US: Broken criminal justice system disproportionately targets and harms LGBT people

There is a rare and growing consensus across the political spectrum that, with the highest incarceration rate in the world, the United States’ criminal justice system is in need of reform. However, the LGBT population has been largely absent from the discussion.

A major report released today offers the most comprehensive analysis to date of how LGBT people—and particularly LGBT people of color—face higher rates of incarceration and unfair treatment and abuse in the criminal justice system. “Unjust: How the Broken Criminal Justice System Fails LGBT People” documents how pervasive stigma and discrimination, biased enforcement of laws, and discriminatory policing strategies mean that LGBT people are disproportionately likely to interact with law enforcement and to have their lives criminalized.

LGBT people are also treated unfairly once they enter the system; the report shows how they are not only more disproportionately incarcerated but also face abuse while incarcerated. Read more via American Progress

US: 2016 is the most dangerous year for transgender Americans

Transgender people are under attack like never before with more than three dozen proposed new laws across 16 states, according to a new report by the Human Rights Campaign. 

“This deeply disturbing trend is a stark reminder of just how vicious and deplorable  opponents of equality are in their relentless attacks against our community,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in a statement.

In all, HRC counts 44 bills targeting transgender people are in the works in 16 states. That’s more than twice as many as were introduced in all of 2015, and nearly two dozen of the measures focus on trans students. HRC called the anti-trans legislation “unprecedented,” “harmful” and “alarming.” According to a release accompanying the report, some bills seek to make it harder for trans people to access gender-affirming health care, others deny trans people access to bathrooms, locker rooms, and athletic teams that align with their gender identity. 

And they are just a portion of what HRC called “a stunning surge of more than 175 anti-LGBT bills in 32 states this year.”  Read more via the Advocate
 

UK: What makes a museum object queer?

Museums are trying to make themselves a little less straight and a little more gay.

LGBT History Month is here. Gay geeks may once again be heading to their local museum or library to see which queer object they’ve got out from the archives this year. The LGBT History Month national programme of events features plenty of things to see and do, and it’s pleasing to see that more and more gets programmed each year.

Museums are the first to acknowledge that they face a few challenges when it comes to taking on gay history. Many of our nation’s great object and art collections were built by posh, white, straight men. In recent years museums have done good work looking again at their collections from different perspectives in an attempt to make their offer to the public a bit less posh, a bit less white, a bit less male dominated and, yes a bit less straight.

It’s been an eye-opening process for some, finding out that well-to-do Victorian collectors didn’t necessarily fully understand all the objects they collected. Or did they? There’s homoerotic art all over the place. Just take a look at the Warren Cup in the British Museum – no Victorian collector could mistake the imagery on this object. And the British Museum has done strong work in recent years to set this object in context, rather than displaying it as a source of dirty giggles. Read more via EQ

Asia: Social media app Hornet invests in gay men's health

Hornet is committed to HIV health innovation and is investing in its Health Innovation Group with a new officer for SE Asia. Data shows that HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in this region continues to increase while prevalence among the general population has been in decline. Very few gay men are knowledgeable about PrEP or the benefits of effective HIV treatment for improved health or prevention. Additionally, gay men continue to encounter significant barriers when accessing treatment or prevention. 

"I want to see more gay men getting tested and accessing appropriate treatment or prevention services following their test," said Lieu Anh Vu, Hornet's new Health and Innovation Strategist for Southeast Asia.  Vu joins Hornet from United Nations Development Programme UNDP where he worked as an LGBT social justice and health advocacy.

Hornet recognizes the unique opportunity that social networking apps present in ongoing efforts to improve the health and wellness of gay men around the globe. The endeavors in Southeast Asia is part of an ongoing investment in the lives of gay men and fostering of stronger community relationships.  Read more via PR Newswire 

US: Why the LGBT community needs to support Apple's battle against the Feds

Last week, the U.S. government revealed that Apple refused a request by the FBI to unlock the iPhone carried by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Following this revelation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that requiring the company to create a bypass to the phone would set a dangerous precedent and would undermine the security of all such mobile devices.

During my time working for the Army, I lived a "double life" under the military's don't ask, don't tell ban as a closeted trans woman in a relationship with a man. Living under the ban, I regularly used encryption to shield my personal information on my laptop and mobile devices from colleagues living in close quarters. However, things could have been even more high stakes for me. If I were a closeted trans woman, while living and working in less open countries—such as Russia, Uganda, and Nigeria—I could face imprisonment, torture, and even death, if exposed. This is why queer and trans people living in such countries now use encrypted devices, such as Apple's iPhone 5C, to build and maintain its communities while avoiding the dangerous scrutiny of others.

Now, as the U.S. government seeks a novel judicial bac door to one phone, all of our encrypted data on most of our mobile devices and personal computers could be compromised by adversaries of queer and trans people who seek to cause us harm.  Read more via Advocate

Australia: Malcolm Turnbull requests investigation into program helping LGBTI students

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has requested an investigation into a taxpayer-funded program aimed at helping lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or intersex (LGBTI) school students.

Key points:

Safe Schools program criticised for raising 'inappropriate' sexual issues with children
Review of program's material expected to be completed by March
Cory Bernardi says "radical" program is "indoctrinating" children
Penny Wong says program addressing discrimination against LGBTI community
The Safe Schools education program is set to be reviewed following fierce criticism from some Coalition backbenchers.

According to its website, the Safe Schools Coalition offers resources and support to equip staff and students with "skills, practical ideas and greater confidence" to create a safe and inclusive environment for same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families.

But some Coalition MPs have been agitating against the program, saying it raises sexual issues which are inappropriate for teenagers and young children. Read more via ABC

South Africa: Anglican bishops declare gay‚ lesbian couples 'full members' of the church

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba said new guidelines from bishops which oppose gay congregants being stigmatised and which facilitate the baptisms of children from same-sex unions‚ are “an important first step” towards acceptance of the lesbian‚ gay and transsexual community in Southern Africa.

This comes as Anglican bishops from across southern Africa have resolved that gay and lesbian partners who enter same-sex civil unions under South African law should be welcomed into congregations as full members of the church. Archbishop Makgoba acknowledged that southern Africa’s bishops were divided over whether to marry same-sex couples in church‚ or to allow clergy to enter same-sex civil unions. As a consequence they would continue to be bound by the broad consensus in the Anglican Communion‚ which is that the church can neither bless same-sex unions nor permit its clergy to enter them.

He said the differences among the bishops were both over the theology of marriage and a result of realities on the ground in different dioceses. “For example‚ most of our dioceses across Southern Africa are predominantly rural‚ and for many the urgent priorities of food security‚ shelter‚ health care and education crowd out debate on the issue of human sexuality. In some rural dioceses‚ responding to challenges to the Church’s restrictions on polygamous marriages is a much higher pastoral priority.” Read more via Sowetan live 

Malta: Prime Minister 'immensely disappointed' by Church committee report on conversion therapy for gay people

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today that he was immensely disappointed by comments by the committee which advised the Church on conversion therapy for gay people. It was unbelievable, he said, that in this day and age, some people thought that sexual orientation was something that could be healed by medication and therapy.

This was an offence to the gay community and all those who wanted to live in a European society which respected the people's freedom. It was a similar offence to link homosexuality with child abuse. 

Dr Muscat said he would defend the right of the Church to speak out, but the government would carry on with its legislation against such conversion therapy. He could never accept a situation where any Maltese was called a sick or a pedophile because of a particular sexual orientation.  Read more via Times of Malta

Namibia: Condoms among inmates divide opinion

The Windhoek Correctional Facility says the constitution does not allow same-sex individuals to engage in sex, hence condoms cannot be distributed in correctional facilities.

"Same sex is still regarded as a crime in Namibia and if we distribute condoms it will be seen as if we are encouraging that. We want to maintain law and order," said the officer in charge of the Windhoek Correctional Facility, Deputy Commissioner Victor Eichab.

His comments came in the light of Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Bernard Haufiku's call for the distribution of condoms in prisons. Haufiku said that for Namibia to make strides in HIV/AIDS prevention and education, circumcision and the distribution of more condoms is needed including in prisons.

"In most cases we educate offenders to abstain from sexual activities because it's an offence. We know that it is not easy, as studies have shown that being in custody does not take away people's desire for intimacy," said Eichab.  Read more via All Africa
Namibia

Brazil: Making sense out of the murders of trans men

What — if anything — can the murders of four men over a few weeks tell us about fatal violence against trans men? What can we observe from these most recent murders? And what can we speculate about the responses to these cases?

Very little is currently known about violence against trans men as a whole; murder, as a subset of this topic, is even more shrouded in mystery. How often are trans men murdered worldwide? Are any of these cases hate crimes? What are the risk factors? Are there more murders we aren’t hearing about? How can we prevent more deaths?

While it’s impossible to draw conclusions from these four cases — which are almost certainly only a fraction of the total murders committed — that should not stop anti-violence advocates from considering the issue. The safest place to start is by simply making open-ended observations about what we do know and indicating paths for further inquiry. From that space, we can hopefully initiate a conversation that others will carry forward, informed by their own experiences and expertise.  Read more via the Advocate