“In a democratic country it’s our legal right to protest, assemble and march. And it's their legal duty to protect and enable us to do so. [Citizenship issues] are also queer issues. Hence, we cannot shy away from them.”
~ Saakshi Juneja, co-founder of Gaysi Family, India
From the UN: UNAIDS called on governments to prioritize public investments in health so that the amount people pay to access health care is reduced. When essential health services are inaccessible due to cost, stigma, and discrimination poor people and those on the margins of society suffer the most. Executive Director Winnie Byanyima remarked that the right to health is “eluding the poor” as people are “crushed by the unacceptably high costs”.
The UN Independent Expert on violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal Borloz visited Brazil on the country’s Day of Trans Visibility. Meeting with activists in Rio de Janeiro, he discussed their experiences and he expressed concern over "narratives that attempt to redefine the term 'gender ideology'":
"Those narratives delegitimize the plight of people discriminated on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, and I am concerned about their impact on the violence and discrimination that trans persons suffer in all corners of the world."
HIV, Health, and Wellness: The work of the community based HIV support group Rainbow Sky Association of Thailand (RSAT) was featured by UNAIDS. RSAT runs four clinics and 10 drop-in centres across the country that cater to the HIV treatment and prevention needs of transgender people and gay men and other men who have sex with men in a stigma-free environment. As one man explained:
“Here we found more than an HIV clinic—we found a place we can trust, like a family.”
In the Philippines, a new study published in BMC Public Health found that many trans women and gay men are enthusiastic about the option of HIV self-testing kits which they felt would be more convenient and confidential than clinics where they face stigma. However, those interviewed feared that using a self-test kit would make it more difficult for a person to be referred to HIV services.
A pilot study in Uganda found that gay men and other men who have sex with men can be trained to distribute HIV self-testing kits to other gay men who are not often reached by HIV testing centers. The study was published PLOS One. Uganda’s Ministry of Health announced that more key populations including fishermen, gay men and other men who have sex with men, and sex workers are being reached through peer-delivered self-testing kits.
In Tanzania, this past November the parliament approved amendments to the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control Act to legalize self-testing. The Ministry of Health said that 29,000 kits were distributed in December. The amendment also lowered the age of consent for testing to the age of 15 so that young people can access self testing kits without parental permission.
In the US, the New York City health department is using social media and dating apps to find people eligible to receive free HIV self-testing kits. People who live in New York, are over 18 years old, have had sex with a man and identify as cisgender male, transgender, or intersex are eligible to receive an online code for free tests.
Plus spoke with Bruce Richman, the founder of the Prevention Access Campaign that launched the U=U message (undetectable equals untransmittable) in 2016. Richman described how the movement evolved and how science was used to “change the narrative around our bodies”:
“Before U=U, so many of us never imagined being able to love, to have sex or to conceive children without fear. That fear was present in the most intimate moments of our lives. After U=U, people are having social, sexual, and reproductive lives they never thought would be possible.”
Writing for The Body, activist George Johnson argued that the U=U campaign is “weaponizing status” and creating a hierarchy within the HIV community. Johnson noted that many political, social, cultural, and economic factors can prevent a person from attaining an undetectable viral load. He remarked that U=U is "great as science and as a tool in the toolkit of care—not the entire toolbox".
From Nigeria, the LGBTIQ+ media group NoStringsNG launched a new phone app "Qtalk" to connect Nigerians to psychosocial and legal support.
In the US, the Utah Department of Health destroyed all condom packaging that was part of a controversial HIV awareness campaign that used sex-positive messages while distributing free condoms. The department then “reorganized” its staff and replaced the director of communications. Utah’s Governor Gary Herbert personally demanded that the condoms be removed because of their “crass” and “offensive” messages, as reported by Fox News.
More HIV, Health, and Wellness
From the World of Politics: The Council of Europe passed a resolution protecting freedom of religion in the workplace. LGBTQ activists were pleased that the council rejected a recommendation that would have allowed religious demands to come at the expense of the rights of LGBTQ people and the right of women to access reproductive health. Giulio Ercolessi, President of the European Humanist Federation remarked:
“This is a victory for those who protect and promote the human rights of vulnerable people, including the right of those without a religion not to suffer discrimination as a result of excessive exemptions for religious groups”.
Nepal announced it will count LGBT+ people in the 2021 census. Dhundi Raj Lamichhane, an official at the Central Bureau of Statistics, said this would help planning for social security and other public services. However, activists raised concerns because the census combines sexual orientation and gender identity—asking people to choose from "male", "female", or "other (sexual/gender community)".
Chile’s lower house of parliament approved a bill to strengthen the rights of lesbian couples when they become pregnant. If passed by the upper house, the non-pregnant partner will be eligible for paid leave from work when their partner gives birth.
France’s Senate approved the bioethics bill to allow single women and lesbians access to in-vitro fertilization. It did not add access for transgender people despite calls from several human rights groups.
In Israel, the Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze'ev Elkin signed an agreement with Russia that prevents same-sex couples from adopting Russian children. The chairman of Israel’s Meretz party, Nitzan Horowitz, called the move a “a spit in the face of the LGBT community”.
Denmark’s Minister of Health announced an end to the ban on gay and bisexual men giving blood. The new law, which will come into force in March, will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood after abstaining from sex for four months. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also called for an end to the ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Germany’s Free Democratic Party also put forward a proposal to make it easier for gay, bisexual, and transgender people to give blood. The proposal would reduce the time people must abstain from sex from 1 year to 4 months.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the National Health Service has said it is in severe need for blood donations from men. (The NHS explains that men’s blood is more versatile because it can contain fewer antibodies than women’s blood and is more often used to make life saving products.) LGBT+ activists are urging the government to change the rule which requires gay and bisexual men to remain celibate for three months before giving blood.
Scotland’s is holding public consultations on the proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA). The reforms would make it easier and cheaper for trans people to legally change their gender. A group of activists—including a group named the “LGB Alliance”—are opposing the reforms which they say are “profoundly dangerous to women”. Equalities Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville reiterated that the reforms would in no way impact women’s rights.
Seventy-two LGBT organizations representing health, education, sports, and political causes submitted an open letter to the Scottish government in support of the GRA. They denounced attempts by some to “isolate the trans community from the wider LGBT community”:
“We are resolute and united in support of trans equality and human rights, as we have always been, and today reaffirm our support for trans people and equality. We stand for LGBT equality alongside equality for all other groups – there is no real equality unless it is equality for all.”
The US government has banned from entering the country the Tanzanian official who announced a crackdown on gay people in Dar es Salaam due to "his involvement in gross violations of human rights".
Also from the US, the Human Rights Campaign released its 6th annual State Equality Index, a comprehensive report of state laws and policies that impact LGBTQ people in positive and negative ways. In their analysis 17 states meet their highest level of “Working Toward Innovative Equality”. The report comes as many states have moved forward with anti-LGBTQ legislation and especially legislation that damages the rights and health of transgender children. Gillian Branstetter, a spokesperson for the National Women’s Law Center, condemned the “rank partisanship and political opportunism” that has led to anti-trans laws:
“The crisis that trans youth are facing right now is not a hypothetical. It is real and it is well-documented and it is extremely severe.”
More from the World of Politics
Let the Courts Decide: India’s Supreme Court has accepted a petition from transgender activist Swati Bidhan Baruah who is challenging the government’s new Transgender Persons (Protections of Rights) Act. Baruah argues that the Act violates transpersons’ right to equality, life, and privacy under the constitution. Baruah also notes that the Act’s requirements to legally change gender are contrary to a 2014 ruling by the Supreme Court which said that trans people may self identify their gender.
A Russian woman has asked Russia’s Investigative Committee to open criminal proceedings against her parents and the personnel of psychiatric clinics in Chechnya. The 22-year-old, Aminat Lorsanova, says she was held against her will for 5 months at various clinics where she was tortured in an attempt to make her heterosexual.
In South Korea, the Daegu District Court ruled in favor of a student who was suspended from Handong Global University for holding a lecture on sexual minorities without the school’s permission. The court found the punishment to be “excessive”.
In Croatia, despite a ruling by the Administrative Court that a same-sex couple cannot be rejected as foster parents on the basis of their sexuality, the Social Welfare Center of Zagreb has again rejected the couple’s application. The Center refused to say why they were being rejected. The couple will appeal the decision again. Local support group Rainbow Families (Dugine obitelji) called the ruling “outrageous”:
“The center is acting as if the Administrative Court's judgment does not exist.”
In Greece, ultra-conservative Bishop Amvrosios of Kalavryta is appealing a conviction of abusing his church office and inciting the public to violence against gay people. The bishop, who retired after the conviction, was fined €10,000 and given a suspended seven-month jail sentence.
In South Africa, a lesbian couple has filed a complaint with the Equality Court against Beloftebos, a well-known wedding venue, that refused to rent facilities for the couple’s wedding. This is not the first time Beloftebos has come under fire for rejecting gay couples due to the venue owner’s religious beliefs. University Of Cape Town Professor Pierre De Vos provided a legal analysis to explain why religious freedom does not supersede South Africa’s Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA).
The US Supreme Court announced it will consider two cases that involve an employer’s ability to deny health insurance to employees for procedures they have “moral objections” to. This would allow, for instance, any employer to refuse to carry insurance that covers birth control, reproductive health care, PrEP, and gender transition. Employers could also refuse to extend benefits to a same-sex spouse, as reported by Keen News. The case will be heard later this year.
Also in the US, author Marlon James looked back at the 2003 landmark Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas that decriminalized private same-sex sexual activity between adults. He examined how Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissenting opinion—that legalizing gay sex was a slippery-slope leading to more immoral behavior and that the Court should not take sides in a “culture war”—has continued to shape American politics:
“We (meaning us liberals) like to think that progressive legislation eventually produces progressive change of thought...”
Regarding Religion: The Church of England issued a pastoral guidance on civil partnerships in which it stated that sexual activity should only be between married opposite-sex couples. The guidance was issued to clarify the Church’s position considering the UK’s legalization of same-sex marriage and the extension of civil partnership to opposite-sex couples.
An open letter from Archdeacon Ven Peter Leonard, signed by over 3500 people, stated that the guidance has made the Church a “laughingstock to a nation” and has “broken the trust of those it seeks to serve”. Archbishops Justin Welby and Archbishop of York John Sentamu responded to the controversy by posting an apology for the “division and hurt this has caused”. However, they did not retract the guidance.
In Australia, a group representing 80 Christian Schools in the state of Queensland are fighting legislation that bans conversion therapy. The legislation, proposed in November, would ban conversion therapy but would not prohibit treatments that support people as they explore their identity.
Writing for the New York Times from Nigeria, Nelson C.J. shared his experiences as a queer Christian seeking a place of worship in a country that criminalizes same-sex relations. He reflected that although some “new wave” Nigerian churches do not openly condem LGBTQ people, this silence is not equality:
“Such churches might provide safer spaces for young Nigerians, but they come with limits for young Christians who are queer. And in this way, they are one and the same with the conservative churches from which they try to distinguish themselves. It’s just a more benevolent form of homophobia.”
In the US, the 9th Annual Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS) Powwow will take place this week. A “powwow” is a traditional North American Indian ceremony and conference that brings together members across tribes for discussion, socializing, singing, and dancing. “Two-Spirit” is an umbrella term used by some Native American and First Nations people to describe traditional third-gender and non-binary people. Last year’s powwow had over 5,000 attendees—making it the largest Two-Spirit powwow in the world, according to organizers.
Fear and Loathing: ILGA-Europe published its 10th Annual Review of the situation of LGBTI people in Europe and Central Asia. Based on the input of local LGBTI activists and experts, the review identifies the trends in LGBTI rights across the 49 European countries and five countries of Central Asia. The report found that despite a widespread perception that LGBTI rights have been secured, there has been a sharp increase in physical attacks, online hate-speech, and particularly a rise anti-LGBTI hate speech carried out by public figures across the region. People also continue to be denied services, have obstacles in obtaining healthcare, and experience bullying in schools and the workplace.
In Mauritania, police arrested 10 men after a video was posted on social media showing them at a festive celebration. Prosecutors charged the men with being “homosexual delinquents” who participated in a “ceremony of debauchery”. Although police later determined the men were at a birthday party, the men remain in custody.
In South Korea, the Defense Ministry discharged a soldier who had transitioned from male to female despite recommendations from the Center for Military Human Rights Korea (CMHRK) and the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK). The Ministry stated that she was discharged because undergoing gender transition surgery is considered a mental imbalance. Speaking at a press conference, Staff Sgt. Byun Hee-soo pleaded:
“I want to show that I can protect the nation as an excellent soldier regardless of my gender identity. Please allow me the opportunity.”
From Poland, activist Bart Staszewski is using photography to call attention to the “LGBTI-free zones” that have been declared in 80 municipalities. Cities began declaring themselves “free from LGBTI ideology” last year as the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party encouraged anti-LGBT rhetoric. PiS campaigned on opposing LGBTI rights and denying sexuality education. Although the European Parliament urged Poland to end these so-called “LGBTI-free zones”, the government has not opposed them. Staszewski’s photo series highlight the “real flesh and blood people” being targeted by the government rhetoric:
“They are ordinary people, with ordinary lives but perceived by local government as a threat — maybe after this project, they will look differently at these LGBT-people.”
Winds of Change: From Armenia, New Generation Humanitarian NGO released a film “The Right to a Happy Life” which describes the challenges faced by trans people in the country. Activists have advocated for non-discrimination legislation, gender recognition rights, and access to stigma-free healthcare. While important, they note that “a law is not enough”:
“If people’s attitude doesn’t change towards trans people the law itself will not have power to protect these people’s rights.”
The Times of India spoke with S. Swapna, who in 2013 challenged the government in court to be allowed to take the public service recruitment exam as a female candidate. (Exam scores are required to gain public employment.) Over the years she has successfully passed multiple levels of the exam, raising in the ranks and paving the way for other transgender people:
"Stereotypes will always be there in the society, but we have to punch above our weight to earn a name here. I don’t believe in categorizing genders, if we are the third gender then who is the first gender?"
Writing for The Globe and Mail, Canadian author Heather O’Neill shared a moving tribute to her mother Abraham, an artist who has lived outside the gender binary nearly all of O’Neill’s life.
“There were no words back then to describe the life my mother had chosen to live. I didn’t need any labels to accept my mother and their life choices. There is a simple beauty in the idea of living in a world that doesn’t need labels. I thought of my mother as unique, as every person is, and as someone who was acting in a way that made them feel perfectly themselves.”
On the March: In India, Mumbai police rejected the application to hold the 12th annual Queer Azaadi Mumbai Pride parade. Police banned the parade because they believed it would also protest the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the National Register of Citizens. Organizers were allowed to hold a “solidarity gathering” at a more secluded location. Organizers denied that the march was connected to citizenship protests. However, Saakshi Juneja, co-founder of Gaysi Family, remarked:
“In a democratic country it’s our legal right to protest, assemble and march. And it's their legal duty to protect and enable us to do so. CAA-NRC are also queer issues. Hence, we cannot shy away from them.”
In Zambia, people gathered in Lusaka for the second annual women’s march under the theme “Leave No Woman Behind”. Organizer Ann Holland explained that this year the march was centered on trans women, sex workers, refugee women, and women living with disabilities.
In Myanmar, several thousand people came out for the first night of the 6th annual Yangon Pride festival. Festival organizers launched the “Love is Not a Crime” campaign to bring attention to Myanmar laws that target LGBT people including Article 377 (criminalizing same-sex sexual activity), laws regarding negligently spreading sexual disease, laws on being a public nuisance, and the “Shadow Law” (which forbids “disguises”).
Sports and Culture: At the Sundance Film Festival, a documentary by the Oscar-nominated filmmaker David France has left audiences in “shock, heartbreak, and outrage” with its examination of Chechnya’s anti-gay purges. In “Welcome to Chechnya” France followed crisis coordinators working with The Russian LGBT Network and the Moscow Community Center for LGBTI+ Initiatives as they help people flee from persecution. The film used “deep fake” advanced visual effects—seamlessly replacing faces to disguise people at risk. As journalist Kevin Fallon described:
“The videos are horrific, the kind of atrocities no human should be meant to see. And it’s exactly why everyone must see it.”
US Hall of Fame triathlete Chris Mosier became the first openly transgender man to compete in an Olympic trial. South Africa's first openly gay professional soccer player Phuti Lekoloane is organizing the LGBTI Legacy Games—a new initiative to bring awareness to LGBTI people in sport. And in the UK, ice hockey player of the Manchester Storm Zach Sullivan came out as bisexual, remarking
"I'm not doing this in the hope of any publicity. I've always been a very private guy, but I realize that I have a unique opportunity to do some good."
Finally, check out these images from the New York Museum of Modern Art new series Queer Liberation to Activism. The series showcases underground and arthouse filmmaking from the pre-Stonewall era through gay liberation, the AIDS crisis, and New Queer Cinema.
Top photo by AJ Colores