Canadian town votes to ban Pride flags
Montana defies courts, bans trans people from updating their drivers' licenses
Up on the Los Angeles Blade today, I have the results of a referendum in Westlock, Alberta, where residents voted to ban Pride flags on public property.
And on the lighter side, I took a look at Colton Underwood’s new podcast Daddyhood, about his journey to starting a family and his struggles with fertility.
Moldova: Leaders of the breakaway region of Transnistria are allegedly planning to formally ask Russia to annex the territory, in what would be a major escalation of the crisis in the region. Notably, Transnistria doesn’t border Russia, or any of the Ukrainian territory Russia is currently occupying. But it could create an additional (if difficult) front in the Russian-Ukrainian war. This is all coming down on the two-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine has said it will respond if Russia intervenes militarily in Transnistria – Moldova does not have any significant army, but it’s not clear that Russia would be able to position forces in Transnistria. The move may be calculated to force Ukraine to divert forces to the region and make Ukraine appear to be an aggressor.
Annexation of Transnistria would bring all of Russia’s anti-LGBT laws into effect in the region.
Hong Kong: The Court of Appeal will hand down a ruling on Monday on the government’s appeal of a decision that allowed same-sex couples to be treated equally when it comes to social housing. If the government wins, the case will go immediately to the Court of Final Appeal. Last year, the CFA gave the government two years to come up with some sort of way to treat same-sex couples equal to married couples (ie, civil unions), so I don’t see the government winning this one.
Mexico: A same-sex couple successfully registered the birth of their son in Chihuahua, in what’s believed to be a first for the state. Chihuahua is one of several states that has not actually updated its civil code for same-sex marriage and parenting, so there were additional legal hoops to jump through to make this happen.
Australia: Equality Tasmania is seeking a commitment to ban conversion therapy from political parties ahead of March 23 statewide elections.
And in sad and disturbing news, a Sydney police office has been charged with the murder of a gay couple that have been missing since Monday and have still not been found. The officer was the ex-boyfriend of one of the presumed victims.
Meanwhile, in the States…
Montana: The state has issued new rules that bar trans people from updating the gender markers on their driver’s licenses, mirroring a previous provision that was struck down by the courts last year. The ACLU of Montana says it will take the state back to court over the provision.
New York: The Nassau County executive (a Republican) issued an executive order barring trans people from playing sports in accordance with their gender identity in county-run facilities. Advocates have pointed out that the order violates numerous statewide nondiscrimination laws.
Wisconsin: Earlier this week, when I said the state’s new legislative maps made the upcoming election competitive for Democrats, I was unaware that only half the state senate seats are up for election in November, and Republicans hold a huge advantage in seats not up for election. That makes it extremely unlikely that Democrats will win full control this cycle, but it will be important to make gains ahead of 2026. In the meantime, Democrats could break Republicans’ veto-proof majorities, or win control of the house, to impede Republican efforts to roll back our rights.
Is this an incredibly stupid electoral system? Yes! Especially considering all the districts are remapped, which means that in the next term, some people will have elected two senators and some will have elected none. American Democracy!
Massachusetts: The Senate will consider a bill to update the state’s sex education curriculum and make it LGBT-inclusive. The bill has passed the Senate four times over the past decade, but house Democrats have never taken it up. We’re also still waiting for the House to take up the sodomy decriminalization bill.
Utah: The legislature has passed a “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” that contains language ensuring that it doesn’t interfere with the state’s conversion therapy ban and anti-discrimination laws.