India Supreme Court to reconsider gay marriage
This Scandinavian country may be next to ban conversion therapy
I know I said I was taking the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving, but the rest of the world didn’t seem to agree with that, because so much news happened around the world yesterday.
Speaking of the holiday, Happy Black Friday! If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider subscribing. You can always subscribe for free, but paid subscribers really help me keep this thing going. You can subscribe at any rate you choose.
India: Next Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hold a review of its ruling against same-sex marriage advocates. The review will be in open court, and it’s anyone’s guess what could happen.
Thailand: The former UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (who happens to be Thai), has some thoughts about the proposed equal marriage bill. He writes that the Thai government needs to amend about 50 other laws after passing marriage equality to make references to “husband” and “wife” gender-neutral, as well as make considerations for binational couples, recognition of foreign marriages, and accommodation for religious practices in four southern provinces that have a religious civil code. None of this should be particularly difficult – and honestly, countries should just include something in their same-sex marriage bills that say, “references to husband and wife in other legislation and regulations are interpreted to mean ‘spouse’ mutatis mutandis.”
Czechia: An update on what happened this week on the equal marriage bill. The Constitutional Affairs committee failed to reach a full majority in support of any of the bills placed before it – full equal marriage, upgraded civil partnerships that are equal to marriage in all but name, or civil partnerships without adoption. But the committee did get a plurality in support of either of the first two options, so they survive. The committee also put off voting on the measure to ban same-sex marriage in the constitution, with no date to bring it back. The equal marriage bill will next be considered in the Family and Equal Opportunities Committee on Dec 12, and a possible second reading vote in the full Chamber of Deputies in January.
Poland: The new Parliament began its first session by debating a proposal to reinstate funding for in vitro fertilization that had been cut by the previous conservative government. The new center-left majority is not yet officially in power, but that’s expected by mid-December.
Japan: A report finds that more than 70% of Japanese live in a municipality or prefecture that offers same-sex partnership certificates as of June 2023. That number is even high now, as five more prefectures and a dozen more municipalities began offering the certificates since then.
Norway: The government has secured a broad majority in support of its bill to ban conversion therapy, which it hopes to pass through Parliament by Christmas.
Australia: The government of New South Wales has announced it is delaying its promised conversion therapy ban legislation until next year, to allow more time to consult with survivors.
Canada: New Brunswick is facing a fresh legal challenge over its new policy requiring parental permission for students to be trans in schools.
European Union: Earlier this month, a committee of the European Parliament approved draft legislation to require member states to recognize parental relationships formed in other member states. This is essential to preserve freedom of mobility across the EU, but it has received strong pushback from states that don’t want to recognize same-sex parents. The legislation heads to the EU Parliament and then will need to be accepted by each of the member states in order to take effect.
Set Backs…
Greece: A cabinet minister has said he will resign if the Prime Minister goes ahead with his promise of introducing a same-sex marriage bill in Parliament. This report says 154 of the government’s 158 members oppose same-sex marriage, but I’m not sure where that polling comes from. If the opposition from the governing party is indeed that strong, there won’t be enough votes to pass the bill anyway.
Romania: The Prime Minister says the country is not ready to pass civil union legislation, despite the European Court of Human Rights ruling ordering it to. In September, the government floated legislation to at least recognize the relationships of same-sex couples who marry in other EU states, which the European Court of Justice has said is required of EU members. The country holds elections next year, but the other options are even less likely to support LGBT rights – one fast-rising right-wing populist party wants to hold a new referendum to ban same-sex marriage in the constitution.
Duly Noted:
A study has found people with ADHD are more likely to enjoy group sex than be satisfied with just one person. On a related note, my pharmacy has finally managed to fill my Adderall prescription this week! Wheee! Happy Holidays!