Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
Ghana's bishops waffle, Japan inching its way, deadnaming debates, Hong Kong's Article 23, You Are a TARL, Andrea Long Chu's essay, the silence of businesses in NC, Koppa is live, and much more...
Welcome back to the latest installment of your Wednesday noon beacon of all things significant, stimulating, or depressing in the global LGBTQ+ sphere. Today, I am 1 minute ahead of time; welcome to the “new Fabrice.”
This week: Ghana's bishops waffle, Japan inching its way, deadnaming debates, Hong Kong's Article 23, You Are a TARL, Andrea Long Chu's essay, the silence of businesses in NC, Koppa is live, and much more...
Global News
Uganda: SMUG's Legal Odyssey
Last week, the Court of Appeal upheld a prior ruling denying the registration of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG). The court's verdict pivoted on a naming issue, hinting that serving criminals was the issue. This legal saga, spanning over a decade, is not over: SMUG announced it would appeal to the Supreme Court. As activist Frank Mugisha puts it, this setback is but a chapter in their ongoing narrative of courage and perseverance. SMUG's lawyer told Reuters:
"(The) court ruled that since the objectives of [SMUG] were actually to promote the rights and welfare of people whose conduct is criminalised under the laws of Uganda, then the registrar was right that the name was undesirable"
Uganda (too): IMF warns of consequences
Uganda benefits from a US$1bn IMF extended credit facility, which runs until mid‑2024 and is expected to be followed by a new programme. After a recent mission, the IMF approved the release of another tranche while warning that Uganda’s economic outlook is down partly because the new anti-LGBTQ legislation could affect foreign investment, loans, grants, and tourism (a key sector for Uganda: what better tourist attraction than homosexual persecution?) Read more on Bloomberg.
Ghana: the Bishops’s volte-face and Kristalina visits
Once the rooster crowed a third time, Ghanian Catholic Bishops withdrew their endorsement of the anti-homosexuality bill they championed because the gays “are going to be there for three months or six months, and then they practice this and come out as experts in it.” No, no, they said that. I consider myself an expert “in it,” or at least proficient, and I never had to go to jail for it, but ok. The Bishop's disawol of the bill is, of course, a bittersweet development. In other news, a different kind of expert, IMF’s Kristalina Georgevia (see here), who was in Accra this week, declined to comment on the bill:
“At this point, what we know is that citizens in Ghana have challenged the constitutionality.I will not comment on the details of the bill. Let’s see what the court have to say.”
France: deadnaming in Wikipedia
Well, really, “morinomé”, the French word for deadnaming (this reminds me of when Americans ask me what the English equivalent of Fabrice is). Do you know the etiquette for a Wikipedia page when its subject transitions? In the English-language version, Wikipedia contributors agreed in 2015 to only mention the deadnames of people who became famous under that name. However, Le Monde reports that French-speaking Wikipedians are still fighting over it:
"Disclosing the deadnames of trans people against their will exposes them to plausible harassment, discrimination, physical and moral violence.”
Japan inches its way to Equality
Last Thursday, the Sapporo High Court declared the lack of legal recognition for same-sex unions a violation of Japan's Constitution. It’s the second judicial decision in that sense in a country where 72% of the population favors legalizing same-sex marriage, edging at its best. Read more in The Asahi Shimbun here.
Hong Kong: a decision with LGBTQ+ implications
Hong Kong stands apart from mainland China when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, but recent years have seen backtracking, as illustrated by the controversy around the Gay Games last year. Yet, the Economist reported then that 60% of Hong Kongers support gay marriage, up from 38% a decade ago. Now, with the passing of Article 23 yesterday, LGBTQ+ advocacy could become a dangerous game. A local economist, who remained anonymous, was quoted as saying:
“Basically, they took the worst of mainland China’s criminal law, they took the worst of post-9/11 English-speaking countries’ anti-terrorism laws, and they took the worst of colonial law.”
In other global news:
Read "Wear It or We Will Beat You to Death," in the NYTimes, our friend J. Lester Feder, shares the harrowing experiences of Oleksii Polukhin, a young gay man detained by Russian forces in Kherson (Ukraine). In Russia, the police arrested two gay club managers in what is considered the first “LGBT extremism” case.
U.S. News
TARL is the acronym of the week
TERFs are out, and TARLs are in. If you don’t want to look like an imbecile (again) at your next Brooklyn dinner party, learn this acronym. Andrea Long Chu's essay, discussed below, gave birth to "trans-agnostic reactionary liberal," or TARL, which Chu denounced as the most "insidious" of groups questioning "gender identity.” I have seen that movie before, and they cut Danton’s head next.
Chu: The Imperative of Biological Autonomy
Chu’s essay was the cover article for this week’s New York Magazine. It is a must-read (I am not joking; there will be a quiz), even though it is an impractical intellectual exercise produced for the TARLs. The 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism winner argues that sex change is a universal human right and introduces the concept of “biological justice.” For example, Chu writes, “We will never be able to defend the rights of transgender kids until we understand them purely on their own terms: as full members of society who would like to change their sex. It does not matter where this desire comes from”. There has been an intense backlash, including an article in The Atlantic, and this response by Jonathan Chait:
“History is filled with fanatics who were certain they possessed a monopoly on truth and were therefore justified in using any methods needed to vanquish their enemies”
Update on the Nex Benedict case
The Owasso school system got a beating at its recent meeting, as reported in The Advocate. Meanwhile, this week, the Tulsa Chief Medical Examiner's autopsy determined that Nex's death was caused by suicide with a mix of allergy medication and an antidepressant. SKE, in a very ambitious pink gown this time, disagreed with the medical report and shared her views on the case from a Beverly Hills Red Carpet:
“Media [must] continue to question those who release information prematurely and incompletely in this investigation, and demand answers about the abysmal response to a horrific assault in a public school bathroom and the state-sponsored bullying that led up to it.”
Declining support for LGBTQ+ issues is not a generational issue
PBS NewsHour had a great piece on the data behind the news that U.S. support for LGBTQ+ rights is declining after decades of increasing. It’s worth a listen. What I found fascinating is that young conservatives are becoming less supportive of LGBTQ+ issues. Chu’s piece or SKE’s boycott of the NY Times might not be helping.
The Gay Business
North Carolina: 8 years later
In North Carolina, the contrast between the business community's response to HB2’s "bathroom bill" in 2016 - remember the business reaction at the time - and their silence on the three Anti-LGBTQ+ bills voted in August is staggering. The author of HB2, Dan Bishop, is running for State Attorney General. Mark Robinson, who just won the primaries for Governor, said that trans women should "find a corner outside" instead of using women's restrooms and called LGBTQ+ people “filth” and “maggots.” And Michelle Morrow, the GOP nominee to head North Carolina’s schools, is a QAnon conspiracy theorist. Yet, businesses seem at peace with it this time around. How eight years can change things. In June last year, a private firm published a dubious “LGBTQ+ Business Climate Index” congratulating North Carolina for being “second highest in positive progress for LGBTQ+ equality”. You can say that again…
Koppa, the economic power lab, is now live
Last year, I co-founded with four prominent partners, including renowned Professor Lee Badgett and GATE’s Justus Eisfield, Koppa - the LGBTI+ Economic Power Lab. The objective is to increase economic opportunities for LGBTQ+ people, particularly in places where societal attitudes or the legal framework limits these opportunities. Our Website was finally launched this week.
MacKenzie Scott focuses on LGBTQ+ and migrant issues
Yesterday, philanthropist MacKenzie Scott announced transformational awards to 90 organizations in the LGBTQ and immigrant rights movements. These awards were made via the Yield Giving Open Call, a “rigorous, months-long process that selected 361 community-led nonprofits from more than 6,000 applicants nationwide”. If your organization has not received a gift, your 990s are not sufficiently doctored (I just saw one that skipped listing the Executive Director’s salary - brilliant). It’s ok to be jealous…
Queering the boardroom
The Association scales up its game
The Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors hosted three events last week, gathering LGBTQ+ directors and allies to network and organize. The Miami dinner, sponsored by JPMorgan, led to a thorough conversation on how to engage private equity. In NYC, at a retail and luxury dinner hosted by KPMG and TD, our guests were inspired by the interview with Robert Chavez and a speech by Darren Walker (you can see more pictures of the event here). Guests included Jeff Gennette (Chairman, Macy’s), who was moving to California the following morning, Dr. Terri Burns (Trustee, NYU), Geoffroy van Raemdonck (CEO of Neiman Marcus), Laurent Claquin (CEO, Kering NA), Jocelyn Mangan (Founder, Him 4 Her), Ari Hoffman (CEO, Ted Baker) a very dapper Mario Marte (Board, BestBuy) and many others. Finally, the association hosted a women’s dinner in NYC on Thursday, which showcased the most lesbian power I had ever seen in one room, as well as many allies like Jocelyn Moore (Board, DraftKings).
April 12th at 12 pm: A webinar on the CEO and Board dynamic
Join us for a webinar on "Navigating Board & CEO Synergy," featuring MacKenzie Lee (Cerdar Chief) and Glenn Ramsdell (Chief of Staff, Chewy). This session is aimed at both seasoned and aspiring board members eager to understand the nuanced partnership between CEOs and their boards: a delicate balance of respect, vision alignment, mutual commitment, and the role of the Chief of Staff. Register here.
The semi-cultural desk
Some lesbian flavor to our TV guide
At our dinner on Thursday, Sandra Poe pointed out that the L in LGBTQ+ stands for lesbians, and I have not always been good at reviewing lesbian entertainment. So I watched Drive Away Dolls, an ambitious comedy that fell flat despite a few very clever moments. Sandra also encouraged me to watch “Deadlock,” the Australian Lesbian Detective Series.
April 5th: Where to watch Mary & George
I just had to subscribe to Peacock for $5/month to watch the cultural “Ted” TV Show (oh, do not judge me). And now I understand that Mary & George, featuring Nicholas Galitzin, will only be available to watch on Starz beginning April 5, one month after its premiere in the UK—one more subscription.
For the more refined crowd
I know some of my readers are highly educated, overachiever type-A personalities, so if “Ted” does not move you, here are some more highbrow options. There is an excellent production of Merrily We Roll Along - the Sondheim musical - starring Steven Groff on Broadway. It is so good that Meryl Streep and Martin Short made the trip this weekend. You can see Sufjan Steven/Justin Peck's extraordinary show, Illinois, at the Amory through March 26 before it moves on to Bradway (the NYTimes was slightly critical). The George Platt Lynes+ PaJaMa exhibition at Clamp Art. This coincides with the new documentary (Hidden Master: The Legacy of George Platt Lynes) currently making the Film circuit. And the upcoming Petrit Halilaj's installation on the Met's roof garden.
Intermittent fasting killed the gays.
Or at least that’s what this researcher believes. It's time to move to Ozempic, which is much more efficient and has not yet been proven deadly.
The Gay Agenda
Last week: SxSW concludes with LGBTQ+ icons shining
At South by Southwest, you could have enjoyed a memorable panel, moderated by Tommy Dorfman, featuring venture capitalist Tiana Tukes (who resigned abruptly from LGBT+ VC 2 weeks ago), DJ PinkStar, Chasing Rainbows' Ben Stokes, and filmmaker Ivy Chiu, sharing personal stories of resilience, community impact, and the quest for equality. I loved this from Ivy:
“ In 10 years, I hope that shame is no longer part of the equation of becoming queer”
Next Monday: David Mixner’s funeral
I told Mixner's close friend last night: "He would have loved it,” about the preparations, to which he responded, “He organized it.” Friends of David are flying from all over Europe and the US to join the ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Church of St Paul the Apostle
April 9th: A Gathering of Minds: reigniting LGBTQ+ Rights at the UN
With anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed in Uganda and Ghana and new ones pending in Kenya and Zambia, a moral justification for a conflict in the East, and a decrease in societal support in the US, are we losing the plot? Free & Equal, the campaign for Equality, is a ghost of what it once was as it celebrates its ten years, and the UN-wide LGBTQ+ strategy is nowhere to be seen after years in the making. Join us for a powerful event on April 9th, "Reframing the LGBTQ+ Narrative: Family, Tradition, and Spirituality," at the UN Church Center in NYC, organized by the NGO Committee on Human Rights on April 9th from 1 to 3 p.m. Co-chairs are Bruce Knotts and Bobbi Nassar while I will moderate the discussion. Be part of this critical conversation – register here.
World Bank Spring Meetings
I will be in DC from April 13 to 18 for the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings. What does one do in Washington, you may ask? Here is Daniel Ryan Spaulding's response.
Coming and Going
High risk, high rewards: the Stonewall CEO job
Stonewall UK, Europe's largest LGBTQ+ non-profit, has started the search for a new CEO.
4th Circuit Court of Appeals’ first openly LGBTQ+ judge
Nicole Berner, trailblazer lesbian lawyer, is the first LGBTQ+ judge on the US Fourth Circuit Court. Senate confirmed her amidst Republican resistance, marking a historic stride for diversity in federal courts. In the Washington Post.
Well, happy spring. I have to run to grab lunch with Ashton Giese at the Century to gather all the latest gossip about the US LGBTQ+ movement. See you on Monday at Mixner’s funeral.