Ghana passes anti-LGBT law
Thai Parliament sets date for same-sex marriage debate
Ghana: Parliament passed its anti-LGBT bill yesterday. It awaits the president’s signature before it becomes law, but parliament has threatened to override the president’s veto. The bill criminalizes identifying as LGBT and advocating for LGBT rights and stiffens penalties for sodomy.
Thailand: The committee studying the same-sex marriage bill has completed its work, and the bill is now on schedule for debate in Parliament March 20.
Here’s the rough schedule of dates to look out for this year:
·       March 6-8: Liechtenstein Parliament expected to pass same-sex marriage
·       March 14: Nepal full Supreme Court expected to hear same-sex marriage case.
·       March 14: Two Japanese Courts expected to hand down same-sex marriage verdicts.
·       March 20: Thailand Parliament debates same-sex marriage bill.
·       May 17: Namibia Court expected to rule on sodomy decriminalization case.
·       May 31: Ruling expected in Cassation Court for Aruba and Curacao (with possible implications for Sint Maarten, too)
·       Nov 5: US elections, including referendum in California to repeal same-sex marriage ban; equal rights referenda in New York and Maryland
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: UNAIDS has condemned last month’s High Court ruling that upheld the country’s buggery law because of its supposed connection to controlling HIV/AIDS, calling the ruling discriminatory and harmful.
The ruling has finally been published online in full, and it’s honestly just 91 pages of bullshit. While there were some clear deficiencies in the claimants’ cases (they needed to have a better response to the fact that neither was a resident of St. Vincent at the time of their claim), the judge simply dismisses every example they provide of the discrimination they suffer, waves consideration of every comparable ruling on sodomy laws in other jurisdictions, St. Vincent’s clear international rights obligations, and grants every hateful and bigoted assertion made by the government in its submissions. I’m no lawyer, but there ought to be plenty of grounds for appeal here.
The same court is meant to deliver rulings for Dominica, St. Lucia, and Grenada any day now.
UK: The House of Commons is expected to debate a private member’s bill to ban conversion therapy today. It’s a real long shot for the bill to pass, particularly as a general election is looming sometime this year.
France: The French Senate has approved a constitutional amendment to protect access to abortion. Parliament will meet next week to give the amendment final approval.
Australia: A grisly murder of a gay couple has been solved, after one of the men’s police officer ex-boyfriend admitted to the crime and told police where to find their bodies.
Moldova: The government of the breakaway region of Transnistria has called on Russia to protect it from Moldova, part of an ongoing bid to destabilize the EU-leaning government. Worth keeping an eye on.
Zimbabwe: Parliament is back on track to consider a death penalty abolition bill this month after it had stalled earlier this year. Parliament is trying to figure out if they need to amend the constitution in order to fully abolish capital punishment.
Meanwhile, in the States…
Louisiana: State Republicans have filed a bill to ban discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity in all schools.
Oregon: The state senate has passed a bill to ban book bans in the state.
South Carolina: The AP doesn’t think that hate crime bill is going to pass this year after all. Senate Republicans are blocking it from a vote, even though some believe enough Republicans support it to pass.
Florida: State Republicans have introduced a bill mandating insurance providers cover conversion therapy and requiring state-issued ID to list a person’s sex at birth.
Iowa: A federal judge has temporarily blocked a school book ban, but let stand a part of the law that requires schools to notify parents if their child is trans.
New York: The state has a new congressional map, which Democrats fought long and hard for, and which they completely failed to gerrymander, so it doesn’t do anything to help shift the balance of power ahead of November elections. If Democrats have better turnout than 2022, they still have a good chance to knock out a few Republicans, but they could have given themselves a better hand.
Minnesota: State Democrats have introduced a bill requiring school districts to develop a gender inclusion policy that is inclusive of LGBT students. Another bill I’m tracking is a ban on the gay panic defense, but that doesn’t seem to have progressed at all since it was introduced last year.