Vatican says yes to gay priests

Turkiye, Cameroon threaten LGBTQ activists

Over at the Los Angeles Blade, I have a feature interview with Manuel Betancourt (pictured above), author of the new book Hello Stranger: Musings on Modern Intimacy, a series of essays on flirting, cruising, and relationships on screen and in the real world.

And my “Out in the World” column has stories from France and Australia.

The Vatican: The Holy See has agreed to new guidelines that allow gay men to become priests, as long as they remain celibate. Previously, the church was told to reject men who had “deep-seated homosexual tendencies.”

UK: A memorial for LGBT veterans will be built at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Ukraine: Estonian officials say Ukrainian officials have asked them about their experience with introducing same-sex civil unions. A bill to legalize civil partnerships in Ukraine has been stuck in committee in parliament for over a year.

Turkiye: President Erdogan has launched a “year of the family” while denouncing the LGBT community as a foreign influence that stifles free speech. No word yet if his party intends to ban Istanbul Pride as it has for the last several years.

Philippines: A senator has introduced a new comprehensive anti-discrimination bill, in an effort to break the logjam that has held up the SOGIE non-discrimination bill for the last 20 years.

Hong Kong: A survey reveals that 70% of the city’s same-sex couples would like to be able to marry, as the government drags its feet on implementing a court-ordered civil partnership scheme, due by September.

India: Uttarakhand’s new Universal Civil Code comes into effect January 26, and it includes a requirement that people in live-in relationships register with the state. But no one’s clear if this applies to same-sex couples. (Probably not)

Australia: LGBT groups are pressing their advocacy for Australia to end its ban on gay/bi blood donors, following an alarming drop in donations nationwide.

Cameroon: The country’s most prominent lawyer defending LGBT people, Alice Nkom, has come under legal threat from the government, who accuse her organization of money laundering and supporting terrorism. It’s quite obviously bullshit.

Trinidad and Tobago: The Equal Opportunities Commission is calling on the government to clarify what is meant by “sex” and “gender” in anti-discrimination law. The Prime Minister’s Office says it agrees, and will get around to that eventually, after consultations which will happen at some point. The upshot, though not explicitly outlined in the story, is the EOC needs to know if sexual orientation and gender identity are covered by discrimination law.

Online

Meta was blocking from teenagers from accessing LGBT content for months, until User Mag reached out about it.

Meanwhile, in the States

DC: A new sexual harassment law awaiting the mayor’s signature will close loopholes that allowed companies to force complaints based on sexual orientation or gender identity harassment into arbitration. That is, if Congress doesn’t step in and override it, and Republicans tend to like to do.

New Hampshire: The state’s top court dismissed a civil rights complaint against a white supremacist group that put up a racist banner on a highway overpass.

Virginia: The state’s Republican attorney-general is pushing new legislation to bar transgender girls from school sports and require all student athletes have medical examines to confirm their gender (!). The legislation is unlikely to advance as Democrats control the legislature this term, although there is an election in the fall.

Michigan: Pete Buttigieg is not responding to rumors he may run for governor when Gretchen Whitmer is termed out in 2026.