Issue Highlights
Same-Sex Behavior Evolved in Many Mammals to Reduce Conflict, Study Suggests - The New York Times
Apes, for example, branched off from other primates about 25 million years ago. Since then, they evolved a much higher rate of same-sex sexual behavior than species on older branches of primates, such as lemurs.
United States Scores a C on Global LGBTQ+ Human Rights Scorecard | Them
A new report ranked the United States 31 out of 136 countries, a score that’s expected to fall in the wake of hundreds of bills targeting anti-LGBTQ+ rights across the country.
Young People Left in Limbo as Battle Over Transgender Care Shifts to Court - The New York Times
Republican-appointed judges in two federal appellate circuits ruled against plaintiffs and allowed states to start enforcing bans. Efforts to challenge restrictions under state constitutions also faltered, with judges in places like Nebraska and Texas allowing new limits to take effect.
The political and legal chaos is likely to be resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court, which currently has a 6-to-3 conservative majority and has long been an arbiter on questions of the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people.
No Longer About Kids: Florida Judge Allows Trans Adult Ban For Large Swaths Of Care
the 11th Circuit Court determined that discriminating against transgender individuals in healthcare was likely constitutional and therefore allowed. Relying on this verdict, the Florida Judge Monday declined to block the sections affecting trans adult care. Now, the precedent has been set for adult care bans, a stark contradiction to some anti-trans activists' assurances that their sole aim was to "protect children."
The Animals Are Talking. What Does It Mean? - The New York Times
Cat Hobaiter, a primatologist at the University of St. Andrews who works with great apes, developed a similarly nuanced method. Because great apes appear to have a relatively limited repertoire of vocalizations, Hobaiter studies their gestures. For years, she and her collaborators have followed chimps in the Budongo forest and gorillas in Bwindi in Uganda, recording their gestures and how others respond to them.
LGBTQ Social Justice
African island nation Mauritius overturns anti-sodomy law
Supreme Court rules that sodomy is ‘the only natural way’ for gay men to have intercourse
LGBTQ rights group sues Kenya police chief over anti-gay protests
An advocacy group in Kenya has sued Police Inspector General Japhet Koome for allowing religious leaders and lobby organizations to hold homophobic protests whenever court rulings favor the LGBTQ community.
TikTok in talks with Kenyan government to stop LGBTQ-specific content
TikTok, a popular short-form mobile video-streaming platform, is currently in joint talks with government officials to develop a framework for censoring such content classified under the “restricted category.”
Kenyan Supreme Court dismisses challenge to ruling that allowed LGBTQ group to register
The Supreme Court established the petitioner, opposition MP Peter Kaluma, is not an aggrieved party to its ruling since he was never involved in the case under rules that govern case hearings.
Violence against LGBTQ Ugandans surges after Anti-Homosexuality Act
The report by the Uganda-based NGO documents different cases of violations and violence against LGBTQ persons that were handled by the Legal Aid Clinic at HRAPF during the August 2023, the third full month of the AHA being in force.
Arson destroys offices of Ugandan trans organization
The human rights group Chapter Four Uganda declared on X (Twitter):
“We’re deeply concerned about the burglary, theft & arson attack at the offices of @TranzNetwork, a network organisation that works with transgender & gender non-conforming persons in #Uganda. 7 computers & other items were reportedly stolen, property worth millions destroyed.
United front against homophobic Ugandan law? Europe says no.
Despite appeals from Ugandan activists, the European Union announced on Sept. 6 that it would not suspend humanitarian aid to Uganda in response to the repressive new law.
Biden references LGBTQ, intersex rights in UN General Assembly speech
We have to continue working to ensure that women and girls enjoy equal rights and equal participation in their society; that indigenous groups, racial, ethnic, religious minorities, people with disabilities do not have their potential stifled by systemic discrimination, that the LGBTQI+ people are not prosecuted or targeted with violence because of who they are,”
Census Bureau wants to test asking about sexual orientation and gender identity on community survey | PBS NewsHour
The statistical agency wants to test the wording, response categories and placement of gender identity and sexual orientation questions on the questionnaires for the American Community Survey, which collects data from 3.5 million households each year. The ACS covers a wide range of topics, from family life, income, education levels and employment to commuting times, internet access, disabilities and military service.
Most Americans Want Politicians to Stop Attacking Trans People | Them
In a new survey, only 17% said that politicians should focus on restricting gender-affirming care.
How Teachers Are Being Silenced on LGBTQ+ Issues and More
The report, “Educational Intimidation: How ‘Parental Rights’ Legislation Undermines the Freedom to Learn,” looks at legislation “that has the effect of prompting self-censorship in schools through indirect mechanisms, rather than direct edicts,”
Equality Florida launches new program to help advocate for LGBTQ+ students at school board meetings | WUSF Public Media
Equality Florida is empowering parents, students, and community members in a new program called "Fall into Action." It gives people the tools to voice support for LGBTQ+ students at local school board meetings.
Banned Books in Georgia Face Protests From Cobb County Students, Community Members | Teen Vogue
In this op-ed, a Cobb County student details recent organizing against local book bans.
Great Apes & Gibbons
How the spectacular Sumatran orangutan is essential to its ecosystem | One Earth
Sporting slimmer faces with lengthier, paler, red-hued hair, the Sumatran orangutans are pivotal to their rainforest habitat. They have a more fruit-centric diet compared to their counterparts, acting as seed dispersers and aiding in maintaining biodiversity.
Deforestation for palm oil continues in Indonesia’s ‘orangutan capital’
The wildlife reserve is home to the densest population of critically endangered Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii) anywhere on the island: 1,500 recorded individuals, or 10% of the species’ total population. This earns the reserve the moniker “orangutan capital of the world.”
Tillack said the continued deforestation put critically endangered species like the Sumatran orangutan at risk of extinction in the wild.
Gorillas are beloved, but deeply endangered by human activity. Here's how we can help | Salon.com
This tapestry of gorilla diversity is fraying at the edges, with all four subspecies listed as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The culprits behind their decline are all too familiar: deforestation, mining, agriculture and the relentless illegal trade in bushmeat and live animals.
Celebrate World Gorilla Day With 15 Primate Pictures | Science | Smithsonian Magazine
take a look at these glorious gorillas featured in submissions to our annual Photo Contest.
Ellen DeGeneres announces TV return after 16-month absence ｜ BANG Showbiz English
her latest small screen project, 'Saving the Gorillas: Ellen's Next Adventure', which will premiere on Discovery Channel on 23 September.
Philanthropy
Charles Feeney, Who Made a Fortune and Then Gave It Away, Dies at 92 - The New York Times
His death was announced by the Atlantic Philanthropies, a group of foundations he had started and funded since the early 1980s. He lived in a modest rented apartment in San Francisco.
Black Feminists Are Organizing with Little to No Funding. Here Are Three Ways to Change That | Inside Philanthropy
This April, FJS, in partnership with Wellspring, launched an important new resource: Resourcing Black Feminist Organizing in Latin America and the Caribbean. This online resource highlights the learnings from a remarkable research initiative conducted by a team of 16 Black women academics, artists and activists. The initiative maps the realities, organizing, needs and priorities of Black feminist-led groups throughout the region.
Social Service Funders Must Support LGBTQ+ Nonprofits to Advance Their Missions | Inside Philanthropy
If you’re a social service funder that wants to solve issues ranging from homelessness and poverty to healthcare access, you don’t have a chance of achieving your goals unless your grantmaking portfolio specifically includes groups that serve, and preferably are also led by, LGBTQ+ people
Queer Fundraisers Need You Now | Inside Philanthropy
With many Southern states being at-will employment states, queer fundraisers may feel threatened to stay in the closet and not bring their full, authentic selves to donor conversations or relationships, which damages staff retention and culture. To walk around confidently and “out” in a region that has proven to discriminate against our community is not a valid option for those who are front-line fundraisers.