US: Transgender students and ‘Bathroom Laws’ in South Dakota and beyond

The South Dakota Legislature approved a bill this month that would require public school students to use bathrooms and other facilities that correspond to their biological sex, defined in the bill as “a person’s chromosomes and anatomy as identified at birth.”

Under the measure, schools would need to find other accommodations for transgender students, whose gender identity does not correspond with the biological sex they were born with. If the legislation is signed by Dennis Daugaard, the state’s Republican governor, South Dakota will become the first state to enact such a law, and transgender students, their parents and their supporters criticize it as discriminatory.

On the other side of the debate, some schools say allowing transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice could violate the privacy of other students.  Read more via New York Times

Spirit Awards: 'Tangerine' Star Mya Taylor Makes History as First Transgender Winner

"There's very beautiful transgender talent. So, you better get it out there and put it in your next movie," Taylor joked at the podium.
Mya Taylor made history at the 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday when she became the first transgender actress to ever win at the annual ceremony.

The actress was nominated for best supporting female, beating out Cynthia Nixon (James White), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Anomalisa), Marin Ireland (Glass Chin) and Robin Bartlett (H.) to take home the trophy.

"First of all, no one tells you how nervous you're gonna be when you're up against other big actors for an award. There are so many things that go through your head, like 'Am I gonna trip on this long-ass dress getting up here?'" she joked at the podium upon accepting her award. "I have had a long journey through my 2015 because I had come from almost nothing and then got this role and this movie, and my life just did a total 360." Read more via Hollywood Reporter

Critics praise new Indian movie inspired by gay professor who was fired, filmed having sex

Based on the true story of a 64-year-old professor who was suspended after a TV crew reportedly from a local station forced their way into his house and filmed him having sex with another man, Aligarh opened in theaters in India this week to rave reviews by local critics.

Professor Ramachandra Siras, who was head of the Department of Modern Indian Languages at Aligarh Muslim University, a prestigious arts institute in Uttar Pradesh, was expelled from the school for ‘gross misconduct‘ in 2010.

He was found dead in his campus apartment two months later. Police suspected suicide. Many saw his death as yet another case which highlighted the struggles of homosexuals in India. Read more via Gay Star News

Russia: This gay assault victim has the best response for those who thinks he should stay closeted

A gay Russian man was brutally attacked outside a grocery store for looking like a ‘fag’.  Posting the images of his injuries on social media, many told him if he dyed his hair a normal color and he should keep closeted for his own safety. He doesn’t agree. 

‘According to some, I need to stop talking about gay rights and to accept the reality that in Syzran and Russia that all gays will never be accepted as the norm,’ he wrote on his VK page. ‘Live as yourself behind closed doors with a boyfriend, and everything will be alright. If I wasn’t “searching for trouble”, my life would be a fairy tale. That “happily ever after” is a lie. If you submit to homophobes, if you submit to the closet, you’re not living your best possible life. While I might have a broken face, you have a broken life.' Read more via Gay Star News

Japan: City of Nara targets LGBT economy

The city of Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, will target LGBT tourists from Japan and abroad. Plans include earmarking ¥2.08 million in the budget for the next fiscal year to inform hoteliers and innkeepers and other businesses about LGBT culture and how to make same-sex couples feel welcome, the city said.

In addition, Nara has said it will join the Florida-based International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. It will be the first Japanese municipality to become a member. The budgeted funds will be used for seminars for area businesses interested in attracting more LGBT customers, and the city will seek advice from the association on specific tips for improving service, especially for LGBT couples from overseas.

Kyoto has recently made more efforts to cater to LGBT couples, with both the Hotel Granvia and Kyoto’s Shunkoin Temple now offering same-sex wedding ceremonies. Read more via Japan Times 

Indonesia's Defence Minister threatens 'warfare' against gay community

Indonesia's gay community has come under attack, with the country's Defence Minister labelling the community a "threat" and likening fighting it to "a kind of modern warfare". Ministers and religious leaders have denounced homosexuality, blocked lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) websites and emboldened hardliners launching anti-gay raids.

When a minister criticised counselling services for gay students at a university last month, it triggered a heated media debate and was the start of what activists say has been a sustained assault on gay rights.   Read more via ABC
 

Italy: Senate passes watered-down bill recognising same-sex civil unions

Italy has taken a step towards joining every other major country in western Europe with the passage of a landmark civil unions bill in the senate that will give legal recognition to same-sex couples for the first time in Italian history.

The bill overcame staunch opposition from the Roman Catholic church and last-minute political manoeuvring by opponents of the Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, that nearly derailed the legislation. 

While it was the first significant win for gay rights following years of failed attempts, Thursday’s developments were nevertheless greeted as a hollow victory by many LGBT activists because the bill was watered down days before its passage.  Read more via the Guardian

Australia: Safe Schools Coalition: what is the Christian Right afraid of?

At the instigation of conservative Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has requested an investigation into the Safe Schools Coalition. In doing so, Turnbull has given voice to, and legitimised, discredited and prejudiced views that inclusive sexuality education will turn kids gay.

Safe Schools is a world-leading, evidence-based program to make schools safe environments for same-sex-attracted, intersex and gender-diverse students, staff and families. 

Sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and intersex status are protected grounds in international human rights legislation on education. They are also protected in Australian national legislation. Australia’s work opposing homophobia and transphobia in schools is internationally celebrated, and featured in UNESCO best-practice documentation. This begs the question: on what grounds should we be investigating this program? 

Read more via the Conversation

Croatia: European Court issues fine for violating human rights of same-sex couples

The European Court of Human Rights, ECHR, fined Croatia for discriminating against same-sex couples by not granting residence permits to couples in which one partner comes from abroad. The case was brought by Bosnian national Danka Pajic who claimed the Croatian authorities breach her right to a family and a private life by not granting her a residence permit in 2011 on the basis of her union with her female Croatian partner.

The court ruled that Pajic was entitled to the same treatment as other foreigners have in marriages or non-marital partnerships and issued a 10,000 euro fine and another 5,690 euro in court fees, which Croatia must also pay Pajic. Read more via Balkan Insight

Israel: Knesset scraps bills for LGBT community

A day after marking its first ever LGBT rights day, the Knesset shot down six bills aimed at improving the gay community's status. Several opposition members joined the coalition in voting against the bills.

Two coalition MKs purporting to advance gay rights lent a hand to thwarting the bills. MK Amir Ohana (Likud), the first openly gay right-wing lawmaker, left the plenum without voting, while MK Sharren Haskel (Likud), head of the LGBT Knesset caucus, voted against the bills. The bills, proposed by opposition members only, addressed a variety of gay issues and needs. 

Ohana said he has fought prejudices against gay people all his life and intends to continue doing so in the future. Nonetheless, he refrained from supporting the bills for gay rights "because the result wouldn't have been any different. None of the proposals fell because it was one vote short." Read More via Haaretz