DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

In his speech, he declared “family is sacred for us” and insisted that L.G.B.T.Q. They were familiar themes, heard often throughout Mr. Erdogan’s campaign for re-election: He frequently attacked L.G.B.T.Q. people, referring to them as “deviants” and saying they were “spreading like the plague.” But Ms. Oz said she had hoped it was just electioneering to rally the president’s conservative base. “I was already worried about what was to come for us,” said Ms. Oz, 49. citizens became a lightning-rod issue during this year’s election campaign.

Persons: Yasemin Oz, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, “, L.G.B.T.Q, ”, Oz, Erdogan Locations: Istanbul

☆ Factbox: Global firms in Uganda face LGBTQ conundrum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 29 (Reuters) - Uganda's tough new anti-LGBTQ law, which stipulates the death penalty for "serial offenders", presents a conundrum for multi-nationals wanting to grow in Africa while promoting diversity and inclusion. Here are some global firms that have substantial operations in Uganda and their strategies for LGBTQ inclusion. GOOGLEGoogle, owned by Alphabet (GOOGL.O), launched its first wi-fi network in Uganda in 2015 in the capital, Kampala. On its website, the company says "supporting LGBTQ+ communities has been a priority from the earliest days of Google." EYEY offers services in Uganda including tax and advisory.

☆ Target pulls some Pride collection items after threats to employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Phil Helsel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Mega retailer Target is pulling some of its merchandise that celebrates Pride month after threats to employees, the company said Tuesday. "Since introducing this year's collection, we've experienced threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and wellbeing while at work," a Target spokesperson said in a statement. Target did not say which items were being removed or immediately provide more details about the threats. The Target spokesperson did not answer whether those bathing suits were among the products in question. The retailer said that it has offered products to go along with Pride month for more than a decade.

Persons: Bud Light, Dylan, Mulvaney, Joe Biden Organizations: Target Corp, Mega, Target, Associated Press, Pride, Anheuser, Busch Locations: Chicago , Illinois, Chicago

But now there is a discrepancy about, 'Is sex gender and can I change it?' Major medical and psychological associations endorse gender-affirming care and say transgender identities should be respected, while conservative groups claim that children are too easily allowed to transition. While researchers say sex generally refers to physiological characteristics and gender is more a social construct, when it comes to federal civil rights law, they are essentially the same. "By defining sex so narrowly, you are excluding LGBTQ people from bringing claims in state court based on discrimination on the basis of sex," said Sarah Warbelow, HRC's legal director. The laws also stand to limit nontransgender people who have a discrimination claim based on sex stereotyping, Warbelow said.

☆ Bill Perkins, Defender of His Harlem Constituents, Dies at 74
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Perkins, who for 24 years as a legislator from Harlem championed his community — by, among other things, challenging Donald J. Trump’s aggressive demand for the death penalty when five teenagers, who were later exonerated, were arrested in connection with a rape in Central Park in 1989 — died on Tuesday at his home in Manhattan. His death was announced by his wife, Pamela Green Perkins. She did not give a cause, but Mr. Perkins had undergone treatment for colon cancer and, according to Richard Fife, a family spokesman, had developed dementia. In 1989, when five Black and Hispanic teenagers were charged with the rape of a white jogger in Central Park, Mr. Perkins was among the first Black civic leaders to publicly raise questions about the evidence and to suggest that there had been a rush to judgment. At the time he was president of the tenants’ association of Schomburg Plaza, the Manhattan apartment complex where several of the defendants lived.

☆ Japan's Kore-eda: sexual identity not the focus in film 'Monster'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Alicia Powell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] The 76th Cannes Film Festival - Press conference for the film "Kaibutsu" (Monster) in competition - Cannes, France, May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah MeyssonnierCANNES, May 18 (Reuters) - Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda said he did not want to focus on sexual identity in portraying the relationship between the two schoolboys at the centre of his latest film, "Monster." "The age that these children are at is an age where their sexual identity is maybe not fully... they're not fully aware of it at this stage," Kore-eda told Reuters on Thursday, the day after the movie's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier Thursday, Kore-eda told journalists he did not think the story should be viewed as portraying two boys who have growing feelings for each other, as suggested in some reviews. For "Monster" Kore-eda once again teamed up with Sakura Ando, who starred in his 2018 Palmes d' Or winner "Shoplifters," and who portrays Saori in the new film.

☆ Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones: Australian surfer faces possible flogging after alleged naked, drunken rampage in Indonesia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Australian man arrested in a conservative area of Indonesia over an alleged violent rampage faces the possibility of prison time and a public flogging, authorities have said. Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, 23, from Noosa in southern Queensland, was arrested after allegedly attacking and injuring a local fisherman while drunk. It is the only Indonesian province officially practicing Sharia law, enforced by religious police officers known as the Wilayatul Hisbah, and outlaws homosexuality, adultery, alcohol and gambling. The police chief said Risby-Jones would have a choice over whether to be prosecuted under Sharia law or provincial law. If found guilty under Sharia law he faces the possibility of 40 lashes and up to 2.5 years jail.

☆ TikTok Tracked Users Who Watched Gay Content, Prompting Employee Complaints
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Georgia Wells | Byron Tau | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For at least a year, some employees at TikTok were able to find what they described internally as a list of users who watch gay content on the popular app, a collection of information that sparked worker complaints, according to former TikTok employees. TikTok doesn’t ask users to disclose their sexual orientation, but it cataloged videos users watched under topics such as LGBT, short for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, the former employees said. The collection of information, which could be viewed by some employees through a dashboard, included a set of affiliated users who watched those videos, and their ID numbers, they said.

☆ Review: ‘The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window,’ Uneven Yet a Powerful Draw
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Laura Collins-Hughes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Sidney Brustein, whom she has placed at the center of this crowded tragicomedy, is not an interesting person. (The play is a Tony nominee for best revival; Silverman is its only acting nominee.) Terrible at business, he has just bought a local newsweekly without mentioning it to Iris, because theirs is nowhere near a marriage of equals. The title nods to that: It’s Sidney’s window, not Iris’s too, even though it is in their living room. Sidney finds a smidgen of purpose when he agrees to back his politician friend Wally (Andy Grotelueschen), and puts a campaign sign in the window, advocating reform.

☆ Seoul's LGBT festival blocked by Christian concert outside city hall, organisers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) - Seoul's city government has effectively blocked South Korea’s largest annual LGBT festival from taking place outside city hall this year after granting a permit for a Christian youth concert instead, the LGBT event’s organisers said this week. Yang Sun-woo, chief organiser of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, said the city's move is an act of discrimination. A concert for young people will take place outside the city hall on that day instead. A representative for the CTS Cultural Foundation said that the timing was not aimed at blocking the LGBT festival. The Seoul city government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

☆ Hamilton no fan of Florida Governor DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Formula One F1 - Miami Grand Prix - Miami International Autodrome, Miami, Florida, U.S. - May 4, 2023 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Grand Prix REUTERS/Mike SegarMIAMI, May 4 (Reuters) - It's probably safe to say Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will not be cheering for Lewis Hamilton this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix and the Mercedes seven-times world champion made it clear he is no supporter of the Republican leader. A long-time champion of LGBTQ+ rights, Hamilton will have a Rainbow Flag on his helmet for Sunday's race and said he stands with the gay, lesbian and transgender community that has come under attack by DeSantis. DeSantis, who has declared Florida is "where woke comes to die", recently passed a law banning classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger children, dubbed by critics as the "don't say gay" bill. Hamilton has used his global platform and celebrity to campaign for everything from diversity and racial equality to LGBTQ+ rights. "This isn't the people of Miami making these decisions, it's the people in government and that's the issue.

☆ Ugandan Lawmakers Amend Anti-LGBT Bill Criticized by U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nicholas Bariyo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Ugandan Parliament passed an earlier version of an anti-LGBT bill in March. Photo: Ronald Kabuubi/Associated PressKAMPALA, Uganda—Uganda’s Parliament on Tuesday removed a provision from a sweeping anti-LGBT bill that would have criminalized identifying as gay, lesbian, transgender or nonbinary, but retained most other elements of the legislation. The bill, which has been widely criticized by the U.S., other Western donors and the United Nations, was initially passed in March and includes harsh new punishments for LGBT people, including allowing the death penalty for repeated same-sex intercourse by anyone who is HIV-positive.

☆ They've been beaten, trolled, threatened with sexual violence but refuse to be silenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Adie Vanessa Offiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Ixchíu Hernández had already been the victim of years of online threats -- attempts to humiliate and silence her. Published in April 2021, it reveals: "Online attacks on women journalists appear to be increasing significantly, as this study demonstrates, particularly in the context of the 'shadow pandemic' of violence against women during COVID-19. "Online violence against women journalists is designed to: belittle, humiliate, and shame; induce fear, silence, and retreat; discredit them professionally, undermining accountability journalism and trust in facts; and chill their active participation...in public debate. Ricchiardi-Folwell explains that because of the often-sexualized nature of the attacks, women remain silent about their harassment, which leads them to believe they are alone. Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2021 and updated to reference the latest report by UNESCO.

☆ Uganda parliament passes harsh anti-LGBTQ bill mostly unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The legislation now heads back to President Yoweri Museveni, who can sign it, veto it or return it again to parliament. It was not immediately clear if the new bill satisfied his requests, and his office was not available for comment. Proponents of the bill say broad legislation is needed to counter what they allege, without evidence, are efforts by LGBTQ Ugandans to recruit children into homosexuality. Western governments suspended aid, imposed visa restrictions and curtailed security cooperation in response to another anti-LGBTQ law Museveni signed in 2014. The U.S. government said last week that it was assessing the implications of the looming law for activities in Uganda under its flagship HIV/AIDS programme.

☆ In an annual survey, more than 40% of LGBTQ youth said they considered suicide in the past year, and that anti-LGBTQ legislation was making it worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that works to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youth, interviewed more than 28,000 people for its annual survey. More than 40% of LGBTQ youth say they considered suicide in the last year, the survey revealed. Respondents said laws passed on the state level, and public lobbying at the national level, have worsened their mental health. "This is a public health crisis — and it's preventable," Kasey Suffredini, a vice president at The Trevor Project, said in a press release. Almost a quarter of the LGBTQ youth surveyed said they had been physically threatened or hurt because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

☆ In India’s Landmark Same-Sex Marriage Case, Arguments Span Equality, Family, Religion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Shan Li | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

NEW DELHI—In landmark hearings before India’s Supreme Court, a series of petitioners are arguing for the expansion of marriage rights to millions of LGBTQ people in the world’s most populous nation, but are facing opposition from the country’s socially conservative government. The closely watched proceedings, which began mid-April, come five years after the court decriminalized gay sex. Its other rulings over the past decade have brought rights of gay, lesbian and transgender people to the forefront, including one in 2014 that recognized transgender people as a third gender. In 2017, the court said privacy, including a person’s sexual orientation, is a constitutional right for all.

☆ 43-year-old used her life savings to open a bar that only plays women's sports—it brought in almost $1 million in 8 months
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

When Jenny Nguyen signed the lease to create her dream bar, she wasn't sure it would stay open for more than a few months. Aptly named The Sports Bra, it's a sports bar where only women athletes appear on the TVs. The Sports Bra brought in $944,000 in revenue in the eight months it was open in 2022, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. "Me, personally, I thought the idea was brilliant and that [it was] what the world needs," Nguyen says. "The very first thing that came into my mind was The Sports Bra," Nguyen says.

The Justice Department said the law violated the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment, which promises equal protection. The Justice Department also said it was asking the court to issue an immediate order to prevent the law from going into effect on July 1. But many medical associations have said the law is transphobic and that gender-affirming care can be life-saving. Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the ban into law last month along with a separate measure restricting drag performances in public. Several other U.S. states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, and over the last several weeks groups have sued over laws adopted in Utah, Florida, Indiana and Arkansas.

☆ 'L Word' TV show cast visit White House to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre hugs co-creator of the Showtime's TV show The L Word Ilene Chaiken as cast member Leisha Hailey speaks about LGBTQIA rights to draw attention to Lesbian Visibility Week during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - The cast of American TV show "The L Word: Generation Q" visited the White House Tuesday to mark Lesbian Visibility Week, touting the role the long-running show has played for gay women and girls across the country. Shows like "The L Word" that tell LGBTQ stories help "save precious lives," she said, adding the show made her feel less alone as she grew up. Ilene Chaiken, who created "The L Word" in 2004, said she was delighted the show had lived on and was now speaking to a new generation. We're here today at the White House, and we won't be erased," she said.

☆ LGBTQ Ugandans live in fear as new law looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A British colonial-era law bans gay sex, and members of the community are often victims of violence and discrimination. One resident contrasted the current atmosphere with 2013, when parliament passed a bill that strengthened penalties for same-sex relations. After parliament passed the bill, she deleted her Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter accounts. Other LGBTQ Ugandans said they were taking security precautions like changing the routes they use to travel between home and work and carrying pepper spray. For LGBTQ Ugandans living abroad, the new reality is also clouding their prospects of coming home.

☆ ‘We Will Hunt You’: Ugandans Flee Ahead of Harsh Anti-Gay Law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Abdi Latif Dahir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In a spartan safehouse with flimsy curtains and no furniture northwest of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, people from neighboring Uganda clung to the few valuables they could snatch while fleeing harsh new legislation targeting them back home. A gay man clutched the white rosary that he took to church every Sunday. A transgender woman brought her favorite shimmering blue dress. A lesbian couple clenched the one smartphone that held photos from happier days, going on dates and dancing in clubs. They began leaving after Uganda’s Parliament passed a sweeping anti-gay bill in late March that threatens punishment as severe as death for some perceived offenses, and calls for life in prison for anyone engaging in same-sex relations.

But many medical associations have said the law is transphobic and that gender-affirming care can be life-saving. The new lawsuit says depriving transgender youth of medically necessary care will have devastating consequences for them and their families. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of three families with transgender children and a Memphis-based doctor who performs gender-affirming procedures. Republican Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the ban into law last month along with a separate measure restricting drag performances in public. Several other U.S. states have banned gender-affirming care for minors, and over the last several weeks groups have sued over laws adopted in Utah, Florida, Indiana and Arkansas.

☆ Twitter removes transgender protections from hateful conduct policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Twitter appears to have quietly rolled back a portion of its hateful conduct policy that included specific protections for transgender people. The policy previously stated that Twitter prohibits “targeting others with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category. The change to the hateful conduct policy is one of a number of updates Twitter has made to its safety and content moderation practices since Elon Musk took over the company last fall. LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD called out the hateful conduct policy change in a Tuesday statement. The billionaire tried to assuage advertisers about Twitter’s approach to hateful conduct at a marketing conference Tuesday, saying, “If somebody has something hateful to say, it doesn’t mean you should give them a megaphone,” according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

☆ Uganda: Leading scientists urge President Museveni to veto anti-LGBT bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Catherine Nicholls | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A group of leading global scientists and academics have signed an open letter urging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to veto a hardline bill criminalizing homosexuality in the country. The Anti Homosexuality Bill 2023, which was passed by Ugandan lawmakers in March, is set to be either signed into law or vetoed by the president on Thursday. Before the bill was passed almost unanimously last month, President Museveni called on scientists to establish whether homosexuality was natural or learned. The letter has been signed by 15 leading scientists around the world, from countries including South Africa, the United States, Canada, the UK, Kenya, and Australia. Under the Anti Homosexuality Bill 2023, it would be a crime to even identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.

☆ Marilyn Minter's 'Elder Sex' depicts radical images of intimacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jacqui Palumbo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“There’s so much contempt for elder sex. Marilyn Minter/Courtesy Marilyn Minter & LGDRA handful of the ensuing images were originally published in the New York Times Magazine, accompanying a candid editorial feature about seniors’ sex lives. Minter is now publishing the series in full in the forthcoming book “Elder Sex,” and exhibiting them at New York gallery LGDR. Marilyn Minter/Courtesy of JBE Books & LGDR“We wanted to (include) all races, all types of sex,” Minter explained. What?”Minter hopes "Elder Sex" will serve as a radical body of work and will help normalize sex at older ages.

Search resuls for: "Lesbian"

25 mentions found