Features

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Trans Elder Colleen Shares Her Powerful Story Of Transitioning At Age 82

The retired police officer from Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales hid her identity from friends and family for decades, but has finally been able to become her true self at age 82. Her journey is the subject of a new documentary called Becoming Colleen, screening this month at the Sydney Mardi Gras Film Festival. “I lived in my own world to because I had to. Most of my life I never had anybody to talk to about ‘the problem’,” Colleen explains. “When I was younger I asked my mum if I might be a girl but she died when I […]

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Allowing Insurers to Dictate Therapies Harms People Living with HIV

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J When Herbert* moved to San Francisco, he left friends, family, and his doctor behind. He lost access to the combination of HIV medications that had kept him healthy and prevented him from transmitting the virus to others. He was relieved when he found a provider who was able to kick-start his HIV treatment using a highly potent, durable combination of drugs to fight back against the virus. That treatment was an emergency intervention that would not otherwise be first-line, and served as a “bridge” to the preferred longer-term therapy that his doctor would prescribe based on lab results and […]

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Updates to the International Code Council Recommends Gender Neutral Bathrooms

The International Code Council (ICC), which develops standards for safe and sustainable buildings, has approved changes to restroom standards.W The ICC is a 64,000 member organization focused on building codes and standards worldwide. Their International Building Code standards are the most widely used set of building safety codes. The ICC is also the group that helps establish federal, state, and municipal construction standards. At the recommendation of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the National Center for Transgender Equality, the ICC is updating their standards to include a requirement for single-stall restrooms and other gender neutral facilities.R According to LGBTQ […]

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Fostering Respect is Key to Ending Anti-LGBTI Views at Religious Schools

Using the principles of religion is vital for challenging anti-LGBT+ prejudice in faith schools. Some of those principles include, commitment to be kind and respect one’s neighbor. A report from Goldsmiths, University of London found that all children had heard transphobic or homophobic bullying in the playground. Goldsmiths’ Dr Anna Carlile’s evaluated Educate & Celebrate’s year-long work in faith schools. Educate & Celebrate is a charity employing qualified teachers and youth workers. The charity spent a year working at faith schools and secular schools serving faith communities. Carlile visited each school at the start and end of the school year to conduct […]

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10% of HIV Cases in Gay/bi Men Linked to Gonorrhea and Chlamydia Infection

One in ten new cases of HIV in gay and bisexual men are linked to gonorrhea and chlamydiainfection. That’s the conclusion of a modelling study highlighted by the NCSD (National Coalition of STD Directors) in the US. The journal, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, published the research this week. Both sexually transmitted infections can increase the risk of HIV transmission taking place: a fact known for some time. However, with rates of both gonorrhea and chlamydia rising in the US, health experts are concerned how this may impact public health advances in tackling HIV. Between 2013-2017, the US saw a 22% increase in chlamydia. Gonorrhea diagnosis shot up by […]

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How Do We Define “Undetectable” in HIV Prevention?

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J In HIV treatment and prevention, we oftentimes use the term “undetectable” as a way to measure the success of a person’s HIV treatment. People who get and stay undetectable not only improve their health, but eliminate the possibility of transmitting HIV to others. This concept was recently celebrated in an important article in the Journal of the American Medical Association by authors at the National Institutes of Health. Chris Hall, MD But what does undetectable mean, in these conversations? How do we define who’s undetectable—and who’s not? In the simplest definition of undetectable, the amount of virus in a person’s blood […]

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LGBT People More Likely to Go into their Overdraft and Earn Less

A study has found LGBT people in the US more likely to go into their overdraft than the general population. The study, undertaken by OverdraftApps.com, questioned just over 1,000 people across the US. Around 11% of respondents identified as LGBT. The study asked people how often they found themselves dipping into their overdraft over the past year: Never; once or twice; three to nine times; or 10+ times. Key findings include: • Fifty-four percent of non-LGBTQ people said they ‘never’ went into overdraft. This compares to only 47% of LGBTQ people. • Eighteen per cent of the LGBTQ population overdrafted three to nine times in the last year. This […]

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US Airlines to Offer Gender-neutral Booking Options for Non-binary Passengers

Major US airlines including Delta, JetBlue, United and American Airlines have agreed to allow passengers to book tickets without specifying a binary gender. The Airlines for America trade association has agreed a new industry standard which will end the practice of forcing passengers to pick between “male” or “female” on booking forms. An “unspecified” option will be added, in line with the five US states that already offer a gender X marker on state IDs for non-binary people. A spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Beast that the airlines had “recently approved a new international standard that will allow for ‘unspecified’ and ‘undisclosed’ […]

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US Bisexual Veterans More Likely to be at Risk for Depression and PTSD

Recent research shed a light on the alarming reality of bisexual service members and veterans. According to MedicalXPress, US service members and veterans who identify as bisexual may be at higher risk for mental health issues than their gay, lesbian or straight peers. Bisexual individuals represent the largest segment of the LGBTI community. Interestingly, both bi men and women are overrepresented among those who have served in the military, MedicalXPress further reports. The research is led by Katie McNamara, a US Air Force captain and third-year doctoral student at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. McNamara has identified […]

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Med Students Push for More LGBTI Health Training

Sarah Spiegel, a third-year med student at New York Medical College, is pushing for more comprehensive LGBTI health training. After being disappointed in the brief information about LGBTI health given to her in her first year of med school, Spiegel decided to make a change. By her second year, she became president of the school’s LGBT Advocacy in Medicine Club. Spiegel and a group of peers approached the administration about the lack of LGBTI content in the curriculum. According to Spiegel, the administration was ‘amazingly receptive’ to the idea. Thus, the school went from an hour and half of LGBTI-focused […]

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