Since the Trump administration started saying
they want to end the criminalization of homosexuality,
the number of countries where you be be arrested
for being gay has actually increased. Germany
took a step closer to banning ex-gay abuse,
and now they’re going further than in previous
efforts. China and Cuba could recognize same-sex
relationships in the next few years. And there’s
never been a better time to support organizations
that advocate for trans youth in the UK. We’ll
have the week’s top LGBTQ news and actions
you can take on Weekly Debrief.
Weekly Debrief is made possible with your
support on Patreon. Head over to Patreon.com/mattbaume
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As more countries move to criminalize homosexuality,
the Trump administration is responding by…
not doing very much. This week the US ambassador
to Germany held a meeting at the UN about
decriminalization, but there were no commitments
to action. Ambassador Grennell said that the
UN needs a separate plan for each of the 69
countries the criminalizes homosexuality -- it’s
actually recently gone up to 70 countries
-- but there’s no word about who’s working
on those plans, if anyone.
Meanwhile Zambia is trying to expel the US
ambassador after he criticized the country
for imprisoning a gay couple. So far the State
Department is standing behind Ambassador Daniel
Foote. Under the Obama administration, the
State Department was able to use economic
incentives to pressure countries to decriminalize.
But that’s no longer happening.
Germany is moving closer to ending ex-gay
abuse for minors. The cabinet approved a bill
this week that increases age restrictions
from past versions. Under the pending bill,
ex-gay treatment would be banned for anyone
under the age of 18. The bill must now pass
both houses of Parliament, likely to happen
sometime in 2020.
China may consider recognizing same-sex relationships.
That was one of the top priorities expressed
by the Chinese public after the Commission
for Legislative Affairs asked for public input
on amending the country’s civil code. But
with authorities currently cracking down on
LGBTQ organizations, reforms are likely to
take years.
And you may have heard this week JK Rowling
posted a transphobic tweet, with the author
siding with people who say trans women are
actually men. It’s an unfortunate situation,
but if there’s a silver lining its that
it fueled a dramatic increase in donations
to the nonprofit Mermaids, which supports
trans youth in the UK. Some Potter fans are
going so far as to sell their memorabilia
and donate the proceeds to Mermaids. So this
week’s action item is to head over to MermaidsUK.org.uk
to volunteer, donate, and follow the group
on social media.
As always let me know about stories that need
covering @mattbaume on Twitter and on YouTube.
And if you find these videos helpful, head
over to patreon.com/mattbaume to pledge your
support and help keep them coming. And I’ll
debrief you next week.
