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Equality Case Timeline
Equality on Trial's Case Timeline is the go-to place to find thorough, up-to-date information on the myriad of marriage equality lawsuits taking place across the US.
41 Comments
1.
VIRick | May 22, 2019 at 3:29 pm
A Same-Sex Marriage in Córdoba Province, Argentina
Un Matrimonio Igualitario en la Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina
El director de Protocolo y Ceremonial de la Municipalidad de Villa Carlos Paz, Mauricio Miranda, celebró este sábado pasado, el 18 de mayo 2019, su casamiento con su pareja de hace 10 años, Marcos Etcheverry Celdran, y el lugar elegido para la ceremonia fue el propio Palacio Municipal 16 de Julio (en Villa Carlos Paz). La emotiva ceremonia fue conducida por el intendente de la ciudad (de Villa Carlos Paz), Esteban Avilés, por pedido de los mismos novios.
https://www.diarionorte.com/179238-matrimonio-igu….
Last Saturday, 18 May 2019, the Protocol and Ceremonial Director of the Municipality of Villa Carlos Paz, Mauricio Miranda, celebrated his marriage to his partner of 10 years, Marcos Etcheverry Celdran, and the place chosen for the ceremony was the very Municipal Palace 16 de Julio (in Villa Carlos Paz). The emotional ceremony was conducted by the mayor of the city (of Villa Carlos Paz), Esteban Avilés, at the request of the same couple.
Villa Carlos Paz is a city of 75,000 lying 36 km (22 mi) to the west of populous Ciudad Córdoba, the provincial capital.
2.
VIRick | May 22, 2019 at 6:27 pm
Perú: At Nacional Level, RENIEC Has 172 Demands to Change Gender/Name on DNI
Per Wayka Perú:
Perú: A Nivel Nacional, RENIEC Tiene 172 Demandas para Cambiar de Género y Nombre en DNI
https://twitter.com/WaykaPeru/status/113132415388…
Obviously, the self-identifying name-change procedure, as per the Constitutional Court ruling of 8 November 2016, has yet to be implemented,– or if implemented, is not being done with any great sense of urgency. It is difficult to say what RENIEC is waiting for.
Here is what I had recorded on 13 November 2016 in this regard:
Perú: Constitutional Court Recognizes the Right to Gender Identity
Perú: Tribunal Constitucional Reconoce Derecho a la Identidad de Género
Per Matrimonio Igualitario Perú:
Today, 8 November 2016, the Constitutional Court of Perú has changed its position with regard to transsexualism, and acknowledged in a new judgment just published that people are not only defined by their biological sex, but that one must also take into consideration their psychic and social reality. So, the Court now recognizes the right of transgender persons to their gender identity. With this decision, trans people may apply for the modification of their data on their identity documents before the judges in charge who must now follow the new criteria of this judgment.
Note: DNI = Documento Nacional de Identidad, the sole identity card issued to Peruvian citizens by the Registro Nacional de Identificación y Estado Civil (RENIEC).
3.
VIRick | May 22, 2019 at 8:59 pm
Yuma AZ: Marriage Equality Coming to Mexican Consulate
Yuma AZ: Consulado de México Prepara Bodas Gay
Per Sonora Pride:
El Consulado de México en Yuma se encuentra a la espera de la plataforma electrónica y el cambio en la exhortación a la pareja para poder realizar los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo, de acuerdo al anuncio realizado el pasado jueves por la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores.
El matrimonio es un acto jurídico con valor universal, dijo el cónsul adscrito, Alejandro Mendoza Pérez, por lo que las bodas entre personas del mismo sexo que se realicen en el consulado de Yuma serán válidas en todos los Estados, a pesar de que no tengan una legislación en favor del matrimonio igualitario (como Sonora y Tamaulipas). El trámite tiene un costo de 43 dólares y cada copia certificada 13 dólares.
https://www.diarionoticias.info/consulado-de-mexi…
The Consulate of Mexico in Yuma is awaiting the electronic platform and the change in the exhortation to the intended couple so as to be able to perform marriages for same-sex couples, in keeping with the announcement made last Thursday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Marriage is a legal act with universal value, said the second consul, Alejandro Mendoza Pérez, so same-sex weddings held at the Yuma consulate will be valid in all the states, even those that do not have legislation in favor of equal marriage (like Sonora and Tamaulipas). The procedure costs 43 dollars and each certified copy costs 13 dollars.
In addition to those already cited in Guatemala, there are a whole string of Mexican Consulates located along the US border. Those in Arizona within walking distance from Sonora and those in Texas within sight of Tamaulipas should see a brisk business. In Arizona, there are consulates in:
Douglas (on border opposite Agua Prieta)*
Nogales (on border opposite Nogales)*
Phoenix
Tucson
Yuma (near border)
In Texas, they are located in:
Austin
Brownsville (on border opposite Matamoros)*
Dallas
Del Rio (on border)
Eagle Pass (on border)
El Paso (on border)
Houston
Laredo (on border opposite Nuevo Laredo)*
McAllen (near border opposite Reynosa)*
Presidio (on border)
San Antonio
In California, ones on the border can be found at:
Calexico (on border opposite Mexicali)*
San Diego (opposite Tijuana)
*Prime consular marriage spots opposite populous areas without marriage equality
https://directorio.sre.gob.mx/index.php/consulado…
4.
ianbirmingham | May 22, 2019 at 11:49 pm
For China's LGBTQ people, Taiwan's rainbow victory is a moment of joy and pain
When Chinese gay rights activist Peng Yanhui heard that Taiwan had approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on May 17 as he boarded a flight, he burst into tears of joy. "I was crying so hard on the plane that flight attendants wanted to find out what had happened," said the director of the China Rainbow Media Awards, an LGBTQ rights advocacy group.
In one way, the moment could be a turning point for the whole of Asia, where countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have recently become more conservative towards LGBTQ rights. Taiwan is the first place in the region which is home to about 60% of the world's population to legalize same-sex marriage.
Homosexuality is not illegal in China and, in 2001, the authorities removed it from the official list of mental disorders. But LGBTQ people in China still face persistent discrimination and prejudices from both the government and public — let alone enjoying rights, such as the ability to jointly adopt children, inherit property and marry their partners. In 2016, Chinese censors even banned the portrayal of "abnormal sexual behavior" in TV and online shows, including gay and lesbian relationships. Not only that, but the space for LGBTQ activism has shrunk in recent years.
China's young people have been increasingly supporting of same-sex relationships, [Human Rights Watch China researcher Maya] Wang added, with some draping themselves in the rainbow flag at their graduations or supporting inclusion on university campuses. She warned, however, that harassment and restrictions on their activities had increased in recent years. LGBT-themed books have been restricted in the country's libraries. Last November, an author of same-sex erotic fiction was sent to jail for ten years.
In the unlikely scenario that the Chinese government did embrace homosexuality, it wouldn't be unprecedented, according to Steve Tsang, director of the China Institute at the University of London. "If you go back in history, there were times when same-sex relationships were widely practiced and accepted in China," he said. "After the collapse of the Han Dynasty, and before reunification under the Shu Dynasty, you have several hundred years when it was widely accepted."
For LGBTQ rights activist Peng, a better future is still on the horizon for his cause in China. "I'm seeing more and more gay Chinese come out of the closet and live the lives they want," he said. "You can't erase all these living, breathing human beings no matter how much Chinese civil society is being squeezed. We just need more time."
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/22/asia/taiwan-china-…
Please click through to the article, which contains MANY great photographs!!
5.
ianbirmingham | May 23, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Survey IDs Russians' viewpoint re: a new gay or lesbian neighbor
[Only 2% would be interested in & willing to communicate with a gay or lesbian neighbor; 32% would be annoyed & unfriendly, 27% would fear & distrust, and 9% would just be embarrassed.]
https://www.rferl.org/a/love-thy-neighbor-/299567…
6.
VIRick | May 23, 2019 at 3:50 pm
Sonora: Positive Vote in Favor of Marriage Equality Likely
Respetaría PAN matrimonios igualitarios. El matrimonio igualitario es un derecho universal y el Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) respetará lo que se decida en el Congreso de Sonora sobre este tema, declaró Ernesto Munro Palacio, el dirigente estatal del PAN.
Al ser cuestionado sobre la iniciativa que presentará la diputada estatal Yumiko Palomares (Morena) en el Congreso del Estado (de Sonora) para permitir el matrimonio igualitario, dijo que hablará sobre el asunto con los legisladores de PAN para ver sus posturas, pero serán respetadas. Munro Palacio compartió que tiene conocimiento de que el coordinador del grupo parlamentario del PAN, Gildardo Real Ramírez, se encuentra a favor de los matrimonios entre personas del mismo sexo.
https://www.elsoldehermosillo.com.mx/local/respet…
PAN would respect marriage equality. Equal marriage is a universal right and the National Action Party (PAN) will respect what is decided in the Sonora Congress on this subject, said Ernesto Munro Palacio, the state director of PAN.
When asked about the initiative to be presented by state deputy Yumiko Palomares (Morena) in the State Congress (of Sonora) to allow equal marriage, he said he will discuss the matter with the PAN legislators to see their positions, but it will be respected. Munro Palacio shared that he is aware that the co-ordinator of the PAN parliamentary group, Gildardo Real Ramírez, is in favor of marriages between same-sex couples.
This last point, if true, is a stunning reveal, as no PAN legislator, in any state, has yet voted in favor of marriage equality. Still, a quick analysis of the 33-member congress by party affiliation shows why PAN (with only 3 seats, and possibly with only 2 against) is so sanguine about this issue. About 23 of the 33 are already likely to be in favor of the Morena proposal:
10 Morena
05 PT
06 PES
01 MC
01 PAN
Likely against/uncertain/unknown:
02 PAN
05 PRI
01 Verde
02 Nueva Alianza
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mexican_sta…
The only potential fly in the ointment is the hyper-anti-LGBT PRI governor, Claudia Pavlovich Arellano.
7.
VIRick | May 23, 2019 at 6:58 pm
Mexico: Three Marriage Equality Status Reports
Per Daniel García:
The first is a series of 6 newly-drawn maps of Mexico, color-coded state-by-state, showing, explaining, and separating the 5 different means (so far) by which we have reached marriage equality in each, with the 6th map being a summary compilation:
https://twitter.com/JoseLCaballero/status/1131698…
I only found one fault with this 5-category map: They skipped Baja California, missing the fact that there should be 3 states (so far) that obtained marriage equality (not just two) by administrative means: Chihuahua by executive order of the governor, Baja California by governmental decree, and Oaxaca by order of the State Director of the Civil Registry. As a result, the summary number of jurisdictions they have listed for each of the 5 categories, 15, 9, 5, 2, 2, should be: 14, 9, 5, 3, 2. This series of maps does not delve down to the municipal level.
Per Skinaz Ramos for Rainbow Zone:
For those who can understand spoken Spanish, the second is an up-to-date, detailed video status report on the subject of both marriage equality and same-sex adoption in Mexico. Even if one does not understand, the state names and dates pertaining to both subjects are periodically flashed on-screen, taking each matter step-by step:
https://youtu.be/YR3GeTH0XHs
This report delves down to the municipal level, noting Guerrero with 4 municipalities:
Chilpancingo
Zihuatanejo
Tecpán
Taxco
Zacatecas with 3 municipalities:
Ciudad Zacatecas
Cuauhtémoc
Villanueva
Querétaro with 8 municipalities, and Oaxaca with just 2 (with this latter not being up-to-date, as there have been at least 4 which have had an actual same-sex marriage without requiring an amparo. However, there are now statewide orders from the State Director of the Civil Registry to simply follow Supreme Court jurisprudence.)
This second report further delves into the 6th potential means, one which will soon trip up Tamaulipas and Sinaloa (and possibly more), while also discussing the inadequacy of the same-sex civil unions supposedly extant in Tlaxcala.
As for the third report, one notes that the English language Wikipedia entry, "Same-Sex Marriage in Mexico," has just seen a thorough up-date, with materials there even being re-arranged into a different format in an effort to keep pace with events. Still, they need to further up-date the situation in Oaxaca.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_i…
8.
Randolph_Finder | May 27, 2019 at 6:43 am
Unfortunately, I can't access twitter from this machine.
Right now the page on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_i… says 16+DF and includes Oaxaca in the 16. A fairly experienced editor has taken a significant look/editing over the last two days.
performed without restriction in the Mexico City and in the states of Aguascalientes, Baja California, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Jalisco, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo and San Luis Potosí, as well as in certain municipalities in Guerrero, Querétaro and Zacatecas.
9.
VIRick | May 27, 2019 at 11:45 pm
Randolph, perfect. The up-dating for Oaxaca was done shortly after I posted the comment about it up above. At the time, the massive up-dating was under way, with the re-arranged format already being displayed. Still, I could not pre-judge just how thorough the editing was going to be.
So, that will soon bring us up to 18 jurisdictions (17 states, plus CDMX), as the other two status reports (in addition to what you listed) have already prematurely included Hidalgo in their counts, while Wikipedia has correctly marked that state as pending, waiting until after their legislation has been published in the official state gazette, as the change to the Hidalgo marriage law will go into effect on the next date thereafter.
10.
VIRick | May 23, 2019 at 9:38 pm
Taiwan: Same-Sex Marriages Have Already Begun
Today, 24 May 2019, Taiwan celebrates the first same-sex marriages in Asia. Early Friday morning, on the steps of the Xinyi District office in Taipei, beaming in the bright sunshine, Amber Wang took the hand of her new wife, Kristin Huang, making history as one of the first same-sex couples to marry in Asia. As of 10 AM, 166 same-sex couples had already registered their marriages across Taiwan, according to the island's Interior Ministry.
It is the day for which LGBT rights activist Chi Chia-Wei has been waiting for more than four decades. One of the first people in Taiwan to publicly come out as gay, Chi has been campaigning for marriage equality since the 1980s, and was one of the plaintiffs who brought the case in the Constitutional Court which led to its legalization. "I have been preparing for this day to come, although it took a long while to happen … But I knew it would eventually come," he said.
Yuan Shan-Ming and Shane Lin also become one of the first same-sex couples in Asia to get married, one witnessed by LGBTQ activist Chi Chia-wei. He signed these first Xinyi same-sex couples' marriage registrations as a witness, with the same pen Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen used to sign the marriage equality bill just one week ago. Tsai had gifted it to Chi with a handwritten note, "May love unite everyone on this land," the president wrote.
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/23/asia/taiwan-sa…
11.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 3:21 pm
Taiwan: One of the Restrictions on Marriage Equality
Per Camilo Bello:
De acuerdo a la ley que permite el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo en Taiwan, extranjeros de 26 países pueden casarse con un nacional Taiwanés. Y sí, Colombia está en esa lista, ¡otro motivo para sentirse orgulloso!
https://twitter.com/camilobellom
According to the law allowing same-sex marriage in Taiwan, foreigners from 26 countries can marry a Taiwanese national. And yes, Colombia is on that list, another reason to feel proud!
Note: Camilo Bello is from Colombia, lives in Taiwan, and has a Taiwanese partner.
Basically put, the 26 nations in question are the other 26 which have already legalized same-sex marriage. Citizens of all other nations which have not yet legalized it, can not marry a Taiwanese citizen in Taiwan.
Per William Yang:
Taiwan’s celebration for same-sex marriage continues today, 25 May 2019, when 179 same-sex couples will take part in a huge outdoor banquet in front of the Presidential palace tonight.
At the same time, over 100 trans-national couples from countries without same-sex marriage called on the public to support their cause.
https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120
12.
ianbirmingham | May 25, 2019 at 4:13 pm
What if the Taiwanese partner and the citizen of a nation which has not yet legalized same-sex marriage decide to get married in a third country in which same-sex marriage is legal?
Will Taiwan recognize that marriage?
13.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 5:36 pm
Ian, in addition, there are several more unanswered questions, besides the one you asked, for which I am uncertain as to the answer. Besides trans-national couples, what about a Taiwanese couple who already married in Guam, the Northern Marianas, or Australia prior to marriage equality in Taiwan? Will Taiwan recognize any of those marriages?
Furthermore, the following comment, with photo, by Isabella Steger, is also quite enlightening, showing that Taiwan considers China a foreign country:
Kris (r) and Alex (l) can’t get married today because one of them is from China (and China doesn’t allow same-sex marriage). They’re here to support others coming to register today anyway.
https://twitter.com/stegersaurus
One additional point, though, is already fairly clear; namely, that foreign same-sex couples from other countries can not marry in Taiwan. So, do not expect a rush of couples from other parts of Asia descending upon Taiwan for that purpose.
On 24 May, the first day of marriages, the centralized outdoor wedding venue in Taipei was organized and set up by officials from the Taipei City government, as well as by the Canadian Office in Taiwan.
https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120
And here's an observation from William Yang which I do not understand:
In one case, cords-Strait couples are only allowed to see each other 15 days each time they try to meet, depriving them of the right to build a life together.
14.
ianbirmingham | May 25, 2019 at 7:51 pm
VIRick, I think that Yang observation is misspelled; "cords-Strait" should be "cross-Strait", meaning that their relationship goes across the Taiwan Strait, and therefore it exists between a Taiwanese person and a person in mainland China.
The 15 days probably refers to a visa restriction on the length of a visit.
15.
VIRick | May 23, 2019 at 10:03 pm
Alabama Lawmakers Pass Bill to End Marriage Licenses
Per LGBT Marriage News:
On 23 May 2019, the Alabama House of Representatives gave final passage to a bill by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, that would end the issuance of marriage licenses by probate judges, and instead, would have them record documents that would serve as the official records of marriage. The House passed the bill by a vote of 67-26. It had already passed the Senate. It now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey, who could sign it into law.
The legislation came in response to the legalization of same-sex marriage by the US Supreme Court in 2015. Four years ago, in Alabama, some probate judges stopped issuing marriage licenses because they did not want to sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples.
Under the bill that passed today, couples wanting to get married would submit a form to the probate judge that includes an affidavit saying they meet the legal requirements of marriage, and the probate judge would then record that as the official marriage document. Probate judges would be required to accept and record the official marriage documents. “It allows everybody in the state to go to their local courthouse, or wherever, to accomplish this without traveling somewhere else, which is the intent of the law,” Albritton said.
The bill would also end the requirement that a marriage be “solemnized” by a minister or another person qualified to do so. Albritton said he thought it was appropriate to separate that religious component of marriage from the state law.
https://www.al.com/news/2019/05/alabama-lawmakers…
16.
Randolph_Finder | May 27, 2019 at 6:45 am
I'm still trying to understand if this law is pro-LGBT, anti-LGBT or just trying to make the world go away in a typically alabaman way.
17.
JayJonson | May 27, 2019 at 9:16 am
It was certainly intended to be anti-gay, but its effect may actually be neutral or even lgbt-positive.
18.
Randolph_Finder | May 27, 2019 at 9:44 am
It certainly would help in those countries that don't have a specifically anti-gay situation. (for example, if Cuba did that then as soon as the new constitution went into effect, it might de facto allow SSM)
19.
VIRick | May 27, 2019 at 12:15 pm
"I'm still trying to understand if this law is pro-LGBT, anti-LGBT, or just trying to make the world go away in a typically Alabaman way."
Randolph, there are elements in this bill which seem to indicate all-of-the-above. On the plus side we have:
1. The separation of the religious component of marriage from state law, a basic fact which does not currently exist under Alabama marriage law.
2. Language which specifically REQUIRES the elected, country-bumpkin probate "judges" to accept and record the submitted affidavit as the official marriage document,– from everyone.
On the negative side, it can be seen as appeasing the haters who have held out now for 4 years, refusing to issue marriage licenses to anyone and everyone. This legislation has largely been sold to legislators and the voters as an appeasing compromise or work-around to said haters, in part by doing away with something called a "license."
However, Albritton himself has been adamant that the Alabama marriage law needs to be changed and up-dated. This is at least the third time around that he has pushed for this legislation in the legislature. It failed in the House in previous sessions. But, instead of giving up, he brought the same legislation back yet again this session, and continued pushing it, this time with more success, taking advantage of the growing push-back from hetero couples and their families about having to travel to another county in order to obtain a marriage license, with some of that push-back coming from within his own and neighboring constituencies.
But, yes, this IS Alabama. Continue, as this is where Sen. Albritton calls home:
Note: Range is an unincorporated community in Conecuh County, Alabama, located along Alabama State Route 41, 6.7 miles south of Repton. Range, besides being home to Sen Albritton, has a post office with ZIP code 36473, its only other claim to fame. Repton, an incorporated town, same county, has a population of 282. Hyper-rural Conecuh County, partly on the southern edge of the "black belt," and partly in the sparsely-populated piney woods, with a shrinking population of 12,000 (one which has been steadily declining since the 1940s), is in south-central Alabama, abutting Covington County, which currently does not issue marriage licenses to anyone.
As of June 2018, the most recent up-date, Autauga, Clarke, Cleburne, Covington, Elmore, Geneva, Pike, and Washington counties still continued to refuse to issue marriage licenses to anyone. Based on the 2012-2014 average, about 2,600 couples, per year, are adversely affected by this refusal.
https://ballotpedia.org/Local_government_response…
20.
ianbirmingham | May 23, 2019 at 10:06 pm
Brazil's highest court votes to protect LGBT people
Brazil's highest court took a decisive step Thursday toward protecting LGBT people from discrimination, amid a spike in reported attacks since the right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro began his campaign last year. A majority of the 11-member Supreme Federal Court voted to find it unconstitutional to exclude sexual orientation and gender from Brazil's anti-discrimination law.
After the sixth member voted in favor of the ruling, securing the majority, the court suspended the hearing until June 5. The remaining members are expected to vote then, and the ruling would be issued. It would establish a way for people who experienced discrimination or physical attacks based on their sexual identity or gender orientation to sue.
Bolsonaro, a social conservative, has said that if one of his sons were gay, he'd rather he be dead. Last month, he discouraged gay tourists from visiting the country, and told journalists that Brazil cannot become known as a "gay paradise."
Brazil led the world in transgender homicides with 171 in 2017, the last year for which statistics are available, according to the organization TransEurope. Someone is killed in a homophobic attack here every sixteen hours.
As Bolsonaro campaigned last year, reports of crimes against LGBT people tripled. After he took office in January, Brazil's only openly gay congressman gave up his seat and fled the country amid death threats.
"It is a decisive win for the LGBT community." said Flavio Grossi, a criminal defense lawyer who represents LGBT clients. "LGBT people are scared. I have seen an increase in clients reporting instances of physical aggression, hate crimes and racism."
Brazil's LGBT community has secured major victories through the supreme court, including the right to marry in 2013 and to legally change names and genders in 2018. But the country's anti-discrimination law explicitly covers only discrimination committed on the basis of race.
Brazil's Senate is debating legislation that would punish hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender with up to five years in prison, but could leave room for religious exceptions.
https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Brazil-s-h…
21.
guitaristbl | May 24, 2019 at 9:00 am
Kenya's Supreme Court has unfortunately upheld laws criminalizing same sex relationships.
22.
VIRick | May 24, 2019 at 8:12 pm
Kenya: High Court Upholds Law Criminalizing Gay Sex
Today, 24 May 2019, three judges on the High Court in Kenya have ruled not to decriminalize gay sex, in a disappointing decision for LGBT activists hoping to repeal sections of the country’s penal code. Justice Aburili opened the reading and Justice Chacha Mwita then read his judgment, followed by that of Justice John Mativo.
It has been three years and one month since queer activist Eric Gitari first filed a discrimination lawsuit challenging the constitutional validity of two sections of Kenya’s colonial-era penal code. The ruling means that Sections 162 (a) and (c), 163, and 165 of Kenya’s penal code remain in place and homosexual relations are still criminalized. These parts of the penal code, introduced by the British Empire in 1930, criminalize sodomy, and make sexual acts “against the order of nature,” interpreted as including same-sex sexual relations, currently punishable by 14 years’ imprisonment.
LGBT activists in Kenya had been “cautiously optimistic” ahead of Friday’s ruling, Mercy Njueh of the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) in Kenya told PinkNews. Their hopes are now shattered. It had been anticipated that today’s decision would open the floodgates for the repeal of similar legislation in other countries in Africa, where homosexuality is still illegal in 32 out of the continent’s 54 nations. In particular, it was hoped that a positive ruling would have a strong impact on countries in the eastern African region, including Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and South Sudan. That is no longer the case.
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/24/kenya-high-…
23.
VIRick | May 24, 2019 at 5:19 pm
Zacatecas: Approval of Marriage Equality Soon to Be Discussed in State Congress
Zacatecas: Pronto se Discutirá Aprobación de Matrimonio Igualitario en Congreso Estatal
Se acordó como ultimátum que el dictamen esté listo el 15 de junio, para continuar con el análisis para que se apruebe o rechace esta iniciativa que ha sido exigida por bastante tiempo.
https://zacatecastrespuntocero.com/pronto-se-disc…
It has been agreed as an ultimatum that the draft bill be ready by 15 June, so as to continue with the analysis in order to approve or reject this initiative that has been required for quite some time.
Previously, the bill, introduced back in February 2019, by Héctor Menchaca Medrano (Morena) from Fresnillo, had been held up in committee by the chair, Carolina Dávila (PRI). However, now that it is being forced out of committee to be placed before the full 30-member congress, the measure is likely to pass, 16-14, as those in favor are:
09 Morena
03 PRD
02 PT
02 PES
Those against/uncertain/unknown are:
06 PRI
04 PAN
02 Verde
02 Nueva Alianza
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Mexican_sta…
24.
VIRick | May 24, 2019 at 7:54 pm
Singapore: Gay Nephew of Prime Minister Marries
Li Huanwu, the nephew of the current Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, has married his partner in Cape Town, South Africa. Huanwu, who is also the grandson of Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, and his partner, Heng Yirui, shared the news of their marriage earlier today, 24 May 2019. The pair were photographed alongside a lavish display in Cape Town, with an elephant in the background.
Gay sex is still illegal in Singapore, under its Penal Code Section 377A. Activists hope that the recent decriminalization of the similar Penal Code in India will spur Singapore on to follow suit.
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/24/li-huanwu-g…
25.
VIRick | May 24, 2019 at 9:28 pm
Canada: Aboriginal Rights Transcend National Borders
On 2 May 2019, the British Columbia Court of Appeal released its decision in "R v Desautel," 2019 BCCA 151. The Court of Appeal upheld the lower court's decisions to acquit Richard Desautel of charges under the Wildlife Act and confirmed his Aboriginal right to hunt in the Arrow Lakes Area, even though he is a resident and citizen of the United States.
This case raised novel questions about the territorial scope of the phrase "aboriginal peoples of Canada" in section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982. The Court decided that section 35 Aboriginal rights can extend to Aboriginal peoples who are not citizens or residents of Canada, even though the modern Aboriginal group no longer occupies the same geographical area where the historic pre-contact collective exercised those rights.
Given the lengthy border that Canada shares with the United States, this case has implications for the exercise of a variety of aboriginal rights along that border. We do not yet know if the Crown will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.
In October 2010, Mr. Desautel shot and killed a cow elk in the Arrow Lakes area of B.C. He was charged with hunting without a licence and hunting big game while not being a resident in B.C. under the Wildlife Act, RSBC, 1996, c. 488.
Mr. Desautel is a member of the Lakes Tribe of the Colville Confederated Tribes in Washington State. He is neither a citizen nor resident of Canada. Mr. Desautel asserted that he was exercising his Aboriginal right to hunt for ceremonial purposes in the traditional territory of his Sinixt ancestors. The Crown argued that Mr. Desautel could not rely on this defense because the Lakes Tribe was not an "aboriginal peoples of Canada." In the alternative, their rights did not survive the assertion of Canadian sovereignty.
The BC Provincial Court applied "R v Van der Peet," [1996] 2 S.C.R. 507, accepted Mr. Desautel's defense and acquitted him of the charges. The Court found that:
•the Lakes Tribe is a successor group to the Sinixt people that lived in B.C. at the time of contact;
•the Sinixt did not voluntarily move to their southern traditional territory or intend to abandon their claim in the North;
•despite an interval between 1930 and 2010 when the Lakes people appeared to cease hunting or traveling north of the 49th parallel, the chain of continuity had not been broken; and
•as a successor group to the Sinixt people living in B.C. at the time of contact, the Lakes Tribe is a modern day rights-bearing community capable of holding an Aboriginal right.
https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/aboriginal-righ…
This ruling has major implications for all indigenous people throughout the Americas, as modern political boundaries are not of their making, and in far too many cases, cut right through their traditional territory. For example, Maya people live in Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. From my knowledge of Sonora/Arizona, the Seri, Apache, Yaqui (Yoeme), Papago (Tohono O'odham), and Pima (Akimel Oʼodham) all have claims on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Portions of all those groups are split, some in Mexico, some in the USA, with the latter three all speaking a similar Uto-Aztecan language. The Yaqui have been fighting the US government (since most live in Mexico), while the related Tohono O'odham have been co-operating (since the majority, other than the large kinship group stranded around Magdalena, live in the USA). However, to date, neither method has worked.
The same complications have arisen along the Texas-Mexico border, but with the added feature of private landholdings, many dating from the era of Spanish land grants, and sometimes running right across the border.
26.
ianbirmingham | May 25, 2019 at 1:59 am
Lesbians are the happiest as they are well-paid and more likely to get a promotion while bisexuals are only as cheerful as the unemployed or long-term sick
Lesbians are cheerier than people of any other sexual orientation because they are more likely to be promoted to better paid jobs, according to a study.
Homosexual women narrowly edge out straight men to take the top spot in a 'happiness ranking' analysis conducted by scientists at Swansea Univeristy.
Happiness ranking by sexual orientation
Lesbians: 5.184/7
Straight men: 5.171/7
Straight women: 5.166/7
Gay men: 4.745/7
Bisexual men: 4.648/7
Bisexual women: 4.574/7
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7068965/…
27.
ianbirmingham | May 25, 2019 at 11:49 am
FAA launches probe into two airports for religious discrimination after they banned Chick-fil-A over the Christian restaurant chain's 'anti-LGBT views'
Officials are working to determine whether the San Antonio and Buffalo Niagara International airports acted in a discriminatory way towards the fast-food chain.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7070153/…
28.
ianbirmingham | May 25, 2019 at 1:21 pm
A gay Russian man who says he was abducted and tortured by police in Chechnya has filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) after Russian investigators refused to open a criminal case in the matter.
Maksim Lapunov says he was swept up in what rights groups call a brutal "purge" of gay men by authorities in Chechnya, whose Kremlin-backed leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, rules the mainly Muslim North Caucasus region unchallenged.
He says he was abducted in Chechnya's capital, Grozny, in March 2017 and subjected to beatings while being held captive in a local police facility for nearly two weeks.
Lapunov's lawyers said the complaint to the Strasbourg court alleged that Russia violated his right not to be tortured or subjected to "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," as well as his right to have his private life respected and not to face discrimination.
While other gay men gave anonymous accounts of the abuses they faced in the crackdown in interviews to RFE/RL and other media outlets, Lapunov became the first to publicly detail his story when he spoke at a Moscow news conference in October 2017.
"Everyone accused me of being gay and said that people like me should be killed. They put a plastic bag on my head when they took me out of the cell. They wrapped my head with Scotch tape, leaving only a slot to breathe through. They beat my legs and arms," Lapunov said at the time. He told reporters that when he was finally released from captivity at the end of March 2017, he could "barely crawl."
Rights activists say Lapunov, an ethnic Russian from Siberia who had moved to Grozny before his detention, was in a better position to tell his story than gay ethnic Chechens because of cultural taboos on homosexuality in Chechen culture.
Kadyrov, whom the Kremlin has largely allowed to rule the region as he sees fit, claimed after reports of the violent campaign that such a purge was impossible because "we don't have any gays" in Chechnya. "If there are any, take them to Canada. Praise be to God. Take them far from us so we don't have them at home. To purify our blood," he told HBO in July 2017.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this month that the authorities in Chechnya had resumed a campaign of abuse against gay and bisexual men. HRW said it interviewed four men who said police in the region "interrogated them under torture, demanding, demanding that they identify other gay men in their social circles."
https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-files-chechnya-ga…
29.
ianbirmingham | May 25, 2019 at 7:46 pm
Five Transgender Pride items in Elizabeth Warren's Presidential Campaign Store
This is in addition to Elizabeth Warren's "regular" Pride campaign swag ("regular" Pride items are also available from Bernie Sanders and a few other Democratic campaigns)
https://shop.elizabethwarren.com/collections/all/…
https://shop.elizabethwarren.com/collections/all/…
https://shop.elizabethwarren.com/collections/all/…
https://shop.elizabethwarren.com/collections/all/…
https://shop.elizabethwarren.com/collections/all/…
30.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 9:40 pm
The Federation to Call the Yucatán Congress for Contempt Regarding Marriage Equality
La Federación Llamaría a Congreso Yucateco por Desacato en Matrimonio Igualitario
De continuar con el desacato por no aprobar el matrimonio igualitario, el Congreso de Yucatán sea llamado a juicio por la Federación (la Unidad de Atención Sicológica, Sexológica, y Educativa para el Crecimiento Personal (Unasse, A.C.) Yucatán) ante la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) para explicar por qué, a pesar de la jurisprudencia de la propia Corte, siguen teniendo normas discriminatorias, confirmó el director de México Igualitario, Álex Alí Méndez Díaz.
Lo anterior sería una controversia constitucional tras agotarse el recurso del amparo, que a nivel nacional, Yucatán es líder con 90 solicitudes de 2014 a la fecha.
https://www.noticiascontrapunto.com.mx/la-federac…
Should the contempt continue due to their not approving marriage equality, the Yucatán Congress will be called to trial by the Federation (la Unidad de Atención Sicológica, Sexológica, y Educativa para el Crecimiento Personal (Unasse, A.C.) Yucatán) before the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJN) to explain why, despite the jurisprudence of the Court itself, they still have discriminatory standards, the director of México Igualitario, Álex Alí Méndez Díaz, confirmed.
The aforementioned would be a constitutional controversy after having exhausted the amparo remedy, which at the national level, from 2014 to date, Yucatán is the leader with 90 requests.
31.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 10:17 pm
Maine: Bill to Ban "Conversion Therapy" for Minors Advances
Per LGBT Marriage News:
Augusta — On 23 May 2019, Maine’s governor said that she would sign a bill to ban so-called gay conversion therapy for minors, as it advanced in Maine’s House and Senate this past week.
That same day, the Maine Senate gave initial approval to the bill, which the day before, had received a 91-46 favorable vote in the House. The bill faces more votes in both chambers before it can head to Democratic Gov. Janet Mills’ desk.
If the bill becomes law, Maine would join 17 other states that have banned the practice, which aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
https://www.pressherald.com/2019/05/09/state-sena…
32.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 10:27 pm
Colorado: Bill Banning "Conversion Therapy" for Minors to Be Signed into Law
Per LGBT Marriage News:
Denver – Gov. Jared Polis will sign two pieces of LGBTQ legislation into law on 31 May 2019: A bill banning "conversion therapy" for minors and another that will allow Coloradans to update the gender on their birth certificate without needing surgery or a court order.
The conversion therapy bill, which outlaws counseling and therapy that tries to change the sexual orientation of a person under the age of 18, was recently passed after several prior attempts by Democratic legislators had failed.
The birth certificate bill, known as "Jude's Law," was aimed at making it easier for transgender individuals to change their birth certificates to reflect their gender designation. Under the old law, transgender people who obtained a court order would only get an amended birth certificate. The new law allows people to both change their identity on their birth certificate without surgery and receive a new birth certificate.
Proponents of the bill called the measure an important move to legitimize people who have gender identity issues and will help end discrimination of transgender and non-binary individuals. Jude's Law comes after a policy change last November from the Colorado Department of Revenue allowing Coloradans who don't identify as male or female to use an "X" designation on their driver's licenses.
https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/…
33.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 10:39 pm
Minnesota: Gay "Conversion Therapy" Ban and Gay Marriage Equality Bills both Fail
Per LGBT Marriage News:
The two top priorities for LGBTQ rights advocates, both a ban on so-called gay “conversion therapy” and a measure to allow two married women to have the same parental rights as a man-woman married couple, failed to gain enough support in the Republican-majority Senate to be able to reach the desk of Gov. Tim Walz.
Conversion Therapy
Gay rights advocates sought to prohibit mental health practitioners and professionals from charging money for so-called gay “conversion therapy,” the widely-discredited practice of attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation. Democrats, who hold the majority in the House, approved the ban, but it was voted down in the Republican-controlled Senate on a party-line vote. The issue became more personal for some lawmakers after it was reported that Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, had sent his own child, who came out as lesbian as a teen and now identifies as bi-gender, to a therapist who opposes same-sex relationships.
Marriage Equality (Logan’s Law)
Half of the married gay women in Minnesota are forced to adopt their own children under Minnesota law. Even though gay marriage became legal in Minnesota in 2013, a host of gender-specific terms remain in statutes. A bill known as “Logan’s Law,” named after a St. Paul child of two women, passed the House but never reached a vote in the Senate, and was ultimately not included in the final plan approved by lawmakers.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/05/25/gay-convers…
34.
Elihu_Bystander | May 27, 2019 at 5:05 am
As for marriage equality sometimes the only resolution is through the Federal District Court route. Unfortunately, this route is always painfully slow and ultimately could face a very stacked conservative SCOTUS. That could risk unintended consequences.
35.
FredDorner | May 27, 2019 at 9:40 pm
Actually the federal courts have consistently been ruling for equal parental rights & adoption rights as well as other peripheral rights of marriage per the Obergefell precedent. So that's the logical route when a state is unwilling or unable to do the right thing.
36.
VIRick | May 25, 2019 at 11:12 pm
Taiwan: Some Statistics from First Day of Marriage Equality
Per Rex Wockner:
A total of 526 same-sex couples registered for marriage in Taiwan on Friday, 24 May 2019, the first day same-sex marriage was legal in the country. According to statistics compiled by the Ministry of the Interior, the newlyweds included 185 male couples and 341 female couples.
At 117, New Taipei had the largest number of same-sex couples register their marriages, followed by Taipei with 95 and Kaohsiung with 72, the statistics showed. While there were 511 couples in which both parties were Taiwanese, 15 couples matched a Taiwanese and a foreign national, with a South African woman becoming the first legal foreign same-sex spouse in Taiwan.
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3710376
37.
ianbirmingham | May 26, 2019 at 12:19 am
Hundreds of Same-Sex Couples Tie The Knot in Taiwan After Law Passes
By 10:00 p.m. local time, 526 same-sex couples had completed registration procedures across the whole island, 341 of which were women, the island's ministry of the interior said.
Marriage equality campaiganer Lu Hsin-chieh said that the law wasn't exactly what they had campaigned for, but that it had been passed in order to comply with an interpretation of the constitution by Taiwan's highest court two years earlier.
"This special law was the best result we could get at this stage," Lu said, referring to a referendum last November that voted down marriage equality, a key part of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President Tsai Ing-wen's 2016 campaign platform.
Wang Tien-ming said marriage equality means for him being treated the same as heterosexuals.
"We haven't asked for much over these years of campaigning for marriage equality," he said. "We just want to be enjoy the freedom to marry, like everybody else."
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/law-052420…
38.
VIRick | May 26, 2019 at 1:11 pm
Costa Rica: A Reminder: Marriage Equality in One Year
Per Janekeith Durán Barberena:
Matrimonio igualitario en un año. A partir del 26 de mayo del 2020, las parejas del mismo sexo en Costa Rica podrán acceder a la figura jurídica de matrimonio.
https://twitter.com/Janekeithduran
Marriage equality in one year. As of 26 May 2020, same-sex couples in Costa Rica will have access to the legal concept of marriage.
39.
VIRick | May 27, 2019 at 4:24 pm
Canada: Alberta Government Cancels Plan to Ban Gay "Conversion Therapy"
The new right-wing government in Alberta has closed a legislative working group tasked with banning so-called gay conversion therapy. The United Conservative party (UCP), which came into power following the 17 April 2019 election, said it was ending the group because it does not see its validity.
“We don’t think there’s a need to address it specifically because it’s not a valid health service,” Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Tyler Shandro, told the "Vancouver Sun." “It’s not practiced in Alberta and it cannot be, because no health professional regulator would permit it. Any regulated health professional—doctor, nurse, psychologist—would be found guilty of unprofessional conduct if they did so.”
Critics have argued that the practice is in fact taking place in Alberta. “Despite not being able to be billed, it’s still happening,” said Nicole Goehring, an opposition member of the Alberta legislature who was co-chair of the legislative working group. “It’s not advertised, the language is vague, but it’s still occurring.” Goehring, whose Alberta New Democratic party were in government until the April election, said that she fears the issue has become politicized and urged the UCP to continue her work.
https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2019/05/27/alberta-gay…
40.
VIRick | May 27, 2019 at 4:45 pm
San Marino: Referendum to Add Sexual Orientation to Constitution as Banned Form of Discrimination
Per LGBT Marriage News:
On 2 June 2019, San Marino will hold a referendum on whether to include "sexual orientation" in its constitutional list of banned forms of discrimination. This move comes after the legislature was 4 votes shy of a 2/3 qualified majority to do it on its own.
http://www.libertas.sm/notizie/2019/05/16/una-rif…
41.
JayJonson | May 28, 2019 at 7:43 am
The U.S. Supreme Court won’t take up the controversy over bathroom use by transgender students this year.The justices turned away a challenge by four students from Boyertown Area High School in Pennsylvania who claim a school policy of allowing LGBT students to use their preferred bathroom violates their right to privacy. Controversies have erupted nationwide as school districts decide whether to let LGBT students use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity rather than their gender at birth.
The Court has previously said that it would take up the issue next term.
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/justice…
The ACLU reacts via press release:
This is an enormous victory for transgender students across the country. Boyertown’s schools chose to be inclusive and welcoming of transgender students in 2016, a decision the courts have affirmed again and again.
This lawsuit sought to reverse that hard-won progress by excluding transgender students from school facilities that other students use. That would have increased the stigma and discrimination that transgender students already face.
Thankfully, today’s announcement allows schools to move forward with policies that support transgender students. But our work is far from over. We will continue to defend the transgender community from attacks in the courts, the legislatures, and the White House.
The challenge was brought by the viciously anti-LGBT hate group, Alliance Defending Freedom.