Hawaii advances marriage amendment
Two more countries begin seeking EU-integration - will that improve LGBT rights?
Ok, first, a couple of corrections…
It looks like I, and every other source that’s reported on the Turks and Caicos same-sex marriage case, got it wrong. I just got off the phone with the plaintiff’s lawyer in the case, and he explains that the judge did not order the government to grant a residency permit to the binational couple involved. He found the situation unconstitutional but ordered no remedy. An appeal may be filed by either the plaintiffs or the government by the end of the month.
Also, on Thursday, I said that five states of Mexico still have not updated their civil codes to include same-sex marriage. The actual number is just four states. The State of Mexico has updated its marriage laws (however, its civil code still says same-sex couples cannot adopt, even though they can under the law).
Now, some news on European integration…
Armenia: In a continuation of Armenia’s drift away from Russia, the country has announced its considering applying to join the EU, and the EU parliament passed a resolution calling on the European Council to improve support for the country’s transition to the West. This actually happening is the longest of long shots right now. Armenia would have to undertake incredible reforms, and further sever ties with Russia, including expelling Russian military bases that it hosts. Armenia borders neither Russia nor the EU (although it borders prospective members Georgia and Turkey).
If Armenia is serious about this, it would also have to drastically improve the human rights situation, including LGBT rights in the country.
Speaking of, Russia is having an “election” this weekend, in which President Putin is running basically unopposed, having killed or barred his only serious challengers.
Bosnia: Meanwhile, the European Commission has recommended that the block begin accession negotiations with Bosnia. Again, this is just the start of a long process. The 27 member states have to agree even to begin the negotiations, and the country has a lot of work to do to bring itself to European standards of democracy, human rights and good governance. This is particularly true in the Serbian half of the country, which is governed by a relentlessly pro-Russian leader who has spent the past thirty years undermining the existence of the country itself (yes, he’s really been running the Republika Srpska almost uninterrupted since 1998).
UK: The government has ruled out a May election, meaning the Conservatives will likely stay in power though most of the remainder of the year.
Meanwhile, in the States…
🙌Hawaii: The state senate committee examining the proposed constitutional amendment to remove the legislature’s defunct power to ban same-sex marriage is holding a hearing on the proposal March 19.
🙌Michigan: Huh. This Michigan Advance article says the Senate judiciary committee met on Thursday and debated the bill to ban the “gay panic defense,” but the committee’s web site had said all week that the meeting was cancelled. Regardless, the committee apparently did not vote on the bill.
The Legislature’s website says that the committee did vote to advance a package of bills that will update family law around surrogacy, in part to make them inclusive of same-sex families; those bills now head to the Senate floor for a final vote.
🙌Delaware: A state house committee gave approval to a bill that would add “asexuality” and “pansexuality” to the legal definition of sexual orientation. It now goes to the full house and then the senate.
😡New Hampshire: The state house passed a bill requiring parental notice and consent before sexual orientation and gender identity are discussed in classrooms – it only passed by one vote. The house also voted down a Democratic Party bill that would have repealed a bill barring discussion of “divisive topics” in classrooms. Meanwhile, the state senate passed a compromise book ban bill that would require school boards to create a transparent and nondiscriminatory process for removing books that have been challenged by parents. These bills give a pretty good idea of the kinds of things Democrats will want to do if they manage to recapture the legislature and governor’s mansion in November – Republicans currently hold a 201-195 advantage in the house, and a 14-10 advantage in the senate, and the governor is termed out.
😡Texas: The US Supreme Court has declined to block the University of Texas from banning a drag show on campus while student groups continue to challenge the ban in lower courts – the Fifth Circuit is meant to hear the case next month.