Out & In The News is our weekly blog focusing on workplace equality in the news — be sure to check back every Friday for the latest from Out & Equal and our partners!
Coming Out To Care: The Fear Of Coming Out As LGBT When You Need Care
Living at the intersection of identities is often difficult and stressful. As a queer disabled man, Andrew Gurza knows this well. Gurza, who requires attendant care for daily needs, writes about his experience balancing his identity with his new care attendants after moving to a new neighborhood. You can read more personal stories from Andrew Gurza here and here.
South Africa To Give Free Treatment To All People Living With HIV
South Africa’s health department announced on September 1st that people living with HIV will be provided with free healthcare, regardless of their current state of health. The change is based on World Health Organization guidelines adopted in late 2015 after it was found that treating those with HIV as early as possible improves their health and prolongs their life. The health department warned that the change could lead to longer wait times, but that it would increase lifespan in the country from 63 to 70.
New Training Video Aims To Show Police How To Treat Trans People With Respect
A new training video for law enforcement hopes to cut down on common issues trans people face when dealing with them. The video shows a few examples of typical, non-crisis situations in which trans people may interact with police, and explains things like assigned gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. “The information provided in this video will help strengthen the relationship between police and the transgender community, allowing for more effective investigations and safer encounters for officers and citizens alike,” said Acting Director Paul Monteiro of CRS.
“Take My Wife” Is Unprecedented TV In Which Lesbians Laugh, Don’t Die
Comedians Cameron Esposito and Rhea Butcher are starring in a new TV series loosely based on their own lives called Take My Wife. Esposito and Butcher, who are married in real life, play a married couple experiencing various levels of success in the comedy scene. The series is available via SeeSo, an online comedy network through Amazon Prime, for a subscription of $3.99/month.
Golden Girl: Bea Arthur’s shelter for homeless LGBT youth will open in 2017
Upon her death in 2009, Bea Arthur left $300,000 to New York City’s Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBTQ youth. A new shelter in Arthur’s name is slated to open in February 2017 with 18 beds. When finished, the facility will also offer on-site counseling and case management services. “These kids at the Ali Forney Center are literally dumped by their families because of the fact that they are lesbian, gay or transgender,” Arthur said before she died. “This organization really is saving lives.”
MTV Talks To Trans Men About Male Privilege
MTV Braless, a web series that discusses news and pop culture through a feminist lens, talked to five transgender men who have experienced life on both sides of the gender divide. And they can all confirm that life is pretty different when everyone sees you as a man.
The Queer Subtext of X-Men Shines Bright at Flame Con
This year at Flame Con, New York’s queer-comics convention, legendary X-Men scribe Chris Claremont attempted to address the embrace of his comic by the LGBT community. X-Men comics have always had allegories and allusions to the LGBT community, but were unable to be more explicit. “The Comics Code tried to restrict everything,” Claremont said about the self-regulating system for censoring comic books. “But with a certain measure of visual subtlety and ambiguity you could actually achieve everything you wanted.” This has since changed, and the X-Men is now one of the most diverse comic series out there.
California Just Passed A Groundbreaking Suicide Prevention Bill For LGBT Youth
California legislators passed a powerful new bill this week that will require schools to put suicide prevention plans in place for students in grades 7-12. The bill, which was sponsored by Equality California and The Trevor Project, puts a strong emphasis on the fact that LGBT students are especially in need of stronger prevention programs. Adults who work with young people can educate themselves and their colleagues on how to be a resource to kids struggling with suicidal thoughts, and can encourage young people to ask trusted sources for help when they need it.