Guyana: Social Protection Minister calls for LGBT inclusion

While acknowledging that LGBT people are not accorded equal rights in the work environment, Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence last week called for their inclusion in the promotion of gender equality.

“Yes, if we intend to promote gender equality, we cannot pretend that this group is non-existent. In our workplaces, in our institutions, we have to embrace these individuals and use their potential and skills for the benefit of economic, social and political progress. We must accord them the same process of inclusion, recognition and upward mobility irrespective of their sexual orientation and gender identity,” Lawrence said at a Women’s Empowerment Cocktail and Reception, at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Georgetown.

The event was organised to celebrate marginalised women and was hosted by the British High Commission, Georgetown, in collaboration with Red Thread, Guyanese Women Roundtable, Guyana Trans United and the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination.  Read more via Stabroek News 

Vatican to replace diplomat who set up Kim Davis meeting

The Vatican is replacing its controversial ambassador to the U.S., who arranged the meeting between Pope Francis and antigay Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis last fall.

Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò will leave the position of apostolic nuncio, the equivalent of an ambassador. Viganò has “often more outspoken in his antagonism to same-sex marriage than others in the church,” the Post reports. The Roman Catholic Church remains adamantly opposed to such unions, but Pope Francis has said clergy members needn’t discuss the issue constantly. 

During the pope’s visit to the U.S. last year, Viganò arranged for him to meet with Davis, the Rowan County clerk, who shut down all marriage operations in her office to avoid serving same-sex couples after the Supreme Court’s marriage equality ruling. After the meeting with Davis, observers wondered if Viganò kept the pope “in the dark” about her situation or just didn’t realize “the off-message media storm that a meeting with Ms. Davis would provoke,” The New York Times reported last fall. Read more via Advocate 

Four LGBT-affirming Islamic teachings

There are many LGBT Muslims and many LGBT persons who embrace Islam as their faith. They address the prohibitive Islamic texts on homosexuality in their diverse ways. LGBT Muslims can draw much spiritual comfort from their faith while gently setting aside norms that do not speak to their authentic selves, for Islam is much more than the story of Lot's people.

Spiritual well being and inner peace are crucially important for gay men to help address low self esteem due to internalized racism and body image issues. This poor self worth also translates to gay men judging their peers very harshly. Indeed, some LGBT spaces that were supposed to honour diversity become breeding grounds for self-contempt and hatred.

However, LGBT Muslims can draw upon several Islamic teachings to effectively address the myriad of problems they face in LGBT subcultures. In doing so they can affirm the worth of human beings irrespective of their race, body shape and mannerism.  Read more via Huffington Post

Scotland is training a small army of LGBT-friendly police officers to stamp out hate crime

Scotland’s police force has ramped up its commitment to tacking anti-LGBT hate crime. LGBTI charity the Equality Network is collaborating with Police Scotland to deliver a training programme for police at locations around the country – aimed at helping police support victims of hate crime, and increasing public confidence in police.

The more than 60 new LGBT Liaison Officers are intended to be the hub of a network across Scotland, that is accessible to the local LGBT and intersex communities. Superintendent Jim Baird of Police Scotland’s Safer Communities Department said: “Tackling hate crime is a priority for Police Scotland. We are delighted to have worked with the Equality Network. 

"Research and studies show hate crime against the LGBTI community is often under reported. We hope that these specially trained officers will encourage more LGBTI people to come forward with the confidence in Police Scotland to help reverse this trend.” Read more via PinkNews

Australia: Plebiscite could cost economy $525 million

A standalone plebiscite with a compulsory vote on marriage equality could cost the Australian economy $525 million according to modelling released by PwC Australia today.

The modelling estimates that a standalone plebiscite - not on the same day as a federal election - will cost the taxpayer $158 million to facilitate, $66 million for the community to fund the “for” and “against” campaigns, $281 million in lost productivity as people take time out to vote, and at least $20 million in costs associated with the impact on the mental health and wellbeing of Australian citizens.

“The real costs to government, the economy and members of the community to hold a standalone plebiscite are more than three times higher than the numbers commonly quoted,” PwC Australia CEO Luke Sayers said.  “Total economic costs have not been considered before and should be part of the debate on the best way to achieve a resolution to this issue.” 

Read more via PWC
 

US: White House appoints first transgender person as primary LGBT Liaison

President Barack Obama has appointed Raffi Freedman-Gurspan as the White House’s primary LGBT liaison, making her the first transgender person in the role. 

“Raffi is a great choice,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “President Obama has said he wants his administration to look like America, and they have moved to include trans Americans. Raffi’s skills and personality make her the exact right person for this important job.”

Freedman-Gurspan became the first transgender staffer appointed to the White House in 2015, working as the outreach and recruitment director in the presidential personnel office. In her new role — as the Outreach & Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel and Associate Director for Public Engagement — Freedman-Gurspan becomes the White House’s lead point of contact for LGBT groups on all issues. Read more via Buzzfeed

US: One openly gay player in NCAA men's basketball tournament

The final NCAA men's basketball tournament matchup CBS announced Sunday night made history.

CBS' Greg Gumbel revealed Seton Hall as a sixth seed, and immediately, Derrick Gordon stood up with hundreds of fans behind him at Walsh Gym and yelled into his phone: "We are going to the tournament. We are going to the tournament." 

When the Pirates (25-8) face 11th-seeded Gonzaga (26-7) at 9:57 p.m. ET on Thursday, Gordon will become the first athlete who has announced publicly he is gay to play in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The game will be broadcast on truTV, and the announcers will be Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, and Jamie Erdahl. The game is at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Read more via OutSports

India: Op-ed, They dare to hate this minority

How is it that a religious objection to freeing India’s LGBT community can pass muster in a democracy? There is a self-contradiction involved in religious bodies objecting to the admission of a curative petition against Section 377. Religious organisations function freely because the Constitution protects the citizen’s right to both freedom of expression and free speech.

Among these is the right to not only adopt the faith of one’s choice but also to propagate it. By denying sexual choice to the LGBT community the ACA and MPLB undermine the source of their own freedoms, the Constitution. Of course, it is not for the first time that we have witnessed the expression of intolerance by purohits, mullahs and padres. Usually they suppress women. This time they have united in their fear of sexual freedom and hatred of the other that dares to pursue it. The more important question is, how it is that we have come to tolerate such intolerance?

The origins of this inconsistency lie in the colonialist’s construction of India. 

Read more via The Hindu
 

Alarming: 77 trans people murdered in 70 days

Transgender Europe’s (TGEU) Trans Murder Monitoring project (TMM) reveals 77 reported murders of trans and gender diverse people in 17 countries globally in the first 70 days of 2016. There have been 31 reported murders of trans and gender diverse people in January, 35 in February, and already 11 in the first ten days of March.

Brazil, with a shocking amount of 36 reported murders, spearheads the list: one trans person killed every second day. Brazil is followed by Mexico (10 murders so far), the United States (6), El Salvador (5), Argentina (4), Colombia (3), Venezuela (3), as well as countries with one trans and gender diverse person reported murder: Bangladesh, Costa Rica, France, Georgia, Honduras, India, Nepal, Russia and Turkey. The American continent, therefore, accounts for 90% of the reported homicides of trans and gender diverse persons this year so far. Read more via TvT

Botswana: Groundbreaking judgment by Court of Appeal

A full bench of the Court of Appeal of Botswana has delivered a significant judgment in the case of Attorney General v Thuto Rammoge and 19 Others upholding the decision of the High Court and ordering the Botswana government to register the organisation Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO) as a society in terms of the Societies Act. 

In 2012, LEGABIBO applied but were refused registration as a society by the Minister of Labour and Home Affairs. The government’s position was that LGB persons’ rights were not recognised by the Constitution and the objectives of LEGABIBO were incompatible with peace, welfare and good order in Botswana.

Thuto Rammoge and other activists, with support from the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), the Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa (OSISA) and BONELA, took the government to the High Court seeking a review of the decision to refuse registration. They argued that the decision was irrational and in violation of their constitutional rights to equal protection of the law, freedom of association and freedom of expression. The activists obtained a successful judgment in the High Court in November 2014, but the State appealed the decision.

The Court of Appeal reaffirmed that the refusal to register LEGABIBO was both irrational and in violation of the right to freedom of association. In an important judgment for the LGBTI community, the Court emphasised that there is no legislation in Botswana which prohibits anyone from being homosexual. The Court went further to hold that the objectives of LEGABIBO, which include promoting the human rights of LGBTI persons and advocating for law reform, were not unlawful. Importantly, the Court of Appeal emphasised that fundamental rights are to be enjoyed by every person and to deny this, is denying an individual’s human dignity.  

Read more via Southern Africa Litigation Centre
 

India: Shashi Tharoor’s bill on homosexuality defeated in LS for 2nd time

For the second time in three months, Lok Sabha voted on Friday against the introduction of a private member’s bill brought by Congress MP Shashi Thraoor to decriminalise homosexuality. 

Tharoor’s bill sought to amend the “colonial era” Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that criminalises homosexuality. In effect, the bill aims to decriminalise sexual intercourse in private between consenting adults, irrespective of their sexuality or gender by restricting the applicability of the section.

As Tharoor sought to introduce the private member’s bill, BJP members negated the motion and sought division of House, which was granted by speaker Sumitra Mahajan. 58 out of 73 members present voted against introduction of the bill, while 14 were in its favour. One member abstained from voting. Read more via Hindustan Times