August 2017 | Page 2 of 71

Gay & bisexual European immigrants face higher risk to HIV.

August 31, 2017 compassq Comments Off

Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) often are motivated to embark on new lives in supportive countries to escape oppression and experience freedoms unavailable in their home countries. However, a recent study addressing the MSM migrant community shows that structural stigma (e.g., laws and policies promoting the unequal treatment of oppressed populations) may put this intersectional population at a higher risk of HIV exposure.

The German gay and bisexual pay gap.

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Homo- and bisexual men on average earn 2 euros less per hour than their straight colleagues, according to an economic study. That’s despite being more likely to earn higher qualifications and work in white-collar jobs. In its first study on Germany’s “Sexuality Pay Gap,” the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) on Thursday reported that gay men earn on average markedly less than their straight male colleagues, despite generally boasting higher qualifications.

Small steps forward for LGBT rights in Louisiana.

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Depending on where LGBTQ community members and advocates live in the U.S., political progress can either seem full-steam-ahead or agonizingly slow. For Louisianans, it’s still the latter. This year, Louisiana saw some hope-inducing forward steps and some predictable stagnancy: it became the 49th state to protect same-sex couples from dating and domestic abuse, but also failed to pass a bill that would have prohibited worker’s discrimination on the basis of sexuality or gender identity.

Netherlands open arms to LGBT Chechenyans.

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It is to be made easier for gay, lesbian and transgender people from Chechenya to claim asylum in the Netherlands, junior justice minister Klaas Dijkhoff has told parliament. The minister said he had taken the decision based on information which shows gay people face ‘systematic persecution’ in the country. Political activists and other people who criticise the Chechen government will also be eligible for a residency permit in the Netherlands, Dijkhoff said.

The Quakers facing split over of homosexuality.

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Although they don’t yet have official standing as a nonprofit, seven Quaker churches separating from the Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends have made significant strides in establishing their own regional denomination, which will be known as the Sierra-Cascades Yearly Meeting of Friends. In addition to choosing a name during the NWYM’s annual summer meetings at George Fox University in July, the emerging organization selected leaders and formed committees to help guide the work of becoming an independent group before the NWYM’s separation deadline of June 30, 2018.

Denver is the hot, new LGBT destination.

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As soon as I entered Denver’s lesbian bar, Blush and Blu, I was made to feel very welcome. Although predominantly gay women, the bar is popular with the trans community and gay men who appreciate its welcoming vibe. “I am from Houston, Texas. I love this place; they make you feel at home,” Sandra Leal said when I was there earlier this month, before the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey hit Leal’s hometown. Echoed my bar-mate on the left, Alexander Hugg, “You become a regular very super early here.”

Why is the LGBT community less healthy than their straight counterparts?

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There’s a health trend that researchers want the LGBT community to be aware of: Lesbian and gay adults over 50 are found to be in poorer health than heterosexuals, according to a University of Washington School of Social Work study. The UW study is the first to use national, population-based data, to look at adult health by sexual orientation. UW Professor Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen was a lead researcher.