Features

/ / /

FDA approves first condom specifically intended for anal sex

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week approved the first condom specifically indicated for anal intercourse.  While the One Male Condom is not markedly different from the hundreds of other condoms on the market, it is the first that will be allowed to use the “safe and effective use” label for reducing sexually transmitted infections during anal sex. It is also approved for use as a contraceptive and as a means to reduce STIs during vaginal intercourse.  “This landmark shift demonstrates that when researchers, advocates, and companies come together, we can create a lasting impact in public health efforts,” Davin Wedel, […]

/ /

Top LGBTQ-supporting companies bankroll politicians behind Fla. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill

Some of the top companies in the U.S. that show public support for the LGBTQ community have donated thousands of dollars to the politicians behind a piece of Florida legislation opponents deemed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.  The bill, which has versions in both the Florida House and Senate, would ban classroom discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity that are not “age-appropriate” in schools — though it is not clear what is considered “age-appropriate.” It also includes a provision that could effectively “out” LGBTQ students to their parents without their consent.  Despite opposition from Democrats and LGBTQ rights advocates, the […]

/ /

Latina woman who ‘shined brightly’ and ‘loved everyone’ is third trans person killed in US in 2022

,

A beloved trans Latina woman allegedly killed in Lubbock, Texas, has become 2022’s third victim of an unceasing “epidemic of violence” in the US. Cypress Ramos, a 21-year-old who could always be found smiling and cheering on her friends, was found dead in a storage unit on the morning of 12 February. She died of blunt force trauma to the head after being struck by an unspecified hard object, according to the murder warrant for 32-year-old Allan Montemayor, who has been charged for Ramos’ murder, KCBD reported. Ramos was found inside a locked container in the 2700 block of North Frankford Avenue after […]

/ /

Breakthrough HIV reported in injectable PrEP trial; experts say drug still very effective

In a large clinical trial assessing Apretude, ViiV Healthcare’s recently approved injectable drug, as a form of HIV prevention, seven participants contracted the virus despite receiving their injections on schedule. The new findings indicate that, just as with those who take daily pills to prevent HIV, breakthrough infections are possible among people receiving Apretude. Dr. Raphael J. Landovitz, who led the Apretude clinical trial in question, told NBC News that he expects such cases of PrEP failure to remain what he characterized as rare, regardless of which form of preventive antiretroviral medication people at risk of HIV receive.  Apretude is […]

/ /

Trans teen who died by suicide was turned away by urgent mental health care services

,

A trans teen died by suicide while waiting to access mental health care and a first appointment at a gender identity clinic, with a coroner warning that future deaths are possible unless action is taken. Daniel France, a 17-year-old teenager from Cambridgeshire, killed himself during the first coronavirus lockdown in April 2020 while taking medication to treat depression. He was trans, and had been referred to an NHS gender clinic – but, like thousands of others, faced several years of waiting before he would be called for his first appointment. France, described as “extremely kind” and someone who had “many friends” by […]

/ /

While some banned queer books see a sales bump, others quietly disappear

George M. Johnson’s young-adult memoir “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” about growing up Black and queer, appeared on The New York Times bestseller list this month for the first time since its publication nearly two years ago. The spike in sales was undoubtedly fueled by the publicity the title received after being banned in public libraries and schools in at least 19 states, according to Johnson’s count.  Johnson’s book was joined on the Times’ young adult hardcover bestseller list by two other widely challenged books — 2017’s “The Hate U Give” and 2020’s “Stamp” — which made the American Library Association’s 2020 list of Top 10 most […]

/ /

Sen. Rick Scott’s GOP manifesto denies existence of transgender people

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., laid out a conservative blueprint this week for a GOP takeover of Congress, and included in his “11-Point Plan to Rescue America” are a number of proposals that would limit the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.  The document outlines Republican policy objectives on everything from the economy to abortion, but the point that caused the most alarm to LGBTQ advocates was in a section titled “Gender, Life, Science.”  “Men and women are biologically different, ‘male and female He created them,’” Scott wrote. “Facts are facts, the earth is round, the sun is […]

/ /

COVID-19 vaccination higher among gay and lesbian adults than heterosexual adults

A study has found that COVID-19 vaccine rates in the United States are higher among gay and lesbian adults than in heterosexual adults. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that lesbians and gay men aged 18 and older reported higher levels of vaccine coverage (85.4 per cent) than their straight counterpoints (76.3 per cent). It was found that bisexual (76.3 per cent) and transgender adults (75.7 per cent) had similar COVID-19 vaccine rates to heterosexual people. The study authors explained that the data could help to “increase vaccination coverage”. The authors said: “Understanding COVID-19 vaccination coverage and confidence among LGBT+ populations, […]

/ /

Introducing: the first Queer History Tour in Argentina

Argentina, a traditionally conservative country, has emerged in the last two decades as a Queer Rights powerhouse. Since the early 2000s this country has legalized egalitarian marriage and introduced non-binary IDs, state-paid gender-affirming surgeries and IVF treatments. So how did this transformation come about in such a short time, you might ask? Join the first ever Argentine Queer History Tour and find out! Lunfarda Travel, a boutique incoming agency based in Buenos Aires, launched the first – and so far only! – tour about the history of the Argentine LGBTQIA+ community, from pre-colonial times into the massive Pride demonstrations of […]

/ /

British gay man recalls ‘terrifying’ exorcism in church basement

,

The Church of England has launched an investigation after a gay man claimed he was subjected to a conversion therapy exorcism in a Sheffield church. Matthew Drapper, 34, says he was “born into a Christian cult [and] was raised believing Satan is at war with Christians and God is at war with the gays”. He told the Huddersfield Examiner that he moved to Sheffield from Buxton in 2013, at the age of 25, and joined the Church of England church St Thomas Philadelphia. Drapper said by that point he had come out as gay, but that he had vowed to remain celibate. In […]

«‹ 142 143 144 145›»