- The Pentagon has announced that the ban on transgender citizens serving in the military will be lifted. What’s more, transgender recruits will receive full coverage of medical expenses, including hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery if a doctor determines the procedures to be medically necessary. [CNN]
- Two planned buildings in New York’s affordable housing program will be making specific efforts to be more LGBT-friendly. The buildings are aimed to provide housing for low-income, elderly New Yorkers. Programming will include Pride Month celebrations and events that highlight LGBT artists and writers. The initiative is designed to make people in the community feel safer when applying for senior services. [Curbed]
- Candy Coleman, the director of Gagosian Gallery’s Los Angeles location has resigned and will be joining Sotheby’s. Her role will be to increase the auction giants west coast operations. [ArtNews]
- After 176 years in business, the world’s oldest photography studio is shutting down. Bourne & Shepherd, in Koltaka, India, opened sometime around 1840. Reports say that business has slowly been in decline after a fire destroyed significant portions of their archives, 25 years ago. [artnet News]
- Australia has been experiencing severe funding cuts to their national arts program. In addition to 50% small to medium arts organizations being left without funding, 1,300 arts workers are expected to lose their jobs. The Guardian has an insider account of the activist campaign to raise awareness and make this an election issue. [The Guardian]
- Tesla has announced that a man died while using the company’s autopilot feature. He is the first known casualty and unfortunately it may be the electric automaker’s fault. Maybe slow down hopes for those driverless cars coming sooner rather than later. [Forbes]
- Roberta likes MoMA’s new Bruce Conner retrospective. This thing sounds massive, it features 250 works including Conner’s drawings and assemblages. We’re looking forward to this one. [New York Times]
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