The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law has reported that a study, “Disproportionality and Disparities Among Sexual Minority Youth in Custody,” shows that LGBTQ youth are disproportionately incarcerated in the U.S. juvenile justice system. Once they are incarcerated they are more likely to be held for long periods of time and experience sexual victimization.
info: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu.
Harrington Park Press has released its Handbook of LGBT Tourism and Hospitality: A Guide for Business Practice which was authored by travel experts Jeff Guaracino and Ed Salvato. It was developed from a six-continent study and includes input from nearly 100 tourism and hospitality authorities. It contains over 75 specialized sub-areas that has been condensed into six chapters.
info: harringtonparkpress.com.
Members of the Commission on a Way Forward have expressed optimism at reaching consensus on a plan or plans to guide the Council of Bishops in leading The United Methodist Church into the future. Commission members discussed possible outcomes and timelines on accomplishing their task of examining paragraphs in the Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and exploring options to strengthen the unity of the church.
info: rum-nc.org.
Equality California has launched a media campaign called “#ResistHate” to recognize and promote California’s diversity. The new year-long campaign features images evoking love, unity and California pride, and will appear on 125 billboards in various markets across the state.
info: eqca.org.
Broadly has published an op-ed by Virginia’s transgender teen Gavin Grimm entitled “Heartbeat of Our Community — and It Can Never Be Defeated.” The publication has also released a YouTube piece about Grimm as well.
info: bit.ly/2oMb9s9. bit.ly/2ofqQFe.
Soulforce has issued a statement of Christian solidarity with transgender women of color.
info: bit.ly/2ojbUW5.
Kino Lorber has acquired all North American rights ahead of its North American Premiere at The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival of “Tom of Finland,” Dome Karukoski’s biopic about the life and work of Finnish artist and gay icon Touko Laaksonen, best known by his pseudonym Tom of Finland. It was produced by Protagonist Pictures.
info: kinolorber.com. bit.ly/2oCTKle.
An organization that filed a federal lawsuit last year to bar transgender students from using locker rooms consistent with their gender identities announced that they voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Minnesota had intervened in the case on behalf of a transgender girl, identified as Jane Doe to protect her privacy. A small group of parents, acting through an organization they named “Privacy Matters” and represented by the anti-LGBT legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, filed a complaint against Doe’s school district and the U.S. Department of Education for protecting Doe from discrimination when using the locker room. The lawsuit singled Doe out from the rest of her volleyball team and used misleading innuendo and salacious phrasing to depict the ordinary behavior of a teenage girl dancing with the rest of her friends in the locker room as threatening or scandalous just because she is transgender, the ACLU reported.
info: aclu.org.
Peter Tatchell declared that “queer freedom is an unstoppable global trend” and that “despite backlash, LGBTQ people have made global gains.”
info: petertatchellfoundation.org.
A video series entitled “BreakthroughU,” which employs the use of puppets, is tackling social issues, to help students stop gender-based violence.
info: us.breakthrough.tv.
As politicians in states like Texas and North Carolina fight to restrict transgender students’ access to bathrooms, the Movement Advancement Project and GLSEN, in partnership with the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Education Association have released a new report, “Separation and Stigma: Transgender Youth & School Facilities,” showing how harmful and unnecessary policies that exclude transgender students from school facilities that match their gender can be on this population.
info: bit.ly/2ptt2sW.
A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, two bishops, a leading expert on religious liberty laws, the “Nun on the Bus,” and the nation’s top African-American Catholic theologian will lead the discussions for LGBTQ equality at New Ways Ministry’s 8th National Symposium, “Justice and Mercy Shall Kiss: LGBT Catholics in the Age of Pope Francis,” a national gathering of Catholic leaders in Chicago, April 28-30.
info: newwaysministry.org.
In honor of Minority Health Month, NAACP’s “The Black Church & HIV: The Social Justice Imperative” released newly updated pastoral resources to empower faith leaders to address HIV within the African-American community, which bears the “heaviest burden” within the U.S., from a social justice perspective.
info: theblackchurchandhiv.org.
The use of mobile technology shows great promise for those who are HIV-positive, especially among those who have limited resources and those in poor areas of the world, according to a new paper, “A Multi-pronged Evidence-Based Approach to Implement mHealth for Underserved HIV-infected Populations,” published by researchers at the University at Albany.
info: albany.edu.
Out Leadership announced that HSBC Chief Executive, Global Commercial Banking, and Group Managing Director Noel Quinn had joined its Global Advisory Board.
info: outleadership.com.
Family Equality Council announced that International Family Equality Day 2017 will be held on May 7 and celebrates families with LGBTQ parents.
info: familyequality.org.
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Wisconsin and volunteer attorneys from the law firm Hawks Quindel sued Wisconsin’s State university system and insurance board over their refusal to provide gender-affirming health insurance coverage to state employees who are transgender. The federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of Alina Boyden, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Shannon Andrews, a cancer researcher at the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
info: aclu.org. aclu-wi.org.
“The Box” — a book of male nudes photographed by Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) photography professor Ron Amato — will be released worldwide on May 1 by Bruno Gmunder.
info: ronamato.com.
The Nebraska Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision which strikes down a decades-old ban on gay and lesbian foster parents. Nebraska was the only state in the country with such a ban still in place. This case was filed by the ACLU of Nebraska, the ACLU LGBT and HIV Project and the law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
info: aclunebraska.org.
The Associated Press reported that syphilis was far more common in gay men than in their straight counterparts in the U.S. south.
info: ap.org.
Novaya Gazeta reported that more than 100 men had been arbitrarily detained and at least three had been murdered by Chechen authorities for their alleged “non-traditional” sexual orientation.
info: outrightinternational.org.
Truth Wins Out called on Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Mayor Jack Seiler to rescind an invitation he offered to anti-LGBT activist and Focus on the Family’s president, Jim Daly, to speak at the city’s prayer breakfast on April 28.
info: truthwinsout.org.
Southerners on New Ground’s Co-Director Paulina Helm-Hernandez has announced that she is stepping down from her role. Roberto Tijerina will serve as the organization’s interim co-director.
info: southernersonnewground.org.
Queerty reported that Tiffany Trump is planning to launch a “lifestyle brand” catering to the LGBTQ community.
info: queerty.com.
The GLBT History Museum in San Francisco, Calif. opened a new exhibition entitled “Lavender-Tinted Glasses: A Groovy Gay Look at the Summer of Love” which focuses on the city’s 1967 event.
info: glbthistory.org.
A Detroit, Mich. father and daughter are transitioning together.
info: lgbtqnation.com.
Gay author and former Orthodox Christian priest Stephen Morris has written a new book, “When Brothers Dwell in Unity: Byzantine Christianity and Homosexuality,” that addresses the concerns of Christians struggling with LGBTQ relationships.
info: whenbrothersdwellinunity.com.
Friendship Place hosted “Young, LGBTQ, and Homeless,” a symposium addressing the needs of this highly vulnerable population, on April 19 at George Washington University.
info: friendshipplace.org.
The Victory Fund has announced that Sean Meloy will serve as its new political director, leading the organization’s efforts to recruit and elect LGBTQ individuals at every level of government.
info: victoryfund.org.
Openly gay University of South Carolina women’s basketball assistant coach Melanie Balcomb said that “homophobia is one reason the number of female coaches in women’s college sports is declining,” Outsports reported. She added that it “is the white elephant in the room that doesn’t get talked about.”
info: outsports.com.
The Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality in Israel hosted a public Passover seder for members of the LGBTQ community who were unable to afford to host one themselves. Also, the Aguda and the Tel-Aviv LGBT Center hosted a seder as well for those who were unable to celebrate with their family or wanted to celebrate as a community.
info: tel-aviv.gov.il.
The Treatment Action Group has developed a series of modules to help support activists’ needs and to develop advocacy action plans. The slides, handouts and webinars in each of the four modules focus on how to identify and change the governmental, organizational and institutional policies that create roadblocks to comprehensive HIV prevention in the community.
info: treatmentactiongroup.org.
The state of Washington’s Supreme Court ruled that a lower court improperly disfavored a mother because of her sexual orientation in a child custody case. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Marriage of Black affirmed that courts cannot punish LGBTQ parents because of their sexual orientation when making child custody decisions.
info: nclrights.org.
The European Court of Human Rights ruled that requiring sterilization of individuals seeking a change in their legal gender recognition violates human rights. Twenty-two countries in Europe currently still require sterilization to access gender identity recognition, however this decision mandates that these countries amend their laws to reflect the positive ruling.
info: outrightinternational.org.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released a live panel discussion on behavioral health challenges for LGBTQ youth of color. The webisode features behavioral health experts discussing how to improve health outcomes for youth and their families.
info: glma.org. bit.ly/2n7A86p.
Leaders of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon signed an agreement to collaborate on programming to prevent cervical cancer.
info: theglobalfund.org. pinkribbonredribbon.org.
Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA) and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) joined 12 bipartisan members of Congress, along with the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and the Human Rights Campaign, to introduce H.R. 1957: Safe Schools Improvement Act. The legislation would require school districts to adopt codes of conduct specifically prohibiting bullying and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and religion.
info: house.gov.
Gay British singer Paul Middleton released a new song, “Hanging in There,” which sends a message that love conquers all. It is the title track of a new film about a man who is diagnosed with testicular cancer and the effects that has on his relationships with his wife and friends.
info: paulmmusic.com.
GLMA joined the Lesbian and Gay Veterinary Medical Association in calling for the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to include gender identity and gender expression when updating its non-discrimination policy in April . AVMA members were encouraged to comment and advocate for the addition.
info: glma.org.
Felix Rivera and Christopher Constant won their races for Anchorage Assembly to become the only openly LGBTQ elected officials in Alaska.
info: victoryfund.org.
Matt Berryman, executive director of Reconciling Ministries Network announced that he will be leaving the organization on June 1 after leading LGBTQ United Methodists and their allies in making significant impact toward ending institutionalized policies of discrimination against LGBTQ persons in The United Methodist Church.
info: rmnetwork.org.
The number of infants born with HIV in the U.S. has dropped dramatically over the past two decades, a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study shows.
info: healthday.com. blackaids.org.
Dr. Laurel Sprague has been appointed the new executive director of the Global Network of People Living with HIV.
info: msmgf.org.
More than 40 LGBTQ leaders from across the U.S. received training at The Victory Fund’s Candidate & Campaign Training held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. in late March.
info: victoryfund.org.
Keshet has called for Jewish teens to become leaders for the 2017-2018 program year, as well as co-chairing its 2018 East Coast and West Coast LGBTQ and Ally Teen Shabbatons, or to serve on the organization’s steering committee for Keshet’s first Summertime LGBTQ and Ally Teen Shabbaton to be held in August. Applications are due by April 30. The summer event will be held in Waynesboro, Pa at Capital Camps from Aug. 25-27. Registration opens May 1.
info: keshetonline.org.
Christians are furious at Atlanta, Ga.’s Out Front Theatre Company for staging “Most Fabulous Story Ever Told:,” saying it was “blasphemous.”
info: lgbtqnation.com.
The Virginia State Supreme Court has upheld protections for LGBTQ students.
info: gayrva.com.