Hong Kong notches another win for gay couples
Conversion therapy ban advances in Norway
Hong Kong: The Court of Appeal upheld earlier rulings finding that same-sex couples are eligible for housing benefits. Back in Sept, the CoA gave the government two years to enact some kind of relationship recognition for same-sex couples.
India: Overlooked in yesterday’s same-sex marriage ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that India’s states are free to enact same-sex marriage laws in absence of any law passed by the central government. I wouldn’t hold me breath waiting for them to do so, however.
Liechtenstein’s public consultations on same-sex marriage ended last week. I assume the government will introduce a bill at the next session of parliament in November, or possibly wait until December.
Australia: Queer activists in Tasmania want the state government to compensate people who were convicted under old anti-gay laws, something the government rejected when it came up with its expungement scheme three years ago.
Norway: A bill to ban conversion therapy has finally been introduced and is in committee hearings. It is tentatively scheduled for its first reading in Parliament on Dec 7.
Austria: Governing parties have been unable to agree on a conversion therapy ban, which the parliament unanimously asked the government to introduce last year. The two parties in the government are essentially clashing over whether the ban will include prohibitions on anti-trans conversion therapies.
Upcoming elections and court dates:
Argentina has elections this weekend, in which the leading presidential candidate is very anti-LGBT. Most recent polls showed him likely to lead on the first round, but unlikely to avoid a runoff.
Switzerland: Local LGBT activists express frustration at the slow progress being made on rights issues. They’re calling for modernization of family law so that same-sex couples don’t have to adopt their own kids; a conversion therapy ban; a ban on unnecessary surgeries on intersex children; and a nonbinary gender option. The government has thus far been an obstacle on all these issues, although they generally enjoy support in Parliament. Elections will be held on Sunday, but they don’t seem likely to change the balance of power.
Court challenges to Namibia’s sodomy law, and multiple appeals of Japan’s several same-sex marriage court rulings will be heard by the end of the month.
Meanwhile in the States
Hawaii: A new coalition has come together to push for an amendment to the state constitution to repeal section 23, which was added in 1998, and gives the state legislature the right to limit marriage to opposite-sex couples. While repeal homophobic laws is always laudable, this is probably less important than amending other state constitutions. It doesn’t actually ban same-sex marriage, and the legislature has already legalized same-sex marriage, so a Supreme Court reversal of Obergefell wouldn’t affect Hawaii directly.
Amendments to Hawaii’s constitution must be passed by a 2/3 majority of both Houses of the state legislature before being put on the ballot for majority approval. That threshold shouldn’t be hard to reach, given the extremely lopsided Democratic Party control of the Hawaii legislature, if the Democrats decide to take it up.
California’s legislature has already agreed to ask voters to repeal its defunct state constitutional marriage ban next year, and Oregon Democrats may give passing a referendum through the legislature a try again next year too.
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