Features

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Civil Rights Probe Opened into Transgender Athlete Policy

The federal Office for Civil Rights has launched an investigation into Connecticut’s policy that allows transgender high school athletes to compete as the gender with which they identify. The investigation was announced in a letter Wednesday from the arm of the U.S. Department of Education. It follows a complaint in June by the families of three girls, who say they were discriminated against by having to compete in track events against two athletes who were identified as male at birth and who they say have “male hormone levels and musculature.” The complaint was submitted on the girls’ behalf by lawyers […]

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FDA Backs Gilead’s HIV Prevention Drug Descovy for Use as PrEP

An FDA advisory panel on Wednesday voted in favor of Gilead Sciences Inc’s combination drug to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV infection in men and transgender women who have sex with men. The treatment, Descovy, is a combination of emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide, and is already approved to treat chronic HIV. When asked to assess the efficacy of Descovy for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) of HIV in men and transgender women who have sex with men, a patient population that forms the largest component of the PrEP market, the panel voted 16-2 in favor. Related NBC OUT Generic HIV […]

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SoulCycle, Equinox Face Boycott Calls after Owner’s Trump Fundraiser Revealed

Stephen Ross, the billionaire investor behind SoulCycle and Equinox gym, is under fire for plans to host a fundraiser for President Trump in the Hamptons. The fundraiser is scheduled for August 9 in Southampton, New York, with top priced tickets selling for $250,000, which includes a meeting with the president. Ross is chairman of The Related Companies, a real estate company that owns Equinox, SoulCycle, and Pure Yoga. Related Companies is also behind the Hudson Yards development on the west side of Manhattan. Ross is also the owner of NFL team the Miami Dolphins. Related NBC OUT Religious activist convicted for burning […]

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Undetectable = Untransmittable: An Encouragement to Treat HIV and Stigma Buster

In 1985, I was working in an STD clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, and was one of two HIV counselors doing pre-test and post-test counseling for people most likely getting the very first HIV test of their lives. There were NO anti-HIV medications available at that time, and the only ounce of hope you could impart to these newly infected people was that there appeared to be more HIV-positive (POZ) people not yet ill  than there were POZ persons who were having symptoms.  In 1985, untreated POZ people most likely had VERY high HIV viral loads (high amounts of active HIV virus in the […]

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Ecuador is a Hidden Gem for LGBT Travelers

 Ecuador has been for many years one of the world’s most amazing destinations for travelers from all over the globe. It’s beauty, history, culture and the Galapagos Islands have made Ecuador one of the top destinations in the planet. However, it remains unknown or in the back burner for most gay men, who feel safer with more traditional travel choices like gay cruises or events in different cities of the United States and Europe. Juan Maldonado, a dual-citizen of USA and Ecuador, and a proud resident of Wilton Manors (Florida’s “gay Mecca”), is determined to change this by promoting his […]

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Google Changes Algorithm for ‘Lesbian’ Search Term to Show Less Porn

Previously, the first results shown when googling the word were videos and images which sexualised lesbian women’s bodies. This unnecessary sexualisation of lesbians has been cited as one of reasons behind the homophobic abuse many lesbian women experience — including the recent attack on a couple on a London bus. The search engine’s algorithm has now been changed thanks to a campaign led by the Twitter account @SEO_lesbienne and French news site Num. They noted that only the word ‘lesbian’ linked to sexualised pages, whereas searching for ‘gay’ or ‘trans’ displayed Wikipedia pages, articles and specialised blogs. Numerana began investigating after seeing that the pornographic results appeared beneath Google’s […]

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Thirteenth Trans Woman Murdered in US as ‘Epidemic of Violence’ Continues

Kiki Fantroy was reportedly shot on a street corner near an abandoned home after an argument that turned violent. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she died of her injuries. Fantroy is mourned by her mother, Rhonda Comer, who remembered her as having “a heart of gold” and being “a very loving person.” She told the Miami Herald: “This feeling is indescribable. The pain. The void. You know that feeling after losing a child and you losing a child for no apparent reason. Because she’s gay. “And my understanding, you know, my understanding was she was killed because of her desire to […]

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Pressure Building on Qantas to End LGBT Deportations

The Department of Home Affairs uses Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, to transport asylum seekers between detention centres and for involuntary deportations, often to countries where it is dangerous to be LGBT+. Qantas has refused to review their policy on this, despite the fact that the airline’s CEO, Alan Joyce, is gay. Tamil rapper MIA, comedian and presenter Tom Ballard, Australian journalist Ben Law and film producer Charlotte Mars are among the 150 high-profile supporters backing the ‘Stop Deportations to Danger‘ campaign. Twitter Ads information and privacy

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For Nonbinary People, Struggle for Recognition Extends to Romantic Relationships

Rilen Taylor matched with someone on a dating site, but the experience went sour when the match insisted Taylor identify as only one gender, either as a man or as a woman. “If we were to date, I needed to be a girl,” recalled Taylor, who identifies as both male and female and responds to male pronouns. “I think he misunderstood and thought I was a tomboy.” This is just one of many uncomfortable experiences that Taylor — a freckle-faced, off-Broadway actor in New York — has faced as a nonbinary person trying to date in a binary world. As […]

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American Airlines’ Donations to Ted Cruz Under Fire from LGBT Equality Campaign

A new campaign is condemning top technology companies, airlines and other major firms for donating to lawmakers with a poor record of supporting LGBT equality. Sen. Ted Cruz, who has pushed legislation to protect businesses that refuse service to same-sex couples, is one of the top targets, along with other Texans in Congress. The Zero for Zeros campaign launched ads Tuesday on social media aimed at pressuring Fort Worth-based American Airlines, Google and other companies whose PACs have donated to lawmakers the group deems “anti-gay.” “These companies are some of the most well-known companies throughout the world and they support LGBT […]

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