UK Named ‘Best Place In Europe’ To Be Gay: International Lesbian And Gay Association Of Europe Index

The United Kingdom’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has an extra special reason to feel patriotic today, as their state has been named the “best place in Europe” to be gay.

As The Independent is reporting, the UK’s ranking in the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) Europe index was largely determined by its recognition of civil partnerships for same-sex couples, and its solid anti-discrimination laws.

The ILGA Europe’s index rated a total of 49 countries on more than 40 categories. With a total of 21 points, the UK narrowly edged out both Germany and Spain, which earned a total of 20 points each, respectively. An ILGA-Europe spokesperson is quoted by The Independent as saying Scotland played a “leading role” in the UK’s success, as hate crimes “aggravated” by gender identity are explicitly recognized under Scottish laws.

On the opposite end of the ILGA’s scale were Russia and Moldova, each of which scored -4.5 points. Russia has come under fire in recent weeks for the introduction of a so-called “gay propaganda” law in its second-largest city, St. Petersburg. According to the legislation, which appears to equate homosexuality with pedophilia, individuals convicted of promoting homosexuality to minors could be fined up to 5,000 rubles ($172) and organizations could be fined up to 500,000 rubles ($17,200), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.

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by Tim Horn

In a series of votes by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, Truvada (tenofovir plus emtricitabine) has been recommended for approval as the first prescription drug—to be used daily and in conjunction with condoms and other safer-sex measures—to prevent HIV among those at risk for the infection.

At a May 10 meeting on the FDA’s White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, MD, which lasted more than 12 hours, the strongest vote—19 in favor and three against—was to recommend approval for men who have sex with men (MSM) at risk for HIV. A similar vote—19-2, with one abstention—resulted in Truvada being recommended as as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-negative partners in serodiscordant relationships. The closest vote—12 in favor and eight against, with two abstentions—was for other individuals at risk for acquiring HIV through sexual activity.

Though the FDA is not required to follow the approval recommendations of its independent advisory committees, it usually does so. The agency is expected to announce its decision on or before June 15, which will likely reflect other key discussion points at the May 10 meeting, including the frequency of HIV testing and safety assessments for individuals using Truvada as PrEP, Gilead’s proposed strategies to minimize risks associated with Truvada as PrEP and any post-approval study requirements.

During a contentious public comment period, in which roughly 50 activists and health care professionals testified, the majority argued against the approval of Truvada as PrEP, based on efficacy and safety concerns.

Michael Weintstein, who founded and currently heads the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, an organization that has waged a long-standing campaign against GIlead’s PrEP approval request, likened the situation to the U.S. government’s Tuskegee syphilis experiment—designed to study the progression of untreated syphilis in poor, rural black men—and said that FDA approval “would be a reckless act.”

Several people did testify in favor of approval, based on safety and efficacy data reported previously and fully summarized at the May 10 meeting. “We need additional tools in our prevention toolbox,” explained Richard Elion, MD, of the Whitman Walker Clinic in Washington, DC. “We are not winning the battle. We’re asking for a modality that’s still being developed to be added to our toolbox.”

“The only way we are going to end the epidemic is through a combination approach,” said Susan Buchbinder, MD, of the San Francisco Department of Health, in a scheduled overview of existing HIV prevention strategies at the start of the meeting. Noting that condoms are not 100 percent effective—in part because of improper use and breakage—and that behavioral intervention strategies aren’t universally successful, she explained that what’s needed “are new treatments and prevention strategies to have a major impact on the US epidemic.”

Specific concerns raised by those offering public testimony, by those for and against approval, and the advisory committee panel—which included HIV-treating clinicians, researchers and three consumer representatives—included the need for daily adherence, which was a problem in many of the clinical trials conducted to date. Other worries included the risk of drug resistance emerging in those who become infected while using the drug and the known side effects of Truvada, notably kidney damage and bone loss.

Whether Truvada as PrEP is associated with significant safety issues has not been fully determined. Though several placebo-controlled clinical trials have been conducted, HIV infections and serious side effects while receiving Truvada have been rare. Additional research, including well-designed feasibility studies, are needed to allow for a more complete assessment of Truvada’s risks and benefits as an HIV prevention strategy.

Numerous data sets from the clinical trials were reviewed by the advisory committee, including results from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded international iPrEx study; the University of Washington’s Partners PrEP study conducted in Kenya and Uganda; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s TDF2 safety study conducted in Botswana; Family Health International’s FEM-PrEP study conducted in Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania; and the NIH VOICE study conducted in Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Results from iPrEx were used to support the approval recommendation for MSM. In that study, involving roughly 2,500 MSM at risk of HIV, Truvada PrEP was associated with an average 44 percent reduction in the risk of HIV infection, compared with those who took placebo. Among the 10 percent of study participants who used the drug at least 90 percent of the time, the risk reduction was 73 percent.

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WASHINGTON — In a nod to a dramatic shift in public opinion, Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first sitting president to announce his support for same-sex marriage.

In a sit-down interview with ABC’s Robin Roberts, Obama completed what has been a markedly long and oft-mocked evolution on the matter.

“I’ve always been adamant that gay and lesbian Americans should be treated fairly and equally,” Obama told Roberts, in an interview that will air in full on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.

(Watch ABC’s entire clip below)

“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” he said.

The statement constitutes an act of political bravery on the president’s behalf, as well as a major victory for the gay rights community, which has been pushing him to declare his support for marriage equality for several years. With the issue back in the news this week, the pressure intensified.

On Sunday, Vice President Joseph Biden told NBC’s “Meet The Press” that he was personally comfortable with same-sex marriage, which was followed the next day by Education Secretary Arne Duncan saying the same.

The White House insisted that there was no daylight between the vice president’s position and the president’s, noting that Biden clarified his statement as being in reference to civil rights for gay couples. But the explanation was largely dismissed by both supporters and critics as a convenient way for the president to signal support for marriage equality without having to declare it himself.

On Tuesday evening, the state of North Carolina passed an amendment that defined marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The president expressed his disappointment with the measure, but it remained difficult to square his opposition to a measure outlawing same-sex marriage with his opposition to same-sex marriage itself.

As the political pressure continued to mount, the president finally chose to speak out Wednesday, with the White House hastily scheduling a sit-down interview.

“It’s interesting, some of this is also generational,” the president said. “You know when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same sex equality or, you know, believe in equality. They are much more comfortable with it. You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them and frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change in perspective.”

The president’s support of same-sex marriage will have little political impact, from a practical standpoint, as much of the activity on the issue is currently occurring in the states and the courts. Already the Obama administration’s Department of Justice has stopped defending the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as a legal union between a man and a woman. Legislation to overturn DOMA outright would likely be blocked by congressional Republicans.

The more promising path for same-sex marriage advocates remains a friendly hearing by the United States Supreme Court.

Still, the symbolism of Obama’s remarks is hard to ignore. In becoming the first president to publicly support marriage equality, he sets the bar for its political acceptance. He also has the ability to shape public opinion further on the matter.

Of course, there may be drawbacks to such a strong expression of support. While recent polls show that popular support for marriage equality is gaining widespread acceptance, some pivotal swing states remain largely opposed to the concept. And one of them, North Carolina, remains a major target for the president’s reelection campaign.

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(CNN) — A referendum that would constitutionally ban same-sex marriages in North Carolina is in the spotlight Tuesday, as three states hold primaries.

Amendment One would alter North Carolina’s constitution to say that “marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.”

Supporters say the amendment is needed to stop those whom they say are trying to redefine marriage.

Opponents say the measure is unnecessary since the state already has a law in place that bans same-sex marriages and that it could jeopardize domestic violence protections for women and affect health benefits for same-sex couples.

Evangelist Billy Graham endorsed the ballot initiative, a rare move for a preacher who has typically avoided political fights. Graham took out full-page ads in 14 North Carolina newspapers touting his support for the measure, saying “the Bible is clear — God’s definition of marriage is between a man and a woman.”

Graham’s website encourages churches to download a poster that bears his image and the message “Vote for Marriage May 8th.”

On the other side, former President Bill Clinton opposed the amendment in a taped recording sent by phone to hundreds of thousands of North Carolina homes.

“So the real effect of the law is not to keep the traditional definition of marriage, you’ve already done that,” Clinton says in the recording. “The real effect of the law will be to hurt families and drive away jobs. North Carolina can do better.”

The only recent public opinion polling on the issue, from a group that does work for Democratic candidates and causes, indicates that a majority of North Carolina voters support the amendment.

Indiana and West Virginia also hold primaries on Tuesday.

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Being Steve Jobs’ successor is no easy task — but Tim Cook is off to a good start, having been named the most influential gay man in America.

After taking the reins from the late Jobs last year, the 51-year-old Apple CEO returns to the top spot of Out magazine’s annual “Power” list of the nation’s most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

“Last year, Cook was still the man-in-waiting, assuming control of Apple, but still in the shadow of Steve Jobs,” Out‘s editors write. “More of a manager than an oracle, Cook is now fully in charge of the world’s most valuable company — it surpassed ExxonMobil in 2012 — which means it’s his show to run.”

Cook’s in good company, too: Ellen DeGeneres, Rachel Maddow and Andy Cohen also made the top ten.

In a move that will undoubtedly ruffle the feathers of some in the LGBT community, CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper and conservative blogger Matt Drudge also made the cut this year, at #6 and #16 respectively. Neither Cooper, 44, nor Drudge, 45, has ever publicly confirmed their sexuality.

You can view the complete list here.

Read more and see photos at Huffington Post Gay Voices.

A group of 150 medical professionals have claimed same-sex marriage would negatively impact on people’s general health and potentially increase HIV rates.

In a submission to the recent Senate inquiry into same-sex marriage, the group Doctors For The Family said it was opposed to any change to the Marriage Act.

“Legislation of same-sex marriage will have significant ramifications that have been confirmed by research and events here and elsewhere,” the group said.

The submission stated that same-sex marriage would further “normalise” homosexual behaviour which would lead to health consequences. To illustrate their point, the group pointed to the higher rates of HIV and syphilis among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) compared with heterosexuals.

National LGBTI Health Alliance general manager Warren Talbot said the claims were false.

“There’s obviously no intrinsic relationship between homosexuality and HIV status — globally HIV is a heteroseuxal pandemic,” Talbot told the Star Observer.

“It is a fact that in Australia and some other places, because the initial pool of infection was amongst MSM, that’s where the infections are going to be, but that has nothing to do with proving any intrinsic relationship between HIV status and homosexuality.”

Talbot said while he was concerned about the group’s views, he doesn’t believe their views were widespread in Australia’s medical community.

“I would be concerned that the 150 people who signed the submission [would not] treat an LGBTI person with the proper respect and dignity which all patients deserve,” he said.

“But Australia has 81,000 medical practitioners and I’m quite sure the 150 who’ve signed this submission are completely out of step with the Australian Medical Association, which has a very good policy on the acceptance of people with different sexual orientations and sexual diversity — so this group would be entirely out of step with the mainstream of the medical profession.”

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