Jamaica seeing uptick in gay marriage applications?
Haiti government cracking down on gays?
It’s been a very quiet news week, so this is just a short update. Let’s begin by checking in on the Caribbean.
Jamaica: The Minister of Justice says the government has no plans to legalize same-sex marriage, despite a clear uptick in applications for marriage licenses from same-sex couples (presumably, mostly tourists).
Gay sex is still illegal in Jamaica, though an activist is pursuing a case to the UK Privy Council, Jamaica’s highest court, seeking to have the law struck down.
Haiti: This paywalled article suggests the government very suspiciously closed a bar after a woman proposed to her girlfriend there.
Latvia: The Central Election Commission has officially confirmed that there will be no referendum on the civil union law, as the official count reveals opponents only gathered 35,191 signatures for it, far short of the 151,000 required. The law will go into effect July 1.
Greece: The opposition SYRIZA Party has announced it will support the government’s proposed same-sex marriage bill, even though it doesn’t go far enough – ie, it doesn’t allow access to surrogacy for same-sex parents. (Surrogacy is illegal for all couples in Greece.)
Meanwhile, in the States
Republican-led states are leading a big push to restrict health care for trans adults – the entirely predictable next step after they spent all of last year trying to restrict health care for trans youth.
It’s been a slow start to 2024, but news will begin to heat up next week as more US state legislatures begin their sessions. Monday night will also kickoff the first Republican presidential primary in Iowa.