Criminalization of Homosexuality Risks World Health

Countries that continue to criminalize homosexuality are directly responsible for the worsening of the spread of HIV, according to the World Health Organization.

WHO's report, which can be accessed here, points to the fact that it is actually still illegal to be a gay man, and for two men to have sex, in 75 countries.  In Asia, the countries of Singapore, Bhutan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Palau, and certain states in Indonesia are included in that list.  Singapore's law against male-male sex (Section 377A of the Penal Code) is still in place though is rarely enforced.

According to WHO, such legal restrictions and discrimination force gay and transgender people to risk criminal sanctions if they discuss their sex lives with health service providers.  Sexual activity is very important for a doctor to know about it -- whether you're straight, gay, bi, or trans -- but in places where same-sex activity is illegal or where it is strongly frowned upon for "moral" reasons, many people remain quiet.  These archaic laws also give police the authority to harass organizations that provide vitally important health services and education to the LGBT community.

Double-standard Much?

Right-wingers aren't trying to ban this:

Strip clubs and nudie bars all over the world: big money, big immorality

It's Okay to be Catholic and Liberal

I'm no fan of small-mindedness.  It's fine to be "traditional," but when someone is being blindly traditional (i.e. stubbornly and rigidly conservative while ignoring all modern science), it is entirely unacceptable -- whether that someone is a president, a mayor, a judge, or a cleric.

I realize that I've called out the Catholic Church more than a few times in this blog, particularly in their illogical stance on homosexuality and same-sex unions, and I stand by that.  I do not, however, want to give the impression that I dislike Catholics.  That's not the case at all.  I know many, many Catholics and I like them all, and many of them are even pro-marriage equality.  What I dislike are people whose brains are stuck in the middle ages, regardless of which faith they choose to follow.

Simply put, there is absolutely no excuse for stubborn irrationality in the year 2011.  No excuse.  That's why I call out the Catholic Church and many Protestant churches as well, because they're ridiculously stubborn.  They think they're right simply because they say they're right.

Betty Explains it Like Only Betty Can

A hilarious (and frighteningly true) explanation of what really constitutes a traditional marriage according to the Bible.

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STDs, AIDS, Anal Cancer, and Half-truths

Since I've received several emails regarding all three of the conditions in the title, I thought it might be a good idea to inject some scientific facts into the matter. There is clearly a lot of misinformation floating around out there – most of it perpetuated by anti-gay evangelical groups – and if there's one thing I hate it's misinformation that contradicts science and demeans a group of people; in this case LGBT people.

Misinformation #1:

State-sanctioned gay relationships could have negative health consequences for a nation, because an increase in STDs and HIV/AIDS is seen in countries where same-sex marriages are legal.

Fact-based response:

European statistics indicate no rise or spike in HIV/AIDS transmissions since the legalization of same-sex unions. In Norway, for example, our HIV rate is less than 0.1%. The rate is the same in Iceland, Finland, and Sweden, while Denmark and the Netherlands' rates stand at 0.2%. Other Western European countries have similarly low rates, except for Italy at 0.5%, which, ironically, is one of the only European countries that does not have same-sex unions yet.  Spain also has a rate of 0.5% while Portugal stands at 0.4%, and in those countries the Catholic Church has traditionally been against safe sex education and condom distribution.  Today, however, the two governments have fortunately decided that public health is more important than trying not to upset the bishops.