A new study published today in The Lancet shows that despite increases in treatment and testing, HIV infection rates among gay and bi men in the United Kingdom have not declined. Testing rates quadrupled and treatment increased from 69 to 80 percent, but infection rates in England and Wales have flat-lined between 2,300 and 2,500 every year. A November report showed that more UK gay and bi men were diagnosed with HIV in 2011 than in any previous year on record.

The main problem the researchers report is that “a large proportion of new infections come from men who are recently infected themselves, so testing and treatment, while vital, are not the only answer.” If men are transmitting the virus before they even realize they have it, then education about responsible behavioral choices will be necessary to curb the rate beyond where it has flat-lined. Indeed, researchers cite two key challenges: men are having more unsafe sex because they don’t view HIV infection as deadly and internet dating sites make finding sexual partners increasingly easier.

Yusef Azad, director of policy at the National AIDS Trust, called for a “new approach to prevention for gay and bisexual men, which, in addition to continuing condom promotion,” will help address specific issues like drug use, mental health issues, and the gay scene.

Hawai’i's state Senate has only one Republican, and Sen. Sam Slom has conceded that proposed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage will likely pass:

SLOM: Same sex marriage probably will pass this year. You’ve got a preponderance of Democrats who support it in both Houses, you’ve got the Congressional delegation, you’ve got our Governor!

Despite his concession to inevitability, Slom will still oppose the bill:

SLOM: To me, I don’t care if gay people want to get married but to force other people to do things or to subsidize certain activities– that I oppose.

In other words, he believes that it’s perfectly fair to provide security and support for opposite-sex families but not for same-sex families. Fortunately, his position does not have the support to get anywhere.

Hearing dates have still not been set for the proposed bills.

Last March, the City Council of Omaha, Nebraska passed an ordinance to protect LGBT individuals from discrimination in employment and public accommodations. A coalition of conservatives led by the Omaha Liberty Project then led an effort to repeal the protections through a referendum. It now seems that despite being “darn close,” they have failed to collect enough signatures to force the vote, so the protections will stand. Nondiscrimination protections have been controversial across Nebraska, with Lincoln and Grand Island both defeating similar policies. Attorney General Jon Bruning (R) believes they’re unconstitutional and Gov. Dave Heineman (R) believes people should vote on whether discrimination is allowed.

The Wyoming Senate defeated Senate Bill 131 on Thursday with a 13-15 vote, which would have created statewide nondiscrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Wyoming remains one of 29 states where it’s perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay and one of 34 states where it’s perfectly legal to fire someone for being trans. This defeat, combined with the House’s two votes defeating same-sex marriage and domestic partnerships, suggests there will be no advances for LGBT equality in “The Equality State” this year.

The New Mexico House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee voted 3-2 on Thursday to advance a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow same-sex couples to marry. If it successfully passes both the House and Senate, it would be placed on the 2014 general election ballot.

The situation for legal recognition of same-sex couples in New Mexico is nebulous. The state does not have any law that explicitly bans same-sex marriage, nor any that allows it. In 2004, former Attorney General Patricia Madrid issued an advisory suggesting state law should be interpreted to limit marriage to a man and a woman, but in 2011, Attorney General Gary King issued an opposing position arguing that New Mexico should recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. An attempt to advance an amendment banning same-sex marriage failed last year.

As in New Jersey, a referendum is not the ideal solution for New Mexico, particularly when there are other legal avenues available to legalize same-sex marriage. Ballot initiatives on LGBT issues are incredibly costly to the movement and have a measurable negative impact on the mental health of the entire LGBT community.

It was bad enough that San Francisco 49ers player Chris Culliver said earlier this week that he wouldn’t tolerate a gay teammate and then offered a non-apology apology for saying so. Now, two other 49ers have claimed that they didn’t appear in an “It Gets Better” video they clearly were in. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks and defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga denied to USA Today that they made the video, then when showed the video, claimed they didn’t realize it was to fight the bullying of LGBT youth (even though teammate Donte Whitner specifically identifies “LGBT teens”):

BROOKS: I didn’t make any video. This is America and if someone wants to be gay, they can be gay. It’s their right. But I didn’t make any video… I don’t remember that. I think if I made a video, I’d remember it. [After being shown the video...] Oh, that. It was an anti-bullying video, not a gay (rights) video.

Indeed, the San Francisco 49ers are the only NFL team to have produced a video for the “It Gets Better” project, but Dan Savage has said they’ve removed the video from the project’s website because of these players’ comments. OutSports recut the video without Brooks and Sopoaga, such that it now only features defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois and safety Donte Whitner. Watch it: