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15 Jan 2015 - NPWJ News Digest on LGBTI rights
Articles
Jeb Bush’s dog whistle on gay rights
By Washington Blade, 14 Jan 2015
Florida has become the 36th state in the union with marriage equality for all couples. Floridians have marked this momentous occasion with celebrations across the state, as loving, committed couples were finally able to have their relationships viewed in the eyes of the law with dignity and respect. With the addition of Florida, more than 70 percent of Americans now live in states with marriage equality. Not everyone has shared in the joy that has radiated across the Sunshine State. Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi are still working on legal options to re-impose the state’s unconstitutional marriage ban. Clerks in several Florida counties have also decided to do away with courthouse marriages for all couples, just to prevent LGBT couples from getting married. In times like these, you take note of who stands up for equality and progress and who does not.
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Austrian court strikes down ban on gay adoption
By Pink News, 14 Jan 2015
The Austrian Constitutional Court has lifted a ban on adoption by same-sex couples. Austrians in same-sex relationships could previously only adopt the biological children of their partners’ since 2013, but could not jointly adopt non-biological children. Head of the court, Gerhart Holzinger, said: “This is no justification for difference in treatment because of sexual orientation.” Previously only married couples were allowed to adopt, and Austria does not have same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples can form a “registered partnership” which does not have the same benefits as marriage. Austria hit headlines last year for Conchita Wurst’s win at Eurovision, but it is still a largely conservative country on the subject of gay rights.
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Egypt: 26 Acquitted of Homosexual Conduct
By Human Rights Watch, 13 Jan 2015
(Berlin) – The acquittal in Egypt on January 12, 2015, of 26 men accused of “practicing debauchery,” is a rare success in protecting the rights to privacy and nondiscrimination. The men were arrested at a bathhouse in Cairo on December 7, 2014. Government prosecutors have appealed the decision, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a nongovernmental group, reported, but authorities released all 26 men. This is the first time since 2011 that a trial court is known to have handed down a total acquittal in a “debauchery” case. “This case is a rare victory for human rights and judicial independence in Egypt, but prosecutors never should have brought these charges in the first place,” said Boris Dittrich, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender advocacy director. “The prosecutor should promptly withdraw its appeal.”
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India outrage over Goa minister's plan to 'cure' gays
By BBC, 13 Jan 2015
There has been outrage in India after a minister in Goa said the state government was planning to set up centres to "cure" homosexuals. Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Ramesh Tawadkar said treatment would be offered to lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders to make them "normal". Many have taken to social networking sites to criticise Mr Tawadkar's "shocking statement".
India's treatment of homosexuals has been under the spotlight recently. The Indian Supreme Court's 2013 decision to reverse a lower court order striking down a 153-year-old British colonial-era law criminalising homosexual acts caused global outrage with many describing it as "disgraceful". According to Section 377 of the law, a same-sex relationship is an "unnatural offence" and punishable by a 10-year jail term.
Tiffany jewelry ad campaign features first same-sex couple
By CNN, 11 Jan 2015
(CNN)Jeweler Tiffany & Co., for the first time, is featuring a gay couple in an ad campaign. The new "Will You?" campaign, shot by fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh, features seven scenes of couples. One in particular is drawing widespread praise for showing a same-sex couple. The pair, shown sitting on a stoop in New York City, are a couple in real life, Tiffany spokeswoman Linda Buckley said. The 178-year-old jeweler best known for its little blue boxes says this is its first ad to depict a same-sex couple. The company joins a growing list of brands using same-sex couples in promotional materials, from Banana Republic to Target. The campaign aims to show that love comes in a variety of forms, Buckley said. "Nowadays, the road to marriage is no longer linear," she said. "True love can happen more than once with love stories coming in a variety of forms."
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