“We teachers must talk about propaganda, manipulation, contempt, hate, hate speech, and all such threats.”
~ Polish teacher Robert Kasiak urging educators to teach their students to see through propaganda and hate speech from politicians and the media.
From the UN: The 50th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) began this week in Switzerland bringing together UN experts, government officials, and leaders from business, civil society, culture, and the arts. Previous WEFs led to the development of the UN Standards of Conduct for Business Tackling Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, & Intersex People (UN Standards) and the launch of OHCHR's “Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality”.
This year will feature two LGBTI panels, a presentation from Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s gay prime minister, and an award to openly transgender artist Jin Xing, for her leadership in shaping inclusive cultural norms in China. Although WEF has brought attention to LGBTI economic issues, Reuters editor Rob Cox argues that more needs to be done:
"At some point, it will become too difficult to balance the desires of the more liberal corporate constituents who ultimately finance the forum without offending, or openly confronting, the leaders of nations whose policies violate the rights of millions."
The UNDP released its 2019 Human Development Report—“Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: inequalities in human development in the 21st Century”. The report examines how “a new generation of inequalities is opening up, around education, and around technology and climate change—two seismic shifts that, unchecked, could trigger a ‘new great divergence’ in society of the kind not seen since the Industrial Revolution”.
The report also recognizes the unique challenges LGBTI people face that lead to social exclusion. In particular it examined the role of restrictive legal frameworks including criminalization, discrimination and violence based on a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, and the lack of effective public policies to reduce stigma and counter the effects of exclusion from society.
HIV, Health, and Wellness: From the UK, Public Health England reported there was a 71% decline in new HIV infections among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men between 2014 to 2018. The report suggests that the decline is a result of scaled-up prevention efforts including access to PrEP and increased HIV testing. They also point to treatment-as-prevention, meaning that people who test positive are quickly started on medicine making them unlikely to pass on the virus. The Terrence Higgins Trust sexual health charity welcomed the report but warned that there have been slight increases in HIV among gay and bisexual south Asian men. Phil Samba, of advocacy group Prepster, called on the government to commit to making PrEP freely available:
“Unnecessary HIV infections are happening because of foot-dragging by politicians”.
In a new article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, several researchers question the claim by drug manufacturer Gilead that the new PrEP drug Descovy is safer than Truvada. Their biggest concern is that Descovy has only shown to be effective in gay and bisexual men and some trans women. They also consider the difference in safety to be negligible. Both drugs are made by Gilead.
A new article published in the Lancet argues that to reach the UNAIDS commitment to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 more attention must be paid to HIV-related stigma and discrimination in the Middle East and North Africa. The article reviews the latest research which shows that the interplay between religion, culture, and geopolitics continues to have a significant impact on HIV in this region.
From Japan, journalist Yusuke Ogawa looked at how HIV patients continue to face discrimination in the national hospitals. One person making a difference has been openly gay social worker Gaku Okamoto. His reputation for stigma-free care has become so wide known that “when in trouble, visit Gaku-chan” is a common sentiment among HIV-positive people in Osaka.
In South Africa, new innovative tools are being used to encourage young people living with HIV to access treatment. New youth-friendly clinics that have nonjudgmental staff and operate during the hours that fit young people’s schedule are being rolled out across vulnerable districts nationwide. The ministry of health also plans to expand a “youth club” initiative that helps young people stay on treatment while also providing medical care and family planning.
In Scotland, James Bushe became the first person living with HIV to obtain a commercial pilot's license and fly a commercial flight. Bushe had been barred from flying commercially by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and its European regulator the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The CAA and EASA rules allow already licensed people with HIV to fly with a co-pilot, however they do not allow HIV-positive people to obtain a license. After nearly a year of campaigning by HIV Scotland and pressure from Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon, the CAA overturned the rule. Two years of intense training later, Bushe took his first flight. He urged others with HIV not to give up on their dreams:
“I just wanted to be able to deliver a message to anyone else living with HIV who has been been discriminated against, who faces barriers to employment or who wants to be a pilot, to say to them that it absolutely is possible.”
Brazil’s Federal Council of Medicine changed regulations for transgender young people seeking gender transition health care. Young people aged 16 years and up are now eligible for hormone therapy and those aged 18 and up can access gender reassignment surgery.
More HIV, Health, and Wellness
From the World of Politics: Bhutan’s National Council (Upper House of Parliament) is expected to vote on a Penal Code Amendment that includes decriminalizing same-sex sexual relations. The National Assembly passed a first draft of the amendment last summer. Activists are urging the Council to move forward with the change.
In France, a Senate committee accepted the Bioethics Bill passed last year by the Lower House that would allow lesbian and single women to access medically assisted reproduction. The committee refused an amendment that would enable couples who use surrogacy outside of France to easily bring their child into the country (surrogacy is not legal within France). Eleven human rights groups have signed a joint statement urging the government to extend rights to transgender people. The text will be debated this month before a vote is held by the full Senate.
In the US, the Washington Post and others have reported that the Trump administration has continued to propose changes to government regulations on the basis of “religious freedom”. The latest proposed rules would allow individuals and groups that work with Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, Labor, Agriculture, Education, Justice, Homeland Security, and International Development to refuse to work with people or provide services that they feel go against their religious beliefs. The proposed rules also remove a requirement that religiously affiliated groups provide people with information on alternative providers who would be willing to help them. Heather Weaver of the ACLU noted:
“We will keep saying this as long as we have to: Religious freedom is a fundamental right, but it does not confer a license to discriminate. Government-funded programs, including those operated by faith-based organizations, should not be able to discriminate against vulnerable people seeking help.”
Also in the US, the new “Commission on Unalienable Rights”, created to review “the role of human rights” in US policy, held its fourth meeting. Many LGBT activists have opposed the Commission and fear that it will “downgrade” international human rights protections by labeling some issues, such as sexual and reproductive rights, as “new”. During the latest meeting, executive of the Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth presented evidence that these rights are not new or special.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent the Cabinet Ministers his priority initiatives for the government. Included as a top priority is a desire to amend the Criminal Code to ban conversion therapy. Other priorities include ending the ban on blood donations by gay men, promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and two-spirit people’s rights, and creating a government action plan for LGBTQ2 issues. Missing from the agenda is mention of international LGBTI concerns. Considering Canada is a founding member and previous co-chair of the intergovernmental Equal Rights Coalition, Professor Stephen Brown of the University of Ottawa, questioned what this absence means and how it will impact the global community.
More from the World of Politics
The Politics of Union: The Philippines Supreme Court has refused to hear arguments on a marriage equality case. This is the second time the case has been rejected. The court noted that “no substantial arguments” were presented and that it will not consider the case again.
In Chile, the Senate took another step forward towards marriage equality. It agreed to review the marriage law this year. Former president Michelle Bachelet introduced language on marriage equality in 2017; however, legislators failed to move forward with the bill. If the bill is approved by the Senate, it will move to the Chamber of Deputies.
From Bermuda, The Royal Gazette reported that the government failed to file the appropriate documents to move forward with its appeal against marriage equality. Gay Bermudans first won the right to marry through a Supreme Court ruling in 2017. The government quickly revoked that right and replaced it with the Domestic Partnerships Act. In 2018, the Supreme Court responded that a same-sex marriage ban was unlawful. The Bermudan government appealed the ruling to the UK’s Judicial Committee of the Privy Council which overseas British territories and the Commonwealth. Although the UK Foreign Affairs Committee previously called on all British Overseas Territories to legalize same-sex marriage, the UK has not forced territories to accept marriage equality. A ruling by the Privy Council could set an important precedent if the case moves forward.
Writing on Kenya, Denis Nzioka and Abongo Ambrose Ochuka shared the history of the cultural practice of woman to woman customary marriages. In these marriages, a childless woman is able to become a parent to her wife’s children who then become the childless woman’s heirs. Ochuka’s research examined how Kenyan law is applied to woman-woman marriages and how Kenyan courts have upheld them.
More from the Politics of Union
Let the Courts Decide: The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Lithuania discriminated against a gay couple and violated their right to private and family life when officials refused to investigate violent threats posted about the couple online. The incident started after the couple posted a photo on Facebook in which they were kissing. The post generated hundreds of comments including many that were threatening and homophobic. The court ruled that under the European Convention on Human Rights officials were obligated to investigate but did not do so because of “discriminatory state of mind”. In their analysis, ILGA-Europe noted that through this ruling the court has “reaffirmed the right of individuals to openly identify themselves” as LGBT.
In Canada, the Appeal Court of British Columbia upheld a ruling which found that a teenager can access gender transition treatment without his father’s consent. Although the teen has his mother’s support, his father had fought to halt treatment. The judge agreed that the teen was protected by the Infants Act which gives minors the ability to make informed medical decisions without parental consent. However, the judge overturned a previous ruling that restrained the father from misgendering the teen.
In the UK, a case has been submitted asking the High Court in London to change the National Health Service guidelines for transgender youth. The case proposes that doctors should not provide puberty blockers for youth without direction from the court. (Puberty blockers are drugs that temporarily suppress the release of hormones allowing a young person more time to consider their options.) The NHS permits children aged 12 and above to access these drugs. Young people under the age of 16 in the UK are able to give consent to medical treatment if they are considered fully aware of the risks. Speaking with the BMJ, leading healthcare lawyer David Lock noted:
“The proposition that there is a category of cases where the court must act as a decision maker was firmly rejected for end of life cases, and if it’s rejected for end of life cases I can’t see how the court is going to invent a new category of cases where the court has to be the decision maker.”
Meanwhile, in the US, legislators in South Dakota and Florida introduced bills that would make it a felony for medical professionals to provide transition related healthcare to minors including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or “gender related surgeries”. Similar bills have been introduced in Texas, Georgia, and Kentucky. The ACLU promised to fight the bills in court if passed. Libby Skarkin of the ACLU noted:
“(Transgender) kids and families should be given the opportunity to thrive in South Dakota. This legislation only stands to harm them and make their lives harder.”
A US Court of Appeals upheld a temporary ruling stopping people from being discharged from the military when they are diagnosed with HIV. The government had argued that risk of HIV treatment and prevention is too difficult on the battlefield. Judges asked why HIV should be different than treating other chronic conditions under current science. The US currently prohibits people already diagnosed with HIV from joining the military.
Fear and Loathing: A UK court sentenced serial rapist Reynhard Sinaga to 30 years in prison after he was convicted of drugging and assaulting at least 195 men. UK activists say the horrific case shows the government urgently needs a national strategy towards “ending intimate violence against men and boys” that would work in parallel with the current strategy to end violence against women and girls.
The UK case sent shock waves through Indonesia—Sinaga’s home country. Mayor Mohammad Idris of Depok city has called for more raids and has requested the Health Agency, Social Affairs Agency, and Child Protection and Family Empowerment Agency increase efforts to prevent the “spread of LGBT”. Indonesia’s National Commission on Human Rights reacted swiftly and condemned the mayor’s request. They warned that these raids “increase the risk of persecution and other law-defying acts”.
Across social media some Indonesians are using the case as “evidence” that LGBT people are “evil” and “need to be cured”. Stacey Nikolay, of the local LGBT advocacy group Arus Pelangi, warned that this will increase the stigma against the community and urged the government to convey a clear message that sexual offenders could be anyone regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or faith.
Nigeria's religious police force (the Hisbah Corps) confirmed to Punch Nigeria that 15 recent university graduates were arrested during a raid of a private graduation party. The "errant students" were arrested on suspicion of being gay. Deputy Commander-General Shehu Is’haq announced that they have been transferred to a "correctional centre":
“While at our correctional centre, they will be re-oriented and, at the close of the day, they will desist from their waywardness and turn a new leaf.”
Meanwhile, a new global analysis by the Ireland-based group Front Line Defenders (FLD) found that over 300 human rights defenders working on the environment, free speech, indigenous lands, and LGBTQ issues were killed across 31 countries last year. The analysis presents case studies and details physical assaults, smear campaigns, interrogations, raids, and sexual violence reported to FLD.
South Africans mourned the loss of another LGBTIQ activist—Nare Mphela who was found murdered in her home. In 2017 Mphela won a landmark ruling by the Equality Court which ruled that she had been the victim of ongoing discrimination and abuse at her school due to her gender identity. The court ordered the Limpopo Department of Education to pay Mphela R60,000 ($4,000) for failing to intervene.
From Tunisia, Reuters reported that the openly gay former presidential candidate Mounir Baatour was forced to seek asylum in France after “very serious” death threats. Baatour, who is the head of Tunisia’s LGBT rights group Shams, promised to continue to fight for the community from abroad.
From the US, author John Gallagher examined the actions of anti-abortion extremists and found that many of the same people who violently attacked women’s health clinics also had records of anti-LGBTQ hate speech and violence. He urged the LGBTQ community to recognize that “extremists are equal-opportunity haters”:
“For extremists of all stripes, hatred of abortion and LGBTQ people are of a piece with the same philosophy – both are signs of disruption of traditional sexual roles. If you believe that men (white Christian men, especially) are the lynchpin of society, letting women control their own bodies or having people who don’t conform with an old-fashioned heterosexual model is a real threat.”
Winds of Change: Writing about Cuba, journalist Jonathan Bertucchi explored the dichotomy between the country’s increasingly progressive legislation for LGBTQ rights while LGBTQ people continue to face daily stigma and discrimination.
In Turkey, transgender community members announced the formation of the Trans Istanbul Initiative—a group to empower the community through seminars, trainings, workshops, and culture events.
In India, the LGBTQIA+ group Srishti Madurai hosted the first national conference on Intersex Human Rights. The event brought together activists, families, and experts in law, medicine, and government. Participants issued a call for a ban on unnecessary medical surgeries conducted on children with intersex traits. Activist Gopi Shankar remarked:
“Intersex people are like refugees. While refugees have no right over land, intersex people have no right over their body. Surgeries are done when they are infants. Others take the decision.”
In the US, California lawmakers rejected a ban on medically unnecessary treatments for intersex infants and children under 6 years old. Bans have been recently considered and rejected in Nevada, Texas, Iowa, Connecticut, and Indiana. New York is expected to consider a bill this year. Only Portugal and Malta have instituted nationwide bans on the practice.
In Ireland, the group Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin held a rally to oppose changes to the Gender Recognition Act. Last November the Irish government announced it would not implement recommendations to simplify legal gender recognition for people under 16-years-old nor would it recognize non-binary people’s gender identity. Organizers remarked:
“Gender isn’t binary, sex isn’t binary and our legal documents should show that. There is nothing complex about our lives, our identities. We must fight for the rights of the trans people and intersex people that were left behind in 2015. We must fight for our rights just like we fought for Repeal and Marriage Equality. Self determination is a human right!”
Check out the videos from South African social media personality Babalwa Mtshawu. Through her YouTube channel she shares stories about travel, romance, life, and the challenges of being a female-presenting intersex person.
School Days: Writing for Oko Press in Poland, teacher Robert Kasiak explained how his students are influenced by political propaganda and state-funded media that negatively portrays LGBT people. (Over the last 4 years, Poland's public media has come under control of the ruling party and many have accused it of routinely invoking "fake news" to spread party politics—as reported by the New York Times.) Although Kasiak is “terrified” by how easily students repeat “imaginary threats”, he argued that the core curriculum requires that educators teach students how to see through it:
“We teachers must talk about propaganda, manipulation, contempt, hate, hate speech, and all such threats.”
In Israel, several municipalities held tolerance classes after the Minister of Education Rafael Peretz made comments suggesting that being gay is unnatural. The National Student Council organized an assembly which turned into a rally of 3,000 students and teachers who protested in Tel Aviv against the Minister. As one twelfth-grader remarked:
"These are basic human values, every person has the right to live in his own way - and the person who stands at the top of our education system should reflect these values.”
From Taiwan, China, feminist scholar and “godmother of the Taiwanese queer movement” Professor Josephine Ho spoke to Times Higher Education about the slowly growing field of gender and sexuality studies across Asia. She emphasized that although scholars are sometimes inspired by those in the West, Queer Studies—or “Kuer studies” (which translates roughly as “cool kids”) have taken on a life of their own.
From Xupu, China, Allison Chen wrote about the lack of formal sexual health education across the country. Although urban schools may offer access to pop-up sex-ed workshops or unofficial sex education curriculums, rural schools may not receive anything. Despite nearly a decade of testing in selected classrooms, a series of sex education textbooks created by Beijing Normal University have been slow to spread.
In Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), one young woman, Nomcebo Mkhaliphi is leading the charge to bring education about menstruation to girls and boys. Mkhaliphi gives talks at schools and community centers to reduce stigma associated with bleeding and to end the taboo of talking about sexual reproductive health. She also brings girls donated sanitary products. Member of Parliament Mduduzi Dlamini recognized the need for this work. He has promised to push the parliament to provide for free sanitary products.
Brazil’s government has been pushing towards a new abstinence-only sex education curriculum. It announced “Eu Escolhi Esperar” (I choose to wait) programs as a “new vision” to fight teenage pregnancy. Meanwhile, the health ministry will publish new censored health education booklets as reported by the Guardian.
In the US, activists are hoping that the alarming rates of sexually transmitted infections including chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea will encourage legislatures to improve sexuality education. Across the country the quality of sex education differs drastically because state laws dictate what educators can teach. For example, 29 states require teachers stress abstinence, 19 states require that instruction emphasizes only sex within marriage, and 7 states require that only negative information about homosexuality is presented (if presented at all). The group SIECUS: Sex Ed for Social Change is working with advocacy groups to update education at a local level.
Also from the US, an investigation by the New York Times explored how textbooks are influenced by partisan politics. Across the country textbooks from the same publisher are printed differently after local legislatures approve, add, and delete text. As an example, they looked at Texas and California versions of one history book and compared references to race, immigration, sexuality, gender, and wealth inequality.
Sports and Culture: As Qatar prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, many LGBTQ fans fear that it will be too dangerous to attend because of the country’s laws that criminalize homosexuality. FIFA’s World Cup Qatar 2022 Chief Executive Nasser al-Khater proclaimed that any fan would be welcome, though he warned that “public displays of affection are frowned upon”. Writing for OutSports, Ken Schultz explained why those assurances aren’t good enough.
In Argentina, soccer player Mara Gomez became the first trans woman to sign with a major football club. She will play with Villa San Carlos of the Primera Division A league.
Writing for NoStringsNG, Mike Daemon featured seven Nigerian celebrities who have spoken out in support of LGBTIQ+ equality and have urged the public to reject stereotypes and myths about being gay. Actress Ashionye Michelle Raccah urged people to see that being gay “is not something to be afraid of”:
“It’s high time we began to accept every human being irrespective of their sexuality. I’m a human being whether I am straight or gay. It’s high time we began to realize that we are basically just one and we shouldn’t judge.”
Irish film director Paul Rice talked to Queerty about making his new documentary “A Worm in the Heart” that explores the lives of LGBTQ Russians. Rice and his boyfriend spent several weeks undercover in Russia visiting with local activists and organizations in secret so as not to be arrested for violating Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law.
The Advocate selected the “30 best LGBTQ films of the decade” with gems from the US, the UK, Korea, Iran, South Africa, France, Spain, Kenya, and Chile. The selected films were praised for sometimes changing the world politically, but always changing how LGBTQ people see themselves reflected in culture. Check out their trailers!
top image by Heather Mount