Slovakia floats new constitutional limits on LGBT rights

Trump tears apart US government programs for trans people, HIV, and global human rights

Slovakia: The government has proposed a suite of constitutional amendments that would limit adoption to married (heterosexual) couples, greatly restrict the right to change gender, ban the recognition of any sex other than male or female, and assert that national law on “cultural and moral matters” is supreme over EU law (something that I’m not sure the state is actually allowed to do). The proposal is out for public consultation before it will be voted on by Parliament, where it needs just 3/5 vote to pass – the government will likely just barely cross that threshold with the support of Christian Democrats in opposition. It’s likely a distraction from a series of government scandals and coalition infighting.

Mexico: The Green Party of Guanajuato will propose codifying same-sex marriage into state law when the next session of the state congress begins in February. It’s believed that the opposition finally has the votes to pass such a bill now. They’ll also propose some initiative on increasing security for trans people, though the article is less clear about that.

Japan: Prime Minister Ishiba told the upper house of the National Diet that the government must be cautious on moving forward with same-sex marriage, given ongoing public debate and lawsuits. Reminder – at this point, 90% of Japanese live in a jurisdiction that recognizes same-sex couples, and courts have been nearly unanimous that the ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. More High Court rulings are expected in March.

Australia: Queensland state has paused all gender care treatments for all new patients under 18, pending a 10-month review.

Meanwhile, in the States

The Trump administration has halted all federal grant programs and foreign aid programs for at least 90 days, but the pause itself has been paused by a federal judge. Leaving aside the fact that his right to cancel this funding is on shaky legal ground – Republicans controlling congress are almost certain to agree to any cuts Trump proposes eventually – the effects of these cuts are going to be devastating globally.

USAID grants provide needed food and medical aid to the most poverty-stricken and ecologically or wartorn regions across the world, and this aid has just been cut off overnight with no transition period. In the immediate term, people will die because of these cuts. In the longer term, other actors will likely step up to fill the gap Trump has created – most likely China and possibly some of the Arab states. This will increase these states’ influence in the region. Highlighting the chaos in the current administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has granted an 11^th-hour exemption for all “life-saving” aid, including food and medicine, but this is likely still going to create huge difficulties administering on the ground.

US support for democracy and human rights across the globe has similarly been shut off. Again, this plays right into the hands of malign actors like China and Russia.

One of the programs hit has been PEPFAR, which distributes HIV medications to more than 50 countries around the world and has been credited with saving millions of lives. It’s been told to halt all HIV medication distribution – even for pills that are already sitting in pharmacies around the world. PEPFAR is a bipartisan, congressionally funded program created during the Bush era – one of GWB’s few policy initiatives that is near-universally praised. The New York Times is also reporting that PEPFAR’s computer systems are being taken offline, a sign that the program may not return. Again, in the short term, this cut is devastating, but in the long term, the likely eventuality is ceding this space and influence to China, which is most likely to step up given its large knockoff pharmaceutical industry.

On top of all of that are two more Trump executive orders to be concerned about. On Monday, he issued an order banning trans people from serving in the military – that order has already been challenged in court. And yesterday, Trump issued an order banning all federal funding of gender care for anyone under age 19, as well as restricting research and education on the subject.

Trump also moved to hamstring the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission by firing two of its senate-appointed Democratic members, thus denying it a quorum. The move is illegal and is going to be challenged in court.

Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed Scott Bessent as Trump’s treasury secretary, making history as the highest-ranking openly LGBTQ collaborator.

Ohio: An ordinance to ban conversion therapy in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus had its first reading Jan 21. It would be the 13^th city in the state to ban it.

Idaho: A resolution calling on the Supreme Court to ban same-sex marriage passed the house 46-24, with 15 Republicans joining all 9 Democrats to oppose it.

By the way, if you think 61-9 is a ridiculously lopsided majority, South Dakota’s house is currently 64-6, and West Virginia’s house and senate are 91-9 and 32-2!

Colorado: In a sign of things to come, the US Dept of Education is investigating Denver Public Schools over its decision to create an all-gender bathroom in one school.