Namibia's president dies -- what does that mean for LGBTQ?
Israeli court says gay Palestinians can claim refugee status
Namibia: Over the weekend, President Hage Geingob passed away. Geingob leaves a mixed legacy on LGBT issues, but most recently, he has been responsible for not signing into law the anti-same-sex marriage bill that was passed by an overwhelming majority of parliament. The bill is still active, and we shall see if his successor, Nangolo Mbumba, maintains his pocket veto or allows it to come into effect. The bill seeks to overrule a Supreme Court judgement that requires the government to recognize foreign same-sex marriages, but also criminalizes anyone who participates in or promotes a same-sex marriage.
The Supreme Court is also due to rule on a challenge to the country’s sodomy criminalization on May 17.
Israel: A court has ruled that a queer Palestinian man was eligible to claim refugee status in Israel. The government has announced it plans to appeal, as it believes the UN Refugee Convention does not apply to Palestinians (generally, Palestinians are protected by the UNRWA, as the Refugee Convention came into force in 1954, six years after the creation of Israel, and so the legal theory goes, certain Palestinians are not covered by it). (Not relevant to the decision, but fair context: The Refugee Convention has not been ratified by Palestine or most other Arab countries.)
UK Virgin Islands: A proposed referendum on same-sex marriage has hit a new delay, as the Premier has just realized that a referendum can’t be held until the Referendum Act is updated to bring it in line with current vote counting practices under the Elections Act. A timeline is still unclear, but a court case seeking marriage equality is still pending before the court.
In the UK itself, the House of Lords is having its second reading debate on a private member’s bill to ban conversion therapy on Friday.
Ireland: A private member’s bill to equalize parental rights for lesbian couples by, among other things, providing automatic parental recognition for a same-sex spouse, has had its first reading in parliament.
Canada: Opponents of new anti-LGBT policies in Alberta restricting medical care and social transition for queer and trans youth, and censoring LGBT topics in schools held massive rallies in Calgary and Edmonton over the weekend.
Meanwhile, in the States…
NBC has a report questioning why the national response to the deluge of anti-trans bills over the last several years has been so muted, when the 2016 North Carolina bathroom bill sparked boycotts and protests across the country. NBC concludes that it’s just fear of provoking the far right, whose most extreme members have taken to threats and actual violence against LGBT supporters.
I think it also has to do with just how broad-based the anti-LGBT forces have become in America. In 2016, they were just talking about boycotting one state. In 2024, we’re looking at half the country having passed these vicious anti-LGBT laws. We may have reached a stage where economic measures are impractical.
Tennessee: Republicans have advanced a bill that will allow state employees to refuse to marry anyone if it conflicts with their religious beliefs. It’s already passed the House, and is now before the Senate.
New Mexico: Democrats have advanced a bill that will make it harder to ban books from libraries.
Hawaii: A state senate committee will hold a hearing on a proposed state constitutional amendment to bar discrimination based on “ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, or sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes.” A separate proposed amendment to guarantee the right to same-sex marriage (and repeal language allowing the legislature to ban it) has not yet been scheduled for hearings.
Washington: State senate Democrats passed a bill that expands hate crime law to cover defacement of public property with hateful messages, which is currently not covered by the law. It goes to the state house for approval.
The state liquor board has also announced it is suspending “lewd conduct” enforcement after police raided two Seattle gay bars last week. (This story is paywalled, but my newsletter is not. Consider becoming a subscriber to help me keep it that way!)