Right on the heels of news that Thailand’s top university has introduced a mandatory class on transgender issues, a sweeping non-discrimination law came into effect regarding the entire country, Out.com reported. The 2015 Gender Equality Act, which was passed in parliament in March, makes discrimination against people based on gender identity or sexual orientation punishable by up to six months in prison and a fine of 20,000 baht (about $550). In conjunction with the law’s implementation, a three-day workshop was held to educate members of government, law and the media.
An intersex infant was recently discovered at a park in Shandong province after having been abandoned there, Shanghaiist reported. The baby was found by an elderly man in the city of Zibo. The man also found a plastic bag with a blanket, some clothing and cash next to the infant. The child was taken to a hospital and was found to have a number of melanin spots, but is in good health.
Elton John has called on Ukraine’s business leaders to accept gays in the workplace, telling them that policies “designed to repress LGBT citizens … hinder economic development,” the Associated Press noted. The singer, talking at a forum in Kiev, pointed to studies showing that emerging economies which protect LGBT rights have a higher gross domestic product per capita. He says “so being tolerant and inclusive is not only the morally right thing to do, for the new Ukraine, it’s the smart thing to do.”
Spain is winning the battle for gay tourists, Bloomberg reported. Gay and lesbian visitors contribute about $6.8 billion to the Spanish economy, according to a report by LGBT Capital last month, edging out France as Europe’s top destination. Gay people spend about 30 percent more on average than mainstream tourists in Spain, according to government estimates, boosting an economy where tourism accounts for 12 percent of jobs.
Neil Grungras—executive director of ORAM: Organization for Refuge, Asylum, and Migration—applauded the Obama administration for the announcement that the United States will welcome 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016, a press release stated. Nahas, a gay Syrian, described what life was like for him in Syria and the dangers he faced there, at a historic meeting on LGBT human rights at the United Nations Security Council on Aug. 24. Nahas recently resettled in the United States with the help of ORAM, and is now an advocate for LGBT and other refugees as well as the organization’s systems administrator.
The first-ever Scottish Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) awards took place in front of 400 guests, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Lorraine Kelly, in Glasgow, Scotsman.com reported. Sturgeon was named Politician of the Year. There were 15 award categories and two special awards, including the Outstanding Campaigner Award and Journalist of the Year. Singer-songwriter Horse McDonald performed at the event, along with Pop Idol winner Michelle McManus and Glasgow favorites Robert and May Miller.
Iconic gay pub the Royal Vauxhall Tavern has become the first gay venue in the United Kingdom to be granted listed status—protecting it from redevelopment plans, PinkNews reported. The local community raised concern after the pub was sold last October to development company Immovate, putting its future in doubt amid redevelopment fears. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed the designation, which Historic England recommended.
The number of new recruits in the British Army to have disclosed that they are gay since new rules came into effect last year is fewer than five, PinkNews reported. A Freedom of Information request reveals that out of more than 10,000 troops enlisted in the army since November 2014, fewer than five felt they could come out and reveal they are gay. Despite the low figures, the Freedom of Information response said, “The Ministry of Defence encourages diversity at all levels. The option for Service personnel to declare their sexual orientation is not a new facility.”
A British woman is on trial, charged with sexual assault for allegedly tricking a female classmate into thinking she was having sex with a man, according to an Advocate.com item that cites the Liverpool Echo. Gayle Newland, 25, of Willaston, Cheshire, is accused of inventing the persona of “Kye Fortune,” a brain cancer victim, who would not allow his female partner to look at him because he had scars. Prosecutors showed the jury an “ultra-cyberskin penis” that Newland allegedly used as part of her deception.
Five months after lifting a travel ban on foreigners living with HIV, Singapore is confirming a report that they are now welcome—provided they don’t stay long, according to an HIVPlusMag.com item. “Lifting the short-term travel restrictions…poses very low additional risk of HIV transmission to the local population,” a spokesman for Singapore’s Ministry of Health confirmed to the newspaper Straits Times. “However, the public health risk posed by long-stayers is not insignificant.” Plus reported that 45 countries, territories and regions still have some legal restrictions on foreigners known to have HIV, according to a 2012 study that UNAIDS compiled.
Australia’s gay community is helping to increase the availability of domestic donor sperm, ABC.net.au noted. The Fertility Society of Australia has released statistics showing that the majority of sperm donors are from men based in the United States. However, its vice president, Professor Michael Chapman, said a campaign targeting gay men has yielded promising results.
The BBC will not investigate or apologize after saying it won’t allow same-sex couples on Strictly Come Dancing because it is a “family show”—and same-sex dancing will still be banned, Gay Star News noted. Strictly is one of the United Kingdom’s most popular TV shows and the BBC has licensed the format to 42 countries, including the United States, where it is called Dancing With the Stars. CJ de Mooi—an openly gay star of the BBC’s own quiz show Eggheads—said Strictly wanted him as a contestant but then rejected him because he asked to dance with another man.
Koala studies may provide important new insights into how chlamydial infections compromise human male infertility, according to new Australian research, according to UQ.edu.au. University of Queensland School of Agriculture and Food Sciences’ Associate Professor Stephen Johnston is working with QUT Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation’s Professor Ken Beagley to investigate the effects of chlamydial infection on male fertility in both animal models and human males. Beagley said the effects of ascending chlamydial infections in human males on sperm development and fertility are poorly understood.