The premature cure
The Sunday Times reported that scientists are on the “brink of a cure” for HIV, after a British man showed no detectable virus in his blood after an experimental treatment. Scientists later clarified, however, that long term observation will be necessary to tell whether the treatment actually cleared out all of the virus, and a cure is far from clear.
Comic writer: Wonder Woman is queer
DC Comics writer Greg Rucka says in an interview with Comicosity that Wonder Woman is obviously queer, depending how you define it. The superhero, Rucka points out, canonically hails from a utopian all-female society where ideas of queerness would be irrelevant. Whether she has had romantic relationships with women, however, is beyond question.
Corporations lead the way in Japanese gay rights
While Japan still lags behind other OECD in formal gay rights, Japanese corporations are getting on board by offering same-sex partnership benefits and supporting pride celebrations. Japanese companies see a lucrative market in LGBT communities, and want to cement an international reputation.
Read more at the South China Morning Post.
A gay pioneer remarries
Edie Windsor’s fight over her deceased partner’s tax bill led to the historic defeat of the American Defense of Marriage Act, and the beginning of a string of gay rights victories. Now the nearly 90-year-old Windsor is getting married again, to an activist and banker over 30 years her junior.
Read more at the New York Times.
Pope toes the line on trans people
Catholic priests should care for and acknowledge trans people, Pope Francis told journalists, but “indoctrination” of children on trans topics is still wrong. Francis is continuing the religious balancing act that has defined his papacy, asking the church to accept gay and trans people while rejecting what he calls “gender theory.”
Read more from the Associated Press.