South Africa bans anti-LGBT hate speech

Canada breaks ground on LGBT monument

Before we dive into today’s news, check out this week’s Out In The World column at The Los Angeles Blade, where I go a little deeper on some of the week’s big stories from Australia, UK, Poland, South Korea and the Eurovision Song Contest.

South Africa: The President has signed legislation that bans hate speech and defines hate crimes, and includes protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, and HIV status.

Peru: The Ministry of Health has reiterated that sexual orientation and gender identity is not a disease and doctors should not attempt to perform “conversion therapy.” It’s not technically a legal ban, but it does prohibit medical professionals from performing it.

Poland: A lesbian couple has taken the government to court to have their marriage recognized (paywalled, unfortunately). The government is still waffling on when it’s going to introduce its promised civil union bill.

Scotland: The government says it still plans to ban conversion therapy, though no bill has yet been introduced.

Argentina: A look at how the new far-right president Javier Milei’s reforms have impacted the LGBT (and particularly trans) community.

Canada: Canada Blood Services has issued an apology to the 2SLGBTQ+ community for its former policy banning blood donations from gay men, which it now admits was homophobic. CBS ditched the policy for good in 2022.

And construction has begun in Ottawa on a national monument to the historical discrimination faced by 2SLGBTQ+ people in Canada. Called Thunderhead, the monument will include a performance space that can be used by drag performers and other artists.

Meanwhile, in the States…

The Biden Administration has issued long-awaited regulations under the Affordable Care Act which explicitly ban discrimination by health providers based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, and pregnancy status.

Minnesota: The state house will debate and likely vote on a bill to ban the “gay panic defense” today. A companion bill is pending in the senate, and they have until the legislature ends next Monday to pass it.

The senate will be dealing with the proposed equal rights amendment to the state constitution today. The house passed its version on Friday, and it will have to be reconciled with the senate. The most recent version puts it on the ballot in 2026, when house Democrats are hoping to drive turnout for governor and other statewide offices.

Louisiana: State Republicans are saying that a proposed state constitutional convention likely will not remove the unconstitutional ban on same-sex marriage from the state constitution.

Alabama: A bill to extend the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law from 5th grade to 8th grade, and to ban pride flags in schools, died on the final day of the legislative session.

Looking ahead:

This week is gonna be a big one, with the Liechtenstein Parliament expected to pass a same-sex marriage bill either Wednesday or Thursday, and the Namibia Supreme Court expected to rule on Friday in a case seeking to decriminalize sodomy.