Quebec recognizes multi-parent families
Mexican state ends ban on HIV+ people getting married
Canada: A court in Quebec has ruled that multi-parent families deserve legal recognition. This includes families created by multiple parents before birth, including throuples or children born via surrogates or donors who wish to retain parental connections. Such families are already recognized in Ontario and British Columbia.
Meanwhile, the British Columbia Conservatives are divided after their leader and a dozen MLAs attended an event hosted by a Christian lobby group that opposes same-sex marriage, sex education, trans rights, and abortion.
Mexico: The Nuevo Leon legislature has reformed the state’s civil code, with several pro-LGBT rights issues addressed. It provides that birth certificates will no longer note if someone has had a sex change, enhancing privacy for trans people. The new code also harmonizes issues around same-sex marriages, ensuring that couples are treated equally when it comes to inheritance. The new code also does away with a ban on marriages where one partner has an incurable disease, which had effectively banned people living with HIV from getting married. That leaves only six states with HIV marriage bans: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Queretaro, Guanajuato and Durango. Of these, Guanajuato has also not codified same-sex marriage into law.
Poland: The county of Łańcut has repealed the final local anti-LGBT resolution – of more than 100 that had been passed by local authorities during the decade-long reign of the preceding government. The county has made it clear they don’t believe the resolution was discriminatory, and that they’re only repealing it to avoid losing access to EU funds which had been withheld from counties that promote discrimination.
Meanwhile, the draft civil union bill has hit another roadblock, as one of the governing coalition parties has come out strongly against it. Nothing is likely to change until after presidential elections conclude next month.
UK: Scotland’s government says it’s putting off plans to introduce a conversion therapy ban until after the next election in May 2026, saying they no longer have time to pass it. The government says they’ll do it in year one of their mandate if reelected, and only if the UK government fails to pass a nationwide ban by then.
The Cayman Islands local election has been decided – the opposition coalition will take power. No one was particularly in favor of LGBT rights during this election, but I’m cautiously optimistic that this government will be a little better than the last. A referendum held on the same day also decriminalized marijuana.
Japan: The Japan Times has a good rundown on the court cases seeking marriage equality.
The Arts
Tony Award nominations came out yesterday, and among the notable queer nominees was Cole Escola, creator and star of Oh, Mary! an insane queer burlesque about the wife of the 16th president of the United States. His costar Conrad Ricamora is also nominated as featured actor.
After winning last year, Jonathan Groff is nominated for his starring role in Just In Time, the Bobby Darin bio-musical. His (straight) Glee costar Darren Criss is nominated for his brilliant leading performance as a (maybe gay?) retired robot in Maybe Happy Ending.
Death Becomes Her snagged 10 nominations, not bad for a show that admits up front that it’s for the gays.
Sarah Snook snagged a nomination for her performance in the one-woman Picture of Dorian Grey. Alas, Oscar Wilde was snubbed for writing it.
Kara Young and Jon Michael Hill were each nominated for their roles as a lesbian and her asexual friend who are attempting to conceive a child in the excellent Purpose, which is also up for best play.
Brooks Ashmanskas is nominated for playing the gay director in the TV show adaptation Smash.
The show will be held June 8 and hosted by Cynthia Erivo.
Meanwhile, in the States
Health and Human Services is being accused of promoting conversion therapy for trans youth, through a new, anonymously authored report that challenges the widely accepted and recommended practices of accommodating and providing gender care services.
Kentucky: That former county clerk Kim Davis who refused to marry same-sex couples is still in the news – now she is appealing her loss in civil court to the US Supreme Court.
Virginia: Reports have just emerged that the Republican candidate for governor Winsome Earle-Sears added a note to the marriage equality bill she signed as lieutenant-governor last year that she is “morally opposed” to the content of the bill and only signed it because of her constitutional responsibility. The move is unusual.
Democrats are hoping to recapture the governor’s mansion and retain control of the legislature in November. If they do, they’ll be able to pass constitutional amendments to protect same-sex marriage, abortion, and voting rights, and put them on the ballot in 2026.
Colorado: State legislators passed a Voting Rights Act that includes protections from anti-LGBT discrimination in voting.
Alabama: An expansion of the state’s “don’t say gay” bill to cover all K-12 schools now looks unlikely to pass before the end of the legislative session in four days. It did, however, just pass out of a senate committee.
Ohio: A pair of bills banning “DEI” in schools is being advanced by state Republicans.