BUSINESS

LGBT retirement housing coming to Long Island.

The Town of Islip’s Planning Board is scheduled to vote Thursday on a zoning change that will pave the way for an LGBT-friendly affordable housing development in Bay Shore. The proposed 70,000-square-foot development will bring 75 rental apartments to a 2-acre site on the corner of Park Avenue and Mechanicsville Road, just down the block from the Bay Shore Long Island Rail Road station.

BUSINESS

LGBT housing moving forward in Philadelphia.

After a bit of a bidding war emerged for large plot of land in North Philly, some of which was originally intended for an affordable housing project, a bankruptcy judge is set to approve the sales of a portion of the properties to Project HOME. On Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Magdeline D. Coleman said she would approve the sales of the now-bankrupt North Philadelphia Health System’s properties at Eighth Street and Girard Avenue for a combined $10.25 million, according to the Inquirer. Ironstone Real Estate Partners will acquire the majority of land for $8.5 million, while Project HOME will pay $1.7 million for additional parcels.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Blackmail and intrigue in the world of gay porn.

An adult film studio has reportedly warned a “prominent public figure” that he faces exposure over his sexual preferences unless he pays a $97,000 ‘fine’. The unnamed individual was accused by the CEO of a gay porn company of pirating content and told that the ‘fine’ would increase to $525,000 if not settled quickly. The man has now gone on the offensive with his own lawsuit.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Build the condos, but keep the gay bar.

A U.K. City Council has ordered a private company that it cannot build luxury flats and offices on a site it recently purchased that included a closed gay-bar unless it agrees to include a new gay bar as part of the development plan. Tower Hamlets Council ordered earlier this month that developers Regal Homes must build a gay bar that will “remain a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender-focused venue for a minimum of 12 years,” regardless of its ability to stay economically afloat.

BUSINESS

LGBT heritage sites in Vermont

A small group of community leaders recently met with State Historic Preservation Officer Laura V. Trieschmann in the offices of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project to work on getting Vermont LGBTQ heritage sites on the state and national historic registry. The process may start in Bellows Falls.

BUSINESS

Young, black, and gay in corporate South Africa.

As the first constitution in the world to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and thus elevating South Africa to being the fifth country in the world, and to date, the first and only one in Africa to legally recognise same-sex marriage the Constitution of South Africa is a very critical resource in raising gender and sexuality dialogue in Africa. Yet, the conversation seems not hopeful enough and elevated enough as many LGBTQAI+ South Africans endure challenges including homophobic violence, social stigma, HIV/AIDS infections and most recently, a rising trend in corporate homophobia.