#anti-lgbt+ laws

[thoughtlessarse]

Iraq has just passed a sweeping new anti-LGBTQ+ law that criminalises same-sex relationships, with anyone breaking it potentially facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted. The law also criminalises simply existing as a trans person, with penalties for anyone who changes their “biological gender” or dresses in an effeminate manner, reports the Independent. Up until now, Iraq was one of just a few Islamic nations which did not explicitly criminalise gay sex, although morality clauses in its penal code have been used to target LGBTQ+ people in the past. The Law on Combating Prostitution and Homosexuality was passed on Saturday (27 April), and makes it abundantly clear that same-sex relations are now entirely banned in Iraq, punishable by a prison sentence of at least 10 years, up to a maximum of 15. It reportedly aims to “protect Iraqi society from moral depravity and the calls for homosexuality that have overtaken the world”. Iraq has been increasingly cracking down on the LGBTQ+ community in recent years. In August 2023, Iraq ordered its media platforms not to use the words “homosexual” or “gender”.

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[emotionallychargedtowel]

This is good news, no doubt about it. But folks in the tags seem to be misunderstanding it a bit. I would have too, before I learned some things the hard way in the last couple of years.

I was an affirming parent of a trans kid living in Texas in 2022. If you've kept up with the news on LGBT+ rights you'll know what that means. The attorney general of Texas put out an opinion in February of 2022 stating that affirming a trans kid was a kind of child abuse and the governor backed this up with guidance to state agencies and boom, without passing a law or anything, they fixed it so that CPS could take my kids away from me. My family managed to leave in August of 2022, thank goodness. Between February and August (and to a lesser extent, ever since) I watched all of the legal news about this policy like my life depended on it, because it pretty much did. And I realized that there was so much I hadn't understood about how the law works.

I still don't know very much, though! Everything I'll write below is my relatively uninformed opinion based on things I read on twitter, in newspapers, and things I just turned up on casual web searches. It's also based on my off-the-top-of-my-head recollections. So there may well be errors.

Most people see a headline like this and say, "Whew! Good thing that got struck down." But that's not what happened, at least not yet. The analysis linked in the OP is great, I highly recommend it. At the end, it says the following:

The rulings that have come down about Texas's CPS investigations were actually even more nebulous, so this is a pretty good situation for folks in Tennessee. But it's similar in that these sorts of decisions by federal judges are...

...often circumscribed to only apply to certain places or certain groups. There were rulings on the Texas CPS situation that applied only to the specific plaintiffs who brought that suit, others that only applied in certain parts of the state, and one that applied only to families who were members of PFLAG (you better believe I joined PFLAG as soon as I heard about that). As you can see above, this is true of the ruling in the Tennessee case.

...subject to being overruled by higher courts. Until the Supreme Court has heard a case or has refused to hear that case (and in the latter instance, I think it depends on how they've refused), nothing's final.

...subject to disagreements about jurisdiction and other factors that impact applicability. This happened with one of the Texas cases. The state maintained that it wasn't bound by the decision at all. You would think that if a decision is made all of the professionals involved, like judges, attorneys general and their staffs, governors, legislators, stakeholders, would know for sure what their implications will be and what they'll apply to. But they don't. Not only can there be disagreements on these points, sometimes (maybe even often?) there's no higher authority that weighs in to say who's correct (or again, at least not right away).

This is a bummer. I'm sorry about that. And I'm getting ready to bold a bunch of text, which I don't normally do. But this is important.

If there is a court case about a violation of people's rights that concerns you, and you hear that there has been some kind of favorable decision by a court ruling that this violation of rights is unconstitutional, read the fine print and see what this actually means. Find out if it applies to everyone or just certain parties, certain categories, or people in certain places. Find out if it could be overruled or not. Find out if the important parties involved agree on whether it's binding and what that means. Don't let your guard down. Don't stop paying attention to the issue in question. Don't stop taking action in solidarity with those who are affected.

It's honestly appalling how many times I told people that my family needed to leave Texas because of the transphobic policies there only to be told, "Really? I thought the courts stopped all that." It was incredibly invalidating and frustrating. (Though it was still better than the people who said, "Oh, I'm sure the courts will stop them," without actually checking, or still worse, the ones who said, "But they can't do that," as if the United States government hadn't sanctioned injustices and even atrocities throughout history.)

Read the fine print. Don't stop paying attention. Continue helping in any way you can.

Again, this is good news. It's particularly good since the judge is a high-ranking Trump appointee and the opinion is so strongly opposed to the law (at least, in its current version). But the fight isn't over. This could lead to a more decisive victory, but that hasn't happened yet.

the tennessee drag ban was found unconstitutional by a federal judge!!!

full report

[lambxink]

trying to post where i can but if youre able to donate toward our travel expences, anything helps. and if youre not able to donate at this time please boost this post. deshitstain signed into law even more anti trans/lgbtq bills today and it does not look like hes slowing down on them.

[suncatstudiosyt]

!!⚠️ HUGE ALERT ON KOSA ⚠️!!

KOSA is being voted in Senate this Thursday!!! Call now! Sign everything you can now!!

[apricotbuncakes]

Hey, trans people in Texas need to get out ASAP. I'm sure you already knew that, but it's only getting more dangerous by the day.

Odessa, Texas has made it legal to sue trans people who use the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity, with the minimum price paid to the 'affected individual' (whoever reported the trans person and sued them) $10,000, or roughly the cost of Top Surgery.

Please stay safe.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Greg Owen at LGBTQ Nation:

Georgia’s parliament on Thursday pushed ahead a sweeping package of bills that would effectively outlaw LGBTQ+ identity in the former Soviet republic. The set of bills proposed by the ruling pro-Putin Georgian Dream party bans depictions of same-sex relationships in the media, outlaws gender-affirming surgery, and will make Pride events and the public display of the Pride flag in Georgia a thing of the past.

Parliamentary speaker Shalva Papuashvili describes the bills as necessary to control “LGBT propaganda,” which he said was “altering traditional relations.” The first reading of the bill titled “On the Protection of Family Values ​​and Minors,” which draws heavily from Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ “propaganda” law passed last year, drew widespread support among Georgia Parliament deputies. The bill is scheduled for second and third readings in the fall. In addition to outlawing public gatherings “promoting” same-sex relationships, the legislation would also limit adoption to heterosexuals, ban gender changes on official identification, and outlaw “LGBT propaganda” in education. Georgian Dream MPs have also proposed introducing “genetic” requirements in establishing legal marriage, whereby marriage would be a union of a “genetic woman” and a “genetic man.”

The Caucasus nation of Georgia is moving forward with its LGBTQ+ and transgender erasure bills.

[hongtonie]

as far as i can tell, anyone can sign the petition here. my autofill was on so i'm not sure if it's limited to some areas. as of posting this the petition is at 68,500 out of 100,000 and as far as i can tell you can sign it as many times as you want

edit: i tried signing and reloading the page and the number didn't go up but i got emails thanking me for signing, so i'm not sure whether they count

[lenbryant]

Texas fires doctors who offer gender-affirming care. WTF?

[imoanurparentsnames]

tag yourselves!

alt text: two-way grid of sapphic outfits with three options on each side. top side says lawful, neutral, chaotic. left side says butch, androgynous, femme. lawful butch says suit jackets, neatly ironed button-ups, ties, and bow ties. neutral butch says flannels, men's jeans, tennis shoes, combat boots. chaotic butch says hawaiian shirts, khaki shorts, beat up sneakers. lawful androgynous says patterned button-downs, mom jeans, lots of hats. neutral androgynous says cute patterned socks, snapbacks, skinny jeans. chaotic androgynous says so many hoodies, boxer briefs, usually in pajamas. chaotic femme says neat blouses, swing dresses, pencil skirts, heels of any length. neutral femme says circle skirts, beanies, berets, ballet flats. chaotic femme says heart-shaped sunglasses, crop tops, lace on everything, cute lingerie. end of alt text.

[lawofcollage]

This is known as the drag pride flag, which felt really relevant to share given the state of things.

[thoughtlessarse]

The daughter of Cameroon’s president said she hoped that by coming out as a lesbian she can help change laws that ban homosexuality in the country. Brenda Biya, who lives between the United States and Switzerland, came out in an Instagram post on June 30. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien published on Tuesday, the 27-year-old said she had not come out to her family before she publicly posted a photo of her kissing her girlfriend. “There are plenty of people in the same situation as me who suffer because of who they are,” she said. “If I can give them hope, help them feel less alone, if I can send love, I’m happy.” Same-sex relations are punishable by up to five years in prison under Cameroon’s penal code.

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[commiepinkofag]

Drag Me To The Capitol march and rally against anti-trans bills

Monarch, right center, leads chants in front of the Statehouse doors as protestors participate in the Drag Me To The Capitol march and rally against anti-trans bills in Montgomery, Alabama, on Tuesday May 16, 2023. The march went from the State Supreme Court building to the State Capitol building, then to the Alabama State House. [📷 Mickey Welsh / Montgomery Advertiser]

[boris-sharifov]

On a scale of boring to rainbow, how gay are you?

Неправильный вопрос, правильный это если они запретили это или нет.

Translation: Incorrect question, the correct question is if they banned it or not.

[cozybearz]

I feel like this isn’t something I’ve seen mentioned much (aside from a few posts I’ve seen on insta that aren’t in english), but the Kazakh government have been reviewing a petition against “LGBT Propaganda” and apparently a public discussion of it was held today in Astana.

I don’t know many details but it’s just a queer rights issue I want more people to know of. Hopefully the petition is shut down as I believe similar ones have been in the past.

[solradguy]

The hell's up with all these anti-trans men/masc memes lately because I'm getting real sick of it real quick. It's not cute and it was never funny.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Adam Zivo

Published: Nov 30, 2023

Given the chance, Hamas would murder every LGBTQ person in the world

Amid renewed conflict in Gaza, a startling number of queer progressives are romanticizing Palestinians and playing down their hatred towards LGBTQ people. This whitewashing is wrong, no matter how legitimate Palestinian calls for self-determination may be.

Since the early 2000s, radical queer activists have fervently advocated for Palestinian rights under the assumption that, as both communities oppose the capitalist West, “queer liberation” cannot be disentangled from “anti-imperialism.”

This has never made much sense. Strategically aligning against a shared enemy does not necessarily make two groups friends. There are obvious tensions between Palestinians and the LGBTQ community that cannot be ignored — mainly the fact that most Palestinians, along with their political leaders, hate gay and trans people and many want them dead.

In a 2019 poll conducted by the BBC, only five per cent of Palestinians in the West Bank approved of homosexuality — which was the lowest rate within the Middle East and North Africa. Gazans are generally excluded from this research, but local Islamic law mandates death or 10 years of imprisonment for homosexuality.

LGBTQ people face such dire threats to their safety in Gaza and the West Bank that hundreds have fled to Israel as refugees. When interviewed by the United Nations, escapees have recounted harrowing torture and death threats from both family members and Palestinian security forces. Yet even abroad, these people are not safe. Last year, Ahmad Abu Marhia, a 25-year-old gay man living under asylum in Israel, was kidnapped and then beheaded in the West Bank just two months before he was scheduled to immigrate to Canada.

Despite this, activists throughout the West have paraded signs bearing the message “Queers for Palestine” — a slogan that some have ridiculed as the equivalent of “Chickens for KFC.” Earlier this month a banner was hung in the University of British Columbia reading: “Trans liberation can’t happen without Palestinian liberation.”

It’s unclear why LGBTQ rights are in any way dependent on Palestinian self-determination — activist explanations here tend to be vague and muddled at best.

Is the argument that no disadvantaged social group can be free until all are? If that’s the case, then why is this logic rarely, if ever, applied to antisemitism? And if all disadvantaged groups need support, then why should any LGBTQ person, who has limited resources and time, prioritize the Palestinians over the many other communities fighting for rights and attention in the world today?

While LGBTQ people have no special obligation to support Palestinians, there is nothing wrong with defending Palestinians’ fundamental rights despite their rampant homophobia — the validity of these rights is not conditional on moral perfection, after all. If a gay man can support Afghan and Iranian women, or Uyghur Muslims, all of whom have their own prejudices, then Palestinians can be reasonably supported as well.

Deciding what social causes to support is a deeply personal choice for anyone — some LGBTQ people prioritize Palestinians, and others don’t. Each option is understandable, but which path one chooses to take should, ideally, be based on accurate information.

Rather than allow this, though, the queer left uses misleading arguments to inflate support for the Palestinian cause — firstly, by fabricating an artificial obligation to Palestinian liberation, and, secondly, by playing down the severity of Palestinian homophobia (and, by extension, Islamic homophobia).

Queer leftists are quick to argue that the Qur’an’s language on homosexuality is ambiguous, while ignoring the fact that the hadiths, which are the canonical teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, explicitly prohibit homosexuality. Muslim-majority countries do not pass discriminatory legislation arbitrarily — they work off mainstream interpretations of Shariah law.

Some queer leftists try to exonerate Palestinians of any moral responsibility for their homophobia by blaming western colonialism. To make this argument, they typically fixate on the fact that legal prohibitions on homosexuality were first introduced into the region by the British in 1936.

But the British ruled this part of the Middle East for only 30 years (from 1918 to 1948) and implemented sodomy laws for barely more than a decade. Palestinians have had 75 years to improve their attitudes and laws, but haven’t done so and show no desire for change — even though the Israelis, who also inherited these laws, were able to shed this baggage decades ago.

To blame contemporary Palestinian homophobia on a relatively brief, long-dead period of colonial rule is inane and patronizing. It implies that the Palestinians have no moral agency; that their beliefs and institutions are simply dictated by western policy choices; and that they are incapable of being held to the same ethical standards as Europeans.

Another minimization strategy is to argue that Islamic homophobia is not much worse than what is experienced in the West. For example, world-famous drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova (an Irish-American who cosplays as a Soviet citizen) recently claimed on X that anti-LGBTQ violence in Gaza is comparable to that in Scotland or Massachusetts. The post went viral and was liked over 140,000 times.

The last time I checked, gay people are not beheaded or routinely tortured in the West. While some anti-LGTBQ violence exists, only very coddled westerners can delude themselves into believing that this is similar to what occurs in Gaza, the West Bank or the rest of the Islamic world.

Some queer leftists also nonsensically claim that criticizing Palestinian homophobia “erases the existence of queer Palestinians” — but absolutely no one, except maybe Hamas, is saying that LGBTQ Palestinians don’t exist. Calling attention to social prejudice actually spotlights victims who would otherwise be forgotten. This should be glaringly obvious.

The queer left’s tendency to romanticize Palestinians and ignore their homophobia may seem strange at first, but it becomes intelligible when one remembers that this crowd often subscribes to a strain of “anti-imperialism” that interprets the world through a simplistic and reflexively anti-western framework.

This framework divides the world into a simple binary: oppressors (who are unambiguously evil) and the oppressed (who are morally pure). “Anti-imperialists” assume that: i) communities that oppose the West overwhelmingly fall into the “oppressed” class; ii) members of this class tend to have similar political and social priorities; and iii) political violence committed by the oppressed automatically counts as morally justified “resistance.”

Of course, the world does not actually conform to this framework, because global conflicts are far more nuanced than anti-imperialists are willing to admit. There is no black-and-white divide between good and evil, and no grand coalition of victims — real life is too diverse and fractured for such a simplistic narrative.

Yet false simplicity provides comfort to many queer activists, because it conceals the uncomfortable compromises that come with political life. Many progressives feel anxious about their own privileged positions in the world, and, as a result, often resort to performative righteousness to assuage these insecurities. The dynamics here are not much different from what is sometimes seen among the devoutly religious — the presence of doubt, compromise and moral greyness is psychologically unacceptable.

In the context of the Palestinians, this fundamentally selfish need for black-and-white thinking leads the queer left to minimize homophobia that, in any other context, would be unacceptable. It encourages the romanticization of Hamas, a terrorist organization that would, if given the chance, murder every LGBTQ person in the world.

If queer leftists wish to ensconce themselves in fairytales, then that’s their prerogative — but other LGBTQ people are justified in taking a skeptical approach, which, yes, can include support for Palestinians’ self-determination that uncomfortably co-exists with clear-eyed recognition of the very ugly parts of Palestinian culture.