Romania – Refusal to host conference due to the presence of a trans activist sanctioned by the NCCD

Read Report: https://www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/5180-romania-refusal-to-host-conference-due-to-the-presence-of-a-trans-activist-sanctioned-by-the-nccd-73-kb

Yet another of Poland’s abhorrent and unlawful ‘LGBT-free’ zones has been annulled by the courts

Read more: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/07/16/poland-lgbt-free-zone-annulled-court-unlawful-klwow-istebna-homophobia/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PNnewsletter

Sudan has dropped the death penalty as a punishment for gay sex. Queers will instead be thrown in prison for loving who they love

Read: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/07/16/sudan-africa-gay-sex-homosexuality-death-penalty-prison-homophobia-penal-code-sodomy-law/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PNnewsletter

Nach Strafanzeige: Österreich: Erste Geburtsurkunde mit “Inter”-Eintrag ausgestellt

Erst nach einer Strafanzeige gegen den Innenminister gab die schwarz-grüne Bundesregierung ihren Widerstand auf.
Der österreichische Bundesadler fliegt nun erstmals auch für intersexuelle Menschen (Bild: RKL)

• Heute, 13:22h, noch kein Kommentar

Der österreichische Innenminister Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) hat nach einer Mitteilung der LGBTI-Organisation Rechtskomitee Lambda (RKL) vom Donnerstag ermöglicht, dass Geburtsurkunden mit dem Geschlechtseintrag “inter” ausgestellt werden können. Bislang war nur “divers” als dritter Eintrag möglich. Das erste derartige Dokument sei laut RKL bereits am 7. Juli angefertigt worden. Dazu musste die Software des Personenstandsregisters geändert werden.

Ganz ohne Druck erfolgte der Schritt nicht: Mitte Juni hatte das RKL und die intersexuelle Person Alex Jürgen wegen Amtsmissbrauchs eine Strafanzeige gegen Nehammer und dessen rechtspopulistischen Vorgänger Herbert Kickl (FPÖ) bei der Wirtschafts- und Korruptionsstaatsanwaltschaft gestellt. “Es ist eine Schande, dass es einer Befassung der Strafjustiz bedarf, damit der Innenminister rechtskräftige Höchstgerichtsurteile respektiert”, erklärte Helmut Graupner, langjähriger Präsident des RKL.

Der Verfassungsgerichtshof hatte bereits vor zwei Jahren nach einer Klage von Alex Jürgen geurteilt, dass es in Österreich das Grundrecht darauf gebe, mit einer dritten Geschlechtsoption anerkannt zu werden (queer.de berichtete). Ein Jahr später wurde Jürgen ein Reisepass mit dem Geschlechtseintrag “X” ausgestellt (queer.de berichtete). Abheben und Frankreich und die Welt entdecken

“Offene Rechtsverweigerung”

Doch die Politik hat laut Graupner die Entscheidung für den “inter”-Eintrag in der Geburtsurkunde immer weiter hinausgezögert. Zunächst wurde vor anderthalb Jahren nur die Eintragung von “divers” zugelassen, obgleich Gerichte auch die Bezeichnungen “inter” und “offen” für zulässig erklärten. Erst im Februar diesen Jahres wies das Landesverwaltungsgericht Oberösterreich eine Berufung des Bundesinnenministeriums gegen die Pflicht, “inter” in Geburtsurkunden zu schreiben, ab. Doch noch im April erklärte Innenminister Nehammer auf eine parlamentarische Anfrage eines liberalen Abgeordneten, dass er keine Änderung bei den Eintragungen in Geburtsurkunden plane. Das RKL bezeichnete die Weigerung des Innenministers der schwarz-grünen Koalition als “offene Rechtsverweigerung”.

Bereits im Januar hatten LGBTI-Aktivist*innen den Koalitionsvertrag von christsozialer ÖVP und Grünen scharf kritisiert, weil er für queere Menschen eine “herbe Enttäuschung” sei (queer.de berichtete). Im Juni kritisierte der RKL, dass die Koalitionsregierung noch immer einen umfassenden Diskriminierungsschutz von sexuellen Minderheiten ablehne, obwohl sechs der 97 Mitglieder von ÖVP und Grünen im Wiener Nationalrat offen schwul oder lesbisch seien (queer.de berichtete). (dk)

ECtHR: A transgender refugee’s lack of access to a procedure to recognise his gender in Hungary violated the Convention

In its committee judgment in the case of Rana v. Hungary (application no. 40888/17) the European Court of Human Rights held, unanimously, that there had been:
a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private and family life) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The case concerned a transgender man from Iran who had obtained asylum in Hungary but could not legally change his gender and name in that country.
The Court noted that the domestic system for gender recognition had excluded the applicant simply because he did not have a birth certificate from Hungary, a change in the birth register being the way name and gender changes were legally recognised.

The Court concluded that a fair balance had not been struck between the public interest and the applicant’s right to respect for his private life owing to the refusal to give him access to the legal gender recognition procedure.
The judgment is final.

http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre?i=003-6748328-9004672

USA: Health care providers and LGBTQ advocacy organizations sue Trump administration

Several health care providers and LGBTQ advocacy organizations have filed a lawsuit against the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), challenging the new HHS rule eliminating protections for the LGBTQ community in health care. The suit was filed on Thursday in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts and is seeking to have the Court set aside the rule as arbitrary and capricious, contrary to existing law, and in violation of the US Constitution.

At issue are interpretations of a provision of the Affordable Care Act, which disallows discrimination on the basis of “sex.” The new rule from the HHS defines “sex” exclusively as the biological distinctions between male and female. In practice, the new definition rolls back protections for LGBTQ individuals.

Further, the complaint claims the rule violates Title IX, as discrimination on the basis of transgender status and sexual orientation qualifies as unlawful discrimination on the basis of “sex.” Specifically, it references the recent landmark case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the Supreme Court clarified that protections based on “sex” in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 encompass sexual orientation and gender identity.

The complaint describes the sex discrimination that Darren Lazor, one of the plaintiffs, experienced based on his status as a transgender man. It alleges Mr. Lazor was refused care and mistreated and has no available route to pursue justice under the new rule.

Additionally, the suit describes “animus” as the motivation behind the rollback. The complaint states:

[The] Rule was promulgated as part of a campaign of consistent, repeated anti-transgender sentiments, advocacy, and comments by the Administration as a whole, including HHS officials responsible for enforcing Section 1557 and promulgating its regulations. The Rollback Rule aims to denigrate LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender people: falsely characterizing them as a threat, spreading misinformation and lies about them, and turning the federal government’s efforts to combat discrimination into efforts to promote discrimination.

Finally, the complaint references the potential for magnified harm due to COVID-19, with an emphasis on those people at the intersection of these impacted communities.

The post Health care providers and LGBTQ advocacy organizations sue Trump administration appeared first on JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary.

During the 44th session of the Human Rights Council, the UN Independent Expert on SOGI presented his report on “conversion therapies”, calling on a global ban on such harmful practices.

Switzerland: ECtHR communicates two cases relating to non-recognition of joint parenthood through surrogacy abroad

The European Court of Human Rights has just communicated two cases against Switzerland by couples whose joint parenthood through surrogacy abroad was not recognized by the Swiss authorities and Courts.

Thailand could become the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex civil partnerships

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN)Thailand’s Cabinet on Wednesday approved a draft bill that will legally recognize same-sex civil partnerships and give greater rights to same-sex couples, a potential first for any nation in Southeast Asia if passed into law.

Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/09/asia/thailand-same-sex-union-bill-intl-hnk/index.html

USA: Supreme Court rules Catholic schools cannot be sued for employment discrimination

The Supreme Court announced its opinion in the case of Our Lady of Guadalupe School v Morrissey-Berru on Wednesday. The Court ruled in favor of the Catholic schools, shielding them from employment discrimination suits under the First Amendment’s “ministerial exception.”

The lawsuit concerned two women who filed for employment discrimination from two Californian Catholic schools after their contracts were terminated. The Catholic schools used the 2012 Supreme Court’s “ministerial exception” precedent to argue that they were protected from employment discrimination suits, in order to “protect religious freedoms.” The legal issue justices ruled on was whether the termination of Biel and Morrisey-Berru’s employment qualified as ministers under the 2012 rule.

The 7-2 ruling deciding in favor of the schools reiterated that federal employment discrimination law did not apply to teachers in religion at church-run schools. The decision thus concluded that “the constitutional language that protects religious freedom barred [employees] from suing their religious schools for employment discrimination.”

The post US Supreme Court rules Catholic schools cannot be sued for employment discrimination appeared first on JURIST – News – Legal News & Commentary.