No EU cash for ‘anti-LGBT’ zones in Poland, European Commission confirms

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/05/17/poland-anti-lgbtq-zones-eu-funding/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mypinknews&pnespid=uas3CC5dOP5A36PH.m6sT4uAoRb2CIN0Mbjhn7M5oExmJDjcnpOYVnYTtXvLwgXOdtRmnbAwQg

US FDA relaxes blood donation rules for gay and bisexual men

The US Food and Drug Administration has eased its restrictions barring gay and bisexual men from giving blood.

The agency, in 2015, dropped a lifetime ban on donations from men who have sex with men, but its donation guidelines have been criticised for years.

The FDA’s latest policy evaluates all prospective donors by the same set of criteria while screening for recent, higher-risk sexual activity.

The update takes its cue from the UK and Canada.

Both countries moved, in 2021 and 2022 respectively, to allow donations from men who have had sex with other men in the past three months.

But the rule change only applies to those who have had the same sexual partner during the period. Those who have had new or multiple partners, and anal sex, in the past three months are not eligible to give blood.

The FDA is also recommending that those who use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PRrEP) or post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) – medications commonly used to prevent HIV infection – must defer making a donation.

The agency said use of these drugs could delay the detection of HIV and therefore turn up false negative results in a screening test.

Gay and bisexual Americans were banned from donating blood in 1983, as fear and misinformation over the spread of HIV/AIDS became widespread.

That was replaced in 2015 by a requirement for men to abstain from sex for one year before giving blood.

In 2020, the agency shortened that abstinence period to three months as the Covid-19 pandemic drained the nation’s blood supply.

Blood donations have stabilised since then, but the FDA said the move to an “individual risk-based approach” could expand the donor base.

It marks a turning point for the regulator, whose previous screening rules were condemned as homophobic.

Dr Scott Hadland, a Harvard-trained physician, wrote on Twitter: “I used to routinely donate blood (and once organized a campus-wide blood drive in college) but haven’t been able to for years because of this discriminatory policy. Thrilled by this change.”

Gay rights advocates also welcomed the move, with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) saying the policy “ends a decades-old ban rooted in discrimination and bias”.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) said it “signals the beginning of the end of a dark and discriminatory past rooted in fear and homophobia”, but it also had a word of caution.

“Placing potential blood donors taking PrEP in a separate line from every other donor adds unnecessary stigma,” it said, adding: “The bias embedded into this policy may, in fact, cost lives.”

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65566500

Join the World Bank for the launch of the Thematic Note on SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Inclusion and to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB)

Join the World Bank for the launch of the Thematic Note on SOGI (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Inclusion and to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOTB). This event raises awareness of the discrimination and exclusion that sexual and gender minorities face in our client countries. Discrimination based on SOGI has negative impacts on development outcomes and fuels the exclusion of sexual and gender minorities, creating barriers to accessing markets, services, and spaces. The event is an opportunity to learn about the links between gender equality and the inclusion of sexual and gender minorities in World Bank projects and analytics.

The event REPLAY will be available as soon as the event concludes.

Register: https://live.worldbank.org/events/commemorating-idahotb-gender-equality-and-lgbti-inclusion?cid=ECR_LI_Worldbank_EN_EXT_profilesubscribe

UK: UN expert has ‘deep concerns’ for LGBTQ+ rights under Tory government

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/05/11/un-expert-uk-tory-government/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mypinknews&pnespid=uKV_UydJN.sWgPLC_zu4S5WQ5R2nCMRvIves0Ptsth9mU_U7k7s7ap0sLrURoJU_TEreCq6p8Q

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court gives green light to legalising homosexuality: ‘The door is finally open’

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/05/11/sri-lanka-legalise-homosexuality-gay-sex-supreme-court/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mypinknews&pnespid=6Lo6GTtBPrsIh_LHqz2uF5eV5wOgU8VnMfbi0bF6vhpm6aeujxe1NlvvDAlxqbNBEKuCLFL44A

India: Same-sex marriage: Central government tells Supreme Court it will form committee to consider suggestions by LGBTQIA petitioners

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made submissions to that effect during the hearing of the petitions seeking legalisation of same-sex marriages.

https://www.barandbench.com/news/same-sex-marriage-central-government-tells-supreme-court-will-form-committee-consider-suggestions-lgbtqia-petitioners

Premier canton à légiférer, Neuchâtel interdit les thérapies de conversion — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

Premier canton à légiférer, Neuchâtel interdit les thérapies de conversion Premier canton à légiférer, Neuchâtel interdit les thérapies de conversion Neuchâtel condamnera désormais ceux qui proposeront des mesures visant à modifier l’orientation sexuelle d’une personne. Les députés neuchâtelois sont les premiers à légiférer, alors que d’autres cantons songent à encadrer les «thérapies» de conversion http://www.letemps.ch %5B…%5D

Premier canton à légiférer, Neuchâtel interdit les thérapies de conversion — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

Uganda’s parliament passes mostly unchanged anti-LGBTQ bill including death penalty for certain same-sex acts

Bill retains harshest measures of legislation adopted in March, including death penalty for certain same-sex acts

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/02/uganda-parliament-passes-anti-lgbtq-bill

Switzerland: National Council does not want discrimination in blood donation criteria —

Today, the National Council unanimously decided that the criteria for who may donate blood must not discriminate against anyone. If the Council of States also agrees, the de facto ban on men who have sex with men donating blood must finally be lifted. Pink Cross, Network and the Swiss AIDS Federation welcome this clear statement by the National Council against discrimination against gay, bisexual and queer men. Within the framework of the parliamentary initiative “Securing the blood supply and free blood donation”, the National Council commission had proposed an amendment to the law that would not allow discrimination in the blood donation criteria if they are based on risk behaviour. In future, individual risk behaviour should be the decisive factor in determining whether someone is admitted to donate blood, and the criteria must be scientifically justified. The National Council has approved the proposal, which now goes to the Council of States.

Nationalrat will keine Diskriminierung bei den Blutspende-Kriterien Medienmitteilung von Pink Cross, Network und der Aids-Hilfe Schweiz Mittwoch, 03. Mai 2023 Einstimmig hat der Nationalrat heute entschieden, dass die Kriterien, wer Blut spenden darf, niemanden diskriminieren dürfen. Falls auch der Ständerat dem zustimmt, muss das faktische Blutspendeverbot von Männern, die Sex mit Männer haben, endlich aufgehoben […]

Nationalrat will keine Diskriminierung bei den Blutspende-Kriterien — LGBTI Recht in der Schweiz – Droit LGBTI en Suisse – by Professor Andreas R Ziegler

Application online is still possible for the sixth edition of Leiden University’s
Summer School on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity in International Law
(The Hague, Leiden & Amsterdam, 25 July to 4 August 2023)

The draft programme for the 2023 edition of this unique summer school is online and includes expert speakers (from many continents, universities and organisations) who will discuss global and regional human rights, international criminal law, international economic law, international refugee law, and more. Some sessions will focus on legal aspects of intersex issues, of gender identity/expression, of sexual orientation, or on themes common to these forms of sex/gender diversity.

Participants learn about the history of the rights of LGBTQI+ persons in the international sphere, about current developments around the world and about the potential for future progress on equality. Several speakers have been involved in important precedent-setting court cases that helped to achieve some international protection against homophobia, transphobia and interphobia. Academic coordinator is Kees Waaldijk, professor of comparative sexual orientation law at Leiden Law School. 

Leiden University’s Grotius Centre has been offering this successful summer school since 2016, with very good evaluations. Each year participants have included lawyers, researchers, activists, officials and students from all over the world.  

Requirements for admission: Completion of at least one year of university education including several law courses, plus some knowledge of human rights law and SOGI issues. For participants and potential participants, a list of online video/audio/reading materials has been put together: the Leiden Overview on SOGIESC in International Law. These materials (some of which are by former and future speakers of this summer school) offer a good preparation for taking part. 

The summer school takes place in The Hague (the International City of Peace and Justice, and host to a growing campus of Leiden University), and for the last few days in Leiden (the main seat of Leiden University), and Amsterdam (where the annual Queer & Pride events are taking place around the dates of this summer school).

More information and online application form at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/study-programmes/summer-schools/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-in-international-law-human-rights-and-beyond. The deadline for application has been extended to 15 June, but will be closed earlier if the maximum number of participants is reached.

Please share this announcement widely!

And/or share any of these recent posts – each featuring an eminent speaker at this summer school:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=639090834913652&set=a.476303247859079  (Lisa Davis, CUNY, New York)

https://twitter.com/GrotiusCentre/status/1652967724836962304  (Paula Gerber, Monash University, Melbourne)

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7058735554787434498 (Paula Gerber, Monash University, Melbourne)

https://sogiesc.law.blog/2023/04/30/looking-forward-to-teaching-on-3-august-again-in-person-in-the-summer-school-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-in-international-law-the-hague-and-amsterdam-25-july-4-august-2  (Andreas Ziegler, University of Lausanne)