Thailand one step closer to equal marriage

Mexican state vetoes same-sex adoption

🎊Thailand: Parliament’s lower house voted overwhelming to pass a same-sex marriage bill that includes adoption rights. The margin is so strong that it’s unlikely the senate will be able to block it (although we haven’t had any indication it wants to). I’ll have a report up later today on the Los Angeles Blade – look out for it.  

Japan: The Mainichi says last week’s Supreme Court ruling that same-sex couples must be treated like common-law married couples for the purposes of crime victim benefits should pressure the government to extend other legal benefits to same-sex couples on the same legal theory. They’re speculating on pensions, health insurance, and family leave, but there’s a whole constellation of benefits that accrue to married couples that will have to be examined.

Poland: The equalities minister says the proposed civil union law has hit a bit of a hiccup, as come members of the governing coalition do not support it. She’s working with them to come to a conclusion with a comprehensive bill that includes full adoption rights for same-sex couples, but admits that the bill has missed its originally announced “100 days” deadline. It looks like the government won’t introduce it until after local elections in early April (and possibly until after EU elections in June).

🚼Mexico: The first same-sex couple was able to formalize the adoption of a child in Baja California state. The state has allowed it legally since it codified equal marriage in 2021, but it’s taken this long for the couple involved to go through the process.

Meanwhile, one state down in Baja California Sur, the governor has vetoed a bill that would have allowed same-sex couples to adopt, giving conflicting reasons – that it’s unclear who would be the mother and father in a same-sex couple, and unclear budget implications. He says it’s up to the state congress to fix this. The legislature first passed this bill way back in November 2022.

And a legislator has introduced a bill to amend Aguascalientes’ state law to allow same-sex couple adoption, although the state’s position has been that no law prohibits it.

⛪Finland: This Christian newspaper says a bid to have the state Lutheran Church officiate a form of same-sex marriage looks unlikely to succeed at the church synod in May.

Hungary: Budapest has been rocked by protests this week as new information has leaked tying Prime Minister Orban’s staunchly anti-LGBT and anti-democratic government to political corruption. This is likely the biggest shock to Orban’s grip on power although, Orban’s party has an absolute majority of the parliament and national elections are not scheduled for another two years.

DR Congo: In a bad sign for human rights, the government has lifted the 21-year-long moratorium on the death penalty, supposedly to deter rising violence and an incipient rebellion.

Wanna feel old?

😈Grindr is now 15. That’s right – it’s old enough to have its own social media profile under Florida law.

And same-sex marriage in the UK celebrates ten years of being legal. Well, in England and Wales. Scotland’s 10-year anniversary will be in December. And Northern Ireland only celebrates four years this year. Oh, and the crown dependencies all have different start dates too. And it’s still not legal in all the territories.

Meanwhile, in the States:

The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case seeking to restrict access to the abortion pill on Tuesday, and it sure seems like the court is going to toss the case. We’ll likely get a final judgement in June.

👍Vermont: A bill to restrict school book bans has passed through the senate. It heads to the state house.

👍Connecticut: A proposed state constitutional amendment for nondiscrimination passed its first committee hearing.

👍South Carolina: The city of Myrtle Beach advanced a hate crime ordinance by a unanimous vote on Tuesday. It will likely come back for a second reading at the next council meeting.

👍Alabama: Democrats won a special election to the state house, flipping it from Republicans. This doesn’t change the balance of power in the legislature, but does continue a trend of Democrats outperforming Republicans in special elections this cycle, particularly when they campaign on reproductive rights. Alabama has four more special elections coming up before November.

👎Tennessee: A bill to delete an obligation not to discriminate based on sexual orientation from the state Teachers’ Code of Ethics has passed through the senate and is in consideration by a house committee. It really does seem like the GOP is just digging way to be cretinous at this point.

😑Florida: Disney has reached a settlement with the state over the state’s takeover of the Disneyworld local government, and the company’s free-speech lawsuit which it launched against the state claiming the takeover was obvious retaliation for its criticism of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. I’m no expert, but it looks like both sides just agreed to walk away, and that the state basically gets what it wants.

👎Georgia: The state legislature used procedural tricks to rush through to omnibus anti-trans bills ahead of the legislature ending its session today. The first bars trans students from gender-appropriate sports teams and bathrooms. They second bars prescribing puberty blockers for gender-affirming care.

👎New Hampshire: The state house passed a bill to bar trans girls from sports. The bill is now with the senate.