Japan's Okinawa launches same-sex couples registry

Finland MPs vote for conversion therapy ban, but government says no

Japan: The Okinawa prefecture is the latest to launch a partnership registry for same-sex couples. It’s the 31^st of 47 prefectures to launch a registry; 2 other prefectures have registries in all of their municipalities, bringing the effective total to 33/47.

Also, a transgender woman has announced she plans to appeal the Kyoto court’s refusal to grant her a legal gender change over her being married.

Finland: MPs voted 125-49 in favor of a citizens’ initiative to ban conversion therapy. It now falls upon the government to draft a law to ban it so that parliament can pass it – and the Justice Minister says the government won’t do that. The next Finnish election is two years away.

South Africa: The government is continuing consultations on its new unified marriage act, which will combine several marriage laws for different religious communities and the same-sex Civil Union Act into a single law. There’s been some pushback from religious communities about having same-sex marriage included in the same bill, even though it’s been legal in SA since 2006.

India: The Uttarakhand state government is considering revisions to its proposed uniform civil code to include rights for transgender people and same-sex couples.

Bougainville/Papua New Guinea: The Bougainville parliament converted itself into a constituent assembly as it prepares to deliberate plans for a new constitution ahead of planned independence from PNG by 2027. The draft constitution released last year includes a broad SOGI-inclusive anti-discrimination clause (25.3-4) and a gender-neutral definition of marriage (50.2-4). However, if the new country inherits PNG’s criminal code and civil laws, it will be a new nation with a ban on gay sex and no same-sex marriage.

Meanwhile, in the States

President Trump issued an executive order directing the Smithsonian group of museums to root out “improper, divisive or anti-American ideology,” code for re-writing history and science to de-emphasize issues of race. The order specifically orders a planned Women’s Museum not to include trans women.

A planned opera based on the book and TV series Fellow Travelers, about the 1950s Lavendar Scare, has cancelled its planned run at the Kennedy Center in protest of Trump’s new role there.

Maine: The vestigial federal Department of Education has announced it is opening an investigation into the state’s policy that it does not out queer/trans students to their parents, a day after announcing a similar investigation into California, and following the Dept. of Justice investigating its policies around trans girls competing in school sports. At stake are billions in federal education funding.

Kentucky: State Republicans overrode the governor’s veto last week in order to pass a bill that re-allows conversion therapy and prohibits state funding of gender care treatments. Contrary to earlier reports, the version of the bill that passed does not include legal protections for conversion therapy, so local bans in place in Covington, Lexington, and Louisville remain in effect.

Utah: The state has just passed into law a bill that bans Pride flags in all schools and government buildings.

Nebraska: The unicameral legislature held a hearing on a bill to ban conversion therapy, but the committee took no action on the bill. It stands no chance of passing in the Republican-controlled (but officially nonpartisan) legislature.