India Supreme Court reconsiders legalizing same-sex marriage
Japan hits a milestone in recognition of same-sex couples
Ok! Back to our regularly scheduled programming with news bites from around the world.
Japan: Saitama Prefecture is the latest where all its municipalities have created a partnership registry, even though the prefecture doesn’t have one itself. That brings the total number of prefectures where all residents can access registries to 32/47, home to about 90% of the population.
Meanwhile, the next same-sex marriage High Court ruling is expected in Nagoya on March 7.
India: The Supreme Court will consider a petition to review its 2023 decision denying a right to same-sex marriage today. The meeting will be held in chambers.
Singapore: Parliament passed the country’s first workplace antidiscrimination law, but it excludes protections for LGBT people. Nevertheless, the government says it still protects LGBT from discrimination, but didn’t say how.
Lithuania: The government says it will not deal with the civil union bill – left over from the previous parliament – during the upcoming spring session, which will instead be focused on tax reform. But it does sound like there remains support for passing some sort of civil partnership bill eventually.
Montenegro: A deep dive on the rights same-sex couples lack under the life partnership law passed in 2020 – including, importantly the right to adoption and equal parenthood. The article also notes the government is working on a gender identity recognition law and a nondiscrimination law.
Poland: The two-round presidential election is scheduled for May 18 and June 1 – advancing the government’s LGBT rights agenda depends on it winning.
Romania: And the rescheduled two-round presidential election has been set for May 4 and May 18, after last year’s election was annulled amid accusations of Russian interference to promote a far-right, Russia-friendly candidate.
Zimbabwe: The ruling party’s national conference vowed to intensify and enforce laws banning homosexuality last year, though the decision only came out recently.
Greenland: Amid threats of annexation from incoming US President Trump, Greenland’s Prime Minister Egede in renewing calls for independence from Denmark and floating a possible referendum alongside parliamentary elections in April. If Greenland were to become independent, it would immediately become the 40th equal marriage country, having legalized it back in 2016.
Online
Meta has announced its new policies that explicitly allow hate speech, especially against LGBT people, across Instagram and Facebook.
Duly Noted
Did you know that Mexico City’s subway hosts a nonstop citywide gay sex party?
Meanwhile, in the States
The Pentagon has agreed to a settlement with more than 35,000 queer military personnel who were discharged due to their sexual orientation. Class members will be eligible to have their discharges upgraded to ‘honorable’ and have their dismissal papers reissued. The claimants were not seeking monetary damages.
President Biden gave the presidential medal of freedom to LGBT activist and philanthropist Tim Gill. He also awarded the President’s Citizen Medal to marriage equality activists Evan Wolfson and Mary Bonauto.
Idaho: State Republicans opened the legislative session by advancing a “memorial” (a type of resolution) calling on the US Supreme Court to reverse its decision legalizing same-sex marriage. They then advanced a resolution commending the Boise State University women’s volleyball team for forfeiting a match rather than play against a team with a transgender athlete.
Florida: A federal court has ruled that the state can forcibly detransition trans prisoners. Meanwhile, a state Democrat has filed a bill to repeal the state’s statutory ban on same-sex marriage – but it’s not going to go anywhere in the Republican-dominated legislature.
New Mexico: A state legislator has introduced a bill to ban libraries from banning books on a discriminatory basis. Similar bills have been filed in Arkansas, Missouri and Michigan, but they’re not likely to get much traction there, where Republicans control one or both chambers.
Massachusetts: Senator Brownsberger has once again filed a bill to delete the sodomy law and the “walking while trans law” along with other archaic laws from the statute books. Who knows? Maybe this session will finally be the one where it passes!