DESTINATIONS

Island House in the Key West rebuilding after Irma.

Key West’s gay-owned Island House resort — one of the most famous men’s resorts in Florida — sustained damage from Hurricane Irma, but is working to repair and reopen. Island House is currently closed and assessing the damage caused by the mammoth storm, which battered the Florida Keys on Monday. Most of the resort thankfully survived Irma’s impact, though much of its beautiful foliage was torn to shreds by the wind and rain.

HEALTH

Reproduction rights for lesbians now a matter of social justice in France.

The right of lesbian couples and single women to have access to assisted reproduction was “a matter of social justice” and will likely be legislated next year, a French government minister said on Tuesday. The move would mark a significant extension of gay rights in France, where violent protests preceded the legalization of same-sex marriage and adoption by homosexual couples in 2013.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Fighting for surrogacy for gay men in Utah.

Jon and Noel started talking about having a family not long after they married in 2013. An author and a professor who have been together more than a decade, the couple considered adoption, but settled on surrogacy out of a strong desire to have a biological child. That plan was derailed last year when a southern Utah judge denied their petition to enter a surrogacy agreement with a woman who wanted to help make their family complete.

GayARP

Albany County supports veterans who were denied benefits.

When it comes to discharged LGBT veterans in Albany County, they don’t have to worry about being denied benefits due to their sexual orientation. County lawmakers on Monday passed a law that will ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender veterans who were discharged under the federal government’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell police started under President Bill Clinton to receive county-level veteran’s benefits.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Nigel Owens – Coming out as gay easier than talking about bulimia.

Nigel Owens, one of the top rugby referees in the world, says it was easier for him to talk about being gay than to admit he still has bulimia. As a referee in world-class rugby, one of the most macho sports on the planet, I was the first in the sport to come out as being gay. In the hope of reaching out to other young people struggling with mental health, I was also one of the first sportsmen to speak openly about the biggest regret of my life — a suicide attempt. …

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Support for Aussie same-sex marriage from our four legged friends.

Nearly 30,000 people flooded the streets of Sydney over the weekend to show their support for marriage equality in Australia, but it was many of their pets that stole the show. Event organizers said that the rally, which was held ahead of the upcoming postal vote on same-sex marriage, was the largest LGBT demonstration in Australian history. And while thousands of activists proved that a massive segment of the population is in support of marriage equality, it was their rainbow-clad dogs that helped to spread the word even further.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

India steps up to make transgender healthcare more accessible.

Kerala state Health minister KK Shailaja has declared that transgender clinics will be opened in all the government medical colleges of the state. As a beginning to it, one such clinic has already opened in Kottayam medical college and is functioning once a month for the time being. A statement released by the minister’s office says that all the departments of the hospital are coordinating well with the transgender clinic. The clinic functions on the first Tuesday of every month.