Could this Central American country be next to legalize same-sex marriage?

Courts slam Italian government over same-sex parents

Over at the Los Angeles Blade, I wrote a big section of this week’s Out in the World section, covering developments on equal marriage in Liechtenstein, Japan, and Thailand, and the constitutional referendum in Ireland.

Turks and Caicos: A new development in the TCI same-sex marriage case; a former premier of the territory is now accusing the TCI national involved in the case of having acquired his citizenship by fraud, because he acquired it by marrying a TCI woman, and then he divorced her. He alleges that because the man was gay, the marriage to a woman was fraudulent. The former premier is calling for the man’s citizenship to be revoked.

Honduras: An opposition member of congress is developing a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. My own estimation is that this bill is unlikely to pass, but the current president has supported it in the past, and her Liberty and Reformation Party along with this opposition Liberal Party would have enough votes to pass it if they were united in favor.

Poland: The government held consultations with LGBT groups on its planned civil union bill, and the Equalities Minister says the planned bill will likely include right to a ceremony at the civil registry, step-child adoption, inheritance, and joint tax filing. The bill is meant to be introduced by the end of the month.

Italy: A court in Venice has blocked the government’s attempt to remove the non-biological mother from the birth certificate of a child born to two lesbians. This comes after a similar decision in Padua two weeks ago, but courts have been inconsistent so far on whether the government can do this, and the legal battles are likely to continue.

Russia: Sham elections this weekend solidified Vladimir Putin’s hold on power for another six years, likely enabling a continuation of Putin’s anti-LGBT crackdown. Also this week, the leader of the breakaway region of Georgia, South Ossetia, has called for its annexation by Russia. Russia intervened in South Ossetia and another region Abkhazia in an attempt to destabilize Georgia as it was trying to align itself with the west.

The Gambia: Parliament is considering a bill that would repeal a ban on female genital mutilation that has been in place for eight years.

Meanwhile, in the States…

Hawaii: Tomorrow, the senate holds a hearing on the constitutional amendment for same-sex marriage.

Connecticut: The legislature is considering a constitutional amendment that would clarify that the ban on sex discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and choices around pregnancy, and related health care. To pass, it requires a 75% majority of both houses to approve it, before being put to voters – if all Democrats voted in favor, they’d still need 3 Republican state senators, and 16 Republican representatives to join them to pass it. That seems unlikely to me, but maybe New England Republicans are different.

Kentucky: The house passed a bill that would criminalize certain protests inside the legislature, after LGBTQ groups and allies protested a sweeping anti-LGBT bill last year.

Louisiana: State Republicans are eager to hold a convention to revise the state constitution, which would require at least some state Democrats to support it. While it’s unlikely that Republicans would be eager to load a new constitution with LGBT rights language, it’s possible that Democrats might be able to get some priorities accomplished. Perhaps striking the defunct ban on same-sex marriage? I’d say it’s still slim odds, but stranger things have happened. Whatever ends up being proposed, the idea is to put the new constitution to voters in November.  

And there are primary elections in several states today. Most notable is Ohio’s senate primary, where the Trump-endorsed GOP candidate is involved in a scandal around his being linked to an old gay cruising listing on Adult Friend Finder. Here in California, there’s also primary to fill the congressional seat vacated by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, but it’s not expected to be competitive.