LIFESTYLES

PRIDE

Derry expecting record numbers for Foyle Pride parade.

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Derry expecting record numbers for Foyle Pride parade.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend the annual Foyle Pride parade in Derry on Saturday. The parade is the highlight of the Foyle Pride Festival which involves a range of events in the local area. A number of the events have already taken place but some others will be held in the coming days. Tomorrow, the Football versus Homophobia’ returns to Bishop’s Field, in Creggan, at 2pm. There will also be a family zone in the Peace Garden in Foyle Street.

HEROES

LGBT athletes in college sports more than ever before.

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off on LGBT athletes in college sports more than ever before.

On Sept. 2, Kansas State lineman Scott Frantz is likely to become the first out LGBT athlete to compete in a Football Bowl Subdivision game. The Wildcats open the season at home against Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. ET. He will likely beat defensive end My-King Johnson by just a few hours for that distinction. Johnson’s Arizona team kicks off its season against Northern Arizona at 10 p.m. ET that same Saturday. (As of this writing, it’s possible Johnson will redshirt this season.) In the last six months, Frantz and Johnson have received significant attention for coming out publicly, and they are part of a massive increase in publicly out LGBT Division I athletes.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

It’s not always smooth sailing for the LGBT travelers.

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off on It’s not always smooth sailing for the LGBT travelers.

For the LGBT community, the path to full equality has always been filled with roadblocks and barriers. For every step we take forward — the right to marry the person we love, for example – it seems we take a few steps back. Make no mistake: progress has been made, especially among American businesses. From enthusiastically supporting marriage equality to standing against so-called religious liberty bills that discriminate against the LGBT community, American companies are on the front lines of our fight.

HEROES

How did Pride Nights at ever happen at MLB games?

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off on How did Pride Nights at ever happen at MLB games?

Brent Minor, executive director of Team DC—an organization that promotes LGBT sports participation in the Washington area—remembers feeling pessimistic about the first-ever Washington Nationals Night Out. It was 2005, and his organization “totally emptied [its] treasury” to buy 200 tickets for LGBT fans. “We thought, ‘Okay, we’re going to lose our shirts,’” Minor says.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Syphilis cases for gay and bisexual men spike in Scotland.

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Syphilis cases for gay and bisexual men spike in Scotland.

Scotland has had a shocking rise in the number of syphilis cases among gay and bisexual men. The rate of infection is now at 90% among men. New syphilis diagnoses rose 13% in 2016 with 356. This is the highest number Scotland has seen since 1952. The number doubled between 2014 and 2015, from 159 to 316.

5 THINGS TO KNOW

Is this the end of LGBT churches?

August 25, 2017 compassq Comments Off on Is this the end of LGBT churches?

As the worship service came to a close at the Metropolitan Community Church of Corpus Christi, Texas, July 30, so too did the official presence of the longest running LGBT-accepting Christian church in the city. Some 35 years after the church opened its doors in this conservative community and offered a haven to queer people, leaders earlier this month announced the doors here would close, that the congregation would disband, and worship materials from altar candles to clerical robes would be made available to other MCC locations.