Council of Europe adopts resolutions protecting LGBTI people

The Congress  of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted two resolutions protecting the LGBTI community from discrimination and hatred at its 40^th Session on Wednesday.

The resolutions followed two independent reports–a report that drew attention to the situation of the LGBTI community, claiming that the rights of LGBTI persons were increasingly being politicized and challenged through contestation of their recognition and identity in various parts of Europe, and another report following the November 2020 fact-finding mission to Poland, which drew attention to increasing attacks against LGBTI people in Poland.

The first resolution, titled the “Protection of LGBTI people in the context of rising anti-LGBTI hate speech and discrimination: the role of local and regional authorities,” calls on member states of the Council of Europe to mainstream LGBTI equality through policy measures, introduce legislative instruments forbidding hate speech and discrimination against LGBTI people, to monitor policy responses through data collection and to implement recommendations, resolutions and judgments of all the Council of Europe bodies.

The second resolution, titled “The role of local authorities with regard to the situation and rights of LGBTI people in Poland,” calls on Poland to withdraw all declarations and resolutions, such as the Local government Charters of the Rights of the Family, which were passed by various local and regional authorities in Poland declaring that such authorities were opposed to the “LGBT ideology.” The resolution has also called on Poland to ensure that LGBTI people, being a vulnerable group, are protected keeping in mind the deleterious impact that hate speech and discrimination can have on their lives.

Highlighting the need for and timing of the resolutions, especially when Hungary passed a law prohibiting discussion about gender identity and sexual orientation, the President of the Congress of Council of Europe, Leendert Verbeek, stated:

The rising anti-LGBTI hate speech and discrimination is one of [the reasons behind the resolutions] and it is indeed very worrying to learn about the legislation passed by the Hungarian parliament yesterday, particularly at a time when Hungary presides over the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

The post Council of Europe adopts resolutions protecting LGBTI people appeared first on JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary.

USA: Education Department interprets Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students

The US Department of Education issued a notice of interpretation Wednesday to extend Title IX’s prohibition on sex-based discrimination to gender identity and sexual orientation, reversing the opposite stand taken by the Education Department under the Trump administration.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prevents sex-based discrimination in any education program offered by a beneficiary of federal financial aid from the department. Title IX’s new interpretation is based on the US Supreme Court’s verdict in Bostock v Clayton County in which the court held that discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation inherently involves discrimination based on sex. Although the Bostock decision interpreted Title VII only, the notice said that the court’s reasoning is also applicable to Title IX.

US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said:

The Supreme Court has upheld the right for LGBTQ+ people to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, and discrimination – and our LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protection. I’m proud to have directed the Office for Civil Rights to enforce Title IX to protect all students from all forms of sex discrimination.

Further, the notice stated that the new interpretation overrides any previous contradictory statements made by the department about the scope of Title IX’s jurisdiction over discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. However, it affirmed the exemption of educational institutes controlled by religious organizations from the application of Title IX.

The interpretation comes after President Joe Biden signed an executive order in March guaranteeing an educational environment devoid of discrimination based on sex, including gender identity and sexual orientation.

Recently, the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights also reported that LGBTQ+ students experience additional challenges in school, including disproportionate harassment, bullying and victimization, which were worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The post US Education Department interprets Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students appeared first on JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary.

Hungarian parliament adopts bill banning LGBT content in schools

The National Assembly of Hungary adopted Bill Number T/16365 on Tuesday, effectively banning sexual orientation and gender identity related discourse in schools.

The new law, which bans discussions relating to the LGBTQIA+ community, contains various other provisions that put in place stronger measures against acts of pedophilia and sexual crimes against children–all the provisions forming part of the narrative of protecting children.

The new law amends various statutes, the primary one being Act XXXI of 1997 on the Protection of Children and the Administration of Guardianship. Section 1 of the new law, which makes an amendment to the 1997 Act, prohibits the act of making available to a person below 18 years of age any content which disseminates an understanding of gender that deviates from sex assigned at birth or which promotes and displays homosexuality.

In a similar spirit, section 3 of the new law amends Act XLVIII of 2008 on the Basic Requirements and Certain Restrictions of Commercial Advertising Activities and prohibits advertising in a way which makes available to a person below 18 years of age content relating to one’s self-identity being different from one’s sex assigned at birth, gender reassignment or homosexuality, with the aim of protecting children in their sexual development.

Various rights organizations have opposed the new law for being discriminatory, violating free speech and stigmatizing the LGBTQIA+ community. They have urged the President of Hungary Janos Ader to veto the bill and send it back to the National Assembly for review.

Neela Ghoshal, the Associate LGBT Rights Director at Human Rights Watch stated, “Hungary’s ruling party is cynically deploying a ‘protection of children’ narrative to trample on rights and try to render LGBT people invisible. Children do not need to be protected from exposure to diversity. On the contrary, LGBT children and families need protection from discrimination and violence.”

The post Hungarian parliament adopts bill banning LGBT content in schools appeared first on JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary.

USA – Colorado: Notorious Christian baker broke the law by refusing to bake a trans woman’s cake, judge rules

A Colorado baker has been fined by a district judge after he refused to bake a blue and pink birthday cake celebrating a trans customer’s transition.

USA: Supreme Court held today in Fulton v. Philadelphia that Catholic Social Services is exempt from municipal laws that would have required it to place foster children with gay couples

(C) The Williams Institute williamsinstitute@law.ucla.edu

This morning, in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, all nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court found that the city of Philadelphia had violated the constitutional rights of Catholic Social Services by canceling the agency’s contract when they refused to work with same-sex couples. However, the decision was a narrow one. It did not affirm a broad license to discriminate in the name of religion.
 
The liberal members of the Supreme Court joined Roberts and Barrett in a majority opinion that ruled narrowly based on the provisions in the specific contract at issue. Since Philadelphia’s contract contained an individualized exemption process from complying with its non-discrimination provisions, the Court held that such an exemption could not be denied when it imposed a religious hardship without a compelling reason.
 
The Court also rejected the city’s arguments that granting this exemption would reduce the number of available foster parents, create liability issues for the city, or undermine the equal treatment of prospective foster parents and foster children. Notably, the Court’s reasoning does not consider what would happen if many or most providers in a local area discriminated against LGBTQ people or same-sex couples, or whether its holding might make that scenario more likely in more conservative parts of the country.
 
Despite the loss in this case, the decision is a narrow one. The decision leaves important Supreme Court precedent intact and skirts making a decision that could impact all government contracts or all non-discrimination laws that apply to public accommodations.
 
The majority opinion also restates from its decision in the 2018 Masterpiece case that “our society has come to the recognition that gay persons and gay couples cannot be treated as social outcasts or as inferior in dignity and worth.” There is some hope that both Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Barrett signed onto an opinion reaffirming this statement.
 
Williams Institute research shows the importance of non-discrimination protections to upholding the dignity and worth of LGBTQ families and the over 400,000 children who need foster parents. Our research has shown that an estimated 114,000 same-sex couples are raising children; that same-sex couples raising children are seven times more likely to be raising adopted or foster children than different-sex couples; and that nearly 20% of youth in foster care in Los Angeles are LGBT. For more information on the impact of the Court’s decision on same-sex couples, I invite you to read the Williams Institute’s amicus brief.
 
And because of Williams Institute research, we know it is false to frame these fights as between LGBTQ people and people of faith. Many religions now support LGBTQ people and their families. And many LGBTQ people are religious. Our recent analysis found that 5.3 million LGBT adults are religious, reporting that religion is an important part of their daily life or that they regularly attend services.  
 
Religions and people of faith are on both sides of these issues, as evidenced by the large number of religious organizations, leaders, and people of faith who filed briefs in support of the City of Philadelphia and LGBTQ people in this case.
 
While the first two decisions pitting LGBTQ rights against religious liberty have been decided on narrow grounds, the fight is far from over. Thank you for your support as we continue our long tradition of research that not only informs debates but helps to reframe them.

Liechtenstein: Totalverbot der Adoption durch gleichgeschlechtliche Paare verfassungswidrig (Entscheidung der Verfassungsrichter) — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

Liechtenstein: Totalverbot der Adoption durch gleichgeschlechtliche Paare verfassungswidrig (Entscheidung der Verfassungsrichter) Auch im Alpen-Kleinstaat wird das Verbot der Stiefkindadoption aufgehoben. Auch in Liechtenstein dürfen gleichgeschlechtliche Partner*innen Kinder adoptieren Gestern, 15:57h, 1 Kommentar Der Verfassungsgerichtshof Liechtensteins, der sogenannte Staatsgerichtshof im Hauptort Vaduz, hat in einer am Dienstag bekanntgegeben Entscheidung das Verbot der Stiefkindadoption für verpartnerte gleichgeschlechtliche […]

Liechtenstein: Totalverbot der Adoption durch gleichgeschlechtliche Paare verfassungswidrig (Entscheidung der Verfassungsrichter) — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

The judgment can be found here: https://www.gerichtsentscheidungen.li/default.aspx?z=MNSBoaHb7nz3AAOK-DYeNcrxu84slUiGNkdmtgrxt0P0lNWcLk3d3Y_ddVH99JAjl6AJTyhFgpyj2tkHf81tOuQz0

Interesting New Book on Sexual Minorities in Nazi Concentration Camps

Auschwitz ist das international bekannteste Symbol dafür, welche Grausamkeiten Menschen anderen Menschen antun können. Während jüdische Männer und Frauen sowie Angehörige der Roma und Sinti nach der Nazi-Ideologie systematisch „vernichtet“ werden sollten, ging es bei Homosexuellen eher darum, sie hart zu bestrafen, mit dem Ziel der „Umerziehung“. Die 20 Beiträge der ausgewiesenen, überwiegend polnischen und deutschen Expert*innen dokumentieren bislang weitgehend unbekannte Fakten und decken auf, warum die Nazis sexuelle Minderheiten verfolgten – und warum vieles in der Forschung bis heute unbeachtet blieb.

Was aktuell eine „queere Geschichte des Holocaust“ genannt wird, erlaubt einen menschlicheren und nicht heteronormativen Ansatz, um differenzierter zu verstehen, was damals geschah.

Die Zeit ist gekommen zu erkennen, dass ein solches Erinnern in Auschwitz heute von Vorteil für alle Teile der Gesellschaft ist – nicht nur in Polen und Deutschland.

‘Laughing-stock’ Polish town revokes ‘LGBT-free’ status so it can keep lucrative EU grants

ILGA Rainbow Digest April 2021

Help transform realities for LGBTI communities across Europe and Central Asia. With your support we can do more. Make change happen here. No. 307. April 2021. In this issue… ILGA-Europe Join The Hub, ILGA-Europe’s free resource sharing centre for LGBTI activists in Europe and Central Asia Responding to anti-LGBTI forces: ILGA-Europe’s call for project proposals New report on the communications strength of the movement in our region Save the date for The ILGA-Europe Equality Gala Online MEMBERS ONLY: A busy year with two General Meetings! Decriminalisation “49 people are in jail for same-sex conduct in Uzbekistan” Equality and non-discrimination New Constitution in Kyrgyzstan could potentially harm NGOs and LGBTI activists New report on the economic case for LGBT+ inclusion in Central and Eastern Europe Family Opinion from European court: same-sex parented families should be officially recognised in all EU member states Listen to the podcast mini-series on rainbow family rights Freedom of expression Yulia Tsvetkova will stand trial again under absurd criminal charges Hate speech and hate crime Violence against LGBTI people in Kyrgyzstan intensifies Health New research into harm caused by gender identity conversion therapy in the UK How to build a fairer, healthier world during a global pandemic WHO released new information note about COVID-19 vaccines and people living with HIV Housing Survey finds that LGBTIQ organisations and homeless services across Europe are dealing with large numbers of LGBTIQ youth homelessness Notice board European Commission to support proposals in the field of gender-based violence IGLYO’s job vacancy for a Policy & Research Officer Survey on experiences of LGBTQI+ students and youth during their mobility “Don’t let COVID-19 stop you from tackling Cancer” To the top ILGA-Europe Join The Hub, ILGA-Europe’s free resource sharing centre for LGBTI activists in Europe and Central Asia The Hub is an easily accessible online platform for LGBTI activists in Europe and Central Asia. Through it, ILGA-Europe offers various resource ‘cards’ that contain information and guides around certain thematic areas of work. You will find dozens of resources already in the thematic sections on campaigning, communications, community, fundraising, management, security, wellbeing and Russian language cards. Each card contains comprehensive information around a particular area of work. Join today – by creating your own account at hub.ilga-europe.org Read our blog on why online resource sharing is the way forward for the LGBTI movement.   Responding to anti-LGBTI forces: ILGA-Europe’s call for project proposals We have launched a re-granting programme to strengthen the capacities of LGBTI organisations in Europe to achieve change in the current landscape of growing populist anti-LGBTI rhetoric and state-led anti-LGBTI attacks. If you are an LGBTI organisation currently working, or planning to work on communication, alliance and resilience building to counter anti-LGBTI forces. Proposals should be submitted by 23 May, Sunday, 23:59 CEST. Read more and submit your proposal.   New report on the communications strength of the movement in our region On 15 April, ILGA-Europe held an online event for the activist launch of ‘Communicating for Change: a communications needs assessment of the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia’. Consisting of surveys, focus groups, interviews and webinars with 190+ activists from 45 countries, this is the most in-depth investigation into the communications strength of the movement in our region. Download your own copy of the summary report in English. Download your own copy of the summary report in Russian.   Save the date for The ILGA-Europe Equality Gala Online We are excited to announce ILGA-Europe’s second annual online fundraising Gala, which will feature a range of exciting guests from the worlds of sports, arts and entertainment, alongside a diverse range of activists from across the LGBTI movement, all to be announced over the coming months. In the meantime, please save this date in your diary, Tuesday June 22 at 7pm CEST. Add the date to your calendar now by clicking here.   MEMBERS ONLY: A busy year with two General Meetings! Is your organisation a member of ILGA-Europe? This year, we will not be short on opportunities to connect as there will be not one but two Annual General Meetings (AGMs)! So mark your calendars for the two AGMs – which will of course be held online: Saturday 12 June 2021 – Extraordinary GM; Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October 2021 – Regular AGM. Read more and look at the timeline explaining what to expect and when. To the top Decriminalisation “49 people are in jail for same-sex conduct in Uzbekistan” For the first time in Uzbekistan’s history, the Interior Ministry revealed the number of people convicted under article 120 of the Uzbek Criminal Code, which penalises consensual same-sex conduct between men. On April 23, the Uzbek language news outlet Qalempir.uz published the statistics referring to the law enforcement agency. Under article 120, six people were convicted in 2016, 15 in 2017, seven in 2018, also seven in 2019, nine in 2020. As many as 49 people are currently in jail for “homosexuality”. When questioned previously by relevant UN Treaty bodies and EU institutions, Uzbek officials would deny the existence of LGBT people convicted under article 120 and would always claim that Uzbekistan does not exercise the article in reality. The statistics were revealed as Uzbekistan came under international criticism for penalising consensual same-sex conduct between men following ILGA-Europe’s campaign on decriminalisation in March. Read the article that revealed the statistics (in Russian). To the top Equality and non-discrimination New Constitution in Kyrgyzstan could potentially harm NGOs and LGBTI activists On 11 April, Kyrgyzstan adopted yet another Constitution in a nationwide referendum. Nearly 80% of the voters, who came to the polls, supported the new Constitution containing provisions that could potentially restrict LGBTI activism. One such provision is Article 8(4): public associations shall ensure transparency of their financial and economic activities. LGBTI organisations compare this article to the law on “foreign agents”, which has been practiced in Russia and has significantly restricted operation of LGBTI organisations. Another harmful provision is Article 10, which deals with mass media, and includes: “in order to protect the younger generation, activities that contradict moral and ethical values and public conscience of the people of the Kyrgyz Republic may be restricted by law”. This provision might prohibit any LGBTI community organising and movement building activities in Kyrgyzstan. Read more.   New report on the economic case for LGBT+ inclusion in Central and Eastern Europe ILGA-Europe member organisation Open For Business have published a new report ‘The Economic Case for LGBT+ Inclusion in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE): Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine’. The report finds that LGBT+ discrimination comes at a high cost to countries in the region, but also shows how embracing inclusion can be a path for greater economic growth. The report includes a study of 190 businesses in the four countries, and features case studies. Download your own copy of the report.   To the top Family Opinion from European court: same-sex parented families should be officially recognised in all EU member states ILGA-Europe and NELFA are very encouraged by the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union’s (CJEU) opinion, published on 15 April in the case of V.M.A. v Stolichna obshtina, in which a same-sex couple who were refused a birth certificate in Bulgaria for their newborn daughter claim the Bulgarian authorities are violating the rights of a European citizen on the grounds of sexual orientation, namely to free movement, and to private and family life. This constitutes a breach of the fundamental principles of the EU. (Photo: Court of Justice of the European Union) Read more. Listen to ILGA-Europe’s podcast mini-series on rainbow family rights In the latest offering of the ILGA-Europe podcast, The Frontline, we present a mini-series on rainbow family rights in 2021, looking at the issues affecting LGBTI parents and their children across Europe. We’re exploring two landmark cases being taken to the European courts right now, looking at the growth of partnership rights in the Western Balkans, and the lack thereof in Ukraine, the situation for trans parents, and the issues that are coming up beyond 2021, including multi-parenting. Listen to the mini-series and subscribe to The Frontline on your favourite podcast platform. Find previous episodes.   To the top Freedom of expression Yulia Tsvetkova will stand trial again under Russian criminal charges On 6 May, Russian LGBT+ and feminist activist, Yulia Tsvetkova will stand trial again under absurd criminal charges for sharing body positive art online. She is currently under a gag order and cannot leave her town. Yulia’s trial in the “pornography” case started on 31 March 2021, and she is set to appear in court several times throughout April to June. The trial is happening behind closed doors, contrary to Yulia’s defense demands. Read more about her story and how you can support her. To the top Hate speech and hate crime Violence against LGBTI people in Kyrgyzstan intensifies On 23 April, an ILGA-Europe member organisation in Kyrgyzstan was bullied online by unknown social media trolls. A video was released demonising the LGBT+ organisation, revealing the names of most of the staff members, misgendering and publicly outing them. The video, which was later deleted by Youtube, contained anti-LGBTI messages and bias-motivated speech, misinformation about the organisation and mislead viewers by manipulating factual information. Targeted activists believe this was done to deter public attention from socio-economic and political failures of the recently elected President Sadyr Japarov. The release of the video comes as a continuation of a series of anti-LGBTI and anti-civil society narratives that have intensified in Kyrgyzstan since March. On 15 April there was an anti-LGBT demonstration in the capital Bishkek, in opposition to demonstrations calling for Interior Minister’s resignation. The Ministry had failed to protect a young woman who had been killed as a result of bride kidnapping. Read more about the response from LGBTI organisations (in Russian). Read more about the anti-LGBT protests in Bishkek (in Russian): To the top Health New research into harm caused by gender identity conversion therapy in the UK A new report published in the United Kingdom exposes the violent nature of so-called gender identity “conversion therapy”. Survivors report verbal abuse, isolation, beatings, forced feeding / food deprivation, “corrective rape” and forced nudity. The research involved 450 respondents who stated that their gender identity did not match the sex assigned to them at birth. This included 170 respondents who identified as non-binary. In total 64 people had been offered Gender Identity “Conversion Therapy” and 39 had undergone it. Of those, nearly half had been forced through it. Read more and download your own copy of the report.   How to build a fairer, healthier world during a global pandemic On 7 April, in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, we celebrated World Health Day with the motto: “Building a fairer, healthier world”. But to make this a reality the voices and needs of the most marginalised, including LGBTI people, must be front and centre. Health and access to healthcare is one of the seven areas where COVID-19 has hugely impacted LGBTI people, organisations and communities in Europe and Central Asia. Read how ILGA-Europe and the Nobody Left Outside initiative are working together to build on this vision.   WHO released new information note about COVID-19 vaccines and people living with HIV The World Health Organization released on 9 April a list of questions and answers about the COVID-19 vaccines and people living with HIV. According to the WHO, “despite limited data, available information suggests current WHO recommended COVID-19 vaccines (Pfizer/BioNtech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson) are safe for people living with HIV”. (Emblem: World Health Organization) Read more. To the top Housing Survey finds that LGBTIQ organisations and homeless services across Europe are dealing with large numbers of LGBTIQ youth homelessness A report published on 28 April, based on a survey by ILGA-Europe in association with the LGBTIQ Youth Homelessness organisation True Colors United, and the Silberman Center for Sexuality and Gender (SCSG) at Hunter College, explores the experiences of LGBTIQ focused organisations in Europe in working on the issue of LGBTI youth homelessness, points to a large prevalence of LGBTI youth homelessness across Europe, with over 60% of LGBTIQ organisations surveyed saying they have worked with young people who have experienced homelessness. A comparative report from FEANTSA also finds that over 60% of homeless services organisations have dealt with young LGBTIQ people experiencing homelessness but often without any training or support. Read more and download your own copy of the reports. To the top Notice board European Commission to support proposals in the field of gender-based violence The European Commission launched a call for proposals to prevent and combat gender-based violence and violence against children. The first priority of the 2021 calls for proposals aims to address the challenges emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic and the safety and security measures put in place in relation to it. The second priority addresses masculinities and engagement of men and boys in the prevention of gender-based violence. The call recognises the need for proposals to equally address the specificities of the situation for women and men, girls and boys, in all their diversity. (Emblem: European Commission) Read more and submit your proposal by 15 June. IGLYO’s job vacancy for a Policy & Research Officer IGLYO is currently looking for a Policy & Research Officer to join their staff team. The ideal candidate will have experience in a relevant advocacy, policy or research related position (preferably in a civil society organisation), and knowledge of the international LGBTQI rights framework. IGLYO highly encourage women, trans, and non-binary people, individuals from black communities, other communities of colour and ethnic minorities, and who are under 30 years old to apply for this position. Read more and apply by 10 May. Survey on experiences of LGBTQI+ students and youth during their mobility Erasmus Student Network (ESN) has released a survey called Rainbow Survey to learn more about the experiences of the LGBTQI+ students and youth who currently are or have previously been on mobility, with an emphasis on the integration in the local community and other experiences that have shaped their mobility experience. Your participation will help ESN better represent the interests of international LGBTQI+ students and young people in the future. The survey will be open until Sunday, June 20. Answer the survey. “Don’t let COVID-19 stop you from tackling Cancer” The European Cancer Organisation announced their virtual launch event of the Time To Act campaign in over 20 languages: “Don’t let COVID-19 stop you from tackling cancer”. The event will be held on Tuesday 11 May from 11:00-12:00 CEST and you can register, free-of-charge. This event will bring together European political leaders in cancer, including EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and the Chair and MEPs from the EU Parliament’s Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA), as well as other policy-makers, healthcare professionals and patient advocates who are all very concerned about the negative impact of COVID-19 on Cancer. Read more and register. ILGA-Europe Rainbow Digest is published by ILGA-Europe – the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association Follow us on social media Facebook Twitter Instagram Medium Vimeo YouTube Previous editions Rainbow Digest ISSN 1998-8117 Editor: Mehmet Akin Contact us This publication is funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2021-2027 of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of ILGA-Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.

Czech MPs approve same-sex marriage bill, timing of vote uncertain

04/29/2021

The lower house of Parliament on Thursday approved a draft law in a first reading that would legalise same-sex marriages. At the same time, a counter bill that wants the Constitution to say marriage between a man and a woman is protected by law.

Read: https://english.radio.cz/czech-mps-approve-same-sex-marriage-bill-timing-vote-uncertain-8716225