New study says PrEP is just as safe as aspirin

A study published in the Oxford Journal’s Open Forum Infectious Diseases states that pre-exposure prophylaxis drugs are just as safe as the painkiller aspirin. While the effectiveness of PrEP for the prevention of HIV had been proven, doubts remained over possible side effects of the drug, including nausea and unintentional weight loss.

The study compared the effects to patients in 5 major research trials. According to the study: “PrEP for HIV infection favourably compares to aspirin in terms of user safety. While long-term studies are needed, providers should feel reassured about the safety of short- and medium-term PrEP for HIV infection with FTC-TDF.”   Read more via GayTimes 

US: Atlanta’s alarming HIV/AIDS epidemic reminiscent of New York in the ’80s

Georgia ranks second among U.S. states in the rate of new HIV diagnoses, behind Louisiana, and Atlanta ranks fifth among metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.

The issue is particularly acute for young gay and bisexual black men. Grady Memorial, one of the nation’s largest public health hospitals, also found alarming numbers, through a grant-funded project that allowed its staff to offer opt-out HIV screening to all patients entering its emergency room: About half the patients diagnosed with HIV already had clinical AIDS. This means they had the virus for years and not received the sort of treatment that would prevent further deterioration of their immune systems.

“None of my colleagues [nationally] are seeing those numbers,” said Dr. Wendy Armstrong, a researcher at Emory University’s Center for AIDS Research. “It’s appalling.”

Despite the rise, the area is finding new new public- and private-sector efforts to bring the area in step with other large cities nationwide that have kept the virus and disease in check.   Read more via Aljazeera

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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German Parliament will be forced into debating marriage equality

Germany’s governing body--the Bundestag-- is being forced to discuss two proposed laws on marriage equality.

The chamber’s judicial committee refused to discuss the proposed laws for the ‘introduction of the right of marriage for people of the same gender’ on three separate occasions. Now they are being forced into the discussion because Renate Kuehnat – leading the Green Party – made use of a loophole in the proceedings that states a fraction can demand debate of an interim if it has not been discussed 10 weeks after a motion was presented.

In October, following an update on law regulating civil partnerships, numerous MPs passed a motion demanding marriage equality. Now it’s down to the speaker’s office to decide if, and if so when, the debate will be set. Read more via Gay Star News 

Russia: Duma Committee Comes Out Against Antigay Bill

The Russian State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State-Building has declined to endorse a controversial draft bill that would introduce fines and arrests for people who publicly express their homosexuality. The parliamentary committee advised that the Duma unanimously vote against the bill in the event it reached a first reading.

The bill, initiated by lawmakers from the Communist Party and condemned as discriminatory by human rights activists, called for fines of up to 5,000 rubles (~ $65) for publicly expressing "nontraditional sexual orientation." The bill also proposed punishing those who express homosexuality at educational or cultural institutions with arrest and up to 15 days in jail. 

Communist lawmaker Igor Nikitchuk, one of the bill’s authors, defended the legislation during a meeting of the committee, calling homosexuality a “contagious disease” and a “threat to society,” as other lawmakers snickered.

Lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov, a rare anti-Kremlin opposition politician in the State Duma, wrote that the recommendation to reject the bill was made for "formal reasons."   Read more via Radio Free Europe

UN Committee against Torture reprimands Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong and China

The UN Committee against Torture published its binding "Concluding Observations" on the CAT 56th Session Homepage. As intersex human rights defenders testifying in Geneva to the lifelong consequences of intersex genital mutilation (IGM) practices had hoped for, the Committee issued strong recommendations on intersex and IGM practices for Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong and China, typically urging states to:

• Take the necessary legislative, administrative and other measures to guarantee the respect for the physical integrity and autonomy of intersex persons and ensure that no one is subjected during infancy or childhood to unnecessary medical or surgical procedures;
• Guarantee counselling services for all intersex children and their parents, so as to inform them of the consequences of unnecessary surgery and other medical treatment;
• Ensure that full, free and informed consent is respected in connection with medical and surgical treatments for intersex persons and that non-urgent, irreversible medical interventions are postponed until a child is sufficiently mature to  participate in decision-making and give full, free and informed consent;
• Provide adequate redress for the physical and psychological suffering caused by such practices to intersex persons. Read more via Stop Genital Mutilation  

UN highlights economic cost of anti-LGBT discrimination

The United Nations’ Free and Equal campaign has exposed just how much LGBTI exclusion really costs. 

The video, narrated by openly gay actor Zachary Quinto, highlights the cost of discrimination against LGBTI people and recognises the importance of new laws and effective public education and training. It cites, among other things, a World Bank study that concludes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity could cost an economy the size of India’s $32 billion a year.
“The cost of homophobia and transphobia is simply colossal,” says Quinto in the video.

Charles Radcliffe, a senior human rights advisor for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, debuted the video, noting: “Discrimination hurts people. It hurts companies. It hurts entire countries.”

James Heintz, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, said that anti-LGBT discrimination lowers productivity and increases health care costs because of higher rates of stress, depression and suicide among affected groups: “There’s an intrinsic value to respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of all people, including those in the LGBT community, regardless of the economic cost."  Read more via Washington Blade

UN: Watch Free & Equal The Price of Exclusion

Rates of poverty, homelessness, depression and suicide have been found to be far higher among LGBT people than in the general population. But it’s not just LGBT people who pay the price. We all do. Every LGBT child thrown out of home and forced to miss out on education is a loss for society. Every LGBT worker denied their rights is a lost opportunity to build a fairer and more productive economy.

These losses are entirely self-inflicted. With different laws and policies in place and a different mind-set, we could and would achieve a more free and equal world – that is more prosperous too! For more info visit

Guyana: Ramsammy lobbies for repeal of laws that discriminate against LGBT

Former health minister under the PPP administration Dr Leslie Ramsammy has called on Guyana and by extension the Caribbean community to repeal laws that “stigmatize, discriminate and criminalize” the LGBT community.

Ramsammy said, “Guyana is today one of about five countries in the world that in accordance with the law can sentence a person in the LGBT community .. for simply engaging in same-sex relations in the privacy of their homes.” Under the Criminal Law (Offences) Act same sex relations between gay men attract a jail term of 10 years to life.

Ramsammy said in a statement, “If we are serious about achieving the goals and targets to end AIDS by 2030 in accordance with the global collective agreements, Guyana signed under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), then we in Guyana and in Caricom must demonstrate leadership."   Read more via Stabroek 

Japan: Evolving public debate on LGBT rights

When a local politician from Tokyo’s Ebisu district last week condemned media coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights issues and called gay people “abnormal” on Twitter, it came as a reminder of times past. It was just four years ago when Tokyo’s governor publicly called gay people “deficient.”

But a lot has changed in Japan since 2011, including the recognition of same-sex relationships in parts of Tokyo; IBM Japan and other major companies extending some benefits to employees’ same-sex partners; and Osaka’s Yodogawa ward, in 2013, and Okinawa’s capital, Naha City, in July 2015, declaring themselves “LGBT friendly” municipalities.

Around the world, progress by LGBT people has often provoked a backlash, such as the Ebisu representative’s homophobic remarks. And while the politician’s colleagues reacted swiftly to criticize him, even calling for his resignation and prompting him to apologize, such statements cut deep, and contribute to a sense that LGBT people in Japan are under siege – particularly those most vulnerable to hateful comments from authorities.  

Read more via Human Rights Watch
 

Singapore: Decision to retain Section 377A ‘carefully considered, balanced’

Raising the LGBT issue in its human-rights report to the UN for the first time, the Singapore Government said its decision to retain Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men, was a “carefully considered and finely balanced decision”.

The report--submitted to the UN in October and released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dec 11--noted that the LGBT issue is a sensitive one in its multi-religious society, where segments “continue to hold strong views against homosexuality for various reasons, including religious convictions and moral values”.

So, its approach is to seek to “accommodate the sensitivities of different communities so that there is room for all to exist harmoniously together”, the Government said, noting that the statute is not proactively enforced, and all citizens, regardless of their sexual orientation, are free to lead their lives and pursue their activities in their private space without fear or violence or personal insecurity.

It added: “We believe that each country should be allowed to deal with such sensitive issues in its own way, taking into account its evolving social and cultural context.”  Read more via Today