New Zealand: Increasing HIV+ numbers strain services

Figures released show that for three years the number of new diagnoses amongst men who have sex with men has continued to rise, to the point where it is at the highest annual level since the epidemic started. Opinions are mixed as to the contribution to the high rate of diagnoses of heightened HIV testing campaigns, immigrant communities with less knowledge of HIV and how to avoid it and the increasing pool of people with HIV.

The country's largest HIV peer-support and advocacy organisation, Body Positive, already has 800 people on its books and funding to provide services to the increasing numbers of gay and bi men with HIV is not keeping up with demand, says Body Positive general manager Mark Fischer.  Read More

Australia: Domestic violence in gay and transgender community neglected

Domestic violence rates among LGBTI Victorians mirror the broader community but support services are not equipped to provide adequate help, a leading research centre has reported. Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria is calling for better-targeted training for family violence support services and the justice system.

The research centre's submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence said too many abuse victims in  the LGBTI community suffer in isolation.

"Generally services are indicating they haven't thought about [the LGBTI community] much or aren't confident," submission author Dr Horsley said. She said support services needed specific training in dealing with the LGBTI community. Read More

UK: Bisexuals still face discrimination from the National Health Services and LGBT services

With the legalisation of same sex marriage in Britain and Ireland given the green light over the past few years, it’s easy to assume attitudes toward the LGBT community are becoming more accepting. Yet despite this, a portion of bisexual people are still experiencing discrimination.

Almost half of bisexuals claim to have experienced biphobic comments while accessing mainstream services, a new report launched by the Equality Network found. Biphobia was most commonly experienced within NHS and LGBT services. The research is said to be the first UK-wide research report on bisexual people’s experience of services. The study revealed 66% respondents felt they had to pass as straight and 42% felt they had to pass as gay or lesbian while accessing services.

More than a quarter of those asked claimed to have experienced prejudice even when accessing LGBT services. One respondent reported they had “heard lots of negative comments about bisexual people and dismissal of the need to include bisexual people”. Another respondent reported being told that “bisexuals are ‘confused’ and not as good as ‘real gays’”. Read More

Ugandan academy endorses pro-gay report

The Ugandan National Academy of Sciences (Unas) has endorsed a report that says homosexuality and gender and sexual diversity are natural phenomena, which contradicts Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s stance that homosexuality is abnormal and should be outlawed. Unas and the Academy of Sciences of South Africa (Assaf) are the only academies of science in Africa to endorse the report.

Uganda’s infamous anti-gay laws were justified with a study which Ugandan MPs claimed stated: “Homosexuality is not a disease but merely an abnormal behaviour which may be learned through experiences in life. In every society, there is a small number of people with homosexuality tendencies. Read More

The science behind a more meaningful understanding of sexual orientation

People who are attracted to others of the same sex develop their orientation before they are born. This is not a choice. And scientific evidence shows their parents cannot be blamed.

Research proving that there is biological evidence for sexual orientation has been available since the 1980s. The links have been emphasised by new scientific research.

In 2014, researchers confirmed the association between same-sex orientation in men and a specific chromosomal region. This is similar to findings originally published in the 1990s, which, at that time, gave rise to the idea that a “gay gene” must exist. But this argument has never been substantiated, despite the fact that studies have shown that homosexuality is a heritable trait.

Evidence points towards the existence of a complex interaction between genes and environment, which are responsible for the heritable nature of sexual orientation. Read more

South Africa: African academics challenge homophobic laws

A Western import. Unnatural. Contagious. Un-African. All of these arguments and more have been invoked to support the numerous laws criminalizing homosexuality in Africa. But now African academics have used scientific evidence to argue against such laws and to urge African nations to abandon them.

In a report published by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), the academics, most of whom are scientists, make the case that laws criminalizing homosexuality have no basis in science and hamper efforts to prevent and treat HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (see go.nature.com/q3rr4k).

Partly because those arguing in favour of criminalising sexual and gender diversity have made explicit appeals to science, this report examines the extent to which science supports any of the arguments that proponents of these new laws make. Drawing on recent scientific evidence and, where possible, on systematic reviews, the report seeks to provide an up-to-date overview of the state of the current biological, socio-psychological, and public health evidence and assess how this supports, or contests, the key arguments made in favour of new laws. Read More

Cyprus: HIV infections on the rise

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has released a mission report on HIV in Cyprus. Up until 2005, levels of HIV infection in Cyprus were relatively low, with fewer than 30 new cases diagnosed annually. However, the number of new HIV cases diagnosed annually has steadily risen. These new cases occurred predominantly among men who have sex with men of Cypriot nationality.

It is unclear whether this increase is due to more testing (which results in more diagnoses), an increase in the number of HIV-positive people who returned to the country after having lived abroad, or to an actual increase in the number of HIV infections among MSM in Cyprus. This mission report addresses this issue and provides options on how Cyprus can respond to the epidemic. Read the report

US: Transgender people are more visible than ever, but it's still legal to discriminate against them in most states

Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover was met with an outpouring of love and acceptance. Though Jenner's coming out marks a huge moment for trans visibility, daily discrimination and violence is still the norm for thousands of transgender Americans. The rate of violence against trans women, especially trans women of color, is alarming -- according to a 2013 report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 72% of victims of anti-LGBTQ homicide were transgender women, and 89% of victims were people of color. 

It's not surprising there are so many health and safety issues in the trans community -- in many places there aren't laws to protect them from housing or workplace discrimination, and hate crime legislation is nonexistent or doesn't include trans people as a protected group. Read More

Australia: Victorian government announces $400K funding for LGBTI seniors program

The Victorian Government has just announced $402,000 in funding over three years for Val’s Cafe, a program that promotes and advocates for the health, wellbeing and social inclusion of older LGBTI people.

Val’s Café is named after a Melbourne coffee lounge established by Val Eastwood that became a gay-friendly meeting place in early 1950s, during a time when LGBTI people faced persecution. The project was established in 2009 to work with aged-care facilities and help providers understand the histories and experiences of their older LGBTI clients.

“LGBTI seniors shouldn’t have to get back in the closet as they grow older,” Equality Minister Martin Foley said with the announcement.

The project now has 450 members and 5000 monthly online visitors to its website. It has provided support to more than 4000 staff across the aged-care sector, with the goal of ensuring that LGBTI Victorians can be respected for who they are as they grow older.  Read More 

South Africa: Champions come together to announce strengthened efforts for an AIDS-free generation in Africa

The Champions for an AIDS-Free Generation, a distinguished group of former presidents and influential African leaders, gathered together to announce new efforts to ensure that all children in Africa are born free from HIV and that children living with HIV have access to lifesaving treatment. Since young people continue to be deeply affected by the epidemic, the Champions also announced that they will add adolescents and HIV to their portfolio of work. 

As the Champions reaffirmed their commitment to an AIDS-free generation, they were joined by partners that include UNAIDS, PEPFAR, and private sector representatives.

“The Champions have been steadfast in calling for improved HIV prevention and treatment options, and there has been progress,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé. “Now, with their ranks strengthened, the Champions will be even stronger advocates to fast-track the AIDS response in Africa to ensure that every baby is born free from HIV and that their mothers stay healthy.”  Read More

France: Possible ease ban on gay men giving blood after ECJ ruling

France could loosen its ban on gay men giving blood after the European court of justice ruled in favour of adopting less restrictive measures than excluding all gay men who have ever had sex.

France’s ban on gay men giving blood has been criticised by rights groups as discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Any potential male blood donor in France who admits ever having had sex with a man is automatically and permanently banned from giving blood. The ban came into force in 1983 because it was deemed that gay men were more likely than other groups to have HIV.

The ECJ has ruled that EU governments may be justified in banning gay men from donating blood but only under strict conditions. The court found that France’s law was “liable to discriminate against male homosexuals on the basis of sexual orientation”, which is against EU policy. Read More

UK: ‘Gay cure’ group complains that psychiatrists don’t believe homosexuality can be cured

The Core Issues Trust – who held a ‘Transformation Potential’ conference this week discussing conversion therapy–  has lodged a complaint with the General Medical Council against the Royal College of Psychiatrists who believe that homosexuality is biological in nature and fixed at birth. The anti-gay group say this is “discrimination” for people “who experience homosexual feelings but wish to reduce them."

One of the complainants, former GP Dr Peter May, said: “There is good evidence that sexual orientation can change. Yet the largest UK providers of psychotherapy and counselling, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy and the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, have all made ethical policy statements, banning any therapy which seeks to facilitate such a change.”

President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Professor Sir Simon Wessely, said: “The Royal College of Psychiatrists notes that homosexuality is not a psychiatric disorder.  We consider that the provision of any intervention to ‘treat’ normal sexuality is unethical.”  Read More