Where do the happiest gays live?
German researchers have mapped where the happiest, and least happy, gay men in the world live. Not surprisingly, happiness correlates closely with acceptance, with relatively gay-friendly countries such as Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Uruguay and Canada topping the list, and strongly anti-gay countries such as Sudan and Uganda coming in last.
Read more at the Washington Post.
Why Catholics love same-sex marriage
While the Vatican called last week’s referendum legalizing same-sex mariage in Ireland “a deafeat for humanity,” the world’s Catholics seem determined to betray their leaders. Why are countries with high numbers of Catholics, such as Ireland and Canada, so friendly to same-sex marriage? At The Week, Peter Weber argues that Catholics have been taught to value family first, and extending those values to gay couples is an easy leap. At USA Today, Catholic priest Paul Morrissey says the church is losing the battle because it has undermined its credibility through repeated sex scandals.
US health officials: Start HIV treatment on diagnosis
In not-terribly-surprising but probably-very-useful science news, US health officials now say that HIV drugs should be administered as soon as the disease is diagnosed, and not just when symptoms appear. A clinical trial was so obviously effective that officials stepped in to make the announcement before it was even complete.
Read more at the New York Times.
Tables turn on Australian marriage fight
Last week’s same-sex marriage referendum victory in Ireland has echoed all the way to Australia, with two parties planning to introduce new marriage reform bills in parliament. Even conservative Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who has so far blocked his MPs from a free vote on the issue, now says he may give in and let democracy take its course.
Oneida tribe allows same-sex marriage
The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, a tribe with partial sovereignty living near Green Bay, has amended its tribal code to allow same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage became legal in Wisconsin earlier this year. Several native groups across the United States have now changed tribal rules to allow same-sex weddings, some even before their surrounding states.
Read more at the Green Bay Press Gazette.
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