News
Study claims having an older brother makes men more likely to be gay
research links biological factors in the womb to homosexuality


For each older brother a man has his likelihood of being gay increases by a third, according to the study. Photo via Bigstock.
A new study has found that a man’s likelihood of being gay is determined by biological factors that occurr in the womb, CNN reports.
Researchers from Brock University, the University of Toronto, and Harvard Medical School published their results in the journal PNAS on Monday. Their findings indicate that when a woman gets pregnant with her first boy she builds an antibody against a Y-protein, NLGN4Y, which women do not have and that is part of male brain development. The mother builds a supply of the antibody, which can enter her bloodstream, and can cross the placental barrier into the brain of the next male fetus she carries.
“That may alter the functions in the brain, changing the direction of how the male fetus may later develop their sense of attraction,” lead study author Anthony Bogaert from Brock University says.
For every older brother a man has his chance of being gay goes up a third, even if the brothers are raised in separate households, according to the research.
“This explanation posits that some mothers develop antibodies against a Y-linked protein important in male brain development, and that this effect becomes increasingly likely with each male gestation, altering brain structures underlying sexual orientation in their later-born sons,” the study authors write.
The study, which was started in 1996, tested the blood of 142 women and 12 men ages 18 to 80. Researchers found a high concentration of antibodies to the protein NLGN4Y, and the highest concentration of antibodies to the protein in women with gay younger sons and older brothers compared to women who only gave birth to heterosexual boys or no boys.
Bogaert emphasizes that the study isn’t suggesting gay men have a brain defect but is suggesting that humans are born with attractions from birth.
“The vast majority of men with older brothers are still heterosexual, but it says something very broad about sex and gender development,” Bogaert says.
Canada
Canadian LGBTQ group cancels WorldPride participation over Trump policies
Egale Canada cites need to ‘safeguard our trans and nonbinary staff’

Egale Canada, one of Canada’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organizations, announced in a Feb. 6 statement that its members will not be attending any events in the U.S., including WorldPride set to take place in Washington from May 17-June 8, because of policies put in place by President Donald Trump.
The statement says the decision not to come to the U.S. resulted in its cancellation of plans to attend a meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at U.N. headquarters in New York in March, at which it planned to discuss LGBTQ related issues.
“After deep consideration, we have decided not to engage in-person in this year’s Commission on the Status of Women or any other UN, OAS (Organization of American States or global convergings, including WorldPride, taking place in the United States in the foreseeable future,” the statement says.
“This decision is foremost based on the need to safeguard our trans and nonbinary staff who would face questionable treatment at land and aviation borders to attend such convenings, and to stand in solidarity with global colleagues who are experiencing similar fear around entry to the U.S.,” the statement continues.
“It is also founded in the unique situation that has been thrust on Canadians (and citizens of other countries) regarding economic warfare and threats to our national sovereignty,” according to the statement. “We cannot in good conscience engage in a process of disentangling our organization from the U.S. goods and services (as we have recently released in a statement) and then proceed to travel to the U.S.”
The Egale Canada statement marks the first known time that an international LGBTQ rights organization has declared it will not come to the U.S. to attend WorldPride because of the controversial policies adopted by the Trump-Vance administration, which so far have included a roll back of programs and policies in support of transgender people.
State Department
Protesters demand US fully restore PEPFAR funding
Activists blocked intersection outside State Department on Thursday

Dozens of HIV/AIDS activists on Thursday protested outside the State Department and demanded U.S. officials fully restore President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief funding.
The activists — members of Housing Works, Health GAP, and the Treatment Action Group — blocked an intersection for an hour. Health GAP Executive Director Asia Russell told the Washington Blade that police did not make any arrests.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 24 directed State Department personnel to stop nearly all U.S. foreign aid spending for 90 days in response to an executive order that President Donald Trump signed after his inauguration. Rubio later issued a waiver that allows PEPFAR and other “life-saving humanitarian assistance” programs to continue to operate during the freeze.
The Blade on Wednesday reported PEPFAR-funded programs in Kenya and other African countries have been forced to suspend services and even shut down because of a lack of U.S. funding.
“PEPFAR is a program that has saved 26 million lives and changed the trajectory of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said Housing Works CEO Charles King in a press release. “The recent freeze on its funding is not just a bureaucratic decision; it is a death sentence for millions who rely on these life-saving treatments. We cannot allow decades of progress to be undone. The U.S. must immediately reaffirm its commitment to global health and human dignity by restoring PEPFAR funding.”
“We demand Secretary Rubio immediately reverse his deadly, illegal stop-work order, which has already disrupted life-saving HIV services worldwide,” added Russell. “Any waiver process is too little, too late.”
News
Blade welcomes spring intern
Jaylon Curry-Hagler studies journalism at University of Maryland Global Campus

The Washington Blade on Thursday welcomed Jaylon Curry-Hagler as its spring intern.
Jaylon is studying journalism at the University of Maryland Global Campus. Jaylon also grew up in the D.C. area, and previously launched an independent magazine for local DIY creatives.
“As a queer, trans woman of color, I find it more important than ever to give a voice to those within the community and be unapologetic in holding the powers at be accountable as we move toward a future that challenges us to be stronger and connect with one another,” said Jaylon.
Jaylon’s internship with the Blade will end on April 30.
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