Indonesia canes two gay men
Iowa passes extreme anti-trans bill as wave of anti-LGBT bills in red states looms
Indonesia: Two men were publicly caned this week for having gay sex in Aceh province, where gay sex is illegal under a strict interpretation of shariah law.
Mexico: Campeche state has become the 22nd to legalize abortion, following a vote by the state legislature. Just ten more states remain. Decriminalization bills are also pending in Yucatan and Morelos – both are behind a court deadline to decriminalize.
An initiative to codify same-sex marriage into Chihuahua state law had a technical hearing on Wednesday. It seems another hearing will be held on March 12.
Jalisco state appears to be on the verge of voting on a bill to allow trans children to legally change their gender.
Hungary: The increasingly unpopular Obran government is moving to force this year’s Budapest Pride off the streets and restricted to an indoor venue. This should be seen as an attempt to kick up culture war bullshit ahead of the 2026 elections.
Turkiye: The government is drafting a bill that would criminalize anyone performing a same-sex marriage, criminalize advocacy for trans rights, and make it much more difficult for a trans person to undergo a medical or legal gender change. The bill has yet to enter parliament.
Romania: The far-right candidate who placed first in the first round of last year’s cancelled presidential elections was arrested Wednesday on charges of incitement against the constitutional order; he’s also being investigated for making false statements, and setting up a fascist, xenophobic, and antisemitic organization.
Meanwhile, under pressure from the Trump administration, Romania allowed the accused sex trafficker and misogynist influencer Andrew Tate to travel to the United States. But prominent Republicans are now turning against that decision.
Nepal: Kathmandu hosted a conference of ILGA-Asia, where a government minister expressed commitment to advancing LGBTQI rights in the country, particularly around legal gender recognition. While same-sex marriage has been recognized by the courts, couples continue to face difficulty registering their marriages in some local offices.
Ghana: President Mahama has announced his support for reintroducing a version of the severe anti-LGBT bill that expired at the end of the last term of Parliament. This time, he says it will be a government bill.
Canada: Low voter turnout and bad vote splits among the left-leaning parties enabled Ontario’s deeply incompetent and corrupt conservative government to cruise to a third straight election victory last night. Way to go, Ontario voters.
Meanwhile, Pride Toronto is reporting that it has lost some corporate sponsors as companies pull back on DEI initiatives. Oddly, thery’re not naming and shaming those sponsors.
Meanwhile, in the States
The Art Museum of the Americas is cancelling shows about artists from the African diaspora and LGBTQ artists on Trump’s anti-DEI order.
SCOTUS watchers appear convinced that the court is going to rule in favor of a straight woman who claims to be the victim of sexual orientation employment discrimination. If she prevails, the case would be sent back to lower courts to be heard on the merits.
Iowa: The state legislature has passed an extreme anti-trans bill that removes gender identity as a protected ground in discrimination law and weakens discrimination protections for everyone, bans legal gender change, and forbids discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in all schools. It awaits the governor’s signature, and she’s said she’ll sign it.
West Virginia: Senate Republicans advanced a bill out of committee to ban sexual orientation discussion in classrooms and require teachers to out trans students to their parents.
Oklahoma: State senate Republicans passed a bill banning the state from requiring foster parents to affirm a child’s LGBT identity. The bill now goes to the house.
Kentucky: State Republicans are pushing a bill to protect “conversion therapy,” which has been banned in the state under an executive order by Democratic governor Andy Beshear. Republicans currently have veto-proof majorities in the legislature.
Missouri: Republican senators passed a bill that removes sunsets on certain legislation, including the trans health care ban. The bill now goes to the house. Democrats had attempted, unsuccessfully, to filibuster the bill and to add the defunct same-sex marriage ban to the list of expiring legislation.