Aruba: Parliament is debating a bill to legalize same-sex marriage (and amend some other sexist marriage legislation) today. Parliament has previously been hostile to the idea, but a pending decision on same-sex marriage from the Court of Cassation due later this month may have swayed some lawmakers. The Court’s ruling will also affect Curacao and possibly Sint Maarten. All three are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Australia: A suburb of Sydney has drawn controversy after its city council voted to ban books on same-sex parenting from local libraries. The New South Wales government says it is investigating possible breaches of anti-discrimination law.
Sri Lanka: A Buddhist monk is warning MPs against voting for a “same-sex marriage” bill – by which I’m sure he means the private member’s bill to decriminalize gay sex (which doesn’t include marriage rights), and which was greenlit by the Supreme Court last year. I can’t find any reports about a scheduled vote on the bill, but if any readers do, please let me know.
Meanwhile, the government has proposed a “Women’s Empowerment” bill, which will create a new commission that will investigate discrimination against women, including that based on gender and sexual orientation. The focus on women is likely due to the decision by the UN’s Commission from the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, which found the country’s sodomy laws violate the CEDAW Convention. The government has not proposed its own legislation to repeal the laws.
South Korea: The Soeul Queer Cultural Festival has found a new location, after the city denied multiple applications for permits on flimsy grounds.
Morocco: The government is set to introduce a new Family Code that is meant to promote gender equality and rights for religious minorities – although it does not include any new rights for LGBT people and couples. Proposed justice reforms to decriminalize extramarital sex seem to have been backburnered.
Kosovo: The Council of Europe has postponed a decision on admitting Kosovo as a member – it will not be part of next week’s meeting. Admission would give Kosovars greater access to human rights institutions like the European Court of Human Rights, which has already set jurisprudence requiring members to implement civil unions, for example. Kosovo would also become a member of the Istanbul Convention on domestic violence, having already ratified it.
Zimbabwe: Lawmakers have begun a week of public hearings across the country on a proposed bill to abolish the death penalty. Parliament is also working on a bill that would raise the age of consent from 16 to 18, as it was ordered to do by the courts – the bill also criminalizes transmission of HIV (it had been decriminalized a few years ago). (Gay sex remains illegal).
Taiwan: The Constitutional Court is considering a case seeking to end the death penalty, which unfortunately remains very popular among Taiwanese.
Meanwhile, in the States…
Iowa: State Republicans have put a clause seeking to overturn gay marriage into the state party platform.
Colorado: The state house passed a bill that would more clearly define “transgender status” as a protected ground under state hate crime law. It now goes to the governor.
Minnesota: A house panel advanced a proposed equal rights amendment to be put to voters in 2026. If it’s approved by the full house, it will have to be reconciled with a less expansive version passed by the senate, which did not include abortion protections. The legislature has until May 20 to pass the bill.
Meanwhile, the legislature just unanimously passed a bill restoring an exemption allowing religious organizations to discriminate based on gender identity, after it had removed the exemption last year. It heads to the governor. I’m not sure how these exemptions can be reconciled with the proposed amendment.
New York: A judge has blocked the proposed equal rights amendment from appearing on the state’s November ballot, due to a procedural error by the legislature. The Attorney-General has said she will appeal the decision.
Pennsylvania: House Democrats have introduced a bill that would remove the defunct statutory ban on same-sex marriage from state law. It stands zero chance of passage, as Republicans control the state senate – although that could change in November.
Texas: An openly bisexual woman was elected to the state senate – a first for the upper house.
Looking ahead:
Liechtenstein: Parliament is expected to hold is second/final debate on the same-sex marriage bill next week, either May 15 or 16. The bill is widely expected to pass, and will come into effect Jan 1.
Namibia: The Supreme Court is expected to rule on a case seeking decriminalization of sodomy on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia. Ahead of the ruling, the local national newspaper has run a series of articles denouncing homophobic laws that it blames for the recent murders of several queer and trans people. The current president is still trying to decide whether or not to sign the most recent homophobic laws passed last year.