Around the World: Evil Mother Tries to Keep Trans Daughter from Transitioning, Malawi Holds Public Inquiries on Queer Issues

In Minnesota, a woman is suing her daughter, her daughter’s school, the government and two nonprofits for allowing her daughter to start Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) to begin her gender transition. As if that weren’t bad enough, her daughter already sued her mom for emancipation, meaning the woman has no legal claim on her daughter. So much for Minnesota Nice, huh? That and more in our look at politics from around the world.

• This winter marks the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the Yogyakarta Principles. In 2006 international human rights experts and UN representatives met in Yogyakarta, Indonesia to discuss violence against LGBTI people. The meeting resulted in the creation of a set of 29 principles to guide international legal standards. With a short animation, APCOM describes how the Yogyakarta Principles have helped global advocates make progress protecting LGBTI human rights.

• The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced a new publication “Living Free and Equal” that reviews initiatives from 65 countries to address violence and discrimination against LGBTI people. The booklet provides guidance for governments, courts, human rights institutions, and others to implement UN recommendations to protect and respect LGBTI people around the world. 

• During its review of Switzerland and the Netherlands, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) highlighted the treatment of intersex people and made recommendations to end unnecessary medical and surgical procedures.
  

• Malawi’s Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs announced it will hold “public inquiries” to evaluate Malawians views on LGBT issues and whether laws criminalizing homosexuality should be adjusted.

• The European Commission released annual progress reports on seven countries aspiring to join the EU. The reports on Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the Western Balkans include analysis on the rights of LGBTI citizens. The Vice President to the European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup noted that the majority of the states have adopted anti-discrimination laws, however, “too often these laws are not translated in action”.

• Several current and former U.S. Ambassadors joined the U.S. Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute’s International LGBT Leaders Conference. During a special panel, they urged President-Elect Trump to continue U.S. efforts to promote LGBT rights abroad. As US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said, “There is no turning back.”

• The Metropolitan Court of Budapest, Hungary, fined a school €1,100 under the Equal Treatment Authority for denying the admittance application of a child raised by two mothers.

• A court in Minnesota, US will hear a case filed by a mother against her 17-year old child, the child’s school, the government and two nonprofit agencies for helping her daughter begin hormone therapy to transition to female. The daughter had previously been emancipated and under Minnesota law is considered able to make medical decisions without parental consent. 

• In California, tech companies Salesforce and Paypal organized a meeting of 100 LGBT leaders and business groups to discuss US legislation and how “businesses protect employees, customers, and families from discriminatory actions in communities where they live and operate.”

  

• Vitit Muntarbhorn, the UN’s first independent expert on the protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, will move forward with his work after a majority of the General Assembly voted in favor of the appointment. Leading up to the vote, 799 human rights organizations signed a letter urging the GA to respect the decisions of the Human Rights Council and allow the position to continue. 

• As Taiwan’s Legislative Yaun reviews a draft bill to approve same-sex marriage, the Happy Family Protection Action Alliance mobilized over 12,000 people to oppose the bill. Days later 10,000 supporters reportedly rallied in favor of the bill, led by civil society groups including the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights.

• After lawyer Herman Duarte filed a motion in El Salvador’s Constitutional Court to legalize same-sex marriage, members of the right-leaning ARENA party filed a brief in the Legislative Assembly to specify that marriage can only be between a man and woman.

• The Constitutional Court of Romania asked the Court of Justice of the European Union for guidance ruling on whether a same-sex couple married overseas should be recognized as married in Romania according to EU laws.

Unicorn Booty brings attentions to global issues of significance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. Our partnership with Equal Eyes, a news source produced in collaboration with UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, is part of that effort. To learn more, visit their site at Equal-Eyes.org. 

This coverage promotes sexual and gender equality while highlighting issues of health, violence, culture, and legal and human rights. Equal Eyes provides advocates and allies a common frame of reference for the realities of global LGBTI communities. Through followup reporting and disseminating this coverage, our effort is to ensure we have a representation of the global stories that matter most or may have under-reporting.

(Featured image via Peter Kudlacz/Flickr)