News Briefs

Pope Francis Extends Long-Awaited Olive Branch to LGBTQ Community

VATICAN CITY, Italy — In what is being considered a first, Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, recently announced that he has called for the inclusion of civil union law for same-sex couples.

This is a major shift from the Vatican’s former stance, the National Catholic Register reported. The Pope’s statement came from dialogue from a documentary, “Francesco,” that premiered on Oct. 21 as part of the Rome Film Festival, the Register added.

“What we have to create is a civil union law,” the Pope said of same-sex couples. “That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.”

Among the images and scripting in the film by filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky are interviews with Vatican figures who look at Pope Francis’ advocacy efforts and the “disposition of Catholics and others toward those who identify as LGBT.” The “pastoral outreach” portrayed the Pope as someone who encouraged a same-sex Italian couple to raise their children in their parish church. One of the parents remarked that was beneficial for the children.

According to America Magazine, Fordham University theologian Rev. Bryan Massingale “described the pope’s comments as ‘huge for a global church where homosexuality is still outlawed in over 70 countries and punishable by death in five.’”

The Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David said, “Pope Francis took a significant step for inclusion and acceptance in the Catholic Church by embracing unions for same-sex couples and affirming that LGBTQ Catholics are a part of their religious family. By shifting Catholic theology in a more inclusive direction and making clear that LGBTQ people have a right to their own families, Pope Francis is letting LGBTQ Catholics know that being a person of faith and being LGBTQ are not mutually exclusive. While we at the Human Rights Campaign acknowledge this moment, we continue to push the Catholic Church, and all religious leaders, to fully embrace LGBTQ people and endorse marriage equality for same-sex couples, our right to have families, and to be full members of our faith communities.

“Many members of the LGBTQ community have had difficulty engaging with places of worship because they have not been accepting of LGBTQ people. We are hopeful that this is another in a line of many actions toward full inclusion and acceptance for LGBTQ people in Catholicism, and in all faiths,” David added.

In addition to his stance on same-sex marriage, he has also named Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C. as a cardinal. Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, shared that Gregory has had a “strong record of positive statements on LGBTQ issues. In addition to Gregory, Pope Francis also named Archbishop Mario Grech from Malta as a cardinal. He also had a good LGBTQ record, DeBernardo added. info: newwaysministry.org. hrc.org. — Compiled by Lainey Millen

Civil Commitments Top 6K

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law reported that there are more than 6,300 sex offenders detained in state and federal civil commitment programs in the U.S.. Results from states for which data were obtained show disparities in how the laws are applied. Black sex offenders were twice as likely as white sex offenders to be civilly committed., and men with male victims were two to three times more likely to be civilly committed than men with only female victims.

Twenty states, the federal government and the District of Columbia have laws that allow for the indefinite detention of sex offenders designated as a “Sexually Violent Person” or “Sexually Violent Predator” (SVP) beyond the term of their incarceration. To confine a person under an SVP law, the defendant must have been charged with a sexual offense, have a “mental disorder” or “abnormality,” and be likely to commit sexually violent acts in the future.

“Inherent biases lead to disparities in civil commitments between sexual minority and heterosexual men. Overly broad terms like “mental disorder” and “abnormality” have no medical meaning, and they could be used to characterize sexual minority people as mentally ill when they engage in a sexual practice perceived to be deviant,” said study author Ilan H. Meyer, Distinguished Scholar of Public Policy at the Williams Institute. “In addition, men with a same-sex victim are judged as more violent on the standard assessment tool used to determine SVP.” Key findings included: • Thousands of people are in civil commitment in the United States even after serving their jail or prison terms. There are over 6,300 people detained in the 20 state, federal, and D.C. civil commitment programs. • In most states, Black men were vastly overrepresented among the population of civilly committed persons. Based on data from • 13 states with reliable data, Black men faced a rate of SVP detention more than twice that of White men: 7.72 per 100,000 Black residents as compared with 3.11 per 100,000 White residents aged sixteen or older. • Sexual minority men are disproportionately detained in sex offense civil commitment facilities. In the two states with reliable data about the sex of the victim, New York and Texas, men who had male victims were 2 to 3 times as likely to be civilly committed than men with only female victims. This trend was consistent among Black, White, and Hispanic men.

“These findings reveal that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men face much higher rates of civil commitment than their heterosexual counterparts. This suggests that state authorities deem queer men to be more violent more dangerous or mentally ill, and more deserving of commitment under these laws,” said lead author Trevor Hoppe, assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. “It is also vital that state programs consider biases that may contribute to higher rates of commitment that we observed among Black and sexual minority men.” info: williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu. — Compiled by Lainey Millen

TOY LAuNChES hYBRId REOPEN

Time Out Youth Center has launched an initiative that allows it to open for identity-based workshops twice a month, as well as hosting outdoor special events. To augment their skillset, staff and volunteers are being trained on COVID-19 precautionary protocols. info: timeoutyouth.org.

hOLLINGShEAd GETS AwARd

Justine Hollingshead, assistant vice chancellor at North Carolina State University, was awarded with the 2020 Women in Business Award by the Triangle Business Journal. info: bit.ly/2HDYWRK.

PENGuINS CO-OPT EGGS

A gay penguin couple in a Netherland’s zoo has nabbed an entire nest of eggs from a female same-sex couple in the attempt to become dads, Queerty reported. Unfortunately, the eggs may not be fertilized, thus not producing chicks. info: bit.ly/31ErRfM.

CLEMENTI ANNOuNCEd NEw BLOG

The Tyler Clementi Foundation has announced the launch of a new monthly blog, “Mindfully Yours,” focused on mental health and well being. The new offering is being headed by James Clementi, MHC-LP. info: tylerclementi.org.

MCC LAuNChES NEw VISITOR SITE

Metropolitan Community Churches has unveiled a new website, “We’re Seeking You,” designed to answer and address questions from visitors who may want to know more about the church. info: visitmccchurch.com.

TRuE ENhANCES TECh dIVERSITY

True Search, an executive search firm, announced the launch of its new sister company AboveBoard, an inclusive executive hiring platform. info: trueplatform.com

AVIATION wELCOMES INTERNATIONAL PARTNERShIP

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association announced that Wheels Up has become its first global partner in the private aviation sector. Wheels Up has committed to joining IGLTA on its mission to support LGBTQ travel across the globe. info: wheelsup.com. iglta.org.

PORTER ExPLORES MOVEMENT ORIGINS

The Associated Press reported that Billy Porter has begun narrating “EQUAL,” a new four-part documentary series on HBO Max that traces the history of the LGBTQ movement through the Stonewall uprising in 1969. info: bit.ly/3kAKRDA.

GLMA SEATS NEw BOARd MEMBERS

During its recent Annual Conference on LGBTQ Health, GLMA introduced two new board members who were listed among the top 100 Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists in America. They were Dr. Estevan Garcia and Dr. Richardo Correa. info: glma.org.

LITERARY dIVERSION ChAMPIONEd Little Free Library, in partnership with

Colle McVoy, launched Read in Color, an initiative that brings diverse books to Little Free’s book-sharing boxes around the world. info: littlefreelibrary.org. Oct. 30-Nov. 12, 2020 qnotes 5