Third Japanese High Court says gay marriage ban unconstitutional
UK bans puberty blockers for trans youth
Japan: The Fukuoka High Court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage in unconstitutional, though it dismissed the plaintiffs claims for compensation. This third high court ruling against the ban is the strongest one yet, and the first to find the ban violates the constitutional right to pursuit of happiness. More high courts will hear appears in the new year, and eventually these cases will make their way to the supreme court, but so far, none of these rulings actually reverses the law.
UK: The government announced it was indefinitely banning puberty blockers for use in gender care for trans youth.
Mexico: A legislator in the state of Mexico (the suburbs of Mexico City) has proposed bills that would decriminalize HIV transmission and prohibit discrimination based on HIV status.
Death Penalty
Zimbabwe looks set to be the latest country to eliminate the death penalty after the Senate voted to pass the abolition bill Wednesday and sent it to the President’s desk. He’s long called for abolition and is expected to sign soon.
Morocco’s justice minister looks set to join Zimbabwe, although there may be some opposition within the government. Morocco will vote for a moratorium on capital punishment at the UN on Sunday, and then the justice minister intends to introduce a bill to amend the nation’s Penal Code. It would be the first Arab-majority country to abolish it.
Meanwhile in the States
The US House passed a National Defense Authorization bill that bans funding for gender care for youth in military families. This likely gets stopped in the Democrat-controlled Senate – for now – but Republicans will control both chambers in January.
The Washington Blade has commentary from someone who’s not so sure the SCOTUS is going to allow a Tennessee ban on youth gender care to stand.
Michigan: There’s only one day left in the legislative session, Tuesday, before Republicans take over the state house, and it sure doesn’t look like any of the last-minute LGBT priorities – decriminalizing sodomy and HIV transmission, passing a hate crime law – will make it over the line. But who knows?
I think we’re basically out of luck on Massachusetts passing its sodomy decriminalization bill, too.
Queer Media News
In sad news, Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday.
Across the pond, the publisher of the UK-based PinkNews has been accused of sexual harassment and misconduct, along with his husband, its COO.