UK: Making business the frontline in the fight against HIV

In the UK, HIV represents one of the most serious health conditions; there are an estimated 107,800 people living with HIV, one quarter of whom are estimated to be unaware of their infection. The main routes of transmission vary, but infection rates remain stubbornly and disproportionately higher in some key populations such as men who have sex with men, migrant populations, injecting drug users and sex workers.

One way to reach those who either don’t want to or don’t feel able to use sexual health clinics is to deliver services where those who need them are--creating opportunities for healthier “settings”, or more supportive environments for health. A bar, club, or sauna can be developed into a healthy place to reach target populations.

In recent projects business owners successfully engaged with HIV prevention and other health promotion interventions. They provided customers with access to condoms and lubricants, HIV/STI information on prevention and treatment, and offered HIV/STI testing. In some cases, business owners went even further. Important changes were made to workplace policies to support HIV issues. Staff got sexual health training so they were better able to support customers, while staff and clients were assured non-disclosure and non-discrimination through supportive policies and practices. Read more via The Conversation 

US: Weddings of same-sex couples boosted state and local economies by $813M this summer

Marriages by same-sex couples have generated an estimated $813 million boost to state and local economies and $52 million in state and local sales tax revenue since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision extending marriage equality, according to a new study.

Since the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, 96,000 same-sex couples have tied the knot. This study, titled “Estimating the Economic Impact of Marriage for Same-sex Couples after Obergefell,” estimates the impact of those marriages on state and local economies, sales tax revenue and job creation.   Read more via Williams Institute 

Australia: Business study says firms can do more to promote diversity and inclusion

A study carried out by the University of Sydney Business School (USBS) has concluded that Australian companies could be doing more to promote diversity and inclusion (D&I), and that doing so will boost business performance. The study, entitled Benchmarking Diversity and Inclusion Practices in Australia, found that approximately 4 out of ten companies (39%) who responded to the survey had no diversity and inclusion budget.

‘I think the budget issue is quite a complex one,’ said Associate Professor Di van den Broek from the University of Sydney’s Business School. ‘Sixty per cent of our respondents said they had a budget but a lot of those who had a budget said it was inadequate to push through the diversity and inclusion agenda that they wanted.’

Another key finding was that only 41% of diversity and inclusion practitioners said that their organizations measured the outcomes of their D&I initiatives. This is despite the fact that an increasing number of companies are recognizing the business benefits of promoting diversity and inclusion.  Read more via Gay Star News 

Japan: Lifenet to let same-sex partners be designated policy beneficiaries

Lifenet Insurance Co. has said it will allow policyholders to designate their same-sex partners as their life insurance beneficiaries. The Japanese company currently restricts the scope of beneficiary designation to legal spouses and relatives within two degrees of relationship, as well as to opposite-sex partners in de facto relationships under certain conditions.

The move comes after Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward put an ordinance into force in April to allow the municipality to certify same-sex partnerships as equivalent to marriage. The ward began accepting applications this week. Read more via Japan Times 

US: Gay issues enter the world of philanthropy

When a donor made a $100,000 gift to the Girl Scouts’ Western Washington Council last March, it was time to break out the hand-shaped clappers. One hundred thousand dollars was a big donation for the council, which represents about 25,500 girls in 17 counties in the western part of Washington State.

But in late April, after the funds were in hand, Ms. Ferland received a letter from the donor. "They wanted assurance that their funds would not help support transgender girls participating and if I couldn’t give that assurance they wanted the money returned.” Before she even finished reading the letter, “I thought to myself, ‘The money’s going back.’”

After the money was returned, Ms. Ferland says, a staff member suggested the organization start a crowd-funded campaign to replace the lost donation. 

“Help us raise back the $100,000 a donor asked us to return because we welcome transgender girls." In a little over five hours,  the site had already received over $100,000 in donations. By the end of that first day, the number was up to $243,958 from 4,760 donors. By the time the fund-raising effort was concluded a month later, the organization had raised $365,573. 

 Read more via New York Times

US: Dating apps fire back at billboards linking STD spread

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is defending an ad campaign in Los Angeles that links popular dating apps with the spread of sexual transmitted diseases. The group has sponsored billboards and bus benches that are aimed at reminding users about the risks of casual sex and offering free STD tests.

"In many ways, location-based mobile dating apps are becoming a digital bathhouse for millennials wherein the next sexual encounter can literally just be a few feet away — as well as the next STD," Whitney Engeran-Cordova, senior public health director for the foundation, said in a statement.

Tinder sent a cease and desist letter claiming the campaign falsely associates the dating app with the spread of venereal diseases: "These unprovoked and wholly unsubstantiated accusations are made to irreparably damage Tinder's reputation in an attempt to encourage others to take an HIV test offered by your organization," a lawyer for Tinder wrote.

The foundation sent a letter to Tinder denying that it disparaged the company and saying it would not remove the reference to the app.  Read More via AP

US: With endorsement from Target, corporate support for the Equality Act continues to grow

HRC hailed Target for its announcement this morning that it is has endorsed the recently-introduced Equality Act, a landmark federal bill that would guarantee explicit, permanent protections for LGBT people from discrimination in many of the most important aspects of their lives.

Currently, 31 states across the country lack fully-inclusive non-discrimination protections for LGBT Americans. Target joins a number of leading American corporations, including Amazon, American Airlines, Apple, the Dow Chemical Company, Facebook, General Electric, General Mills, Google, HP, IBM, Intel, Levi Strauss & Co, Microsoft, Nike, Oracle, Orbitz, PayPal and Symantec Corporation in support of federal LGBT non-discrimination protections.

The Equality Act provides basic protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in employment, access to public spaces, housing, education, jury service, credit and federal funding.  Read More via Human Rights Campaign

Globally, one in four people have a transgender work colleague

The latest Randstad Workmonitor survey has explored global attitudes to sexual orientation diversity in the workplace. One of the questions asked employees in 34 countries whether they had any transgender work colleagues.

On average, 26% of those polled said that they had one (or more) transgender colleagues. This figure rose to 45% in Greece, 46% in Brazil and 50% in India. In the US, 29% of those polled said they had a transgender work colleague, while the figure was 26% in the UK.

Helen Belcher, of Trans Media Watch said, ‘Trans issues have been treated as marginal and unimportant for years. I’ve been saying for a long time that trans issues don’t just affect the trans person, but their families, friends and work colleagues also. Read More via Gay Star News 

Singapore: More accessible to queer travellers than ever before

In June, Singapore’s current PM Lee Hsien Loong eagerly reminded progressive critics that “There are gay groups in Singapore, there are gay people in Singapore and they have a place to stay here and we let them live their own lives. And we do not harass them or discriminate against them.”

Singapore’s legal code tells a slightly different story: male homosexuality remains a crime under Section 377A; LGBT defence force personnel are banned from serving in “sensitive” units, and anti-discrimination laws, as well as recognition for same-sex couples, are completely off the table for the foreseeable future.

Yet there’s also some truth to Lee’s claim. Section 377A has not been enforced in years, and seemingly remains on the books to appease the country’s influential Christian organisations. Singapore may be in no hurry to shake its rigorously organised reputation. But those who arrive expecting a staid, joyless police state will quickly discover a side of the city that’s keen to subvert expectations. Read More via Daily Xtra

This terrifying new Windows 10 feature could ‘out’ kids to their parents

Computers running Windows 10 could be automatically telling parents that their teens are visiting LGBT support websites. The new operating system, which was rolled out last month as a free upgrade, has raised concern over the new ‘activity reports‘ feature.

The feature is enabled by default for users who have set up registered ‘family’ accounts, sending weekly breakdowns of browsing history to the parents – even if the kids browse anonymously or try to clear it. Once active, the feature emails the parents a weekly summary of all the child’s internet usage, including the details of websites visited.

The tool also specifically flags up search terms and blocked content that children tried to access – meaning that teens experimenting with their sexuality could have their sexual fantasies emailed directly to their parents. Read More via PinkNews 

Czech Republic: Pride Business Forum says openness pays off

Businesses do better when employees come out of the closet, especially at the CEO or senior management level. That was one of the key messages of the fifth Pride Business Forum, one of the main side events to Prague Pride week. The event featured business leaders from Central and Eastern Europe discussing leadership, LGBTI diversity and inclusion, and business opportunities for those companies that create an inclusive environment.

Among the highlights was a discussion between the BBC’s economic anchor, Evan Davis, with Lord John Browne, author of The Glass Closet and former head of energy giant BP.

Pavlina Kalousova from Business Society led a panel of business leaders on ‘How diversity fits into the business agenda’. One of the organizing partners of the Forum is the Netherlands-based Workplace Pride. Its Executive Director, David Pollard, said, ‘This event, which includes Czech as well as international companies, is another excellent example of how working closely with the LGBT community in the workplace just makes good business sense for employers, both in the public and private sectors.’  Read More 

How La Nogalera came to be Torremolinos’ gay hot-spot

THE year was 1962. Spain was bowed in submission under the oppressive rule of General Franco. Freedom was a rare commodity, homosexuality a crime that dared not speak its name. Across the country, gay men and women were being thrown into prison and publicly lambasted for their sexuality.

But one corner of the Costa del Sol didn’t buy into the dictator’s harsh regime.

Sticking two fingers up to Fascism, Torremolinos offered Europeans the chance to live the free life they desired. Read More