Transsexual gene link identified

For those that look to a science to explain phenomenon like male to female transsexuals, there argument has gotten stronger. The BBC is reporting a new break through in genetic science concerning out transgender brothers and sisters:

Australian researchers have identified a significant link between a gene involved in testosterone action and male-to-female transsexualism.

DNA analysis from 112 male-to-female transsexual volunteers showed they were more likely to have a longer version of the androgen receptor gene.

The genetic difference may cause weaker testosterone signals, the team reported in Biological Psychiatry.

However, other genes are also likely to play a part, they stressed.

Increasingly, biological factors are being implicated in gender identity.

One study has shown that certain brain structures in male-to-female transsexual people are more "female like".

In the latest study, researchers looked for potential differences in three genes known to be involved in sex development - coding for the androgen receptor, the oestrogen receptor and an enzyme which converts testosterone to oestrogen.

Comparison of the DNA from the male to female transsexual participants with 258 controls showed a significant link with a long version of the androgen receptor gene and transsexualism.

Find the rest of this article after the jump...

Gay teens face hard times in Tri-Cities

By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer

Gay and lesbian teens in the Tri-Cities say they've been targeted in the community and at school because of their sexual orientation.

They've been whispered about, laughed at and called names such as "faggot" when they're on the street and in school hallways, they say.

"I've had people try to fight me because I'm gay. I've had people try to fight me because I hang out with people who are gay and stand up for them," said Alex, 17, who goes to high school in the Tri-Cities.

The Herald agreed not to fully identify students to protect them from harassment.

Their experiences are backed up by a national survey released this month. It found that 86 percent of students who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered -- abbreviated as LGBT -- had been verbally harassed at school in the past year.

Find more after the jump...

A gay president?

Even many Americans sympathetic to gay rights will be startled by a new Zogby International poll indicating that more than 60% of registered voters would support a qualified gay candidate for the presidency. Romantic as it may be, the notion that anyone can grow up to be president long has served as a metaphor for the openness and fairness of American society. It is thus remarkable, and reassuring, that nearly two-thirds of respondents in the poll expressed a willingness to discard one of the oldest and most pervasive prejudices when they enter the voting booth.

Zogby's findings don't come entirely out of the blue. Last year, a Gallup poll asked respondents whether they would vote for a presidential candidate who was gay. Fifty-five percent answered yes (compared with only 45% who would support an atheist candidate).

Critics of such polls will argue that they reflect a homophobic version of the Bradley Effect -- named for former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley -- in which racist voters lie about their willingness to vote for a black candidate. But even if some respondents say they will vote for a gay candidate for fear of seeming politically incorrect, that is itself a comment on how far gays and lesbians have come.

Polls about the acceptability of a gay presidential candidate reflect a larger trend in support for gay equality. In a Field poll conducted shortly after the California Supreme Court's same-sex marriage ruling in May, 51% of registered California voters favored allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. Another Field poll released last month found that by a 51%-to-42% margin, California voters opposed Proposition 8, which would amend the state Constitution to overturn the high court's decision.

With same-sex marriage, as with gay rights generally, the younger generation is leading the way. Last month's Field poll found that opposition to Proposition 8 was greatest among voters under 30 years of age. That was consistent with a finding by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life that roughly half of adults under 30 supported same-sex marriage. The trend is clear: Support for gay rights and same-sex marriage is being driven by generational change.

But differences among age groups cannot completely explain the greater tolerance for gays and lesbians. Thanks to the gay-rights movement, Americans of all ages are likelier to have openly homosexual relatives, neighbors and co-workers. Those personal contacts make it harder for decent people to accept discrimination against gays and lesbians -- including at the ballot box.

LA Times 8/28/2008

Hate Crimes Against Gays Rise in L.A.

AP: 7/25/08

Hate crimes in Los Angeles County soared last year to their highest mark in five years even as overall crime dropped across the region, according to a report released Thursday.

The annual report by the county’s human relations commission shows 763 hate crimes were reported in 2007, a 28 percent increase from 2006.

The numbers buck last year’s overall crime trends, which saw a decrease of 6 percent in Los Angeles County and 5 percent in the city of Los Angeles, the report notes.

The most common hate crimes were those motivated by race, with 310 committed against black people and 125 against Latinos. However, crimes in which anti-immigrant slurs were used dropped slightly.

A majority of the hate crimes involved vandalism and simple assault, but aggravated assault was involved in 187 of them, a nearly 90 percent increase over the year before.

Read the full Article

The "Second-wave" of HIV

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new study Thursday that could indicate a "second-wave" AIDS epidemic, The Washington Post reported.
Positive HIV status among young gay men has been rising 12 percent each year since 2001, the study showed, with the steepest increase among young, black men.
"These men represent a new generation that has not been personally affected by AIDS in the same way that their older peers have," Richard Wolitski, acting director of HIV/AIDS prevention at the CDC, told the Post.
Not enough is being done to prevent the spread of the infection, according to Phill Wilson, head of the Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles. "When you see a 15 percent yearly increase, that is an epidemic that is out of control," Wilson told the Post. "And yet we don't see a response that recognizes it is an epidemic out of control."
Ron Simmons, president of Us Helping Us, an AIDS organization for gay black men, suggested that powerful antiretroviral therapy might have lessened the fear of AIDS within the gay community.
"I can remember going to a funeral every four or five days. Now if you talk to some of these young men, they say, 'If I do get infected, I will simply take the blue pill or the pink pill, like my friend,'" Simmons told the Post.

Article by The Advocate published 6/30/08

New Study Concludes LGBTQ Blacks and Latinos more Likely to Attempt Suicide

A new scientific study released by authors of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University finds that LGBTQ Blacks and Latinos are more likely to attempt suicide than LGBTQ Whites are. The study samples 388 New York residents ages 18-59 and concludes that Latinos are at a substantially higher risk at attempting suicide than Blacks who are at a slightly higher risk than Whites are. However, to the surprise of everyone involved, LGBTQ Blacks are least likely to suffer from mental illness, anxiety or mood disorders than LGBTQ Whites and Latinos who are pretty even in mental disorder prevalence. The study concludes that its original hypothesis is wrong, which states, “Black and Latino lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals have more mental disorders than do White lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals because they are exposed to more stress related to prejudice and discrimination associated with their race/ethnicity.”

Also related to the study, the authors find that bisexuals in general are more likely to suffer from substance abuse, but are least likely to suffer from mood disorders and mental illness.

The study’s conclusion brings about new questions like, ‘what elements actually provoke mental illness?’ because we now know prejudice and discrimination based on race are not obvious elements in generating mental disorders OR ‘what are the natural outcomes of mental illness?’ because we now know suicide or drug abuse are not natural indications of mental disorders.

Read More About the study: http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1413899/lifetime_prevalence_of_mental_disorders_and_suicide_attempts_in_diverse/