Far right defeated in French election
Indian Supreme Court to reconsider same-sex marriage
Over at the Los Angeles Blade, I have a preview story about Odyssey Theatre’s new production of Noel Coward’s bisexual love polygon play Design for Living.
I should also have a new Out in the World up at the Blade later today, with more analysis of the UK and French elections, plus news from India, Slovakia, and Norway. You’ll be able to find that here.
India: The Supreme Court will hear a petition to reconsider its judgment in last year’s marriage case on Wednesday. With two new judges on the bench, it’s possible that the court comes to a new conclusion around the need for a remedy for the lack of same-sex marriage – ie civil unions. I think it’s unlikely that the court orders same-sex marriage be legalized, given that the court was unanimously against that in October. For more, see my Out in the World.
Namibia: Lawyers seem doubtful that the government’s new bill to block recognition of same-sex unions will stand up in court, given it’s clearly contrary to the spirit of the Supreme Court’s ruling last year. All of this should be understood in the context of parties preparing for elections in November.
Meanwhile, activists have submitted a petition to the president calling on him to formally veto the extreme anti-LGBT bill parliament passed last year, but which has sat in limbo since.
Venezuela: All the main opposition figures participating in the presidential election July 28 are equivocating on LGBT rights and same-sex marriage.
El Salvador: Somewhat buried in this France 24 report on shrinking space for LGBT people in the Central American country is the detail that far-right president Bukele fired 300 people from the culture ministry for promoting “agendas” contrary to the “traditional family” after an drag play called Inmoral was presented at the National Theatre. The play was cancelled after its first performance. The government has also cut services for HIV prevention in the LGBT community.
Inmoral was created Irene Crown and produced by a queer arts collective Project Inari. La Prensa Grafica has a good backgrounder on it.
Elections
Iran: Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won the presidential election, which may help soften some of the regime’s worst and most bellicose habits, but don’t expect miracles.
France: The left and center staved off the far-right National Rally in second-round parliamentary elections, and in their wake openly gay prime minister Gabriel Attal resigned. For more, see Out in the World.
Coming up this week
Aruba and Curacao: The Court of Cassation is scheduled to deliver its ruling on same-sex marriage on Friday. We’ll have to see if the ruling also applies to Sint Maarten.
Malawi: We should also expect the Constitutional Court to publish its full ruling rejecting a challenge to the sodomy law by Friday.
Meanwhile, in the States…
California: The same-sex marriage ballot question has been assigned the name “Proposition 2.” Another ballot measure, Prop 34, targets the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, and was pushed by a landlord group as punishment or AHF supporting rent control. If passed, it would require AHF to spend 98% of all federal monies received on direct patient care.
Duly Noted
The New York Post reports that MAGA gays increasingly feel at odds with the gay community. My heart bleeds. Of course, the Post’s report only quotes a single bitter old queen, so this is hardly a trend piece.