♂️ I have a story in The Los Angeles Blade about how the US FDA is planning to end its ban on gay men donating sperm, in favor of individual risk assessments like it has for blood donation. If the policy is approved, it will go into effect by the end of the year or early 2025 (assuming that a new administration doesn’t kill it).
🇲🇨 Monaco: It’s not often we get news from the tiny Alpine principality, but a reader wrote in this weekend to inform me of a Court of Appeal decision last September that found that the state must recognize same-sex marriages validly concluded abroad with all the legal effects they entail. Unfortunately, I’ve been in touch with the Monegasque government, and a spokesperson informed me that the decision was overturned by the Court of Revision, which is the final court on these matters.
The Court of Appeal’s (very long) ruling noted the government’s inconsistent arguments, and the inadequacy of Monaco’s “cohabitation contracts” (the alternative to civil unions that have been legal since 2020). In particular, the contracted members are not considered a conjugal family with spousal obligations, and are not treated equally to married couples when it comes to taxes and inheritance. Moreover, the court noted that the government’s insistence that the couple involved could just sign a cohabitation contract was impossible – that law states you can’t sign a contract if either party is already married. I’m not clear how the Court of Revision resolved this – I’ve asked the government to supply the Court of Revision ruling.
(Wikipedia editors: I know some of you read this. Feel free to cite this post to edit the Recognition of same-sex unions in Monaco page)
🇵🇱 Poland: The government has published a draft hate speech bill that includes protections for LGBT people, advancing a key campaign promise and coalition agreement item. No word on when a civil union bill will come forward.
Did I put these two countries next to each other because their flags are reflections of each other? I didn’t not do that.
🇦🇷 Argentina: New far-right president Milei’s deep cuts in government employment seem to be hitting trans workers hard – apparently in contravention of a hiring quota law the previous government had put in place.
🇨🇷 Costa Rica: A proposed conversion therapy ban has hit a road bump as an opposition lawmaker has submitted hundreds of amendments in an effort to delay or derail it.
🇳🇿 New Zealand: The Court of Appeal heard a case where a gay man is suing the government for failing to include protections for “sexual orientation” in hate speech laws. While the previous government was at least open to reviewing hate speech law, the current conservative government is hostile to the idea. Lower courts have already ruled against the man.
🇻🇦 The Vatican: Surprise, surprise. The Vatican has made it official that it doesn’t like trans stuff in a new declaration.
Meanwhile, in the States…
😡🗳️Arizona: The biggest news yesterday was the state Supreme Court declaring that a pre-statehood law criminalizing virtually all abortion was once again valid in the state. The court has a lopsided Republican majority because the previous Republican governor packed the court with two extra members, but that hasn’t stopped him or other state Republicans like US Senate candidate Kari Lake from lying about their records claiming that they oppose the ruling.
In the meantime, the Democratic attorney-general has said she won’t enforce the law. It’s possible, but unlikely, that the Republican-controlled legislature could be recalled to repeal the 1864 law, which would put the more recently passed 15-week ban in place.
In November, Arizona’s state legislature will be a top target for Democrats, who only need to gain two seats in each chamber to gain unified control. Also up for election are the two conservative judges who were appointed to the court and helped bring the law into effect. Despite the bizarre practice of having partisan judicial elections, it is extremely rare for state supreme court judges to lose retention elections in the US, but this may be a turning point. Abortion itself will also be on the ballot directly, as supporters have reportedly gathered enough signatures to force a referendum. It’ll likely be on several other states’ ballots as well.
😡 Louisiana: The state house advanced an anti-trans “bathroom bill” out of committee.
The house civil law committee also voted to defer a bill that would have deleted the same-sex marriage ban from state statutes, with a note considering that the issue could be taken up in a proposed state constitutional convention (since the ban is in the constitution too). It’s unclear that state Republicans would actually accept deleting the ban from the constitution, though. (They didn’t in neighboring Alabama last cycle).
👏 South Carolina: The city of Myrtle Beach enacted an inclusive hate crimes ordinance with protections for LGBT people. South Carolina is one of just three states that has no statewide hate crime law.
🤙 Hawai’i: The state senate is approved a proposed amendment to strike the same-sex marriage clause from the state constitution today. Voters will be asked to approve the amendment in November.