1. Grindr will offer H.I.V. test reminders, the New York Times has reported. The app will display messages urging its 3.3 million users to get tested for H.I.V. Grindr will also allow testing sites and clinics to advertise for free. The new policy was greeted positively by H.I.V. experts, who said it would help destigmatize testing. More than 107,000 gay and bisexual men reportedly have H.I.V., but may not know it, due to the typical three-year gap between infection and discovery.
2. LGBTQ Nation reported that GetEQUAL is shutting down, and PFLAG may soon follow. GetEQUAL Executive Director Gabriel Garcia-Vera said the group would close its doors, following a scandal concerning the termination of former staffer Aaryn Lang. Lang charged the organization with racism and transphobia. PFLAG, which recently terminated executives Jaime Grant and Brian Carney, has operated with an almost million-dollar-deficit. Modern LGBTQ organizations are primarily funded by corporations or foundations.
3. On Tuesday, the Maryland State Senate gave the go-ahead to a proposed bill that would outlaw the so-called “gay conversion therapy” for minors. According to the Washington Post, if the bill becomes law, Maryland would be the tenth state to ban the discredited practice. (D.C. has also forbade the treatment.)
4. BuzzFeed is reporting that gay celebrities Matt Bomer and YouTuber Tyler Oakley have bought out showings of the gay YA story “Love, Simon” in their respective hometowns of Spring, Texas, and Lansing, Michigan. Other celebrities, such as YouTubers Daniel Preda and Joey Graceffa, have also endorsed the film.
5. VIDEO OF THE DAY: India’s gay prince has opened his palace to the LGBTQ community: