This systematic review critically examines the literature to discuss the effects of sex work policies on various outcomes: safety, health, externalities, and the labour market. The review followed the PRISMA guidelines and used ASReview, an open-source machine learning framework. In February 2024, a search of bibliographic databases for peer-reviewed research published between 1989 and 2024 yielded 6,399 eligible references. After applying the selection criteria, 124 peer-reviewed studies across multiple countries were included in the review. Full or partial criminalisation of sex work is associated with increased risks to sex worker safety and health, and many of these risks tend to be replicated under the Nordic model. While decriminalisation and regulated legalisation may improve some aspects of sex worker safety and health, they still seem relatively ineffective at combating stigma. Additionally, they do not seem to guarantee fair working conditions or full labour rights per se. A large proportion of sex workers continues to operate outside of the formal sector. Overall, the academic literature on sex work policy severely lacks large-scale, representative studies that causally address policy questions. This scarcity reflects the difficulties in collecting reliable and large-scale data, limiting the ability to apply causal methodological frameworks to questions about the effects of particular policies. Studies on the impact on human trafficking levels, which are correlational and suffer from measurement issues, may most dramatically illustrate this. Although some trends may emerge from the review, its most important conclusion is that it exposes the weaknesses in the current state of scholarship. In particular, the combination of a lack of reliable and representative data prevents us from coming to robust conclusions about the effects of policies on various outcomes. Although most studies support that criminalisation increases risks and suffering for sex workers, decriminalisation and regulated legalisation do not automatically reverse that situation. Laws only affect quality of life to the extent that they are carefully executed and enforced. Also, stigma is not easily overturned by mere policies but requires a broader attitude change in society. Finally, investing in high-quality data collection and causal study designs would enable more evidence-based policies.
Transgender health care in primary care settings remains marked by persistent inequities, despite the existence of policies and guidelines aimed at promoting equity. Gaps in medical training and limited incorporation of these guidelines into routine practice may compromise the quality of care provided. This is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study supported by descriptive quantitative data, conducted with physicians working in primary care in a municipality in southeastern Brazil. A total of 25 physicians (69.4
Artificial intelligence (AI) systems increasingly mediate online speech, shaping visibility, participation, and recognition in digital public spaces. For LGBTQI+ communities, AI-based content moderation operates within contexts marked by persistent homophobia and transphobia, raising concerns about bias, exclusion, and uneven protection from harm. This article examines the emerging scientific literature on AI-based moderation of LGBTQI+phobic discourse through the lens of sociotechnical governance. The study employs a bibliometric and sociotechnical mapping approach guided by the PRISMA 2021 framework. A systematic search of the Scopus database identified 23 peer-reviewed publications published between 2020 and 2025. Bibliometric indicators, co-authorship and keyword network analyses were combined with a critical sociotechnical perspective to examine the intellectual structure, epistemic authority, methodological trends, and themes characterising sociotechnical governance in this emerging research field. Findings indicate a highly concentrated research field dominated by a small number of countries, institutions, and computational disciplines, reinforcing geopolitical and linguistic asymmetries in scientific production. The literature indicates an increasing research focus on large language models, explainable AI, and counter-narrative generation, reflecting a shift in scholarly attention from hate speech detection to broader approaches to AI-enabled content governance. However, links between AI moderation, mental health, stigma, and well-being remain weakly integrated, and participatory approaches are scarce. The bibliometric evidence indicates that the emerging scientific literature increasingly conceptualises AI-based moderation as a form of digital governance with potential implications for LGBTQI+ communities. The mapped literature also highlights persistent concerns regarding accountability, inclusiveness, and interdisciplinary integration, suggesting important directions for future research and policy development. The mapped literature suggests that future policies should promote transparent, auditable, and participatory AI governance, support multilingual and culturally inclusive datasets, and integrate content moderation into broader digital public health and anti-discrimination strategies.
This empirical research article analyzes narratives of incarcerated trans women students at the Santa Izabel VI Custody and Reintegration Unit in Pará, Brazil, regarding their school trajectories before and during incarceration. We examine how Physical Education (PE) classes are implicated in experiences of exclusion, violence, and resistance within cisheteronormative schooling and prison education. This qualitative study employed (auto)biographical narratives and thematic oral history, combined with the Critical Incident Technique and thematic analysis. Ten trans women enrolled in Youth and Adult Education participated in semi-structured interviews conducted in a women’s prison unit in 2023, following institutional ethical approval. Interviews explored critical school experiences, with particular attention to PE in regular schools and in the prison context. Two main themes emerged: (1) “Resisting bodies: exclusion, violence, and silencing in the school trajectory” – which documented transphobia, gender binarism, and institutional neglect in PE prior to incarceration, including explicit exclusion from activities and verbal abuse; and (2) “Physical education in incarceration: structural limits and horizons of recognition” – showing how PE is often reduced to distributing worksheets, with no practical activities, while some teachers’ gestures of respect open limited spaces for recognition and dignity. Cisheteronormative approaches to PE, both in regular schools and in prison education, marginalize trans students and reinforce educational and social inequalities. Prison education remains structurally under-resourced, denying incarcerated trans women meaningful opportunities for embodied learning, health promotion, and social reintegration. The findings highlight the need for education and prison policies that: (a) guarantee the right to inclusive PE in prison settings; (b) mandate teacher education on gender identity and trans rights; (c) incorporate explicit protections for trans students in anti-discrimination and prison education policies; and (d) frame PE as a key space for promoting dignity, bodily autonomy, and social justice for incarcerated trans populations.
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and viral suppression to an undetectable level (“Undetectable=Untransmittable” or “U = U”) are highly effective at preventing sexual HIV transmission between serodifferent partners (partners with different HIV statuses). These advances may reshape patterns of serodifferent partnering. We assessed openness to sexual and romantic serodifferent partnering among gay, bisexual and queer men and non-binary people (GBQ+ people). Data were from a national, online cross-sectional survey of GBQ+ people in Australia. Logistic regression examined characteristics associated with openness to serodifferent sexual partners among HIV-negative or untested/unknown status participants who were sexually active (Analysis 1); and openness to serodifferent romantic partners among the same group, excluding those already in a relationship (Analysis 2). Among 1,759 sexually active participants, 51
