USA: Arkansas bars use of ‘X’ as substitute for male or female classification on driver’s licenses and IDs

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) announced Tuesday a proposed emergency rule that would disallow the use of “X” as a substitute for male or female on state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards.

In its filing, the DRA asserted that the emergency rule is necessary for the Office of Driver Services (Office) to meet its responsibilities under state law. As per Arkansas Code § 27-16-1104(3), the Office is required to include a person’s gender on their driver’s license or identification card. Prior to Tuesday, the Office’s standard practice allowed license and identification card holders to use “X” in lieu of male or female gender classifications.

Under the proposed rule, the Office would also be barred from issuing or renewing driver’s licenses or identification cards that use “X” instead of a male or female classification. It also grants the Office the power “to modify gender information to correspond with the person’s birth certificate, passport [] or DHS identity document contained in the records of the Office.” According to the DRA’s filing:

The purpose of this rule to ensure that individuals and organizations that rely upon identifying information contained within a driver’s license or identification card are provided with the most accurate and complete gender information that reflects the person’s gender information stated within the holder’s birth certificate, passport [] or Homeland Security document.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed her support for the proposed emergency rule. She wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter):

Only women give birth, men shouldn’t play women’s sports [] and there are only two genders … As long as I’m Governor, Arkansas state government will not endorse nonsense.

The ACLU of Arkansas released a statement in opposition, stating that the proposed emergency rule “seeks to erase the existence of non-binary and intersex Arkansans by denying them identity documents that reflect their true selves, forcing them into categories that do not represent their identities.”

This proposed rule is one of several recent moves across the US to suppress the identity rights of transgender people. On February 8, Attorney General of Kansas Kris Kobach issued a statement condemning public schools for allegedly allowing teachers to conceal children’s transgender status from their parents. On January 10, West Virginia State Senator Mike Azinger introduced bills classifying transgender people as “obscene matter” and banning gender-affirming care for people under the age of 21.

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USA: Civil rights challenge to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law reaches settlement

Florida education officials and civil rights attorneys reached a settlement on Monday over the state law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”

The parties came to an agreement after two years of litigation and an appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. This agreement paves the way for students and teachers in Florida classrooms to openly discuss sexual orientation and gender identity, albeit mostly outside of formal instruction. Both sides celebrate this development as a substantial compromise, highlighting its impact on the education system.

The law firm for the plaintiffs, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP, released a statement that said:

The settlement restores the ability of students, teachers, and others in Florida schools to speak and write freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in their class participation and schoolwork. We cannot overemphasize our gratitude for the courage of our clients—the nineteen plaintiffs who stood up against prejudice and hate, even within their own local communities.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the settlement as a “major win against the activists who sought to stop Florida’s efforts to keep radical gender and sexual ideology out of the classrooms of public-school children in kindergarten through third grade (5- to 9-year-olds).”  After the agreement, Florida General Counsel Ryan Newman said, “We fought hard to ensure this law couldn’t be maligned in court, as it was in the public arena by the media and large corporate actors.”

While the law remains in effect, its interpretation has been significantly altered. The law now clearly states that discussions related to sexual orientation and gender identity are permissible in educational settings. An example of the compromise in the settlement states, “the statute [may] restrict the use of books to instruct students on the concepts of sexual orientation or gender identity…but may not [restrict] mere ‘literary’ references to a gay or transgender person or same-sex couple.” It also allows teachers to refer openly to their same-sex partners and have a family photo on their desk.

The Florida “Don’t Say Gay” law, officially the Parental Rights in Education Act (House Bill 1557), still has specific provisions that regulate and restrict discussions related to sexual orientation and gender identity. The law applies primarily to classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties, not to after-school clubs and activities. Discussions on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards. Legal consequences do hold, and the law allows parents on both sides of the spectrum of belief to sue districts if violations occur.

The post Civil rights challenge to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law reaches settlement appeared first on JURIST – News.

Liechtenstein: Parliament approves same-sex marriage bill

More (in German): https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=48754&pk_campaign=Nwsl

Swiss Parliament and Government are not willing to provide legally binding protection for children with innate variations in sex characteristics (Intersex)

A respective request in Parliament has been withdrawn after a rejection by the Government. Switzerland thus refuses to implement many recommendations of the Council of Europe and the UN in the last years.

See for details (de/fr): https://www.parlament.ch/en/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20223355

Italy: Judges in Padua say «The birth certificates of children with two mothers cannot be canceled»

More: https://www.unionesarda.it/en/italy/the-court-the-birth-certificates-of-children-with-two-mothers-cannot-be-canceled-sxrvxpe2

Rapid Vienna hit with severe penalties for homophobic derby celebration insults

Rapid Vienna faces severe disciplinary actions with five players, an executive director, and an assistant coach penalized for homophobic insults during a derby victory celebration.

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“The Austrian football championship is committed to fighting against discrimination of any kind. The status of those who are role models for the youth transcends what happens on the field,” announced the Bundesliga.

More: https://en.nogomania.com/read/Rapid-Vienna-hit-with-severe-penalties-for-homophobic-derby-celebration-insults

France MPs back compensating victims of anti-gay law

France’s lower house has passed a bill which will provide recognition and compensation for people convicted of homosexuality between 1942 and 1982.

More: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68504715

Ex-British Airways manager held in Qatari jail for ‘being gay’ as family fear he’s being tortured

The family of former British Airways manager Manuel Guerrero are pleading for his release after they claim he is being tortured in jail in Qatar after a police sting operation on the gay dating app Grindr

More: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ex-british-airways-manager-held-32234506