Four Mexican states advance LGBT rights legislation

UK freaks out over a vanishingly small trans population

Mexico: A state legislator in San Luis Potosi has submitted a bill to amend the state constitution to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It currently bans discrimination based on “sexual preference,” which is considered an outdated and inaccurate term. Another legislator in the state has proposed a bill to ban conversion therapy.

A state legislator in Guerrero has submitted a bill to amend the state constitution to ban anti-LGBT discrimination.

Guanajuato legislators are expected to codify same-sex marriage into law this week, although the governing PAN party there has mused that it might not be “marriage” but some other type of union – the opposition is not having it (PAN has 16/36 seats, so they can’t block it alone). There is also a bill to ban conversion therapy on the table.

The PAN says it will block a same-sex marriage codification bill in Aguascalientes, though it appears that those in favor of it are 12 legislators to PAN’s 13; two other legislators from smaller parties have not announced their position, so it’s possible we get another surprise this week.

Two Mexican women were married at the Mexican embassy in Guatemala, sparking controversy and debate about same-sex marriage in that country.

UK: Various conservative outlets are reporting with alarm that about 10,000 people have been granted gender recognition certificates (which facilitate legal gender change) since they were introduced 20 years ago. That’s the total over that time. The annual number has been ticking upward as the process became simpler and more well-known, and last year reached about 1,100.

Um, people, that number is incredibly small. Britain’s population is 68 million. The total number of GRCs out there amount to 0.00015% of the population. What the hell are Brits losing their minds over?

They’re also sounding alarm over the increase in proportion of GRCs going to people born since 2000, from 4% in 2019 to 24% in 2025. Which… well, isn’t that kind of a natural trend? The Times’ report presents this as the age of transitioning getting younger, when this figure shows precisely the opposite – because “people born since 2000” are getting older. Sorry to inform my elder Gen Z readers of this fact. I hope you’re all prepared for random back pains!

Australia: A raft of LGBT-rights legislation, including a conversion therapy ban, has died following a snap election call in Tasmania, and activists are hoping for commitments to bring it all back and improve it from all parties. The election will be July 19.

Philippines: San Juan city council has passed a “right to care” ordinance, allowing same-sex partners to have the right to make medical decisions on each others’ behalf.

Pride Roundups

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sarajevo Pride marchers called for recognition of same-sex marriage. B&H is is a somewhat confusing federation of three entities, a “Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina,” the “Republika Srpska” and the Brco District, which is kind of shared between the two. The Federation is currently working on drafting a civil union law. Srpska is slowly going backward on LGBT rights as it becomes more authoritarian and Russia-aligned. (Contrary to what the linked article states, Montenegro does not allow same-sex marriage; it has civil partnerships).

Poland: Warsaw Pride marchers are calling for the civil partnership law to pass, although it looks unlikely to happen under the newly elected president.

Nepal: Kathmandu Pride marchers are calling for full marriage and adoption rights; the supreme court is expected to issue a final ruling on marriage next month

South Korea: Soeul Pride for the first time featured participation from a central government agency, the Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Ukraine: A truncated Kyiv Pride was held Sunday, amid the ongoing threat of airstrikes from Russia. The event spotlighted openly LGBTQ soldiers and raised money for the war effort.

Israel: Hardly the most important news from Israel this weekend, but Tel Aviv cancelled its Pride festivities amid the ongoing war between Israel and Iran. Caitlyn Jenner is surely disappointed.

Here are also some reports from Rome and Athens Prides.

Meanwhile in the States

Somewhat surprisingly, the Boulder, Colorado Courthouse where in 1975 two men were granted the first official same-sex marriage license before it was later rescinded was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Parks Service.

Minnesota: A terrible attack on Democratic state lawmakers has left state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband dead, and state senator John Hoffman and his wife wounded. The accused killer, who is believed to have had a hit list of 70 Democratic state and national lawmakers, was captured late Sunday. Still, some Republicans and far-right conspiracy theorists are pushing a bogus theory that the murderer is a leftist who was angry that these two lawmakers weren’t progressive enough. Politico reports that some national Republicans have spoken publicly to condemn the violence, but I can’t help but notice some silent voices…

Some are worried that these attacks have shifted the balance of power in Minnesota’s closely divided legislature. That is unlikely. The legislature isn’t sitting right now, and should be able to hold a special election before next year’s sitting. Both lawmakers represent the same deep blue part of Minneapolis.