The Future of Same-Sex Marriage in Australia

The future of same-sex marriage may be a little brighter in Australia. Australia’s opposition has said that it’s going to try to test Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s weakened power by proposing legislation that would legalize gay marriage. The bill itself was proposed on Wednesday, August 31.

At this time the parliament is divided on the issue. While the Labor party wants the parliament to decide quickly on the matter, Turnbull’s government wants to hold a popular vote for the public first to decide whether or not parliament should allow marriage equality. Advocates for same-sex marriage worry that any kind of stalemate or wait will present a giant step back for the movement, possibly delaying it until the upcoming 2019 election.

China’s Capital Adopts “All-Gender Bathrooms”

China’s capital city of Beijing managed to quietly roll out all-gender bathrooms without any public protest. That’s right, the nation with the largest population managed to introduce a program that made almost two-dozen single-use, all-gender bathrooms within the city without anyone blinking an eye. Meanwhile, the supposed “greatest country on Earth” is currently still having problems involving the HB2 bill and other bills like it across the country.

Officials of Beijing have said that they haven’t encountered any kind of problems involving the bathrooms. The defining characteristic in this situation isn’t that a nation that’s larger than the U.S. managed to fix the situation without any problems, it’s that a nation that still sees transgender as a form of mental illness was more accepting than the supposedly more liberal United States. The program’s founder says that the main focus of it is to open people’s eyes and minds to gender diversity and equality issues.

Hillary’s Healthcare Plan Could Help The LGBTQ Community

Hillary Clinton recently rolled out her proposed presidential health care plan, and it sure looks good for not only the mentally ill, but for members of the LGBTQ community as well. In her plan, Clinton highlights that she wants to integrate the nation’s healthcare systems and treat physical and mental health with the same priority. It is proven that members of the LGBTQ community tend to have more trouble with their mental health than their cis-gendered counterparts.

Her plan will reportedly promote early diagnosis and launch a national initiative for suicide prevention. It will change the healthcare programs so that they focus on the “whole person” instead of just physical health. It will train law enforcement officers so that they are better prepared to handle situations in which the suspect is mentally ill. It will enforce mental health and improve access to housing and job opportunities. It will also invest in brain and behavioral research so that safe and effective treatments can be developed. Overall, Clinton’s Comprehensive Healthcare plan seems to be what could help the LGBTQ Community lean towards a better future.

Judge Shoots Down HB2 At The University of North Carolina

A federal judge recently blocked the anti-trans provisions of the HB2 bill at the University of North Carolina. U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder barred the University from enforcing the part of the HB2 bill that stops transgender individuals from using the bathroom which matches their gender, not their sex. Schroeder wrote that transgender people had been quietly using the bathrooms that correspond with their gender without incident and without anyone noticing. Sadly, the decision is limited in scope; it only applies to the individuals that filed the case. But UNC officials have assured the public that they will not be enforcing HB2 on their campus.

WikiLeaks Posts the Names of Saudi Arabian Gay Men, Putting Their Lives In Danger
So far this year Wikileaks has leaked the names and information of rape victims two times. As well as leaked the medical information of ordinary citizens. Now, Wikileaks has leaked the name of a Saudi Arabian citizen who had been arrested for homosexuality. This is a terribly selfish move given that Saudi Arabia is a country where homosexuality is punishable by death. The website has also published the names, addresses, family members and other details. They are potentially ruining innocent people’s lives. Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange has reportedly refused to comment on the situation.