Meningitis, slut-shaming and deportation

Your Daily Package of newsy and naughty bits from around the world


Meningitis outbreaks puzzle doctors

An outbreak of meningitis in Chicago, New York and Southern California seems to disproportionately affect gay men, puzzling doctors who say there is no known reason why gay men should be at risk for the saliva-borne illness. A gay man in Orange County died of meningitis earlier this year.

Read more at the LA Times.

Italian couples are getting civil unions at last

Same sex couples in Italy finally began to enter civil unions this weekend, the last in Western Europe to get national legal recognition for their relationships. Italian law still prevents same sex couples from marrying or adopting children, however.

Read more at Towleroad.

Ugandan lesbian asylum seeker gets last minute reprieve

A Ugandan lesbian woman living in Denmark was rescued from being sent back to her home country a day before her scheduled deportation. Denmark has a spotty record on LGBT asylum seekers, and three lesbians were deported to Uganda earlier this year after authorities said their stories were inconsistent.

Read more at RT.

Melania’s ‘lesbian’ photo shoot

The New York Post mocked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s wife Melania by publishing photos of her naked with another woman from her days as a model. Some feminists pushed back, however, saying that slut shaming Melania is the wrong way to fight Trump.

Cleveland loses pride, gets a new one

After the organizers of Cleveland’s gay Pride parade suddenly cancelled the event citing unclear safety concerns and a “changing social climate,” a group of community organizers has stepped in to take their place.

Read more at Cleveland Scene.

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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