KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Hamas on Wednesday released a gay Israeli man’s sister who had been held hostage in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.

Media reports indicate Yarden Roman-Gat is one of 12 Israelis and four Thai nationals who the militant group released.

Roman-Gat, a physical therapist who works with elderly people and those with physical and mental health issues, and her family had just returned to Israel after a vacation in South Africa when they decided to spend the Simchat Torah holiday with Gat’s parents in Be’eri, a kibbutz that is near the border between Israel and Gaza. They were in their home on Oct. 7 when Hamas launched its surprise attack.

Media reports indicate four militants placed Roman-Gat, Gat, their 3-year-old daughter and two other Be’eri residents into a car. One of them had reportedly been placed into the trunk.

Roman-Gat and Gat jumped out of the car with their daughter as it approached Gaza. Roman-Gat’s brother, Gili Roman, a teacher and member of the Nemos LGBTQ+ Swimming Club who lives in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 30 told the Washington Blade that the militants began to run after them. He said they were shooting at them when his sister handed her daughter to her husband because he was able to run faster. 

Gat hid with his daughter for 18 hours before they reached Israeli soldiers in Be’eri. He told Roman he last saw his wife hiding behind a tree to protect herself from the militants who were shooting at her.

“For us it’s like a Holocaust story,” Roman told the Blade. “It’s a horror story, the worst horror story that you can imagine.”

More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the war began. This figure includes at least 260 people who Hamas militants murdered at an all-night music festival in Re’im, a kibbutz that is a few miles away from Be’eri. Thousands of other Israelis have been injured and Roman-Gat is among the 240 people who militants from Hamas and other Muslim terrorist groups kidnapped.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 13,000 people and injured thousands of others in the enclave.

A truce between Israel and Hamas that allowed for the release of hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons took effect on Friday. 

The Associated Press notes roughly 160 hostages remain in Gaza. The truce that the U.S., Egypt and Qatar brokered was extended two days on Monday, but is slated to expire tonight.  

BY ESTEBAN RIOSECO | SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile’s proposed new constitution has generated concern and criticism among the country’s LGBTQ+ activists who say it would not sufficiently protect the rights of sexual and gender minorities.

Fundación Iguales, one of the country’s most prominent LGBTQ+ rights organizations, has urged Chileans to vote against the proposed constitution in the referendum that will take place on Dec. 17.

The plebiscite is the second attempt in less than three years to change Chile’s constitution in the wake of widespread protests and social arrests that took place in October 2019. 

Chileans on Sept. 4, 2022, rejected the Constitutional Convention’s proposed constitution. This rejection initiated the 2023 process in which the ultra-right won the majority of seats in the Constitutional Council, the body that wrote the new text on which Chileans will vote in December.

Fundación Iguales Executive Director María José Cumplido explained the reasons behind her organization’s position. 

“Our position as a foundation is to vote against this proposal because of the conscientious objection without limits, the lack of a robust nondiscrimination principle, a misconception of the best interests of children and adolescents and the weakness in the sexual and reproductive rights of women and pregnant women,” she told the Washington Blade.

Cumplido warned the lack of a nondiscrimination principle in the proposed constitution could lead to a State that does not focus on implementing public policies to prevent discrimination. Cumplido said this omission could translate into a lack of training for civil servants, insufficient sex education and obstacles to access to justice, among other consequences.

Paloma Zúñiga, a former constitutional counselor for the leftist Democratic Revolution party who participated in the constitution drafting process and is an LGBTQ+ ally, told the Blade there are serious problems with the draft in regards to queer issues.

“First, (there is) an overly broad conscientious objection could allow discrimination on religious grounds in education, health care, commerce, among others,” she said. “For example, a restaurant could expel a lesbian couple for kissing, a hospital could refuse to treat a trans person or not allow LGBTQ students in classrooms.”

Zúñiga added a second concern is “the absence of a nondiscrimination principle robust enough to oblige the state to prevent discrimination considering that violence against queer people has increased.” The final issue, according to Zúñiga, is “the weakness of the rights of children and adolescents, especially in terms of their autonomy and free development of personality, which could directly affect trans children.”

Cumplido agrees with Zúñiga regarding the problems the enshrining of conscientious objection in the new constitution could bring. The activist highlighted international examples, such as the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores case in the U.S., where conscientious objection was used to reopen debates on rights already democratically resolved. This legal precedent could be replicated in various situations in Chile, especially given the breadth of the amendment.

Zúñiga, who belongs to a political party that supports President Gabriel Boric, said “we must vote against it because it is a great risk and setback for LGBTQ+ people and the rights conquered in recent years.” 

“As a left sector we did everything possible to eliminate the amendments that harmed LGBTQ+, and even improve their quality of life through a new constitution, but the Republican Party with its majority blocked all our attempts,” she explained.

PRETORIA, South Africa — The South African government is one step closer to ensuring any form of homophobia will be subject to hefty penalties that could include a lengthy prison sentence.

Deputy Justice and Constitutional Development Minister John Jeffery on Nov. 22 noted the Prevention and Combatting of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill is now waiting approval in the country’s Parliament. President Cyril Ramaphosa will then sign it into law once it is approved.

First introduced in Parliament in 2018, the bill has been contested on its viability and how it would help protect people in South Africa against hate crimes and hate speech, particularly based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or any other form of discrimination.

MPs approved the bill in March and then sent it to the National Council of Provinces, which approved it on Nov. 17. The Justice and Correctional Services Committee approved the NCOP’s recommendations last Wednesday.

“Section 3 of the bill defines a hate crime as an offense committed where the offender is motivated by prejudice or intolerance towards the victim of the crime because of specified characteristics or perceived characteristics of the victim or another person associated with the victim,” reads a Parliament press release about the bill. “These characteristics listed as grounds that could constitute a hate crime include age, albinism, birth, color, culture, disability, ethnic or social origin, gender or gender identity, HIV status, language, nationality, migrant or refugee status, occupation or trade, political affiliation or conviction, race, religion, sex, which includes intersex or sexual orientation.”

The press release further notes Section 4 of the bill defines hate speech “as the intentional publishing or communicating of anything that can incite harm or promote hate based on grounds, including, among others, age, sexual orientation and race.” 

“The bill also provides for penalties such as fines, imprisonment or both for those who are convicted of the offenses,” it reads.

Access Chapter 2, a South African LGBTQ+ rights organization, meanwhile, has now become the first LGBTQ+-led law clinic in the country. The Legal Practice Council last week officially registered the group.

Although South Africa is the only African country that protects same-sex sexual relations in its constitution, there has been a surge in anti-gay attacks — kidnappings, hate speech, rape and killings — over the last few years. This trend has prompted many people who identify as LGBTQ+ to be cautious about disclosing their sexual orientation.

Gerbrandt van Heerden of the Center For Risk Analysis, a market research firm, says there is an urgent need to better equip society, law enforcement agencies and other sectors to fight homophobic attacks.

“Officials such as police, teachers, judges and magistrates should receive proper training and resources regarding LGBT issues,” said van Heerden. “Sexuality and sexual health should be included as a subject in the healthcare worker curriculum so that professionals in the field will in future have sufficient skills to manage LGBT patients properly, and be more knowledgeable about their specific healthcare needs.”

Van Heerden added companies and employers should receive guidance that helps them understand a hostile-free workplace for LGBTQ+ people can improve productivity and output and attract talent. Van Heerden also said official data, such as that in the national Census, should include Trans South Africans and other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Doing so will demonstrate how serious South Africa and its policymakers are in cherishing and respecting the country’s progressive constitution,” said van Heerden.

WDG is the Washington Blade’s media partner in Israel. This article ran on WDG’s website on Nov. 23.

EIN YAHAV, Israel — Among dozens of reservists who became a family, with a spontaneous canopy at the B&B in Ein Yahav and refreshments donated with much love from Eilat businesses and residents, Adam Din and Ilan Cohen held their wedding ceremony Nov. 22.

“We did this wedding because it is important to us that the world knows that there is love even in the middle of the war and that we can celebrate love as well through it all,” said the couple.

Adam and Ilan’s wedding was scheduled to take place about two weeks ago on the beach between Ashdod and Nitzanim. The invitations were already prepared, but the terrible massacre on Oct. 7, and the war that broke out in its wake, postponed all their plans.

Ilan was immediately drafted into the reserves in the Gaza Division, leaving Adam alone at home. Nati Harosh, the couple’s best friend who was supposed to be the groomsman at the wedding, was also drafted into the reserves as a Givati Brigade fighter.

“We were supposed to get married on the beach,” says Adam, “The war postponed the wedding, and also took Nati.”

Adam and Ilan met a year and eight months ago.

“We met on Tinder, not for a serious purpose,” says Adam. “After we met, Ilan introduced me to a group of travelers from the gay community and we used to go on trips together. Over time we got to know each other more and more and in an organic and natural way we became together. It never had an official date.”

The short acquaintance was very significant for both of them. 

“I was in the closet in front of the family before I met Ilan, and also childfree. And getting to know Ilan changed me completely,” says Adam. “I came out in front of my family and introduced them to Ilan, and I also decided that I wanted us to become parents together. My life changed thanks to him and we are really a family.”

The first friend Adam introduced to Ilan was Nati.

“Nati is a friend of mine from the time I lived in Jerusalem during my internship. We met through mutual friends and became very close friends. Nati was a giving person, like the meaning of his name Nathaniel. One of those people who were untouched by the cruelty of the world. Always ready to help. Doesn’t hold a grudge even when he is treated badly, and I would get angry for him and he wouldn’t get angry,” says Adam.

“Nati’s move from Jerusalem to Ramat Gan was one of the reasons that led us to move there as well, and since then we have been at each other’s house a lot on Shabbat,” he adds. “Nati came from a religious family, and he is liberal and open and loves every person regardless of who they are. And it was very clear and natural to me that he would be the one to accompany me on this significant occasion of mine. In the Utah wedding we held in Zoom, Nati was my witness, and we planned for him to be the groomsman in the wedding party.”

An April Fool’s prank that turned into a marriage proposal

Adam proposed to Ilan a few months ago.

“On April 1, we repeated one of our significant dates at the Saker Garden in Jerusalem,” says Adam, “Then Ilan knelt down as if he was going to propose to me and took out a Kinder egg. Kind of an April Fool’s prank. He thought it was funny. So I decided to get back at him and a few months later I also gave him a Kinder egg, only my Kinder egg had a ring in it.”

Three months ago, the two were married in a Utah wedding on Zoom in order to receive recognition as a couple who married abroad, with Nati accompanying them as a witness. They planned to hold the party itself at the beach between Ashdod and Nitzanim, at the exact place where Adam proposed to Ilan. About two months ago they returned to the place, found the perfect location for the wedding and we set a date.

But as mentioned, the events of Oct. 7 postponed the plans, and Ilan was drafted into the reserves.

“During his reserve service, Ilan saw horrible and terrible sights,” says Adam, “[It is] a horror that has no name, that gives him nightmares and scars his heart and soul. But when he comes home he comes to his shelter and his safe environment. Here he can get away for a moment from the horror outside. With the announcement of Nati’s death, the bereavement burst into our house, into our safe place.”

The two found out about Nati’s death through a news website. 

One evening at the beginning of November, when Ilan was at home for a short break, a message about the death of a Givati Brigade soldier in Gaza popped up on his phone.

“He fell silent and went to the side,” Adam recalled. “His face went blank, the way it went blank when he remembered the terrible things he saw there. I asked him what he saw. He didn’t want to show me and started crying. I asked him again what happened and then he told me that Nati died. I didn’t believe him and then he showed me the news. I looked and couldn’t believe what I was reading. I saw Nati’s photo in the article and I said, ‘What idiots, they accidentally put a photo of Nati. What a mistake.'”

“I quickly called Nati to tell him to ask for the photo to be taken down so his family wouldn’t see it, but he didn’t answer,” he added. “Since then I send him WhatsApps all the time. Yesterday I sent him a selfie of us and wrote to him: Tomorrow I’m getting married, you’re invited.”

Many people will have to die for there to be equality

After Nati was killed, the two felt that the wedding was becoming more urgent. Ilan told the story of the wedding to his friends in the reserve battalion, and also told them about Nati, who was killed in the war.

“He told them that the wedding is now more urgent than ever, and that it is precisely now in this war that love should be celebrated, and his friends suggested that the wedding be held in the unit. Two days ago he came to me and asked: What are you doing on Wednesday? And I answered him that I was working. Then he asked me, do you want to get married? I told him yes and asked him if he was coming back from the reserves, and he told me: No. We will do it in the battalion.”

WDG: Did you felt complete with the choice?

ADAM: Ilan and his colleagues have been together for over a month. When I talk to him I hear them, and I hear him talking about them, they really became family. So although the wedding is spontaneous without my friends and family being able to come, it is being held with his family, who are actually the army and the friends from the reserves. And Nati will be there in spirit too. He died among soldiers, so we will feel his love among other soldiers who will be happy with us”

WDG: How does it feel to have a “military wedding”?

ADAM: This is not the wedding I expected, but I always told Ilan that I would marry him even inside a volcano. Everywhere. At the same time, this wedding has a lot of mixed emotions. This period is full of sadness and disappointment. The LGBTQ community is an equal partner in the national effort and the war, and its men and women do not receive equal status when they return home.

We could get married like everyone else but we have to do it in a crooked way with Zoom, and in no way, LGBTQ people are literally dead to protect us but no one counts them.

Ilan has been in service for a month and a half, and yet he had to find crooked ways to get married, feeling that he is worth less than other people, who don’t even join the army.

So for me this wedding is both defiance and pride. And this is the ambivalence. We feel a part and we sacrifice the most precious, and yet we don’t deserve to be married like everyone else and we are in a less good position. And yet we continue and get married in the middle of the war.”

WDG: Do you think that following this period, which highlights the gap between what we give to the state and what we receive, a change will come?

ADAM: For Sagi Golan’s law, Sagi had to die. Part of his mate is dead too, I guess. I do believe that we will have equal rights, I believe that many people will have to die for it.

WDG: What is it like to live when your partner is so far from home for such a long period of time?

ADAM: Since that terrible Saturday when he was called I have been sleeping on the sofa. I can’t sleep in bed without him. There are long periods when he is without reception on the phone and I am constantly refreshing the pages of the news sites, to see if anything has happened. And when he returns home afterwards there is a tremendous feeling of momentary relief and an opportunity to be together for a bit. Even though as a volunteer in the LGBTQ help line, even when he goes out to retire from the reserves, he takes a shift and volunteers remotely.”

The couple and WDG would like to thank WILLOW – Zimmer in Arava, for volunteering to host the ceremony.

WDG is the Washington Blade’s media partner in Israel. This article ran on WDG’s website on Nov. 23.

EIN YAHAV, Israel — Among dozens of reservists who became a family, with a spontaneous canopy at the B&B in Ein Yahav and refreshments donated with much love from Eilat businesses and residents, Adam Din and Ilan Cohen held their wedding ceremony Nov. 22.

“We did this wedding because it is important to us that the world knows that there is love even in the middle of the war and that we can celebrate love as well through it all,” said the couple.

Adam and Ilan’s wedding was scheduled to take place about two weeks ago on the beach between Ashdod and Nitzanim. The invitations were already prepared, but the terrible massacre on Oct. 7, and the war that broke out in its wake, postponed all their plans.

Ilan was immediately drafted into the reserves in the Gaza Division, leaving Adam alone at home. Nati Harosh, the couple’s best friend who was supposed to be the groomsman at the wedding, was also drafted into the reserves as a Givati Brigade fighter.

“We were supposed to get married on the beach,” says Adam, “The war postponed the wedding, and also took Nati.”

Adam and Ilan met a year and eight months ago.

“We met on Tinder, not for a serious purpose,” says Adam. “After we met, Ilan introduced me to a group of travelers from the gay community and we used to go on trips together. Over time we got to know each other more and more and in an organic and natural way we became together. It never had an official date.”

The short acquaintance was very significant for both of them. 

“I was in the closet in front of the family before I met Ilan, and also childfree. And getting to know Ilan changed me completely,” says Adam. “I came out in front of my family and introduced them to Ilan, and I also decided that I wanted us to become parents together. My life changed thanks to him and we are really a family.”

The first friend Adam introduced to Ilan was Nati.

“Nati is a friend of mine from the time I lived in Jerusalem during my internship. We met through mutual friends and became very close friends. Nati was a giving person, like the meaning of his name Nathaniel. One of those people who were untouched by the cruelty of the world. Always ready to help. Doesn’t hold a grudge even when he is treated badly, and I would get angry for him and he wouldn’t get angry,” says Adam.

“Nati’s move from Jerusalem to Ramat Gan was one of the reasons that led us to move there as well, and since then we have been at each other’s house a lot on Shabbat,” he adds. “Nati came from a religious family, and he is liberal and open and loves every person regardless of who they are. And it was very clear and natural to me that he would be the one to accompany me on this significant occasion of mine. In the Utah wedding we held in Zoom, Nati was my witness, and we planned for him to be the groomsman in the wedding party.”

An April Fool’s prank that turned into a marriage proposal

Adam proposed to Ilan a few months ago.

“On April 1, we repeated one of our significant dates at the Saker Garden in Jerusalem,” says Adam, “Then Ilan knelt down as if he was going to propose to me and took out a Kinder egg. Kind of an April Fool’s prank. He thought it was funny. So I decided to get back at him and a few months later I also gave him a Kinder egg, only my Kinder egg had a ring in it.”

Three months ago, the two were married in a Utah wedding on Zoom in order to receive recognition as a couple who married abroad, with Nati accompanying them as a witness. They planned to hold the party itself at the beach between Ashdod and Nitzanim, at the exact place where Adam proposed to Ilan. About two months ago they returned to the place, found the perfect location for the wedding and we set a date.

But as mentioned, the events of Oct. 7 postponed the plans, and Ilan was drafted into the reserves.

“During his reserve service, Ilan saw horrible and terrible sights,” says Adam, “[It is] a horror that has no name, that gives him nightmares and scars his heart and soul. But when he comes home he comes to his shelter and his safe environment. Here he can get away for a moment from the horror outside. With the announcement of Nati’s death, the bereavement burst into our house, into our safe place.”

The two found out about Nati’s death through a news website. 

One evening at the beginning of November, when Ilan was at home for a short break, a message about the death of a Givati Brigade soldier in Gaza popped up on his phone.

“He fell silent and went to the side,” Adam recalled. “His face went blank, the way it went blank when he remembered the terrible things he saw there. I asked him what he saw. He didn’t want to show me and started crying. I asked him again what happened and then he told me that Nati died. I didn’t believe him and then he showed me the news. I looked and couldn’t believe what I was reading. I saw Nati’s photo in the article and I said, ‘What idiots, they accidentally put a photo of Nati. What a mistake.'”

“I quickly called Nati to tell him to ask for the photo to be taken down so his family wouldn’t see it, but he didn’t answer,” he added. “Since then I send him WhatsApps all the time. Yesterday I sent him a selfie of us and wrote to him: Tomorrow I’m getting married, you’re invited.”

Many people will have to die for there to be equality

After Nati was killed, the two felt that the wedding was becoming more urgent. Ilan told the story of the wedding to his friends in the reserve battalion, and also told them about Nati, who was killed in the war.

“He told them that the wedding is now more urgent than ever, and that it is precisely now in this war that love should be celebrated, and his friends suggested that the wedding be held in the unit. Two days ago he came to me and asked: What are you doing on Wednesday? And I answered him that I was working. Then he asked me, do you want to get married? I told him yes and asked him if he was coming back from the reserves, and he told me: No. We will do it in the battalion.”

WDG: Did you felt complete with the choice?

ADAM: Ilan and his colleagues have been together for over a month. When I talk to him I hear them, and I hear him talking about them, they really became family. So although the wedding is spontaneous without my friends and family being able to come, it is being held with his family, who are actually the army and the friends from the reserves. And Nati will be there in spirit too. He died among soldiers, so we will feel his love among other soldiers who will be happy with us”

WDG: How does it feel to have a “military wedding”?

ADAM: This is not the wedding I expected, but I always told Ilan that I would marry him even inside a volcano. Everywhere. At the same time, this wedding has a lot of mixed emotions. This period is full of sadness and disappointment. The LGBTQ community is an equal partner in the national effort and the war, and its men and women do not receive equal status when they return home.

We could get married like everyone else but we have to do it in a crooked way with Zoom, and in no way, LGBTQ people are literally dead to protect us but no one counts them.

Ilan has been in service for a month and a half, and yet he had to find crooked ways to get married, feeling that he is worth less than other people, who don’t even join the army.

So for me this wedding is both defiance and pride. And this is the ambivalence. We feel a part and we sacrifice the most precious, and yet we don’t deserve to be married like everyone else and we are in a less good position. And yet we continue and get married in the middle of the war.”

WDG: Do you think that following this period, which highlights the gap between what we give to the state and what we receive, a change will come?

ADAM: For Sagi Golan’s law, Sagi had to die. Part of his mate is dead too, I guess. I do believe that we will have equal rights, I believe that many people will have to die for it.

WDG: What is it like to live when your partner is so far from home for such a long period of time?

ADAM: Since that terrible Saturday when he was called I have been sleeping on the sofa. I can’t sleep in bed without him. There are long periods when he is without reception on the phone and I am constantly refreshing the pages of the news sites, to see if anything has happened. And when he returns home afterwards there is a tremendous feeling of momentary relief and an opportunity to be together for a bit. Even though as a volunteer in the LGBTQ help line, even when he goes out to retire from the reserves, he takes a shift and volunteers remotely.”

The couple and WDG would like to thank WILLOW – Zimmer in Arava, for volunteering to host the ceremony.

Editor’s note: Extreme discretion is advised on reading this story. It contains explicit descriptions of violence and transphobia beyond what I typically report on.

By Erin Reed | MANCHESTER, UK –  As a transgender journalist, I am reporting on a profoundly difficult story. In the United Kingdom, the trial of Brianna Ghey’s alleged murderers has begun, during which the prosecutors presented evidence that could lead to their conviction. Before delving further, it’s crucial to understand that the details in this case exhibit extreme transphobia and depravity, resulting in the killing of a young, beautiful transgender teenage girl, targeted for being different.

Under UK law, it is imperative to stress that these are allegations presented at trial, and I am obligated in my own reporting to refrain from referring to the defendants as her “killers” or “murderers” to prevent a mistrial due to the extremely low bar of “prejudicing a trial” there. This case highlights the systematic violence and rhetoric against transgender people and how such attitudes contributed to this abhorrent killing.

The details of this case are explicit, especially with regards to the evidence presented on the first day of the trial, and I advise extreme caution for transgender readers or parents of transgender children reading further.

I have made the decision to republish these messages in a story specifically because I believe that the alleged text messages show the violent, brutal nature of transphobia and what a transphobic society enables. The messages are not just cruel and horrific, they contain elements of all of the things said by the most ardent anti-trans activists, TERFs, and grifters who have made targeting transgender people with hate a full time career.

Brianna Ghey was a 16 year old transgender girl, TikTok creator, and a “beacon of positivity” according to her friends. She would often film videos set to music while showing off her makeup or walking in a park. It was in one of these parks that her life was taken in in February of this year.

Murder & misgendering of trans girl has sparked anger in UK

In the immediate aftermath of her murder, countless people mourned for her and decried the senseless violence. Her TikToks became makeshift memorials with millions of likes and views. Days later, two teens near her age were arrested and charged with her murder.

Many people considered the idea that anti-trans sentiment and rampant transphobia in the United Kingdom may have played a role in her murder. A study indicated that the Daily Mail, a leading British newspaper, had more negative coverage of transgender people in 2023 than in the previous four years combined. Public figures such as JK Rowling and Maya Forstater have been criticized for normalizing transphobia, advocating against gender-affirming care, and labeling transgender activists as “rapist rights activists.” 

Brianna Ghey tragically experienced this transphobia. Days before her murder, she posted a TikTok about being excluded from school. Damian Harry, whose daughter was friends with Brianna, confirmed this, saying, “She said she was devastated by the constant abuse and even talked of ending it all. It was down to her being trans. It is disgusting what happened.”

The following will include text messages that are very graphic and disturbing. Extreme discretion is advised.

In evidence released today by the prosecution, her alleged killers allegedly sent text messages showing they internalized this hate of transgender people towards Brianna. In these alleged text messages presented at the trial, the teens discuss Brianna in a way many transgender people are very familiar with: one of the defendants speaks to the other about finding her beautiful and fascinating, potentially indicating even attraction toward her. The other responds in dehumanizing terms, calling Brianna an “it” and asking if she was “a femboy or a trnny.”

See the text messages from local journalist, Jess O’Thomson, here:

Transgender people are very familiar with the idea of people finding us attractive and then also feeling anger. This theme is very common in transphobic killings of intimate trans partners and sex workers. In the United States, the trans panic defense has been used to get many such killers off of murder charges after they killed a transgender person they were intimate with.

Likewise, most transgender activists will find in their private inboxes salacious DMs from people who openly advocate for our erasure and for laws targeting us. Viral posts then shame lesbians who date trans women for “not being real lesbians.”

Far-right Britain First party leader Paul Golding similarly tweeted that men dating trans women “makes [them] GAY.” Portraying attraction to a transgender person as shameful contributes to an environment where some people feel so much shame, they may be motivated to kill the target of their attraction.

The alleged text messages then continue towards the planning of Brianna’s death. In one of the messages, one teen tells the other that they sneakily fed Brianna ibuprofen tablets in order to kill her, but that she proved too resilient. This tracks with reports from Brianna’s mother that she had severe abdominal pain earlier in the year and was nearly brought to the hospital. They would allegedly continue to try to poison her as revealed in the text messages. Specifically, one of the text messages stated that “people already know she is depressed and shit so nobody would get sus.”

It is in these alleged text messages that we find another familiar factor where transphobia contributed to Brianna’s harm. Transgender people are known to have high suicide rates, specifically because of transphobia and gender-based victimization. In one study, bullying or physical assault at school lead to suicide attempt rates as high as 63%. These disturbing text messages paint a picture of teenagers using this fact to their advantage to literally help them get away with murder.

Ultimately, the alleged text messages show that they allegedly settle on a plan to kill Brianna, with one horrifyingly wondering if she would “scream like a man or a girl.” The plan details their alleged decision to proceed with Brianna’s murder, the words they would use to initiate it, and the knife that would be used to stab her. Brianna Ghey’s body would be found stabbed 28 times.

Brianna Ghey was targeted for nothing more than being true to herself in a society that often vilifies transgender people. Violent rhetoric targeted towards transgender people has included advocacy for “eradication.” Prominent anti-trans figures, such as Hellen Joyce of the UK-based organization Sex Matters, have advocated for “a reduction” in the number of trans individuals, labeling them a “huge problem for a sane world.” This stigmatization and the resulting bullying and violence contribute to increased suicidality and loss of transgender lives. Brianna Ghey’s tragic fate was not solely at the hands of individual alleged aggressors, but also a reflection of a society deeply entrenched in transphobia, a trend that will continue to fuel these incidents unless something changes.

While the individual alleged actions of the accused paint a violent picture of two depraved individuals, it is important to realize that this violence does not occur within a vacuum. In 1998, Matthew Shepard was killed in a similarly violent manner in Laramie, Wyoming. His death lead to a massive public outcry demanding an end to the public culture of homophobia pervasive at the time. Brianna Ghey’s killing reveals similar forces at work, and must lead to similar reform.

As one of her close friends said, “If Bri would have wanted anything from her passing, it would be change.”

****************************************************************************

Erin Reed is a transgender woman (she/her pronouns) and researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.

Follow her on Twitter (Link)

Website here: https://www.erininthemorning.com/

******************************************************************************************

The preceding article was first published at Erin In The Morning and is republished with permission.

NEW DELHI — After the Indian Supreme Court ruled against marriage equality in October, it declined to include LGBTQ+ people in regulations against sexual harassment.

Justices Bangalore Venkataramiah Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan said the existing 2013 law against sexual harassment in the workplace cannot be made gender-neutral in order to include the LGBTQ+ community. The judges observed the focus will be lost from the principal goal of preventing sexual harassment of women in the workplace if such amendments to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 are made.

“If a person other than an ‘aggrieved woman’ is subjected to sexual harassment, the answer does not lie by amending the existing regulations,” the judges who heard the petition said. “It would be inappropriate to direct the amendments to be made to the 2013 regulations as otherwise the whole purpose and object of the said regulations would be diluted and denuded of its effect.”

Vibha Datta Makhija, a senior activist, appeared before the bench for the plaintiff and said the regulations should provide gender-neutral protections and include LGBTQ+ people. She also said the regulations are inadequate, given LGBTQ+ people and other groups are constitutionally recognized. The Supreme Court, however, relied upon previous rulings that stated a constitutional court would not issue a “writ of mandamus” to a legislature or to a rule-making body to enact a law on a particular subject.

The Supreme Court mentioned regulation of the 2013 law was made in view of Clause 3 of Article 15 of the Indian constitution. Clause 3 of Article 15 focuses on “women” and “children.” The clause states nothing shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children. Article 15 of the Indian Constitution talks about the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.

The Supreme Court in 2014 issued a historic ruling in the case of the National Legal Services Authority vs. Union of India, which recognized Transgender people as a third gender. There is, however, no law to protect Trans people from sexual harassment in the workplace. 

A 2015 report notes 44.7 percent of trans people faced 2,811 incidents of violence in India.

The Swasti Health Resource Center in research it conducted in different parts of India found four in 10 Trans people experience some kind of sexual abuse and associated trauma before they turn 18. The National Human Rights Commission of India in another study found roughly 52 percent of Trans people faced harassment by their school classmates and 15 percent of trans people suffered mistreatment at the hands of their teachers.

Current Indian laws do not define a sexual offense committed by anyone, irrespective of severity, that does not fall under “rape,” and may be filed under Section 377 of the country’s penal code that deals with “unnatural sex.”

The World Bank Group in 2014 published a report titled, “The Economic Cost of Homophobia and the Exclusion of LGBTQ People: A Case Study of India.” The report noted homophobia and exclusion of LGBTQ+ people from the workplace causes a 1-1.7 percent loss of GDP. It also indicated 56 percent of LGBTQ+ people reported discrimination in white-collar jobs in the country. 

Forty percent of respondents who participated in the Indian LGBT Workplace Climate Survey 2016 said they suffered harassment and had experienced homophobic comments. The National Human Rights Commission of India reported 92 percent of Trans persons are denied the right to participate in any form of economic activity. They were denied jobs, and 18 percent of respondents suffered physical abuse.

“The statements made by the Supreme Court judges, it is quite clear that just as marriage equality, they are saying they do not want to dilute any existing laws,” said Harish Iyer, a prominent equal rights activist in India. “Judges are not opposed to the idea that sexual harassment of LGBTQ people needs to be prevented.”

Iyer told the Washington Blade that corporations need to step up their processes and practices to include LGBTQ+ people. Iyer said they should have an internal inquiry board to prevent any sexual harassment of LGBTQ+ workers.

“Corporates can set up the same POSH committee for internal investigation on matters relating to men and LGBTQI people,” said Iyer. “This does not impede what corporates can do to protect the lives of LGBTQ workers.”

Shoaib Khan, the first Trans woman from the Indian state of Kashmir to succeed in India’s corporate world, told the Blade the ruling is quite unfortunate.

“It is not about the particular gender. The harassment is not subjected to a particular gender, it is subjected towards a person,” said Khan. “I feel like the Indian Constitution should overthink and overrule this judgment.” 

“Multiple companies are following the code of conduct policies in terms of protecting sexual harassment at the workplace irrespective of gender, but those are all multinational companies,” added Khan. “Indian companies need to consider the fact that we as minorities have suffered a lot, so excluding us from protecting our rights at the workplace is something insane.”

Ankush Kumar is a reporter who has covered many stories for Washington and Los Angeles Blades from Iran, India and Singapore. He recently reported for the Daily Beast. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is on Twitter at @mohitkopinion.

By Rob Salerno | VANCOUVER, Canada – An anti-LGBTQ+ protestor driving a tractor trailer on a highway in suburban Vancouver, dramatically flipped and rolled his tractor off the highway while engaging in a high speed chase with British Columbia Highway Patrol on Saturday, November 25 that was caught on video.

The tractor driver, who has been identified as Chilliwack resident Bill Shoker, was participating in a “Stop SOGI-123 Road Rally” to from Chilliwack to Vancouver, about 60 miles west, to protest the province’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI-123) curriculum, which is used in public schools to promote inclusion of LGBTQ+ students and families. 

BC Highway Patrol say they attempted a traffic stop, but the tractor struck the police vehicle.

Video of the incident shows the tractor repeatedly coming into contact with a BC Highway Patrol vehicle on Highway 15 in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, before it flips over while attempting to use the exit to Highway 1. 

The Lower Mainland’s Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service, which investigates collisions involving police, is investigating the incident.

When the tractor flipped, Shoker was thrown from the tractor’s sunroof. He was arrested by police and taken to hospital for his injuries.

Shoker’s wife Manjit told Global News that her husband was in awaiting surgery for his injuries and may have a broken backbone. Manjit says Shoker has participated in several anti-SOGI protests. 

Although the SOGI-123 curriculum is several years old, protests against it have increased in frequency and intensity in the past year among an extremist coalition that has grown out of anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown campaigns.  

Protests against sex education curriculums in schools have occurred across Canada regularly over the past few months, although they are usually outnumbered by counter-protesters who support LGBT inclusion.

Earlier this week, anti-SOGI protesters launched a recall campaign against BC Education Minister Rachna Singh. The recall campaign has until January 29 to collect signatures from 40% of the registered voters in her district for the recall election to go ahead. There has never been a successful recall campaign in British Columbia.

“SOGI-123 … [is] on the surface there to keep everyone inclusive and safe. But we believe it’s a Trojan Horse. Its real agenda is to indoctrinate straight children, to put ideas in their mind that they may not be male or female, they might be somewhere in the middle,” recall campaign spokesperson Amrit Birring told CBC News.

Related:

ROMANIA

BUCHAREST, Romania – In an interview on Nov. 23 with Europa FM, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, responding to a question regarding the recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that his nation was in violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, over the issue of same-sex marriages said that it was his belief that his fellow citizens generally are not ready to uphold the rights of same-sex couples.

The ECHR ruled this past May Romania had failed to enforce the rights of same-sex couples by refusing to recognise their relationships, in a ruling which could eventually force policymakers to expand protections for the LGBT community, Reuters reported.

Ciolacu, who is the leader of the Social Democratic Party, told Europa FM that “[…] the Romanian society is not ready for a decision at the moment. It is not one of my priorities and … I don’t think Romania is ready.”

“I am not a closed-minded person, I … have friends in relationships with a man, I don’t have a problem with that, I am talking now from the point of view of a prime minister.”

ACCEPT, the non-governmental human rights organization (NGO) in Romania that defends and promotes LGBTQ+ rights disagreed with the prime minister’s assessment of the mood of the country regarding LGBTQ+ rights. In a statement the NGO said:

“Romanian society has embraced European values ​​regarding human rights and demonstrates that it is ready for the adoption and implementation of a set of laws to ensure the protection and legal recognition of LGBTI families. After the sociological research carried out by Accept in 2021, a new study comes to confirm this fact.

The results of the research carried out by the Ipsos initiative in 2023 show that 51% of Romanians would support some form of legal recognition of LGBTI families. Moreover, the Bucharest Pride March brought over 25,000 participants to the streets this year – a record number for Romania. The figures that place the march at the top of the street protests with the highest participation in our country are telling when it comes to the solidarity and empathy with which Romanians position themselves in favor of the protection and recognition of all families.”

The government of Romania has filed an appeal of the ECHR ruling, which ACCEPT denounced saying it was “completely reprehensible the Romanian Government’s action to contest this ECHR decision.”

THE VATICAN

VATICAN CITY – Awaiting Pope Francis after he finished his Sunday Angelus last week, guests gathered in the Paul VI Hall for a luncheon made up of the poor and their companions including a group of trans women, who all had a history of personally interacting the pontiff.

Over 1,200 people in all came for the lunch that transformed the Hall into a large and unique restaurant for the customary annual lunch with Pope Francis on the World Day of the Poor.

PinkNewsUK reported that the pontiff had invited the trans women in order to offer them comfort and support, and ensured they received VIP treatment. In fact one of them, Claudia Vittoria Salas – a former sex worker – was seated at the table with the Pope himself. Salas, who is a godparent to three of her nieces and nephews in her home country, Argentina, said she did sex work in order to put her children through school.

She told the Associated Press: “Being a godparent is a big responsibility; it’s taking the place of the mother or father. It’s not a game.” 

The Pope began the lunch with a blessing when he thanked the Lord for this “moment of friendship, all together,” for the meal, and for those who prepared it. The tables adorned with white and yellow flowers offered a colourful backdrop for images capturing an unforgettable moment of welcome, concern, care and love for all those who for the rest of the year live on the streets.

The Dicastery for the Service of Charity organized the event, while Hilton Hotels offered the lunch, dedicating special attention to the menu so that the meal could be enjoyed by people of various faith backgrounds present.

On the menu were cannelloni with Roman ricotta and spinach with a Parmigiano Reggiano sauce, sautéed white meatballs with a velouté of San Marzano tomatoes and basil with a cauliflower purée, followed by Tiramisù and small pastry desserts. 

IRELAND

DUBLIN, Ireland – A 13-year-old trans teen from the east of Ireland, from the city of Wicklow located south of Dublin on the Irish Sea, was a keynote speaker at the 2023 Child Talks conference.

Bee Fennell, was one of six youth speakers at the Child Talks conference held at Dublin’s Helix Centre for the Performing Arts, addressing the need for further education programs regarding to transgender issues facing Irish youth. 

GCN, Ireland’s largest LGBTQ+ Media outlet reported:

Amongst other issues discussed at the event, including STEM programs for girls and vaping, LGBTQ+ issues emerged as a serious concern for school-aged children through the country. Bee Fennell used their time on stage at the Child Talks conference to discuss their experience coming out as a transgender teen and the lack of resources available for trans youth in Wicklow. 

“I wanted to take part in Child Talks 2023 because I wanted to share my story and hopefully encourage others to get the education to be a true ally to the community and to understand what it is like to be transgender,” said Fennell. 

During their time on stage, Fennell described how they came out to their family and their school: “I was 12 when I officially came out to my parents and only a few months later, to the primary school that I was attending. 

“Coming out to my school was the biggest step, because it meant everyone knew, it wasn’t just in the house anymore. I remember that night so clearly, mam and I, sitting on the couch, typing an email that was going to change my life. 

“I talked about my name and gender change and explained what it meant. That email was sent around 7PM, outside school hours. We received a response 3.5 hours later, at 10:30 that night.”

Fennell, who uses they/them pronouns, went on to explain how their school set up a meeting to help the then 12-year-old come out to their classmates: “After a terrifying but amazing meeting with my school to discuss next steps, the day came when the teacher would tell the class about who I really was. 

“Me and two friends I had already come out to went to a separate room to avoid any negative reactions. After the most anxiety-filled half-hour of my life, I was walking up the steps to where my class awaited my arrival. A few friends immediately hugged and congratulated me.”

Unfortunately, as Fennell noted, not everyone’s reaction was so kind. 

“Some others just stared. Shocked, confused, some even with disgusted impressions,” they said. 

Thankfully, however, the vast majority of Fennell’s classmates were accepting and welcoming, leading the trans teen to report that “At that moment…I was more comfortable in my identity than I have ever been before. I was officially Bee, officially me.”

Bee went on to explain how the LGBTQ+ organization, BelongTo youth services, helped them discover the community that they’ve always been looking for. 

“I had been alone in that fight until I walked into that [BelongTo] youth group. I always knew there was community, sure, it’s in the name. But I didn’t have anyone in my position, having gone through it. I didn’t have anyone who didn’t get confused when I simply introduced myself until I walked into that group,” Fennell concluded.

UNITED KINGDOM

LONDON, UK – An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed an action plan and significant fine on the Luton Town Football Club for misconduct in relation to crowd control at their game against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League match that was held on August 12, 2023.

The Football Association (TheFA) based at Wembley Stadium, London, announced that the Club has been fined £120,000 ($151,212 USD) after homophobic chanting from fans took place during an away match against Brighton & Hove Albion.⁠ ⁠

According to the governing body, Luton Town admitted that they “failed to ensure their spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be supporters or followers) conduct themselves in an orderly fashion; and do not use words or otherwise behave in a way which is improper, offensive, abusive, indecent, or insulting with either express or implied reference to sexual orientation.”

In an interview with the local newspaper, Luton Today, a spokesperson for the team said:

“As an inclusive, family-oriented club, Luton Town abhors abusive chanting such as this and has a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination of all kinds. It is not acceptable towards anyone in football or wider society, either in person or online. Those involved were committing a criminal offence and anyone subsequently identified will be issued with a Club ban and face potential police investigation.”

The Club went on to note that it was working with supporters to help form the Rainbow Hatters supporters’ group for members of the LGBTQ+ community, who meet regularly to share their experiences of watching the Hatters.

“We will continue to promote the ‘Love Football. Protect The Game’ campaign, which this season has focused especially on fan behaviour, and will work further with supporter groups to educate and inform on all forms of discriminatory acts to ensure that watching Luton Town is a safe and welcoming experience for everyone,” the Club told Luton Today.

RUSSIA

MOSCOW, Russia – The Russian Ministry of Justice has lodged an administrative legal claim with the Russian Supreme Court to recognize the International LGBTQ public movement as extremist and ban its activity in Russia.

In a Justice Department press release, LGBTQ+ Russians were referred to as an “international social movement” by the Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko.

The ministry did not specify whether it was seeking the closure of any specific groups or organizations, or if the designation would apply more broadly to the LGBTQ community, causes and individuals, Agence France-Presse reported.

This latest action by the government of the Russian Federation follows nearly ten years of the parliament, comprised of the State Duma, which is the lower house, and the Federation Council, which is the upper house, passing legislation attacking its LGBTQ+ citizens. In July of this year legislation that will effectively ban the existence of transgender Russians was signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The law now bans Russians from changing their gender on official government identity documents including internal and external passports, driver’s licenses, and birth certificates, although gender marker changes had been legal for 26 years since 1997.

Medical healthcare providers are now banned from “performing medical interventions designed to change the sex of a person,” including surgery and prescribing hormone therapy.

In December 2022, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin issued a decree Christmas Eve expanding and amending Russia’s “gay propaganda” law signed by president Putin. That law set fines for books or media that represented non-straight relationships. 

The Ministry of Justice in its statement accused the “LGBTQ movement operating on the territory of the Russian Federation” of “various signs and manifestations of extremism, including incitement to social and religious hatred.” If the court upholds the ban as passed, prosecutors will have the power to pursue “terrorism” cases against LGBTQ Russians, especially activists.

Speaking with Agence France-Presse, the head of the Sphere human rights group, which advocates for the Russian LGBTQ community, criticized the announcement. 

“Russian authorities are once again forgetting that the LGBTQ+ community are human beings,” said  Sphere head Dilya Gafurova, who has left Russia.  

Authorities “don’t just want to erase us from the public field: They want to ban us as a social group,” Gafurova told AFP. “It’s a pretty typical move for repressive non-democratic regimes — the persecution of the most vulnerable. We will continue our fight,” he added.

The Supreme Court’s ruling is scheduled for November 30.

SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia – A 33-year-old openly lesbian artist was sentenced by a Russian court to a term of seven years in a penal camp, after she was convicted of spreading disinformation about the Russian army.

Alexandra Skochilenko, who goes by Sasha, swapped supermarket price tags with slogans criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine. An elderly shopper reported the swapped tags to the police.

Skochilenko is just the latest among thousands of Russians who have been detained, jailed or fined for speaking out against Putin’s large-scale military operation in Ukraine that has cost the lives of tens of thousands Russian, Ukrainian troops and civilians.

Her supporters in the courtroom shouted “shame” and “we’re with you Sasha” after the judge Oksana Demiasheva read out the verdict, an AFP journalist at the sentencing reported. Skochilenko wore a colorful T-shirt with a large red heart printed on it, and she made a heart shape with her hands and smiled to supporters during the hearing.

Addressing Judge Demiasheva, Skochilenko said:

“Your Honor! Every court sentence is a certain message to the public. You may think of this information differently than my lawyers or I do, but you will agree that I have my moral principles and that I haven’t departed from them, not by an inch. You will probably agree that I have shown courage, resilience, and fearlessness. In the slang of investigators, to put someone in jail is “to take them prisoner.”

And I have not given up under threats of being taken prisoner, of bullying, illness, and the eight-year sentence that prosecution has asked for; I have not been hypocritical; I have been honest before myself and before the court.

If you choose to convict me, what message will you send to our fellow citizens? That you have to break if you’re taken prisoner? That you have to lie, be a hypocrite, change your convictions if you face some pressure? That you can’t have pity for our soldiers? That you can’t wish for peaceful skies above our heads? Is it really what you want to say to people in times of depression, instability, crisis, and stress?

My process is widely covered in Russia and in the world; news videos and documentary films are being made, and even books are being written about it. So regardless of the verdict you deliver, you will become part of history. Perhaps you will become part of history as the person who convicted me; perhaps as the person who acquitted me; perhaps as the person who made a neutral decision and gave me a fine, a conditional sentence, or a time that I have already served. It is all in your hands—but remember: everybody knows, everybody sees that you’re not trying a terrorist in this court. You’re not trying an extremist. You’re not even trying a political activist. You’re trying a musician, an artist, and a pacifist.”

“Every person in this room wants only one thing: Peace. Why fight?” she added in her closing statement.

According to the Russian language media outlet Mediazona, Russian federal prosecutor Alexander Gladyshev told the court: “Skochilenko compares the Russian Federation with a fascist state, they [prosecution expert witnesses] explained that in the Russian Federation now there are no elements of a fascist state. The words that Russia attacked Ukraine are false; the purpose of the SVO [special military operation] was to protect the citizens of Donbas from aggression,” Gladyshev said.

Skochilenko’s mother says her daughter suffers from health issues — including coeliac disease and a congenital heart defect, adding that a long prison term would be a “catastrophe.”

INDIA

UJJAIN, India – The suicide death of a queer teenager in this ancient city beside the Kshipra River in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has LGBTQ+ advocacy groups calling on social media giant Meta to address what one group, Yes, We Exist, to label as “mass bullying on Instagram.

According to the local media outlet Ujjain News, Pranshu Yadav, 16, whose Instagram account has 14,000 followers and more than 300 posts was found hanging in their bedroom on Nov. 21 by their mother who rushed the adolescent to hospital where they later died. Local police are now investigating.

Yes, We Exist highlighted how Yadav, who was attempting to build a career as a professional makeup artist, received more than 4,000 comments on a current Insta reel, many of which were homophobic. 

In the reel they were attacked for wearing a saree in a reel they posted celebrating Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights earlier this month. A saree (also spelled Sari) is an outer garment, mainly worn by women from the Indian subcontinent, that is made of about six (6) yards long fabric. A saree, worn with a blouse or choli, is wrapped around the waist over a petticoat with the left end made to hang over the head or shoulder. A saree comes in various types of fabric, color, design and styles.

In India’s culture of toxic masculinity where LGBTQ+ people are still ill regarded and full equality is years away, the reaction to the queer teen’s Insta post was almost predictable an India activist told the Blade via a Telegram exchange.

Yes, We Exist now calling on Instagram, which is owned by Meta, to invest in its non-English languages and ensure cyber bullying is tackled.  

“We have ourselves reported queerphobic content several times and most often no action is taken. On the contrary, when people call out bullies, they get penalised by Meta,” Jeet, the founder of Yes, We Exist, told PinkNewsUK. 

Jeet added that the “tragic loss” Pranshu it is a “devastating reminder of the real-world consequences of online bullying.”

“The LGBTQIA+ community in India mourns not only the individual but also the systemic challenges we routinely face.

“The call for greater accountability from platforms like Instagram and from Indian lawmakers who have not prioritized offline and online safety of our community, is urgent to ensure the well-being of young queer individuals like Pranshu.” 

THAILAND

BANGKOK, Thailand – The Thailand Cabinet approved an amendment to the country’s civil code to allow same-sex marriage, with an expectation for the draft to be submitted to the National Assembly of Thailand (Parliament) in December, the Associated Press reported.

Deputy government spokesman Karom Polpornklang said the amendment bill proposed by the Justice Ministry seeks to allow same-sex marriage with full legal rights. It will also allow members of the LGBTQ+ community to build families and ensure both spouses have equal rights.

Karom said the bill’s main principle is to remove the terms “men,” “women,” “wives” and “husbands” from the civil code.

The terms will be changed to “persons,” “fiancées,” “engaged couples” and “married couples,” so men can marry men and women can marry women and have the same rights as male-female unions.

The deputy spokesman said the Cabinet has also called on the Council of State to amend other laws accordingly, so the surviving spouse in a same-sex marriage is entitled to receive the inheritance left behind by their partner.

The Council of State has also been tasked with scrutinising the same-sex marriage bill, and once that is done it will be submitted to the House, Karom said.

Thai Government spokesman Chai Wacharonke said the amendment bill would be different from the Life Partnership Act that was enacted by the last government.

He said this act simply endorses the rights for same-sex couples to spend their lives together but does not provide full legal marital rights.

Additional reporting from Europa FM, PinkNewsUK, The Associated Press, Vatican Press, Mediazona, Agence France-Presse, Luton Today, GCN Ireland and Ujjain News.

By  Esteban Guzmán Rioseco | BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Libertarian economist Javier Milei’s victory in the second round of Argentina’s presidential election on Sunday came as a blow to the country’s LGBTQ community.

Milei defied expectations with his victory over the ruling party’s candidate, Economy Minister Sergio Massa, by a 56-44 percent margin. This result indicates significant support for Milei’s ideas, which include liberal economic policies and limited government.

LGBTQ activists, however, have expressed apprehension over Milei’s controversial positions in the past and others he articulated during the campaign. They did not specifically include issues related to sexual and gender identity, but activists nevertheless remain concerned. 

Milei, for example, said he would eliminate the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity and the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism. (Alba Rueda is Argentina’s first-ever Special Representative on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. She was previously the country’s first undersecretary of diversity policies in the Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry. Rueda is the first transgender woman to hold a senior position in the Argentine government.)

“The people’s vote has had a clear message, which was to get Peronism and Kirchnerism out of the government, all the anti-Peronist vote was gathered and concentrated in Milei,” Esteban Paulón, a prominent LGBTQ activist who won a seat in the country’s Congress last month, told the Washington Blade. “Peronism suffered the worst election in history in many of the provinces it even governs, some like the province of Buenos Aires where it barely won by 100,000 votes, by 1 percent, and that evidently shows an exhaustion of the political proposal of Peronism’s political proposal for the country.”

Paulón said Argentines “without a doubt … voted for an option of deep, radical change, after the failure of the political proposals that have governed the country in the last 20 years.” Paulón said voters focused more on economic issues as opposed to Milei’s “social agenda linked to the reduction of rights, opposition to equal marriage, feminism, etc. and gender laws.”

“It is true that this result legitimizes many of these positions,” he said. “We will surely see in the coming weeks and months an increase in this type of statements.”

Milei during the campaign spoke in favor of more limited government and economic policies that would encourage individual freedom. His critics have noted a lack of clarity over his positions that could have implications on the progress that Argentina has made on LGBTQ rights over the last several years.

“Now, it is also true that even though people did not vote for Milei because of his anti-rights proposal,” said Paulón. “Yes, many anti-rights people come to the government, led by Vice President-elect Victoria Villarroel, who is a negationist who vindicates the military dictatorship and vindicates illegal repression.” 

The LGBTQ community is now cautiously awaiting how policies will develop under Milei’s leadership. Activists are urging the president-elect to address and ensure the continued protection of the rights based on gender identity and sexual orientation and to promote inclusion and diversity in all spheres of Argentine society.

“Now it is time to organize as a collective,” said Paulón. “We must obviously be mobilized and attentive to the different situations that may arise and in my case as congressman, to dialogue a lot with related, transversal sectors from different political forces … [and] to resist within the framework of democracy.” 

“A period of much resistance, of intense work in the case of Congress is coming,” he added.

******************************************************************************************

Esteban Alonso Enrique Guzmán Rioseco is a Chilean digital communicator, LGBT rights activist and politician. He was spokesperson and executive president of the Homosexual Integration and Liberation Movement (Movilh). He is currently a Latin American correspondent for the Washington Blade newspaper .

On October 22, 2015, together with Vicente Medel, he celebrated the first gay civil union in Chile in the Governorate of Concepción .

SANTIAGO, Chile — Luis Larraín, a prominent LGBTQ+ rights activist in Chile, died on Saturday after a battle with blood cancer. He was 42.

Larraín, along with writer Pablo Simonetti, in 2013 co-founded Fundación Iguales. Larraín was the group’s president until he stepped down in 2017 to run for the Chilean Congress.

Larraín in January announced doctors had diagnosed him with an “aggressive” form of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His family on Friday released a video in which Larraín said he had not responded to the third treatment he had undergone.

“They gave me the first three doses and they unfortunately did not show any results,” he said. “Given that there are no more treatments available and thinking about my quality of life, talking a lot with my family and friends, I have decided to be sedated to spend this last moment in peace, without feeling the effects of cancer destroying my body.”

“I wanted to say goodbye to everyone, thank you for being aware of what was happening to me,” added Larraín. “I hope that you continue with your fight, whether in health, in sexual diversity or in any field.”

Sus palabras de despedida las dejó registradas en este video, momentos antes de partir. Gracias Luis por todo lo que nos entregaste. Tu trabajo y tu corazón nos inspirarán siempre. pic.twitter.com/iaZDkatFaS

— Fundación Iguales (@IgualesChile) November 18, 2023

“Luis’s legacy will endure in this country’s history today and always,” tweeted Fundación Iguales. “Rest in peace.”

Chilean politicians and activists in the country and elsewhere in Latin America also mourned Larraín.

The Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation, another Chilean advocacy group, in a statement said Larraín’s “contribution to nondiscrimination and to the causes of sexual and gender diversity shine like a star.” President Gabriel Boric retweeted a statement from Camila Vallejo, his government’s general secretary minister, in which she said she met Larraín in Congress when he was urging lawmakers to support LGBTQ+ rights “in this conservative country where he grew up.”

“I remember your bravery in those days,” said Vallejo. “I mourn your passing and I extend my deepest condolences to your loved ones and those with whom you were close. Thank you Luis.”

Larraín’s wake will take place in Santiago, the Chilean capital, on Saturday. His funeral will take place on Sunday.