USA: Wisconsin State Assembly passes ban on gender-affirming care for minors and limit on transgender sports participation

The Wisconsin State Assembly passed three bills on Thursday that ban gender-affirming care for minors and limit transgender participation in sports. In order for the new bills to become state law, they must pass through the other chamber of Wisconsin’s legislature, the State Senate, and be signed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. However, Evers stated on Thursday that he will not sign these bills into law.

The first of the three bills, Assembly Bill 465, prohibits health care providers from “medical intervention practices” on minors if done “for the purpose of changing the minor’s body to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the minor’s biological sex.” The bill defines “biological sex” as the “biological state of being female or male based on sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous hormone profiles.”

The second bill, Assembly Bill 378, requires the University of Wisconsin only to allow intercollegiate, intramural or club sports teams that are all male, all female or coed. The bill defines sex as “determined by a physician at birth and reflected on the birth certificate.”

And the third bill, Assembly Bill 377, requires each school board, independent charter school and private school that operate or sponsor sports teams to designate the teams as all male, all female or coed. Bill 377’s definition of sex is identical to bill 378.

In response to the bills’ passage, Evers stated:

We continue to see harmful anti-LGBTQ rhetoric in Wisconsin—rhetoric that emboldens hate and violence and that we know only hurts our kids who are already facing significant mental health challenges. We’re going to stop these attacks, and we’re going to do it together.

Additionally, in response to the bills, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin Dr. Melinda Brennan stated, “All young people deserve to feel supported, valued and cared for, but the assembly representatives who voted in favor of these bills today sent a message to trans youth that they are the exception. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The bills will now go to the Wisconsin State Senate. Last week, a Wisconsin state judge struck down a public school district policy that allowed students to request to transition to a different gender identity at school without parental consent and over parental objection.

The post Wisconsin State Assembly passes ban on gender-affirming care for minors and limit on transgender sports participation appeared first on JURIST – News.

Graeme Reid appointed as UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity

Civil society welcomes the appointment of Graeme Reid as the third UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity and celebrates the achievements of Victor Madrigal-Borloz in the role.

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The President of the UN Human Rights Council has appointed Graeme Reid as the incoming holder of the mandate of the Independent Expert on violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).  The appointment was made today at the United Nations Human Rights Council, after his nomination was proposed last month by the President of the 47 government member body charged with overseeing human rights around the globe. Graeme Reid will take on the role on 1 November 2023.

An anthropologist and researcher from South Africa, Reid – who currently serves as the Director of the LGBT Rights Programme at Human Rights Watch – is the third person to ever be appointed to hold the United Nations mandate dedicated to addressing specific human rights violations against LGBT and gender-diverse persons, following Vitit Muntarbhorn from Thailand (2016-2017) and Victor Madrigal-Borloz from Costa Rica (2017-2023).

Civil society organisations worldwide welcomed the decision: ‘Billions of people continue to live in societies with laws and societal attitudes that put LGBTI persons in danger,’ said the organisations*. ‘With his extensive experience in advocacy and academic spaces alike, and his keen dedication to listening to the voices of grassroots human rights defenders, we trust Reid will be able to further build bridges and remind States of their obligations towards people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities across the globe. As civil society, we look forward to constructive engagement with the new mandate holder.’

The appointment comes at the end of a months-long application process. Twenty-three candidates went through shortlisting, with interviews and final appointment then overseen by Member States of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Earlier this month organisations worldwide had expressed their regret about the lack of women and non-binary persons in the short-list of candidates recommended by the Consultative Group, as highlighted during the recent session of the Human Rights Council. ‘Ensuring participation and representation of women is crucial to reflect the diverse realities of women’s lives,’ organisations pointed out. 

In June 2022, the Human Rights Council successfully renewed the mandate of the Independent Expert on violence and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The renewal recognised and reaffirmed the vital importance of the maintenance of this mandate, as LGBT communities around the world continue to be subject to violence and discrimination on the basis of their SOGI.

Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the outgoing mandate holder, continues in the role until the end of the month. ‘Today we also want to celebrate everything that has been achieved over the last six years,’ civil society organisations concluded. ‘Thanks to Víctor Madrigal-Borloz and his work, the world has heard more about the impact of criminalisation of same-sex relations between consenting adults, the need to legally recognise a person’s gender, the barriers to social inclusion and the importance of collecting data related to LGBT lives, the harm caused by so-called “conversion therapy”, and more. Madrigal-Borloz has also cast a light on good practices to prevent discrimination, and conducted visits to Georgia, Mozambique, Tunisia, Ukraine, the United States and United Kingdom, building bridges between civil society, political and religious authorities. At a time in which anti-rights forces are more vocal by the minute, and are increasingly targeting our communities as a part of a larger attack against gender equality, it is critical that the mandate’s work continues and is supported by States and civil society alike.’

Source: https://ishr.ch/latest-updates/graeme-reid-appointed-as-new-un-independent-expert-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/

New Article: Matteo M. Winkler, The Italian Far Right’s Attack on Queer Children in: The Italian Law Journal, vol. 9, no.1, 2023, 117-137

See: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/matteowinkler_the-italian-far-rights-attach-on-queer-children-activity-7117121365958098944-SCQ_/

New Article: Further Extension of Protection against Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation under Directive 2000/78/EC: Court of Justice (Second Chamber) 12 January …

T Jaroszyński, J Łacny – European Constitutional Law Review, 2023

In Case C-356/21, JK v TP SA. 1 the Court of Justice assessed the Employment
Equality Directive. 2 This Directive protects against discrimination on the grounds of
religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation in the field of employment and …

See: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/european-constitutional-law-review/article/further-extension-of-protection-against-discrimination-on-grounds-of-sexual-orientation-under-directive-200078ec/E4B63CE43F3A0D200D2CF7286B7E3870

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/10/04/swimming-world-cup-open-category-trans/

The Dukeminier AwardsStudent Writing Competition accepting submissions by US law students

The Dukeminier Awards Student Writing Competition annually recognizes the best law review note written by a student in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity law. The first-place winner will receive the Jeffrey S. Haber Prize for Student Scholarship and an award of $1,000 and will be published within Volume 23 of the Dukeminier Awards Journal of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law.  The competition is open to all students, regardless of degree track or progress, enrolled in a law school in the United States or its territories during the 2023–2024 academic year.  Submission deadline: December 18, 2023

Learn More and Enter

World Bank: The economic cost of LGBTI exclusion in Serbia and North Macedonia

Two new reports by the Williams Institute in collaboration with the World Bank find that the exclusion of LGBTI people costs the economies of Serbia and North Macedonia millions of dollars each year. While both countries have introduced important reforms to protect the rights of LGBTI people, sexual and gender minorities continue to face discrimination and exclusion.  The annual economic loss due to LGBTI exclusion totaled $293 million in Serbia and $64 million in North Macedonia in 2021.

Read the Serbia Report

Read the N. Macedonia Report

Attacks on LGBTI rights strongly associated with democratic backsliding globally

New research finds countries that are highly accepting of LGBTI people tend to have high levels of liberal democracy, such as free and fair elections and the protection of civil liberties. More accepting countries also tend to have higher GDP per capita and a greater share of their population residing in urban environments. Attacks on LGBTI people and their rights are strongly associated with democratic backslide. A decline in LGBTI acceptance may, under some conditions, be a bellwether of democratic decline.

See:Democratic Backsliding and LGBTI Acceptance – Williams Institute (ucla.edu)

New Book (PhD Thesis Lausanne) Tsubasa Shinohara, Paving the Way for the Protection of Human Rights in Sports – The Case of Intersex and Transgender Female Athletes

More: https://www.unil.ch/dip/en/home/menuinst/recherche/andreas-r-ziegler/PhD%20Studies/doctorats-completes.html

Droit et Justice sociale – Conférence des 10 ans de la Law Clinic et publication anniversaire, 19 octobre 2023 à 18h30 en salle M R290 à Uni-Mail, Genève

Cette année 2023 marque les 10 ans d’enseignement de la Law Clinic sur les droits des personnes vulnérables de l’Université de Genève. Pour célébrer cet anniversaire hautement symbolique et mettre en lumière le riche travail accompli au cours d’une décennie par cette clinique juridique pionnière en Suisse, nous organisons une conférence académique à laquelle nous avons le grand plaisir de vous convier :

Droit et justice sociale : 10 ans de la Law Clinic sur les droits des personnes vulnérables

Le 19 octobre 2023 à 18h30 en salle M R290 à Uni-Mail,

avec les interventions de

Djemila Carron, juriste et co-fondateurice de la Law Clinic, professeur·e à l’Université du Québec à Montréal

Et

Liora Israël, sociologue du droit et de la justice, directrice d’études à l’École des hautes études en sciences sociales de Paris

Suivi du vernissage du Magazine des 10 ans de la Law Clinic

Couvrant l’ensemble des thématiques traitées par la Law Clinic, le Magazine des 10 ans de la Law Clinic réunit les contributions d’alumni·ae, de personnes concernées, de professionnel·le·x·s, et d’associations ayant travaillé avec cette clinique juridique qui, depuis sa création, œuvre pour la mise en pratique des savoirs juridiques et la justice sociale. Cet ouvrage se veut également être le reflet de la synergie au cœur d’un programme académique qui a permis de bâtir des ponts entre l’Université, les associations/personnes concernées et la Cité.

Nous nous réjouissons de vous retrouver à cette occasion.

L’équipe de la Law Clinic sur les droits des personnes vulnérables

Law Clinic sur les droits des personnes vulnérables Lundi, mardi, mercredi Email: lawclinic@unige.ch   Université de Genève Uni-Mail – Faculté de droit 40 boulevard du Pont-d’Arve 1211 Genève 4   www.unige.ch/droit/lawclinic