DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

MIDLAND, Mich. — The closing days of Michigan’s midterm elections for governor and other statewide offices have erupted into a scramble, with tightening polls, hostile tones and dire warnings from both parties. “As the state of Michigan goes, so goes the whole country, and as the United States of America goes, so goes the globe,” Democratic Gov. “It’s really about power for them,” Dixon said Wednesday night at a rally here in Midland. “I will always follow the Constitution,” Dixon told reporters after her rally in Midland. “So we got six days, six more days.

☆ Monkeypox may spread before symptoms appear, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

From the start of the global monkeypox outbreak, researchers have hoped that people could only spread the virus once they developed symptoms. In addition to painful lesions, monkeypox symptoms can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, muscle aches, back pain and fatigue. The study is the first to demonstrate that poxviruses, which include both monkeypox and smallpox, can spread in this manner. Past research suggested that asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic transmission of monkeypox was possible, but only symptomatic transmission had been documented. With this new observation about pre-symptomatic spread, Freeman said, it may be impossible to reach a point of zero cases.

☆ Jim Obergefell's Supreme Court case helped legalize same-sex marriage 7 years ago. Now, he could become the only openly gay member of Ohio's state House.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Now, Jim Obergefell — the man for which that case was named — is running for Ohio state House. "But you know, the nice thing is, everything I went through with the court case — a lot of that really prepared me for something like this." The "court case" in question was Obergefell v. Hodges, the landmark 2015 civil rights case in which the Supreme Court ruled five to four that same-sex couples were guaranteed the right to marry. "I don't start with it, and I don't focus on it," he said of his association with the 2015 Supreme Court case. "Very, very few of them have a Supreme Court case that happened because of that relationship."

☆ Tokyo begins same-sex partnership recognition
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

TOKYO — Tokyo began issuing certificates recognizing same-sex couples on Tuesday, becoming the largest municipality to do so in a country in which same-sex marriage is not allowed. Seven years after Tokyo’s Shibuya district first introduced same-sex partnership recognition in 2015, more than 200 smaller towns have joined the move, accounting for less than one-fifth of Japanese municipalities. Still, many sexual minority couples say the partnership recognition will improve their daily lives, allowing them to rent apartments and sign documents in medical emergencies, and in inheritance. Fumino Sugiyama, a transgender activist, said the certificates recognize the presence of sexual minorities and the need to recognize their rights. Moda said the certificate only recognizes partnerships between adults and needs to cover children of same-sex couples.

☆ Over 200,000 trans people could face voting restrictions because of state ID laws
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Seaton showed his state ID. “So I expect that we’re going to hear more stories of trans people being harassed, whether by voters, poll workers, poll monitors or other folks who are present during the election.”Impact of voter ID laws on trans votersVoter identification laws differ widely by state. Eight of those states have strict photo ID laws. Since the 2020 election, 12 states have enacted new or stricter voter ID laws, according to VoteRiders, a nonpartisan voting rights organization. In the 15 states without ID laws, voters’ identities are usually verified by checking them against their voter registration information, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

☆ Florida medical board votes to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Florida’s medical board is the first in the country to pursue such a rule, but Florida is among a wave of states where officials have attempted to restrict gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. The effort to restrict such care began in April, when DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued nonbinding guidance through the Florida Health Department that sought to bar both “social gender transition” and gender-affirming medical care for minors. Accredited medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — have supported gender-affirming care for transgender youths. The first nine attendees who spoke were in favor of restricting gender-affirming care for minors. Only one of the eight had received gender-affirming medical care as a minor.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 29 (Reuters) - A man who clubbed U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband over the head with a hammer, shouting, "Where is Nancy? ", faced charges of attempted murder and other felonies a day after the violent break-in at the couple's San Francisco home. She flew to San Francisco to be with her husband. Police identified the man arrested at the scene by officers who intervened in the attack as David Depape, 42. Formal charges were expected to be filed by the San Francisco district attorney's office.

☆ Use of N-word on Twitter jumped by almost 500% after Elon Musk's takeover as trolls test limits on free speech, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Joshua Zitser | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Elon Musk's Twitter takeover sparked a surge in the use of the N-word on the social media platform. A social media research group told The Washington Post the use of the slur increased by nearly 500%. "Almost immediately I noticed an increase in anti-trans harassment, it's very visible," said Erin Reed, a trans activist and queer legislative researcher, per The Washington Post. Alex Goldenberg, NCRI's lead intelligence analyst, told The Washington Post that "online trolls regularly test the limits of moderation." On the same day, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted that Musk's purchase of Twitter was "the most important development for Free Speech in decades."

☆ Elon Musk now owns Twitter. Here’s what he could change
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

New York CNN Business —After spending months attempting to get out of his deal to buy Twitter, Elon Musk officially owns the hugely influential platform. Musk has said Twitter, under his leadership, would have more lenient content moderation policies. Unbanning Trump and other accountsBut the most striking early change could come from who is and is not allowed on a Musk-owned Twitter. Musk, for his part, has focused on bringing back one of Twitter’s most prominent former users: Trump. The same day he sent his letter to Twitter attempting to revive the deal, Musk was widely panned for comments he made on the platform about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

BANGKOK, Oct 27 (Reuters) - A Thai celebrity media tycoon, transgender rights advocate and new owner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant wants to use the event to inspire women like her and boost tourism. She bought the Miss Universe Organisation on Wednesday for $20 million, marking the first time the beauty pageant organiser has been owned by a woman, her company said. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha 1 2 3 4She said Miss Universe can promote Thailand's Five F-factors tourism campaign, boosting fighting (Thai boxing), film, festival, fashion and food. “Every country - not just Thailand - will get tourism income when you are the (pageant) host country,” Jakapong said. Other plans for Miss Universe include licensing and merchandising opportunities, including integration with JKN’s own businesses like fashion, beverages and cosmetics.

☆ Russia moves to ban 'LGBT propaganda' among all ages
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Caleb Davis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] People take part in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community rally "VIII St.Petersburg Pride" in St. Petersburg, Russia August 12, 2017. Under the legislation, citizens could be fined up to 400,000 roubles ($6,500) for promoting "LGBT propaganda". LGBT Network, which offers legal aid, has called the bill an "absurd" attempt to humiliate and discriminate against the LGBT community. "In fact, what is happening is the total state abolition of LGBT+," a representative from LGBT Network told Reuters. TikTok, a video-sharing app, was fined 3 million roubles this month for promoting "videos with LGBT themes", while Russia's media regulator asked publishing houses to look at withdrawing all books containing "LGBT propaganda" from sale.

☆ Thai businesswoman buys Miss Universe pageant for $20 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BANGKOK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - A Thai celebrity media tycoon and transgender rights advocate has bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million, marking the first time the beauty pageant organiser will be owned by a woman, her company said on Wednesday. She has been outspoken about her experience as a transgender woman and also set up the Life Inspired For Thailand Foundation to advocate for the rights to dignity and opportunities for transgender people. The acquisition is "a strong, strategic addition to our portfolio," said Jakapong, adding that Miss Universe, with its content, licensing and merchandising opportunities, plans to expand in Asia. JKN produces its own shows and distributes content in Thailand from abroad including documentaries and Bollywood dramas. The annual beauty contest run by the Miss Universe Organisation, which was co-owned by Donald Trump between 1996 and 2002, is broadcast in 165 countries and has been running for 71 years.

Former Defense Secretary Ashton Carter died Monday evening after a "sudden cardiac event," his family said. He served as Defense Secretary in the Obama administration from 2015 to 2017. His sudden loss will be felt by all who knew him.”During his time as defense secretary, Carter was behind the campaign to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. He held multiple positions within the Department of Defense, including Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics, in addition to serving as Secretary. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden applaud Ashton Carter after Obama announced his nomination to be the next defense secretary on Dec. 5, 2014.

☆ We read the Gab founder's how-to guide to Christian nationalism. The book is part of a new trend of conservatives openly embracing the ideology.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

"Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide For Taking Dominion And Discipling Nations" was written by Torba and Andrew Isker, a pastor from Minnesota. Christian nationalism can generally be boiled down to the belief that Christianity should have a privileged position in American society. Torba's book demonstrates this, as his description of Christian nationalism differs in some ways from academic understandings of it. Phelan M. Ebenhack, File/Associated PressThe public embrace of a somewhat taboo conceptScholars of Christian nationalism, and Christian nationalists themselves, are quick to point out these ideas are not new. "We're now definitely well past the 'Christian nationalism doesn't exist' and the 'Christian nationalism is fringe' arguments to full-on 'Christian nationalism is the only way forward.'"

☆ 'Changed my life': Trans teen testifies against nation's first ban on gender-affirming care
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act bars minors in the state from receiving certain gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries. Carolyn Kaster / APThe American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in May on behalf of four trangsgender youths and their parents, as well as two physicians who provide gender-affirming care. ‘Changed my life for the better’The parents of four transgender young people represented in the suit spoke to how gender-affirming care has improved their children’s lives. Donnie Saxton of Vilonia, Arkansas, said his 17-year-old son, Parker, became “a new person” after coming out as trans and receiving gender-affirming medical care, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Three other states — Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee — have also passed measures restricting gender-affirming care for minors.

☆ Social Security now allows individuals to self-select gender
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Individuals will be allowed to make sure that their records with the Social Security Administration align with their gender identity under a plan announced Wednesday. The action, which is part of the agency’s “Equity Action Plan,” follows through on a March announcement to do so by the agency’s acting commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi. Kijakazi said the move is part of a “commitment to decrease administrative burdens and ensure people who identify as gender diverse or transgender have options in the Social Security Number card application process.” It’s also part of a larger Biden administration-wide effort to increase acceptance of gender identity. In June 2021, the State Department started implementing procedures to allow applicants to self-select their gender, including an “X,” and no longer required medical certification if an applicant’s self-selected gender does not match the gender on their other citizenship or identity documents. The Department of Homeland Security has reformed its screening process at U.S. airports for transgender travelers and the Department of Housing and Urban Development has implemented protections for homeless transgender people who seek emergency shelter access consistent with their gender identity.

☆ Exclusive: NHS drafts stricter oversight of trans youth care
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The guidelines are part of a wide-ranging review of treatment for young transgender people seeking NHS care. It was briefly uploaded to the NHS England website at the end of September, with plans for a 45-day public comment period, but later removed. "No-one should be purchasing illegal, unknown and potentially life-threatening drugs online," said NHS England medical director Dr Stephen Powis in a statement earlier this week. The drugs used in the UK are prescribed "off-label," which means they are not licensed for gender care. A lack of long-term scientific evidence around how to help transgender youth has contributed to a highly politicised fight in many countries.

☆ How Elon Musk could change Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Musk has said Twitter, under his leadership, would have more lenient content moderation policies. But the most striking early change could come from who is and is not allowed on a Musk-owned Twitter. Musk, for his part, has focused on bringing back one of Twitter’s most prominent former users: Trump. “There are exceptions … but generally permanent bans are a failure of ours and don’t work,” he said. The same day he sent his letter to Twitter attempting to revive the deal, Musk was widely panned for comments he made on the platform about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

☆ LGBTQ Italians on alert as right-wing alliance triumphs in election
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

BERLIN — The triumph of a right-wing alliance in Italy’s election has raised concern among LGBTQ advocates, who fear nationalist leader Giorgia Meloni could adopt anti-gay policies as prime minister and set back their efforts to boost equality. What is Meloni’s stance on LGBTQ rights? Days before the election, however, a senior member of her Brothers of Italy (FdI) group suggested same-sex parenting was not normal. Despite lagging most of its EU neighbors on LGBTQ rights, a 2020 study by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center found 75% of Italians think homosexuality should be accepted. In the northern city of Verona, Stefano Ambrosini, a gay 28-year-old PhD student, said he feared Meloni’s election triumph could lead to an increase in homophobic violence.

☆ Montana accepting transgender birth certificate changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

(AP) — The state health department has restored the ability for transgender people to apply to correct the gender marker on their Montana birth certificate after a judge blocked enforcement of a law that would have required them to have surgery first. The gender designation forms are available on the department’s website. Montana is required to process the applications after District Judge Michel Moses issued a temporary injunction against enforcing a state law that would have required transgender residents to have undergone a surgical procedure before changing the sex on their birth certificate. However, the state did not begin accepting applications and instead passed a rule saying that nobody could change the sex on their birth record unless there was a clerical error. No applications requesting a gender designation change had been returned to the state Vital Records department as of mid-day Thursday, Ebelt said.

☆ Telehealth access for some trans people may be at risk. Here's why one company says it's prepping for patients to return to the clinic.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Sarah Braner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Kole, a game developer in Colorado, gets his testosterone therapy through Folx Health, a startup that conducts doctor visits online and sends him his medication through the mail. He told Insider the privacy of using a company like Folx made getting testosterone safer. Plume was founded by Jerrica Kirkley and Matthew Wetschler in 2019 to provide gender-affirming hormone therapy over telehealth. Certain policy developments could let Folx and Plume keep prescribing testosterone, though, and two senators have asked the Biden administration to loosen restrictions on the treatment. The Folx executive, the company's chief clinical officer, Kate Steinle, said the startup expected to be allowed to continue prescribing testosterone under this rule change.

☆ In a political first, two gay candidates face off in congressional election
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Julie Moreau | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

A historic number of LGBTQ candidates will appear on ballots across the country in November. It is one of 16 competitive races in which LGBTQ candidates appear, and which may decide control of the U.S. House, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund. 'It was going to happen sooner of later'The odds of a faceoff between two gay candidates have gone up in recent years, because there’s been an increase in LGBTQ candidates at all levels of government. Santos is the only openly LGBTQ Republican running for Congress this fall, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund. “The issue is not that both of us are gay,” Zimmerman said.

☆ In divisive election, Brazil's trans candidates face threats, intimidation
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Steven Grattan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAmong more than 30 trans candidates tracked by the National Association of Travestis and Transgender People (ANTRA), about 80% have received threats or been intimidated during this election cycle period, said researcher Bruna Benavides. The candidates most targeted by political violence and threats tend to be Black women and LGBT people, especially trans women, said researcher Cesar Munoz of Human Rights Watch. "Attacks on trans candidates, especially threats against transfeminine identities are much more intense, violent and numerous than against any other candidate," said Benavides of Rio de Janeiro-based ANTRA. "Political parties often don't take these threats seriously, especially against trans women," Munoz said. Reuters interviewed eight trans and travesti candidates who reported threats and intimidation on the campaign trail.

☆ Montana defies order on transgender birth certificates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

— Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order. District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state during a hearing in Billings for circumventing his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates. Moses said there was no question that state officials violated his earlier order by creating the new rule. ACLU attorney Malita Picasso expressed dismay with the agency’s stance and said officials should immediately start processing requests for birth certificate changes. State officials denied that the new rule preventing birth certificate changes was adopted in bad faith.

☆ Trans Floridians sue to block Medicaid rule excluding gender-affirming care
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Advocacy groups sued Wednesday to block a new Florida rule that bars Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming health care, such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration adopted the rule last month after it issued a report that claimed gender-affirming procedures have the “potential for harmful long term affects.” The rule took effect Aug. 21. in the lawsuit, said the new Medicaid rule will prevent her and her husband, Joshua, from being able to access puberty-blocking medication prescribed by K.F.’s doctors. They are also represented by two health advocacy groups, the Florida Health Justice Project and the National Health Law Program. Accredited medical groups — including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association — say gender-affirming medical care is safe and medically necessary.

Search resuls for: "Transgender People"

25 mentions found