Australia: Atari launches new LGBT game ahead of worldwide release

An original mobile LGBTI game inspired by pride marches around the world was recently launched by Atari in Australia ahead of its worldwide launch. Pridefest sees players work through missions as the mayor of a city that has lost all of its fun and colour overnight.

Atari chief executive Fred Chesnais said the game was inspired by the LGBTI community and aims to bring their colourful atmosphere and inclusive spirit to a game for the first time: “Pridefest provides the first LGBT-focused game that represents a passionate cause...Pridefest is designed to emulate that sense of joy and fanfare year-round through a social-sim mobile game."

“Our vision for Pridefest is that it can also become a means for isolated LGBT individuals lacking a supportive LGBT network to come together in a safe, welcoming, and fun atmosphere.”

Chesnais said the gaming landscape has changed in recent years around LGBT representation: “GaymerX [queer gaming convention] is in its third year now and growing, which speaks volumes to the number of gamers out there that are interested in playing games that include characters or themes specifically relevant and relatable to the LGBT community.” 

Read more via Star Observer
 

How Twitter quietly banned hate speech last year

Seven years ago, Twitter began its rise to prominence by billing itself as a space where people could speak freely because nobody was censored. The company's rules enshrined this ideal, promising "we do not actively monitor and will not censor user content, except in limited circumstances." But in 2015 all of that changed.

There were changes in Twitter's rules here and there before 2015, usually to make it easier for the company to ban people engaging in spam and fraud. But as more high-profile Twitter users began to experience abuse and harassment firsthand, the company began to reverse its earlier policies.

Without ever touching the language in its rules page, Twitter began to add links out to other documents that explained the "limited circumstances" that could lead to censorship. In March, the company banned revenge porn. In April, they banned any speech that could incite terrorism, or violence against people "on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, age, or disability."

Essentially, writes Jeong, they banned hate speech. Read more via Ars Technica 

Netherlands: Advertising watchdog defends gay hook-up ads at train stations

Adverts for a gay hook-up app will not be banned in the Netherlands, despite a number of complaints. Gay cruising app Squirt had put up the large signs and posters at major train stations across Rotterdam, Amsterdam Utrecht and The Hague. 

Despite a number of complaints, the Advertising Standards Board has ruled in favour of the site – and will allow the campaign to continue.  One complainant claimed that the ad was designed to entice children into visiting the website, while a third said it was “truly sickening and shocking”.
The ASB found that the ads met “the necessary precautions… in the context of good taste and public decency.”

The app’s ads were previously removed from trains in Canada – after the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) claimed they encouraged gay commuters to “break the law”. TTC spokesperson Danny Nicholson said: “The ad was taken down as it promoted sex in public places, which is against the law.” Read more via PinkNews

UK: Crimes linked to Tinder and Grindr increase seven fold

Crimes linked to dating apps Tinder and Grindr, including rape, child sex grooming and attempted murder, have increased seven fold in just two year. More than 400 offences with a connection to users of the apps were reported to police last year and campaigners warned many more could go unreported.

Andy Cooke, deputy chief constable of Merseyside Police national police lead on violence and public protection, said: "The rising popularity of online dating apps and websites has contributed to an increase in the number of recorded crimes. We strongly encourage users to report offences and seek support if they become a victim of any type of crime.

Gay and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: "Closeted gay and bisexual men who use Grindr may be especially vulnerable to targeting because criminals know they will be less likely to report crimes to the police. I suspect these figures are just the tip of the iceberg." Read more via Telegraph

China: Gay dating app Grindr gets $93-million investment from Chinese company

Grindr has handed majority ownership to Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun World Wide Technology Co. for $93 million, valuing the Hollywood start-up at $155 million post-investment.

The app has become a go-to hookup app for men looking for same-sex relationships, getting about 2 million daily users. But the company has sought to play a bigger role, beyond matchmaking, in the lives of its users and the investment is aimed at accelerating that process. Grindr, launched in 2009, also has faced competition from apps like Scruff and Tinder since then.

The investment is noteworthy because Chinese authorities do not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions, and being publicly gay remains taboo in China. But Chinese gay rights activists have scored some recent victories, and the increased pressure may begin to open some doors. Read more via LA Times 

Davos 2016: US Vice President Joe Biden urges world business leaders to do more for LGBT rights

Speaking at WEF, Joe Biden has urged business leaders to do more to promote the rights of LGBT people in the workplace. The Democrat said: "When it comes to LGBT rights in workplace, the world is looking to you. I know that sounds like hyperbole, sounds like an exaggeration. But they look to you. You have more impact than anything the federal government has done, or the Supreme Court of the United States has done, or that Barack Obama or Joe Biden have done lighting up the White House. You have more impact. You have more impact in countries around the world than we do on those social issues".

Speaking to a number of business leaders from companies including Microsoft, Google and Coca-Cola, the 73-year-old also addressed issues of human rights and discrimination around the world.

He said: "Mistreated by cops, denial of health care, isolation – always in the name of culture. Culture never justifies rank, war, discrimination or violation of human rights. There is no cultural justification – none, none, none. And think of the countries behind 'this is our culture'.  Watch his remarks via IBT

Switzerland: Global LGBTI rights to be discussed at Davos 2016

LGBT issues have made it onto the official agenda of the World Economic Forum in Davos for the first time. LGBT issues have been slowly making an appearance in the past couple of years, with the topic touched on in private discussions behind closed-doors as part of what I call the Davos Fringe and passing mentions on Davos panels around more general discussions of diversity and inclusion.

Topics don’t get added to the agenda lightly. New issues must have global importance and there must be high profile senior executives willing to talk about them on a pubic stage. The 2016 agenda includes two public sessions with a clear LGBT focus, signalling that LGBT issues have come to the fore with champions who are ready to speak clearly and openly on the topic.

There is a feeling among parts of the business community that through their global presence, with strong policies across their entire workforces around the world, and the ability to use their economic clout to influence governments, they can play a positive role either through acting as a role model or by using their soft power to encourage greater levels of acceptance and equal rights for LGBT people in countries where rights are not enshrined.  Read more via BBC

Grindr Sells Stake to Chinese Company

Grindr, the popular dating and social networking app for gay men, has found itself a match.

The company on Monday said it had sold a majority stake to the Beijing Kunlun Tech Company, a Chinese gaming company, valuing the six-year-old start-up at $155 million. Beijing Kunlun will acquire 60 percent of Grindr, with the remainder to be owned by Grindr employees and Joel Simkhai, the company’s founder. Grindr has previously not raised capital from outside investors.

“We have users in every country in the world, but in order to get to the next phase of our business and grow faster, we needed a partner,” Carter McJunkin, chief operating officer of Grindr, said in an interview. Mr. McJunkin said the pairing made sense for Grindr because of Beijing Kunlun’s digital expertise, and its agreement to let Grindr’s founders continue its operating structure and retain its current team.

For Beijing Kunlun, Grindr offers a chance to expand beyond its core gaming assets and into other lifestyle categories, as well as markets outside China.

“We have been very impressed by Grindr’s progress to date and are extremely excited about the future of the company,” Yahui Zhou, chairman of Kunlun, said in a statement. “We will continue to seek out and invest in high-quality technology companies led by top-tier management across the globe.”

Founded in 2009 by Mr. Simkhai with a few thousand dollars of his own money, Grindr has grown to become a mainstay of the gay hookup and dating culture in 196 countries around the world. The mobile app lets users see photos of one another based on their location, and users can share photos and text messages with one another. Read more via New York Times

美国同志社交应用Grindr找到中国伙伴

受男同性恋欢迎的约会和社交应用Grindr给自己找到了一段姻缘。

该公司周一宣布，已将大部分股份出售给中国游戏公司北京昆仑万维科技股份有限公司。作为创业公司，Grindr已成立六年，此次交易对其估值为1.55亿美元。北京昆仑将获得60%的股份，公司其余股份将由Grindr员工和公司创始人乔尔·西姆卡伊(Joel Simkhai)持有。Grindr此前没有进行过外部融资。

“我们的用户遍布全球每一个国家，但为了让业务进入下一个阶段，实现更快的增长，我们需要一个合作伙伴，”Grindr首席运营官卡特·麦克琼金(Carter McJunkin)在接受采访时说。麦克琼金称，对Grindr来说，和北京昆仑搭档是合理的，因为后者拥有数字领域的专长，且同意让Grindr的创始人保留当前的运营结构和团队。

对北京昆仑而言，Grindr提供了一个机会，让他们可以扩展到核心的游戏资产以外，进入其他生活领域及国外市场。

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“我们对Grindr目前取得的成绩印象深刻，我们对它的未来充满期待，”昆仑董事长周亚辉说。“昆仑万维会继续在全球寻找目标，投资一些高质量、由顶尖管理层领导的高科技企业。”

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Now, a condom that can kill HIV

Aiming to increase global use of condoms as a way to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS, Dr. Mahua Choudhery and her team have developed a new non-latex condom which contains antioxidants and can kill the deadly virus even after breaking. The condom is made of an elastic polymer called hydrogel, and includes plant-based antioxidants that have anti-HIV properties.

"Supercondom could help fight against HIV infection and may as well prevent unwanted pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases and If we succeed, it will revolutionise the HIV prevention initiative," said Choudhury, the lead researcher.

Choudhury, who studied Molecular Biology, Biophysics and Genetics in India before getting her PhD in the US, has been researching diabetes and the obesity epidemic. She was one of 54 people awarded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Grand Challenge in Global Health" grant.  Read more via HuffingtonPost

UK: Internet goes wild over hardware store’s LGBTI advert

Several brands have used LGBT people to great acclaim in their advertising in recent months, including the likes of Nordstrom, Wells Fargo and airbnb. However, a social media campaign released by UK-based hardware chain Robert Dyas has left some people scratching their heads.
The video, posted online Friday, features gay, bisexual and straight members of staff extolling the LGBT-friendly credentials of the store.

‘I like showing our gay and straight customers the funky range of our Christmas gifts,’ says sales assistant Marcus.

‘Look at this Christmas tree; it’s perfect for a gay person or a straight person.’

‘I’m bisexual and I always find something I love at Robert Dyas’, says one female shopper. Since the video was posted, it’s had over 400,000 views on YouTube and over 400,000 on Facebook. Some have complimented the advert. Read more

A HIV-Positive Dating App Leaked 5,000 Users’ Data

A security researcher has discovered that user data was until recently leaking from two health apps: Hzone, a dating app for HIV-positive singles, and iFit, a fitness app.

These two leaks together affect far fewer people than some other breaches, however the health app leaks are significant because they contained, in some cases, unusually sensitive and personal information. They also underscore how many health apps do not have to comply with federal patient privacy laws — even if they collect personal information — if they do not share that information with doctors and others bound by those same privacy laws.

In the case of Hzone, such information included names, email addresses, birthdays, relationship statuses, number of children, sexual orientation, sexual experiences, and messages like this, according to DataBreaches.net: “Hi. I was diagnosed 3 years ago now. CD4 and Viral Load is relatively good. I’m therefore not on Meds yet. My 6-monthly blood tests are due in June. Planning to go in meds. I’m worried about the side effects. What kinds of side effect have you experienced? Xx.” As many as 5,000 users appeared in the breach.  Read more via Buzzfeed

Global initiative launched on gay app Hornet to modernise safe sex message

The Global Forum on MSM and HIV (MSMGF) has teamed up with gay dating app Hornet for a new digital campaign to help modernise the HIV prevention message.

Blue Ribbon Boys is a collaboration from the two organisations that prompts Hornet app users to answer a short series of “yes/no” questions about their sexual health.
The questions relate to HIV and STI testing, ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment, PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), viral load, disclosure, stigma, condom and lubricant use, and other safe sex methods.

Hornet users who undertake the survey and qualify will receive a blue ribbon icon on their profile photo signifying their personal commitment to sexual health, regardless of their HIV status.  Read more via Star Observer