Social Welfare Center in Zagreb, Croatia has rejected a foster care application submitted by a gay couple, who are life partners in Croatia, although this is in contradiction with the Croatian Administrative Court’s binding ruling of 19 December 2019

On 28 January, the Social Welfare Center in Zagreb, Croatia has rejected a foster care application submitted by a gay couple, who are life partners in Croatia, although this is in contradiction with the Croatian Administrative Court’s binding ruling of 19 December 2019. The December judgment, the result of a two-year court proceeding, states that life partners should be considered on equal footing as other types of families. Not only this is a clear case of discrimination based on sexual orientation in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, but a blatant disregard of the rule of law, which is one of the priorities of Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Read more.

Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution on the protection of freedom of religion or belief in the workplace without laying the groundwork for legalisation of homophobic, transphobic, interphobic, or anti-SRHR discrimination

On 29 January, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on the protection of freedom of religion or belief in the workplace. Beforehand, a coalition of ILGA-Europe, IPPF European Network, European Humanist Federation, European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual & Reproductive Rights, and Center for Reproductive Rights successfully lobbied, along with numerous allied Parliamentarians from across the region, to block dangerous language on “reasonable accommodation” from being adopted within the resolution text by the Council of Europe. As a result a resolution supporting protection of freedom of religion and belief in the workplace, with continued reflection of anti-discrimination law was adopted – one that protects human rights without laying the groundwork for legalisation of homophobic, transphobic, interphobic, or anti-SRHR discrimination.

More information about the resolution and voting results.

National LGBTIQ+ Survey 2019

Tabea Hässler & Léıla Eisner

In this report we will present the results of a large national survey of LGBTIQ+ people (i.e., individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, intersexual, queer, and other sexual or gender minorities) in Switzerland. Despite changes toward greater acceptance and equality, LGBTIQ+ people in Switzerland still suffer from discrimination and face structural inequalities. For example, marriage for same-sex couples (sometimes called same-sex marriage) and joint adoption are currently not legal and LGBTIQ+ people are not protected against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Attachments and links

• Swiss_LGBTIQ_Report_2019_English.pdf (PDF, 630 KB)

Publication Date:

30 January 2020

Themes:

Equality, Diversity, Discrimination

Disciplines:

Social Sciences, Economics and Law

Institutions:

Université de Lausanne(Switzerland)

Swiss government supports ‘marriage for all’

Newspaper report in English

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society-_-swiss-government-supports–marriage-for-all–/45525942?linkType=guid&utm_source=multiple&utm_campaign=swi-rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=o

The Swiss Government wants to quickly open marriage to all couples, but...wants to maintain certain discriminatory rules
Bern, 29.01.2020 - The Federal Council wants to eliminate the unequal treatment of homosexual couples (in general). This is why he supports the project that the Legal Affairs Committee of the National Council (CAJ-N) developed in response to parliamentary initiative 13.468 "Civil marriage for all", as he announced during its meeting of the January 29, 2020. The question of opening marriage to homosexual couples shall be separated from certain family issues. The other questions, in particular that of access to medically assisted procreation, still need to be studied in depth (according to the Government) and will be dealt with separately.

Details in French or German: https://www.admin.ch/gov/fr/accueil/documentation/communiques.msg-id-77927.html

Germany: Gender entry “diverse” – ban for trans people unconstitutional?

https://www.queer.de/detail.php?article_id=35392&pk_campaign=Nwsl

UK: Isle of Man chief minister makes historic apology to people criminalised for having gay sex

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/01/28/isle-of-man-chief-minister-howard-quayle-historical-gay-sex-convictions-homosexuality-buggery-pardon/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PNnewsletter

The French legislator will open up ART for couples of women and for single women
In the discussion of this draft law in the Senate, the Government decided to modify the Article 47 of the Civil Code imposing an obligation on judges to interpret the validity of the foreign birth certificates in accordance with French law and solely French law (witch forbidden surrogacy).
This text will presumably be adopted and will have as a consequence that it will be henceforth impossible to obtain the full transcription of the civil status of the children born through surrogacy.
It will be possible to obtain the exequatur of an American judgment of adoption, or of a judgment of parentage, as it will be possible also in France to request the adoption by the parent who has no biological link.

http://www.senat.fr/amendements/2019-2020/238/Amdt_301.html

EU: Why isn’t Germany helping gay rights in Hungary, Poland? – Opinion by Fredrik Saweståhl

https://euobserver.com/opinion/147148

USA: There are 16 states in the US that still have sodomy laws against ‘perverted sexual practice’. It’s 2020

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/01/24/sodomy-laws-us-states-perverted-sexual-practice-lawrence-texas-louisiana-maryland-bestiality/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=PNnewsletter