New Publication: Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights: Whatever Happened to the Right to Offend, Shock or Disturb?

The latest issue of the Human Rights Law Review (Vol. 21, no. 4, December 2021) is out. Contents include:

Jacob Mchangama, Natalie Alkiviadou, Hate Speech and the European Court of Human Rights: Whatever Happened to the Right to Offend, Shock or Disturb?, Human Rights Law Review, Volume 21, Issue 4, December 2021, Pages 1008–1042, https://doi.org/10.1093/hrlr/ngab015

New Publication: Paula Gerber & Aaron Timoshanko, Is the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Doing Enough to Protect the Rights of LGBT Children and Children with Same-Sex Parents?

The latest issue of the Human Rights Law Review (Vol. 21, no. 4, December 2021) is out. Contents include:

• Paula Gerber & Aaron Timoshanko, Is the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Doing Enough to Protect the Rights of LGBT Children and Children with Same-Sex Parents?

Misgendering Is a Human Rights Violation, Canadian Court Rules

Read: https://www.them.us/story/canadian-court-rules-misgendering-human-rights-violation

European Parliament adopts resolution to ban biometric identification and mass surveillance

The European Parliament voted 377-248 to approve a resolution calling for a total ban on the use of the automated recognition of people in public spaces.

The European Parliament’s resolution cites the failure of artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately identify minority ethnic groups, LGBTI people, seniors and women, and the concern this causes in the context of law enforcement and the judiciary. The parliament’s concern regarding AI extends to private facial recognition databases such as Clearview AI, predictive policing, and social scoring systems such as China’s Social Credit System.

Member of Parliament (MEP) Petar Vitanov stated of the resolution:

Fundamental rights are unconditional. For the first time ever, we are calling for a moratorium on the deployment of facial recognition systems for law enforcement purposes, as the technology has proven to be ineffective and often leads to discriminatory results. We are clearly opposed to predictive policing based on the use of AI as well as any processing of biometric data that leads to mass surveillance. This is a huge win for all European citizens.

The parliament’s vote is a nonbinding resolution which signals its position going into negotiations for the AI Act, which would ban AI social scoring systems in its current form. Some European countries, including Serbia, Hungary and Czech Republic currently have well-developed facial recognition systems in place.

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South Korea: Trans soldier found dead after being discharged from army given posthumous victory by court

South Korea’s first trans soldier, who was found dead earlier this year after being dismissed from the army, has been given a posthumous victory.

The Daejeon District Court ordered the cancellation of the forceful discharge of staff sergeant Byun Hee-soo, also reported in news outlets as Byun Hui-su.

Read: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/10/07/south-korea-trans-soldier-byun-hee-soo

European Court of Justice changes German translation of Judgment of 7.11.2013, C‑199/12 – C‑201/12, ECLI:EU:C:2013:720 § 71 in order to make clear that homosexual asylum seekers cannot reasonably be expected to be discreet in their home State

See: https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=40110&pk_campaign=Nwsl

See for details also: https://www.lsvd.de/de/ct/6009-Asylrecht-Bei-homo-und-bisexuellen-Gefluechteten-darf-nicht-von-diskretem-Leben-ausgegangen-werden

Conférence Zoom de Michal Raz le jeudi 14 octobre 2021 de 10h15 à 12h, organisée dans le cadre du cours « Genre, sciences et médecine ».

Titre de la conférence :  “Entre modèle et exception. L’histoire de la médicalisation de l’intersexuation au XXème siècle à travers le cas de l’hyperplasie congénitale des surrénales (HCS)“

Résumé: Cette présentation examinera la façon dont la médicalisation de l’HCS a rendu possible la normalisation d’autres variations liées au sexe dans le cadre de la généralisation d’un nouveau paradigme médico-psychologique développé aux États-Unis dans les années 1950. Nous verrons en quoi le cas spécifique de l’HCS représente à la fois une exception et un cas emblématique d’intersexuation à partir duquel la pratique de la médicalisation et l’intervention chirurgicale et hormonale précoce sur les enfants intersexes s’est diffusée. Il s’agira donc de montrer comment, historiquement, les innovations médicales, parfois fortuites, développées dans le cas de l’HCS (seule variation intersexe qui présente, dans certains cas, un risque vital pour le nouveau-né) ont constitué le prélude à l’approche médicale de « l’urgence ».

Bionote: “Michal Raz est docteure en sociologie, attachée de recherche et d’enseignement à l’EHESS. Ses travaux portent sur la manière dont les sciences biomédicales traitent et produisent le genre. Plus spécifiquement, sa thèse, soutenue en 2019 au sein du laboratoire Cermes3, retrace l’histoire de l’approche médicale à l’égard des individus intersexués en France depuis les années 1950. Elle est intitulée “La production des évidences sur l’intersexuation. Savoirs et pratiques médicales autour de l’hyperplasie congénitale des surrénales (France, 1950-2018)” et a gagné le prix de thèse du GIS genre en 2020.”

La conférence est ouverte à toute personne intéressée.

Pour recevoir le lien Zoom, veuillez écrire directement à Geraldine.Saugy@unil.ch

Switzerland votes to legalize same-sex marriage

Swiss citizens voted on Sunday to amend the Swiss Civil Code to legalize same-sex couples’ right to marry and to adopt children. Voters accepted the proposal in a 64 to 36 percent vote.

The Swiss Federal Council and Parliament called for a referendum and endorsed same-sex marriage. They explained that although same-sex Swiss couples could enter into registered partnerships, and about 700 couples did so every year, such couples could not marry. The council and Parliament proposed eliminating family inequality by opening marriage to all couples, granting same-sex couples the right to adopt children, and allowing all couples access to legally regulated semen.

Opponents challenged the proposed amendment, arguing that granting same-sex couples the right to marry would violate the Swiss constitution. They reasoned that their constitution grants opposite-sex couples the right to marry because opposite-sex couples can “pass on life.” Opponents further contended that marriage should be limited to opposite-sex couples so as to “protect the cornerstone of society and the state.” In support of this contention, they said that children’s best interests should be protected in a household with “role models from both genders.”

The Swiss Federal Council and Parliament countered, observing that children were already growing up in households with two mothers or two fathers. Hence, they argued that allowing same-sex couples to marry and legitimately raise children in attentive and caring homes served children’s best interest. The council and Parliament also noted that this right would not change marriage between a woman and man, and it would limit the government’s ability to interfere with citizen’s private lives.

After Swiss voters accepted the amendment in a two-thirds majority, Director of Amnesty Switzerland Alexandra Karle expressed support for the “historic vote,” which will make Switzerland the 29th country to legally permit same-sex marriage. Karle said, “Marriage—and with it the right to found a family—will finally be open to all couples in Switzerland. This is an important step towards equality, which was long overdue.”

The post Switzerland votes to legalize same-sex marriage appeared first on JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary.

Switzerland accepts same-sex marriage in referendum: 64.1 % of the voters say yes – all cantons and most municipalities accept

More information in English: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58696604

For an interactive overview for each municipality see here: https://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/schweiz/interaktive-karte-die-abstimmungsresultate-in-der-uebersicht-wie-die-kantone-und-gemeinden-abgestimmt-haben-ld.2191575

Poland region repeals ‘anti-LGBT ideology’ resolution

The Polish region of Swietokrzyskie repealed its “anti-LGBT ideology” resolution Wednesday—one of several anti-LGBT resolutions passed in dozens of Polish regions in 2019. The resolution was a symbolic statement by Swietokrzyskie, which had sought to establish itself as an “LGBT-free zone,” clarifying its ideological stance against the LGBT community and symbolizing how LGBT persons were unwelcome in their territory.

Earlier this month, the European Commission had sent formal notices to five Polish regions that had adopted such resolutions, asking for response on the notices and suspending talks about the disbursement of funds under the REACT-EU program, should these resolutions continue to be in place. The Wednesday decision to repeal comes in response to threats of losing funding from the European Commission, which had observed such resolutions to be discriminatory against LGBT persons.

Such resolutions have been argued by Polish regions to be in the interest of family rights and promotion of union between a man and a woman. However, the newly adopted Wednesday resolution in Swietokrzyskie withdraws its anti-LGBT ideology stance and pledge to “respect the centuries old tradition and culture of the Republic of Poland as well as equality and fair treatment.” This makes Swietokrzyskie the first Polish region to withdraw its “anti-LGBT ideology” resolution.

Spokesperson for the European Commission Christian Wigand commented on the development:

We are closely following the latest developments related to the so-called LGBT-free zones in Poland. We see a move in the right direction and expect other regions to move in the same direction. The Commission has a clear position on such resolutions and zones. Let me recall the words of President [Ursula] von der Leyen [that] LGBTQI-free zones are zones free from humanity and there is no place for them in our Union.

It is expected that around PLN 47.5 billion worth of funds under the REACT-EU program will remain suspended in case such resolutions continue in other regions.

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