Thailand to debate marriage equality next week

Courts deliver big set backs in Jamaica and South Korea

Thailand: The new government coalition is finally going to give consideration to a same-sex marriage bill at a cabinet meeting Oct 31. If they approve it, the bill will be introduced in Parliament in December and must pass three readings before it becomes law. Marriage equality was promised by many of the leading parties in both the government and opposition camps during elections this year, though it may face an obstacle in the military-controlled senate.

The new Prime Minister is also apparently pushing for bills to legalize prostitution and allow legal gender change.

Jamaica: This is breaking right now – the Jamaica Supreme Court ruled this morning that the country’s sodomy laws are shielded from constitutional challenge due to the constitution’s savings clause. I wrote a detailed explanation of the constitutional issues around sodomy law challenges in various Caribbean countries last year. There is a chance that the petitioners can appeal this decision to the UK Judicial Committee of the Pricy Council, but the JCPC has tended to give very wide leeway regarding savings clauses, so success there is not likely.

The upshot: gay sex will remain illegal in Jamaica until the local Parliament decides to repeal it.

South Korea: The Constitutional Court delivered two blows to the LGBT community yesterday. First, in 5-4 ruling, the Court upheld the law banning same-sex intercourse in the military – contradicting a decision last year by the Supreme Court that found it unconstitutional. Because military service is mandatory, it’s arguable that South Korea needs to go back on the list of criminalizing states.

The Court also separately upheld a law criminalizing the transmission of HIV, which activists say contributes to stigma and prevents people living with HIV from accessing care. 

India: A parliamentary committee is considering reinstating laws against adultery and sodomy that have been struck down by the Supreme Court. The committee is apparently recommending simply reinstating the sodomy law for cases of nonconsensual sodomy, sodomy with minors, and bestiality only. Previously, there had been complaints that a new draft penal code did not include any provisions for male-on-male rape.

Lithuania: The government is moving to finally repeal the ‘gay propaganda’ law that was passed way back in 2009 in imitation of a similar law from Russia. The law bans LGBT content that could be seen by minors and has been found to violate the European Convention on Human Rights. Passage of the repeal bill is not guaranteed, as the current government is a coalition of left and right-wing parties, including the Christian Democrats. We’re still waiting on a final vote on a civil union bill in Lithuania too.

Cyprus: A number of a complaints have been filed against a local TV station whose owner made disparaging comments about LGBT parents on air. Meanwhile, the Greens have tabled a bill in Parliament that would allow same-sex couples in registered partnerships to adopt. The newly elected President has supported full marriage, but has not yet introduced legislation.

Costa Rica: Three parties (which together have a majority) are pushing the government to introduce a ban on conversion therapy.

Meanwhile, in the States

The US House has finally elected a new Speaker, and no surprise, Republican Mike Johnson has a long record of extreme homophobia.

And in the Senate, Republicans tried and failed to make it legal to discriminate against LGBT kids in handing out school lunches. The vote was 50-47.