Mexico Supreme Court expands conversion therapy protections
Russia fines Apple $130,000 over "LGBT propaganda"
Mexico: The Supreme Court invalidated a part of Guerrero state’s conversion therapy ban which provides exceptions for parents who put their children in conversion therapy. Of the 19 states with a conversion therapy law, it was the only one with such an exception.
Legislators in Tabasco state decriminalized abortion last week, becoming the 24th state to do so. Conservative legislators in Morelos and Guanajuato have been blocking decriminalization bills from receiving a vote.
Chile: The lower house of congress approved a non-binding report that calls for banning youth gender care and use of students’ preferred names or pronouns in schools. Chile had been a leader on LGBT rights in South America, so this development is a concerning precedent.
Philippines: Following last week’s national elections, an opposition senator says she plans to refile bills to ban anti-LGBT discrimination, legalize divorce, and combat teen pregnancy through education. These bills have been subject to debate for decades.
Iran: The country’s queer community has been able to form an underground network for support and resistance.
Russia: A court has fined Apple $130,000 for violations of the so-called “LGBT propaganda” law. It’s not clear what the offending content was.
Meanwhile, in the States
A house committee will be considering Marjorie Taylor Greene’s bill to criminalize providing gender care to trans youth today. The bill just might pass the house but likely won’t get through the senate, unless Republicans are serious about ending the filibuster.
Delaware: Democrats are considering a bill to amend the state constitution to protect same-sex marriage. The bill will be heard in a senate committee today. It needs a 2/3 majority in both houses to pass and then must pass again after the 2026 elections. It does not need to go to a referendum. If I’ve done my math right, that means at least one house Republican would have to join all Democrats to pass it. Democrats have a 2/3 majority in the senate.
Maryland: Governor Moore signed a bill decriminalizing HIV in the state. Back in March, North Dakota did the same.
Pennsylvania: Voters approved a referendum to add a nondiscrimination policy to Pittsburgh’s city charter yesterday.
Washington: The governor has signed into law a revision of the state’s parental bill of rights to protect students’ privacy. The bill of rights was adopted last year using the initiative process and was intended to require schools to notify parents if their children are seeking to transition, but those provisions are now gone. Democrats adopted it so they could amend it later, rather than place it on the ballot.
South Carolina: Columbia city council deferred a motion to repeal the city’s ban on conversion therapy to an unspecified future date. The state attorney general has threatened legal action over the ban.
Oklahoma: The governor has signed into law a bill that bars adoption and foster agencies from requiring prospective parents to affirm a child’s LGBT identity.
Nevada: Democratic lawmakers have advanced a bill to protect doctors who provide gender care to a final vote in the house. The state’s Republican governor has not said if he will sign or veto it. Democrats are one vote shy in each house of being able to override a veto.