High Court in Croatia paves the way for adoption by same-sex couples

On 26 May, NGO Dugine Obitelji announced that the High Administrative Court of Croatia confirmed that same-sex couples can adopt children, indicating that parents cannot be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation. The Court decision rejects the appeal of the competent Ministry against the judgment of the Administrative Court in Zagreb from April 2021, which should have given a same-sex couple access to the adoption procedure.

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Bulgarian Court rules Baby Sara must be issued birth certificate

On 16 May, a Bulgarian court has ordered city hall authorities in the capital city of Sofia to issue a birth certificate to the baby born to a same-sex couple from Bulgaria and Gibraltar, known as ‘Baby Sara’. The court’s decision follows a ruling last December by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), saying that if one EU member state recognises a parental relationship between a child and its parents, then all member states should, in order to give the child its right to freedom of movement.

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The ECtHR sets the basis for the qualification of intersex genital mutilation as torture

On 19 May, the European Court of Human Rights communicated its decision on the case M c. France. While the Court rejected the application on procedural grounds, it paved the way for future positive decisions on the qualification of non-vital medical interventions performed on intersex persons without their personal prior free and fully informed consent as intersex genital mutilation (IGM) and therefore as a form of torture.

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The first judgement for discrimination against LGBTI persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On 4 April, the Municipal Court in Sarajevo issued a first instance judgement in which discrimination against LGBTI persons was confirmed by a court for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The judgement refers to a public statement made by a former member of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly, on social media. ”From a legal standpoint, it is critical to develop case law and strengthen legal standards concerning discrimination and hate speech. The Sarajevo Open Centre (SOC) is handling multiple lawsuits before several courts in the country” says Darko Pandurević, Advocacy and Programme Manager at SOC.

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ILGA-ASIA Country Report on SOGIESC Rights In India: An Unfinished Agenda

Download: https://www.ilgaasia.org/publications/india-country-report-an-unfinished-agenda

Abolishing legal sex and gender comes with many, many pros, radical new report finds

Read: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/05/11/legal-sex-gender-future-legal-project-research/

Report at: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/law/research/future-of-legal-gender-abolishing-legal-sex-status-full-report.pdf

Cruel efforts to stop trans people accessing bathrooms struck down in Tennessee and Indiana

Read: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/05/19/trans-bathroom-indiana-tennessee/

Indonesia condemns British ambassador after LGBTQ+ flag is flown outside embassy

Read: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/05/23/british-embassy-indonesia-lgbtq-pride-flag/

UK: LGB Alliance founder Allison Bailey loses legal fight against Stonewall

Allison Bailey has lost her lawsuit against Stonewall but has won her employment tribunal case against Garden Court Chambers.

REad: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/07/27/allison-bailey-tribunal-stonewall-garden-court-chambers-judgement/

USA: Hawaii governor signs trio of pro-LGBTQ+ bills to make state ‘inclusive for all’

Read: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2022/06/20/hawaii-lgbtw-bills/