars of his own money, Grindr has grown to become a mainstay of the gay hookup and dating culture in 196 countries around the world. The mobile app lets users see photos of one another based on their location, and users can share photos and text messages with one another. Read more via New York Times

美国同志社交应用Grindr找到中国伙伴

受男同性恋欢迎的约会和社交应用Grindr给自己找到了一段姻缘。

该公司周一宣布，已将大部分股份出售给中国游戏公司北京昆仑万维科技股份有限公司。作为创业公司，Grindr已成立六年，此次交易对其估值为1.55亿美元。北京昆仑将获得60%的股份，公司其余股份将由Grindr员工和公司创始人乔尔·西姆卡伊(Joel Simkhai)持有。Grindr此前没有进行过外部融资。

“我们的用户遍布全球每一个国家，但为了让业务进入下一个阶段，实现更快的增长，我们需要一个合作伙伴，”Grindr首席运营官卡特·麦克琼金(Carter McJunkin)在接受采访时说。麦克琼金称，对Grindr来说，和北京昆仑搭档是合理的，因为后者拥有数字领域的专长，且同意让Grindr的创始人保留当前的运营结构和团队。

对北京昆仑而言，Grindr提供了一个机会，让他们可以扩展到核心的游戏资产以外，进入其他生活领域及国外市场。

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“我们对Grindr目前取得的成绩印象深刻，我们对它的未来充满期待，”昆仑董事长周亚辉说。“昆仑万维会继续在全球寻找目标，投资一些高质量、由顶尖管理层领导的高科技企业。”

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German Parliament will be forced into debating marriage equality

Germany’s governing body--the Bundestag-- is being forced to discuss two proposed laws on marriage equality.

The chamber’s judicial committee refused to discuss the proposed laws for the ‘introduction of the right of marriage for people of the same gender’ on three separate occasions. Now they are being forced into the discussion because Renate Kuehnat – leading the Green Party – made use of a loophole in the proceedings that states a fraction can demand debate of an interim if it has not been discussed 10 weeks after a motion was presented.

In October, following an update on law regulating civil partnerships, numerous MPs passed a motion demanding marriage equality. Now it’s down to the speaker’s office to decide if, and if so when, the debate will be set. Read more via Gay Star News 

Russia: Duma Committee Comes Out Against Antigay Bill

The Russian State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State-Building has declined to endorse a controversial draft bill that would introduce fines and arrests for people who publicly express their homosexuality. The parliamentary committee advised that the Duma unanimously vote against the bill in the event it reached a first reading.

The bill, initiated by lawmakers from the Communist Party and condemned as discriminatory by human rights activists, called for fines of up to 5,000 rubles (~ $65) for publicly expressing "nontraditional sexual orientation." The bill also proposed punishing those who express homosexuality at educational or cultural institutions with arrest and up to 15 days in jail. 

Communist lawmaker Igor Nikitchuk, one of the bill’s authors, defended the legislation during a meeting of the committee, calling homosexuality a “contagious disease” and a “threat to society,” as other lawmakers snickered.

Lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov, a rare anti-Kremlin opposition politician in the State Duma, wrote that the recommendation to reject the bill was made for "formal reasons."   Read more via Radio Free Europe