International Criminal Court: Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials because of persecution of LGBTQI+ community

On Thursday, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan applied for arrest warrants for two senior Taliban officials: Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani.

They are accused of crimes against humanity on the grounds of gender-based persecution under the Rome Statute of the court, which sets out the duty of every State signatory to exercise its criminal jurisdiction over those responsible for international crimes.

“These applications recognise that Afghan women and girls as well as the LGBTQI+ community are facing an unprecedented, unconscionable and ongoing persecution by the Taliban,” Mr. Khan said in a statement.

More: https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/01/1159366

USA: Trump makes ‘two sexes’ official and scraps diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) policies

US President Donald Trump issued executive orders shortly after he was sworn in to change the US government’s policies on gender and diversity, following through on promises he made on the campaign trail.

He rolled back orders from the Biden administration that the Trump White House called “unpopular, inflationary, illegal, and radical practices within every agency and office of the Federal Government”.

More: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx84en1yp4o

The Austrian Administrative Supreme Court prohibited legal gender recognition in a judgment of 5 December 2024 (VwGH 05.12.2024, Ro 2023/01/0008)

Entries in the civil register, in birth certificates, passports, id-cards etc must, from now on, display biological sex only.

After Russia, Hungary and Bulgaria Austrian is the 4th country abolishing legal gender recognition. 

See: https://www.rklambda.at/news/wie-in-russland-und-ungarn-verwaltungsgerichtshof-verbietet-die-rechtliche-anerkennung-von-transpersonen

ECJ: The refusal of a Member State to recognise the change of first name and gender lawfully acquired in another Member State is contrary to the rights of EU citizens

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) held in a case agains Romania that the refusal of a Member State to recognise the change of first name and gender lawfully acquired in another Member State is contrary to the rights of EU citizens.

Case C-4/23 | [Mirin], Judgment of 4 October 2024

More: https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2024-10/cp240158en.pdf

More: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/10/04/romanias-refusal-to-recognise-a-transgender-mans-identity-violates-his-rights-says-eus-top

US Supreme Court to decide if Maryland parents can exempt their children from reading LGBTQ+ books

The United States Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear a case where Maryland parents are asking for their children to be exempt from reading elementary school books involving LGBTQ+ topics such as gender transitions. The respondent, the Montgomery County Board of Education, had approved a bill requiring schools to read their students stories with such subject matter.

Primary petitioners Tamer Mahmoud and Enas Barakat are practitioners of Islam and are joined by Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox parents who object to the content of these LGBTQ+ books. Though the petitioners are not asking to change the curriculum, they argue that compelling children to read these books contrary to their parents’ convictions violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

The US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled against the petitioners, holding that denying opt-outs did not “compel” the petitioners to change their beliefs or conduct and that they remain free to discuss these topics with their children and advise them as they wish regarding how to interpret these materials.

The US Supreme Court has taken a conservative turn in recent years, putting LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights in doubt. The court has recently agreed to hear arguments regarding defunding reproductive care provider Planned Parenthood and heard arguments on the legality of providing transgender youth gender-affirming care.

The post US Supreme Court to decide if Maryland parents can exempt their children from reading LGBTQ+ books appeared first on JURIST – News.

European Union: ECJ: Compulsory indication of gender for marketing purposes inadmissible

A requirement to specify gender for a marketing address is not legal under the General Data Protection Regulation. This has been clarified by the ECJ.

The French state railroad SNCF tried to be particularly polite in its marketing campaigns. To be able to choose the correct form of address for emails, it asked customers to state their gender when booking online via SNCF Connect. The judges of the European Court of Justice have now ruled that this is unlawful.

See:https://www.heise.de/en/news/ECJ-Compulsory-indication-of-gender-for-marketing-purposes-inadmissible-10234688.html

Seealso: https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=294110&pageIndex=0&doclang=FR&mode=req&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=1891972

USA: Pentagon reaches agreement with LGBTQ+ veterans discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

The Pentagon has reached a historic settlement with more than 30,000 LGBTQ+ veterans who were dismissed under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. They will now be able to update their military records easily.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/01/07/lgbtq-veterans-pentagon/

Hungary – High court decision on restrictions of the open distribution of LGBTIQ-themed books for the youth

The application of Article 20/A of Decree 210/2009. (IX. 29.) on the Conditions of Performing Commercial Activities, prescribing specific conditions for the sale of children’s products depicting deviation from gender identity aligning with sex at birth, gender reassignment or portraying or promoting homosexuality.

More: https://www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/6235-hungary-high-court-decision-on-restrictions-of-the-open-distribution-of-lgbtiq-themed-books-for-the-youth

Spain: New legislation on measures to be adopted by companies for the equality of LGTBI persons

More: https://www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/6233-spain-new-law

Lithuania – The Constitutional Court declares unconstitutional a provision restricting information on same-sex families to minors

More: https://www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/6243-lithuania-the-constitutional-court-declares-unconstitutional-a-provision-restricting-information-on-same-sex-families-to-minors