2019: A Year in Review
Medical and Mental Health News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that they have approved a second drug to prevent HIV infections.
https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/fda-approves-new-hiv-prevention-drug
The founder of a large conversion therapy programs, who has spent decades leading the organization, has come out as gay, undermining his stance on the benefit of conversion therapy and furthering all medical and mental health reports of how traumatic conversion therapy is and why it should be banned.
https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/conversion-therapy-group-founder-has-come-out-as-gay
The American Medical Association voted to support the ban on conversion therapy. “It is clear to the AMA that conversion therapy needs to end in the United States given the risk of deliberate harm to LGBTQ people,” AMA board member Dr. William E. Kobler said in a statement shared with 'NBC News’. “Conversion therapy has no foundation as scientifically valid medical care and lacks credible evidence to support its efficacy or safety.”28 states and the District of Columbia ban conversion therapy for minors.
https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/american-medical-association-backs-conversion-therapy-ban
Sexual orientation cannot be predicted by a ‘gay gene’ a study published by Science Magazine now shows. Instead, a host of genetic and environmental factors play a role as well as other factors which cannot be explained the team of researchers who have analyzed genetic data gathered from “almost half a million people” have said. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/new-research-indicates-there-is-no-gay-gen
An independent HIV Commission has launched with the single purpose of ending all transmissions in England by 2030.
For the first time since 2001, when New York City started keeping records of HIV diagnoses, the city’s new HIV diagnoses have fallen by 11%, to less than 2,000 people. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/number-of-new-hiv-diagnoses-in-new-york-fall-to-record-low
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has removed being transgender from its list of recognized metal health conditions. The decision was approved on May 25 by the World Health Assembly, a governing body of WHO made up of representatives from 194 member states.
Pharmaceutical corporation Gilead have announced a deal to provide 200,000 people in the US with free access to the PrEP drug Truvada for eleven years. If taken daily, PrEP significantly reduces the chances of an HIV-infection. Countries that have introduced PrEP have seen a dramatic reduction in new cases of HIV.
https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/prep-will-be-given-for-free-to-200-000-americans-for-11-years
The world’s first blood bank for gay and bisexual men to donate blood has been launched by FreedomToDonate and UNILAD. The ‘Illegal Blood Bank’ opens in protest to the current law that bans gay and bisexual men from donating blood unless they abstain from sex for three months, ‘Metro’ reports.
After legalizing gay marriage in Sweden And Denmark suicide rates have dropped among gays and lesbians. ‘Reuters’ report.
LGBT+ Representation in the Media
Andi Mack has become the first Disney Channel show to have a character to come out as gay, with the character of Cyrus Goodman coming out on last Friday’s episode of the show, reports Digital Spy. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/andi-mack-features-first-disney-character-to-come-out-as-gay
An executive from veteran children’s show Sesame Street has told The Hollywood Reporter that fans are allowed to think of Bert and Ernie as gay if they wish to. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/sesame-street-executive-says-bert-and-ernie-are-gay-if-you-want-them-to-be
Supergirl has revealed pictures of its first transgender superhero, Dreamer, reports Gizmodo.The CW released a first look of the character, complete in her superhero costume ready for action. She appeared for the first time on the show on February 17. She is played by transgender actress Nicola Maines.
https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/first-look-at-supergirls-trans-superhero
Grey’s Anatomy actor Alex Landi sat down with Attitude to talk about how excited he is to break stereotypes and play the first gay Asian surgeon on the long running soap.
Strictly Come Dancing has made history with the show’s first-ever same-sex dance. Professional dancers Johannes Radebe and Graziano di Prima made history with their dance which was broadcast to millions of British households, ‘Gay Times’ report.
The American rapper Lil Nas X has become the second openly gay man to earn a diamond certified song, after Elton John. Song 'Old Town Road' has reached sales of 10 million units, according to ‘Gay Times’. This was also the first song in 2019 to receive a diamond certification. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/lil-nas-x-becomes-second-gay-man-ever-to-be-certified-diamond-song
LGBT+ Politics
According to a new report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Trump administration is “undoing decades of civil and human rights progress”, especially when it comes to LGBT+ issues. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/the-trump-administration-is-undoing-decades-of-civil-and-human-rights-progress-civil-rights-agency-says
For the first time, American politicians running for Presidential office hosted a town hall specifically to discuss LGBT+ issues.
For the first time in modern history we’re beginning to see LGBT+ people elected to prominent positions of power across the globe. Over the last decade queer people have become premiers, governors, and prime ministers of entire nations. This is nothing short of remarkable and in many ways shows the level of acceptance and progress LGBT+ people have made over the last two decades.
https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/behind-the-growing-number-of-lgbt-world-leaders
LGBT+ Acceptance in the Mainstream
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the first members of the royal family to celebrate Pride Month publicly, with an Instagram post that honors LGBT+ campaigners and Princess Diana. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-first-members-of-royal-family-to-celebrate-pride-month
America’s oldest dictionary Merriam-Webster follows on the footsteps of the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ and dictionary.com and recognized ‘they’ as a singular gender-neutral pronoun. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/merriam-webster-dictionary-has-updated-they-to-include-nonbinary-pronoun
To mark fifty years since the decriminalization of homosexuality, Canada has released a special $1 equality coin. The coin features two overlapping faces and the word “equality” written in both French and English. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/canada-reveals-special-equality-coin-to-mark-decriminalisation-of-homosexuality
A new study from the Public Religion Research Institute has a found a majority of people in every state of the US supports anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT+ people. The survey found 69 percent of all Americans supported these laws, that breaks down to 79 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of independents, and 56 percent of Republicans. 70 percent of Mormons, 71 percent of Protestants and 60 percent of Muslims all supported LGBT+ protections as well. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/new-study-finds-majority-of-americans-support-anti-discrimination-laws-for-lgbt
In a new record, nearly two-thirds of all British people think same-sex relations are “not wrong at all”, in a new study published earlier this month by the Government Equalities Office. This is the highest approval rate for same sex relations since polling began – it was only in 1998 that more than 50 percent of the British public thought gay sex was “always/mostly” wrong. The study also found a generational gap, with more than 80 percent of 18-to 24 year olds saying same-sex relations was never wrong – compared to just 29 percent of those over 75. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/record-68-percent-of-brits-think-same-sex-relations-are-not-wrong-at-all
The Commission for Marriage and Family of the German Bishops’ Conference agreed that homosexuality is a “normal form of sexual predisposition.” “They also agreed to review topics such as “sacrament of ordination and marriage” which means they could endorse same-sex marriage in the future and ordaining openly gay bishops, ‘Gay Times’ report. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/the-catholic-church-in-germany-declared-homosexuality-as-normal
LGBT+ History and History Makers
June 28-29, 2019 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, what many consider the beginning of the modern day gay rights movement. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/today-marks-50-years-since-the-stonewall-riots
Plus, James P. O’Neill, the Police Commissioner of New York, has apologized for the Stonewall riots that occurred 50 years ago. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/new-york-police-commissioner-apologises-for-stonewall-riots
Trans visibility has made frequent news in 2019. Alex Schmider, GLAAD’s associate director said that this year historic “firsts” have played a key role in the country's progress towards equality. Here is a list of some of the incredible transgender people who have made history in 2019. https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/trans-people-who-made-history-in-2019
2019 Advocacy Opportunities YOU Can Take with You Into 2020
How to end HIV stigma in the workplace https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/removing-hiv-stigma-in-the-workplace
How to make your workplace more trans inclusive https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/trans-inclusion-in-the-workplace
Why LGBT+ mentorship matters and how you can become a mentor https://www.mygwork.com/en/my-g-news/lgbt-mentoring
