Chile removes obstacles to adoption for same-sex couples
Australia to end gay blood donation ban
Chile: Congress gave final approval to an overhaul of adoption legislation that removed homophobic language privileging heterosexual couples over same-sex couples.
The government has also brought forward a bill to decriminalize abortion up to 14 weeks. Currently, women can only get an abortion in very limited cases (rape/incest, fetal non-viability, threat to life of the mother).
Mexico: The Tamaulipas state congress voted unanimously to ban conversion therapy under criminal law; last month they banned medical providers from doing it. A federal ban on conversion therapy has also been in place since last year.
Sinaloa state passed a law seeking to close the gender pay gap by requiring equal pay for equal work. The bill specifically bans pay discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as sex.
The president of the Aguascalientes supreme court called on legislators to codify same-sex marriage into state law; the governing PAN has thus far refused to make that a priority.
Australia: The government is removing restrictions on gay men donating plasma effective July 14, and the Therapeutic Goods Administration is also applying to remove restrictions on blood and platelet donation.
Tunisia: An alarming report on the ongoing prosecution of LGBT people under the country’s sodomy laws, including forced rectal examinations.
Hungary: Budapest’s mayor is defying the government and police by insisting the Pride parade will go ahead June 28, despite police denying a permit citing a new law banning Pride events.
Lithuania: One step forward, two steps back on the civil union bill. On Wednesday, a parliamentary committee approved an amendment to the bill which would push back its effective date, which will make it possible to go for a final vote in parliament. But on Thursday, the speaker of parliament said the government won’t put it on the agenda, because the government believes it should bring forward its own bill and restart the whole process. It’s not clear when the government plans to do that. News outlets are suggesting this may be posturing to trade support for a more controversial bill that would effectively let the government out of a corruption scandal.
European Union: The European Commission is abandoning work on a 17-year-old process to pass an EU-wide nondiscrimination law, due to opposition from a handful of countries worried that the union is overstepping its authority. The holdouts are apparently Czechia, Germany, and Italy, which is a somewhat surprising collection of states.
Belarus: The democratic government-in-exile has published a memorandum on abolition of the death penalty, which they promise to do if they are ever allowed to gain power. Belarus is the last country in Europe with an official death penalty. Belarus has not had a free election since independence in 1991.
Meanwhile, in the States
The Supreme Court upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender care for minors on a 6-3 vote, essentially cementing bans that are in place in 27 states. The New York Times has an interesting look at how this loss may have come as a result of changing strategies of the major LGBT rights organizations after the equal marriage victory.
The acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission had a fiery senate confirmation hearing, where she defended her actions to abandon cases fighting anti-trans discrimination, claimed the agency worked at President Trump’s direction (contrary to her earlier statement that it was independent during Biden’s term), and insisted that trans people do not exist. She will likely be confirmed by the Republican majority.
The Trump administration announced it was ending the LGBTQ youth options available at the National Suicide Hotline, which have been provided by The Trevor Project. Queer callers will still be served by the 988 number, but will no longer received dedicated support, and the NHS statement refers to the “LGB+” community, deliberately omitting the “TQ.” Despite memes going around, Canada has not “opened” its own youth hotline services to Americans, though there are other resources out there for LGBTQ people who need support, including from The Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline directly.
New York: The State Museum has a new exhibit on the fight for same-sex marriage.