First same-sex couples adopt in Finland

The first same-sex couples have successfully adopted children in Finland as reports coming since 20 April. Sateenkaariperheet, the Finnish rainbow families association, confirmed that one male and one female couple, both from Helsinki, had each successfully adopted infants. A change to Finland’s marriage law entered into force in March 2017 making it possible for same-sex couples to marry and adopt. LGBTI activists are now calling on a new parental law, currently under preparation by the Ministry of Justice, to ensure that more than two parents can be legally recognised and that parenthood be entered into the population registry in a gender-neutral way.

Read more.

Tunisian government emphatically denies they recognise same-sex marriage

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/04/30/tunisia-same-sex-marriage-equality-association-shams-lotfi-zitoun-mounir-baatour/

Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-507/18 Associazione Avvocatura per i diritti LGBTI

Homophobic statements constitute discrimination in employment and occupation when they are made by a person who has or may be perceived as having a decisive influence on an employer’s recruitment policy

Tunisia just became the first Arab country to recognise same-sex marriage – but there’s a catch – it was probably by mistake

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/04/28/republic-tunisia-same-sex-marriage-arab-muslim-french-association-shams-lgbt-rights/

New Book: Thurm, Wiebke, Der Ehebegriff im europäischen Kollisions- und Zivilverfahrensrecht, 2019

Bestell-Nr 3972 ISBN 978-3-8305-3972-8 erschienen 18.11.2019 Format kartoniert Umfang 276 S. Gewicht 410 g Preis 50,00 €

Einige EU-Staaten haben die Ehe für gleichgeschlechtliche Paare geöffnet, andere haben für gleich- und/oder verschiedengeschlechtliche Paare Rechtsinstitute neben der Ehe geschaffen. Diese divergierenden Entwicklungen führen zu Auslegungsfragen im vereinheitlichten europäischen internationalen Familienrecht, da dessen Verordnungen ihren sachlichen Anwendungsbereich mit der „Ehe“ beschreiben, ohne den Begriff zu definieren.  >>  Mehr erfahren 

O.N. and D.P. v. Russia (CEDAW, 27 March 2020): negative stereotypes against lesbian women

2.1    The authors are a lesbian couple, who have maintained a stable relationship for several years.

2.2    On the night of 19 to 20 October 2014, the authors were going home in Saint Petersburg when, at about 12.47 a.m., at a subway station, they noticed two unknown men following them. They continued on their way, followed by the men to the exit from the station, then along the street towards their flat. On their way, the authors openly demonstrated their relationship, hugging, kissing and holding hands. At one point, one of the men attacked the first author from behind, hitting her. He then hit both authors on the head, face and body, shouting homophobic insults and threatening to kill them if he met them again. Meanwhile, the second man filmed the attack with his mobile telephone. Shortly afterwards, the men left.

7.10  The Committee considers that the present case shows a failure by the State party in its duty to uphold women’s rights, particularly in the context of violence and discrimination against women on the basis of their sexual orientation and to eliminate the barriers that the authors faced in seeking justice in their case, in particular negative stereotypes against lesbian women, and to ensure that law enforcement officials strictly apply the legislation prohibiting gender-based discrimination against women.

Trans activists demand compensation for the forced sterilisation in the Netherlands

The Netherlands, like many European countries, required sterilisation for trans people to access legal gender recognition up until 2014. Following a trend in the region of pushback against these requirements, Transgender Netwerk Nederland (TNN), the Dutch organisation for sex diversity (NNID) and individual victims have now decided to demand financial compensation for the harm caused by forced sterilisation. The current law is in the process of being further reformed, and activists are also pushing back on remaining restrictive requirements and seeking non-binary inclusion and accessible procedures for minors. Read more.

Send your reports on hate incidents that happened in 2019 to ODIHR!

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) publishes hate crime data every year on 16 November. This provides an overview of hate crimes reported by governments and hate incidents reported by civil society. They are asking civil society groups to report incidents that happened during the 2019 calendar year by 30 April.

https://hatecrime.osce.org/civilsociety

New Article: Tashwill Esterhuizen, Decriminalisation of consensual same-sex sexual acts and the Botswana Constitution: Letsweletse Motshidiemang v The Attorney-General (LEGABIBO as amicus curiae), African Human Rights Law Journal (Vol. 19, no. 2, 2019)

https://journals.co.za/content/journal/ju_ahrlj