LGBTQ Nation

The Virginia Senate on Feb. 5 passed a bill
that would decriminalize HIV transmission in the state.

Senate Bill 1138, sponsored by state Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) and Mamie Locke (D-Hampton), passed by a 21-17 vote margin. It would amend much of the language in the “infected sexual battery” section that focuses on HIV — specifically naming oral and anal sex acts, and replace them with “a sexually transmitted infection” and “sexual behavior that poses a substantial risk of transmission to another person according to current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.”

According to the CDC, laws that criminalize
HIV exposure are relics from the early days of the epidemic and do not follow
current medical understanding for how the virus is treated or transmitted.

“We are encouraged by SB 1138’s progress
through the Virginia Senate, and we are grateful for the leadership of Senator
Locke and Senator McClellan,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Vee Lamneck.
“Existing criminalization laws are not effective public health strategies, and
that’s why this bill is so necessary.”

The CDC also found state laws that criminalize
behaviors that do not transmit HIV, or do not apply the same standards to other
treatable diseases, discourage HIV testing and are often unequally enforced,
particularly among LGBTQ communities and communities of color.

“It would ensure that more people have access to the HIV testing, prevention, and treatment they need to live full, productive lives,” Lamneck said. “We know all Virginians want a safer, healthier, and more equitable state, and the passage of this bill will help to achieve that.”

The bill heads to the House of Delegates this week.

The post Va. Senate passes HIV decriminalization bill appeared first on Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights.

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185 German actors have taken the opportunity to come out together and have penned an open letter to the country’s entertainment industry calling for more diversity on screen.

The actors published a joint #ActOut manifesto on Friday in the leading German newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung. They have also published it online in several different languages, including English.

“We are actors who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans*, queer, inter and non-binary, amongst many other things,” it begins.

“Until now, we haven’t been able to be open about our private lives without fearing professional consequences. All too often, many of us have been cautioned – be it by managers, casting agents, colleagues, producers, editors, directors, etc. – to keep quiet about our sexual orientations and gender identities to avoid jeopardizing our careers.

“We are putting an end to this – once and for all!

“We have decided to come together with a public statement to achieve visibility.”

Related: Actor Jannik Schümann comes out by posting sweet pic with boyfriend

The manifesto continues, “Until now, we’ve been told that if we revealed certain facets of our identities, namely our sexual and gender identities, we would suddenly lose the ability to portray certain characters and relationships. As if the knowledge of who we are in our private lives would somehow invalidate our ability to convincingly embody roles for the audience.

“Nothing could be further from the truth.

“We are actors. We don’t have to be the characters we portray. We act as if – that is the very quintessence of our job.”

They call for greater diversity on screen, saying audiences are hungry for different perspectives.

“The experience of the last few years has shown that the viewing habits for film and TV series are expanding and changing. There are far more stories and perspectives being watched and celebrated than merely those of the white heterosexual middle class. Diversity has long been a lived social reality in Germany. Sadly, this fact is still hardly reflected in our cultural narratives.

“Our society has long been ready. The viewers are ready.

“Our industry should stand for togetherness and reflect society in all of its diversity.”

Among those to sign the letter are Babylon Berlin star Udo Samel, and Karin Hanczewski, and Mark Waschke from No. 1 German TV drama, Tatort.

To accompany the publication of the manifesto, Sueddeutsche Zeitung ran an article about how it came to be created, including interviews with some of the signatories.

“I wanted to attend an awards show and walk the red carpet with the woman I love, but I was strongly advised against it, warned it would ruin my career,” says actress Emma Bading, who appeared in the Emmy-nominated TV movie, Play, last year.

The group said straight white men dominated the German TV industry – both on and off-screen. They suggest parts could be adapted to reflect greater diversity, but it would be better to also showcase stories from different people.

“Of course I want to play characters that were originally written white or hetero,” said Black, German stage actor Lamin Leroy Gibba [below]. “At the same time, I ask: Where are the Black and queer characters standing in the center of their own stories?”

 

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Related: “I’m queer and proud!” ‘Star Trek’ star Mary Wiseman comes out

In the U.S., great advances have been made to increase diversity on screen in recent years, with award-winning dramas such as Pose and even the likes of Hallmark producing gay holiday movies.

However, LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD noted a slight drop in LGBTQ representation on screen in its most recent annual report. It noted, “9.1% of series regular characters scheduled to appear on broadcast scripted primetime television this season are LGBTQ – a decrease of one percentage point from last year’s record-high percentage of 10.2 percent.”

It put some of this fall down to the Covid pandemic suspending production on several shows.

Although 9.1% is an encouraging figure in terms of LGBTQ representation on screen in the U.S., many openly LGBTQ performers – in the US, Germany, and elsewhere – still believe they face additional barriers in being cast as straight or cisgender characters.

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US hospitalizations from COVID have dropped for 25 days in a row trib.al/LO9IwWj

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Posted by

Daily Mail Online (MailOnline)
on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 11:45pm

Retweeted by

Michael Novakhov (mikenov)
on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 11:46pm

35 likes, 16 retweets

mikenov on Twitter

Michael Novakhov on Twitter from Michael_Novakhov (4 sites)

I am not surprised but sad to see no comments from senior EU officials (they are very many) criticizing Borrell’s debacle in Moscow. Why don’t they stand up and criticize him? Or have I missed important comments? (I doubt it.)
Is the EU not even a paper tiger in foreign policy?

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Posted by

Anders Åslund (anders_aslund)
on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 11:41pm

Retweeted by

Michael Novakhov (mikenov)
on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 11:42pm

54 likes, 14 retweets

mikenov on Twitter

Michael Novakhov on Twitter from Michael_Novakhov (4 sites)