In her statement, Special Envoy for Children and Women, Kim Simplis Barrow warned against bullying and the loss of basic human rights from the LGBT community. Watch here
On the state of LGBTI Commonwealth citizens
Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma statement: LGBTI Commonwealth citizens remain victims of stigma and discrimination in many of our communities. Appalling persecution and violence are suffered merely because of innate sexual orientation and gender identity. Such abuse is unacceptable: it robs millions of our fellow citizens of the right to live lives of dignity, undermining their mental and physical health, and sense of well-being. Read More
France: Top anti-gay hate group becomes a political party
Manif Pour Tous, a group that came to fame protesting same-sex marriage in France, is becoming a political party. But the group says it doesn’t want to win elections. Instead, they admit that their new status will mean they benefit from tax breaks and donors will be able to make tax-deductible gifts. Manif Pour Tous willcontinue to lobby in the political sphere and will make voting recommendations.
The National Assembly of France passed marriage equality rights in 2013. Read More
Turkey: MP Candidates, Will you defend LGBTI rights in the Parliament?
As the parliamentary elections in Turkey approach, The Istanbul-based LGBTI advocacy group, Social Policies, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Studies Association (SPoD) has called on candidates, political parties, and party leaders to work towards the active inclusion of LGBTIs in decision- and policy-making mechanisms. SPoD has prepared an “LGBTI Rights Pledge,” and circulated it to be signed by all parliamentary candidates. See the pledge here. Read More
UK: Cameron, Clegg, and Miliband on tackling homophobia in Uganda
With only 16 days to go until the General Election, we grilled – not literally, or there’d be no election – the leaders of the three major UK parties: Current Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Lib Dem chief and Deputy PM Nick Clegg faced your questions surrounding key LGBT issues.
Today’s issue is homophobic discrimination in the Commonwealth countries. We asked all three leaders: What would your government do to put pressure on the likes of Uganda and other Commonwealth countries to show anti-gay discrimination won’t be tolerated? Read More
Malawi: New marriage law further criminalizes LGBT relationships and identities, group says
A new law in Malawi that raises the minimum age for marriage from 16 to 18 is great for women and girls, but terrible for the country’s LGBT community. The law defines all marriages, unions and cohabitation arrangements as being between a man and a woman -- and excludes LGBT people from legal protections.
India: Rajya Sabha passes Bill to promote transgender rights
After 45 years, the Rajya Sabha unanimously passed a private member's Bill which aims to protect the rights of transgender persons and end discrimination against them through a national commission and special courts while seeking reservation in education and jobs.
The Bill moved by DMK member Tiruchi Siva provides for setting up of welfare boards at the Central and state levels, separate courts, two per cent reservation in government jobs and prohibits discrimination in employment besides pensions and unemployment allowances for transgender persons. Though statistics say there are around 4.5 lakh (450,000) such persons in India, NGOs working in the segment claim the numbers to be around 20-25 lakh (2-2.5 million), who face discrimination, said Siva.
The Supreme Court in its landmark judgment on April 15, 2014, while granting legal recognition to transgenders, had held that equality and non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression was increasing and gaining acceptance in international law, and should be applied in India as well. Read More
US: In depth, How the religious right is conspiring to put discrimination back into law.
In 1983, in Oregon, two men were fired from their jobs as substance abuse counselors after they were discovered to be taking peyote. The drug counselors applied for unemployment benefits, but the state rejected their claim, citing work-related misconduct as taking peyote is illegal in Oregon. But the men were both members of the Native American Church, where peyote is used in religious ceremony, and the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed the decision, stating that to deny the men unemployment benefits based on the religious use of a controlled substance violated the men’s First Amendment right to free expression of religion.
Oregon appealed, and the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court twice. The final 5-4 decision, in 1990, ruled in favor of the state and against religion. Simply put, the court said, if people are allowed to pull the God card when they break a law, absolute anarchy awaits everyone. “To permit this would be to make the professed doctrines of religious belief superior to the law of the land, and in effect to permit every citizen to become a law unto himself,” the decision read.
It’s difficult to imagine Justice Scalia would have felt the same had the case involved something like underage Catholics drinking wine at communion rather than Native Americans using peyote. The Smith decision was widely decried as a devastating blow to First Amendment rights and jolted all sides of the political spectrum into action. As a response, in 1993, New York Democratic congressman Chuck Schumer introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Read More
Malta: Surgery and Sterilization Scrapped in Progressive Gender Identity Law
Chile: President signs civil unions bill
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Monday signed a bill into law that will allow gays and lesbians in the South American country to enter into civil unions.
“Today is a historic day for sexual diversity,” said Rolando Jiménez, director of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, in a press release. “The state for the first time recognizes that there is not just one way to make a family. From today the state protects family diversity and takes responsibility for historic injustices based upon prejudices and taboos that never should have existed.” Read More
Ireland: Senators Approve Same-Sex Adoption Bill
After nearly a week discussing the Children and Family Relationship Bill – which was subject to over 120 amendments, the Seanad in the Republic of Ireland approved the bill. The bill – which passed the lower house earlier last month – follows up on a promise to extend adoption rights to same-sex partners and co-habiting couples, ahead of the country’s referendum on same-sex marriage on May 22.
The bill received a standing ovation when it passed – and given the controversy surrounding the country’s same-sex marriage referendum, cleared the Seanad remarkably without incident. Read More
Bahamas: ‘We Must Co-Exist With Global Views On Homosexuality’
Prime Minister Perry Christie said leaders of conservative countries must consider how their nations could “co-exist in a world” where global attitudes towards social issues like homosexuality are shifting.
Mr Christie said that while governments must not seek to change the conservative ideas of its people, they must consider how to react to changing global social realities.
"How do we coexist in a world where the vice-president of the United States has said culture of countries do not trump human rights? Human rights are then elevated to the highest levels. And therefore you see the traditional norms of the world being changed and the levels of what was phobia are being rejected and are now becoming norms. Countries like the Bahamas have to look very carefully at it, not to change it, but how do you go about accepting it?” Read More