Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: sex-ed in France, more on Alice Weidel, the new Ghana President, Luigi Magione, and the gays, a queer Kayak escape, the PinkNews implosion, engaging Scott Bessent, and much more…
Good morning from a rainy NYC. Between the crusades against sex-ed in Florida and France, the “Queer” period drama, and Luigi Mangione’s red brigade reenactment, I suspect we are caught in a time loop. Add a sprinkle of Ghanaian homophobia, a far-right German lesbian veering for the Chancellor’s job, and allegations against the founders of PinkNews, and this week’s global buffet of queer news is fascinating. Bon appétit as we say chez moi.
This week: sex-ed in France, more on Alice Weidel, the new Ghana President, Luigi Magione, and the gays, a queer Kayak escape, the PinkNews implosion, engaging Scott Bessent, and much more…
Global news
France: Sexual Education Reform in School
My spirit animal, Ludovine de La Rochère, the very posh leader of Le Syndicat de la Famille (the “Family Union” which succeeded La Manif Pour Tous), has launched a campaign against proposed sexual education reforms (see on FranceInfo), claiming they promote “woke ideology” and LGBTQ+ rights. “Wokisme,” she says in a rare anglicism, which illustrates how recently the concept was imported from the U.S. She calls inclusive education about gender and sexual diversity “brainwashing,” probably hoping for a Florida-type curriculum focused on abstinence. View her petition here.
Germany: The Right-Wing Lesbian Far-Right Candidate
Alice Weidel, co-leader of Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has been nominated as its first-ever chancellor candidate for the snap election on February 23 (Friedrich Merz will likely be the next Chancellor). A former economist with a PhD from China, Weidel’s profile—openly lesbian, raising two sons with her Sri Lankan-born Swiss partner—is a strange fit for her party’s anti-immigration and traditionalist rhetoric. But then again, American conservatives love an adulterous crook, so she fits l’air du temps… Weidel promises to address Germany’s economic challenges, curb immigration, and reevaluate EU membership. Learn more on Reuters.
UK: PinkNews Founders Are Cancelled
Allegations of sexual misconduct were made against Benjamin Cohen, founder and CEO of PinkNews, and his husband, who is the company’s COO. According to a BBC investigation, over 30 current and former staff members at the LGBTQ+ website have accused the pair of inappropriate behavior. Witnesses reported incidents where the husband allegedly kissed and groped an intoxicated junior colleague at a company event. At the same time, Cohen was accused of slapping a colleague on the bottom and propositioning another during a work gathering. The Independent quoted a staff member today as saying:
Ben is so arrogant, and so sure of himself as one of these great media pioneers that I think he would rather see PinkNews crumble than resign and that is such a mistake.
Ghana: Mahama On The Anti-LGBTQ Bill
John Mahama, Ghana's former president and winner of the 2024 presidential election with 56% of the votes, has stated he will carefully review the “Family Values Bill” passed by Parliament in February before deciding whether to sign it into law. While Mahama has expressed his opposition to “LGBTQ+ activities,” it seems like he will delay the bill. The Supreme Court, which too delayed its ruling, will render its decision on December 18. Mahama’s inauguration is set for January 7. Read more on 76Crimes and in the Washington Blade.
Australia: Sydney Teen Gangs Target Gay Men
Sydney police are investigating a disturbing wave of attacks where teen gangs lure gay men via dating apps to parks, assault them, and force false “pedo” confessions on video (see here). Dubbed “pedo hunts,” these homophobic crimes echo a recent incident in the U.S. LGBTQ+ advocates urge victims to report incidents as hate crimes.
Kuwait: Wicked NOT banned
Wicked—which I still have not seen—was rumored to have been banned in Kuwait (see the Daily Beast), reportedly due to "lesbian and gay portrayals," despite the absence of explicitly LGBTQ+ characters in the movie. Kuwait, known for its strict film censorship, banned Barbie and Talk to Me over similar concerns. Variety reports it is playing in theaters.
In other news
An LGBTQ+ pilgrimage? Poland’s LGBTQ+ museum,
US News
DC: Protest on Bathroom Debate on the Hill
Despite Rep. Sarah McBride’s efforts to shift the conversation beyond restrooms, some activists staged a dramatic sit-in at a congressional bathroom, leading to the arrest of Chelsea Manning and Raquel Willis (founder of the Gender Liberation Movement demonstration). Willis looked determined as she walked to a police car in a long black leather trench coat paired with a chic black beret, creating an edgy guerilla look (see here). McBride had noted earlier this week:
…this specific proposal was meant to pick a fight and make the issue, and I should not be the issue
Lawsuit Against Pediatric Gender Doctor
20-year-old detransitioner Kaya Breen files a lawsuit against Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, a prominent pediatric gender medicine specialist. Breen alleges medical negligence, claiming her mental health struggles and history of childhood trauma were dismissed as she was fast-tracked into puberty blockers, testosterone, and a double mastectomy by age 14. The Economist is gloating.
Trump II: Stockpiling Meds and Kayaks
The WashingtonPost reports that LGBTQ+ Americans are preparing for a rollback of their rights under a second Trump administration (see the ACLU forecast) by stockpiling medications or planning moves to Canada.
Montgomery, the school custodian from Washington state, is so fearful about life during a second Trump administration that she is preparing an exit plan that includes a kayak.
Tennessee: GOP Hypocrisy on Full Display
I used to visit Tennessee every year in my thirties - specifically, a Radical Faeries commune in the middle of nowhere. My memory is of a state that has much bigger issues than homosexuals. Sen. Ken Yager, Republican Caucus Chair in Tennessee and, of course, behind many anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the legislature, is under fire following his arrest for DUI and a hit-and-run. GOP leadership, including Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, has offered prayers but avoided calls for his resignation. McNally is no stranger to scandals: his social media interactions with a scantily clad gay man I discussed in this newsletter in 2023 are still fresh. Read the full story here.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen NYTimes Retracts Comments
I am reading between the lines here: I suspect Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) Executive Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen must have been confronted by the movement over the New York Times article “Transgender Activists Question the Movement’s Confrontational Approach.” In a statement retracting the comments, Heng-Lehtinen stated, “We will fight. We will organize, we will testify, we will march”.
Yesterday, the New York Times ran an article in which I was quoted as saying, ‘We have to make it OK for someone to change their minds,’ and ‘We cannot vilify them for not being on our side. No one wants to join that team.’ Because my quotes were taken out of context, I’d like to clarify what I meant.
HRC global engagement
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) announced a recent allocation of up to $5,000 each to 18 LGBTQ rights organizations worldwide, for a total of $90,000, through its Global Small Grants program. This is a noble commitment to grassroots advocacy but a modest investment juxtaposed with the HRC salaries Michael Petrelis denounced two weeks ago.
New York: Judge Refuses to Marry Same-Sex Couple
A Syracuse City Court Judge allegedly refused to officiate a same-sex marriage on November 16, according to the NYPost. The judge exited the courtroom without explanation, leaving another judge to perform the marriage. Advocates and public officials, including openly gay State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Syracuse City Auditor Alex Marion, have called for sanctions, citing a breach of anti-discrimination laws and judicial ethics.
The Gay Business
The overhyping of Robby Starbuck
Bloomberg argues this week that we give lowly Robby Starbuck way too much credit and visibility. Walmart’s decision to end data sharing with the Human Rights Campaign and reevaluate Pride sponsorships has handed him a false victory lap. While Starbuck claims credit for the rollback, Walmart had already begun quietly shifting its DEI strategies in response to external pressures, such as the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling. In many ways, companies use an inexistent legal risk to eliminate initiatives they had developed under duress. Read more here.
Queering the Boardroom
LGBTQ+ Appointments in Science and Biotechnology
Dr. Kristina M. Johnson was appointed board member of the Society for Science. Dr. Kristen M. Hege, M.D., joined the Clinical Advisory Board of Cartography Biosciences, Inc.
Research on Fostering Inclusive Boardrooms
Our friends at BoardReady and the University of Washington Foster School of Business are teaming up for a study on best practices for fostering inclusion in the boardroom. The research invites LGBTQ+ public company directors to share their insights through a single 45-minute interview, focusing on strategies like onboarding, mentoring, and the development of inclusive governance. If you are willing to participate, please email us, and we will introduce you.
The semi-cultural desk
"Une vie rêvée": why French Cinéma is smarter
Well, first, it is subsidized. I watched "Une vie rêvée": Morgan Simon’s latest film with a queer twist. It is a portrait of a woman navigating a toxic relationship with her sons and fragile dreams and facing loneliness. I wish the American entertainment industry could produce social dramas like these: then maybe, only maybe, its elite would not be surprised when the electorate votes for chaos or cheers the murder of CEOs. As Sean Baker said this month in Society:
We’ve conditioned people to go to the cinema only for a spectacle, for John Wick or a superhero movie
My thoughts on Luca Guadagnino’s Queer
After the previous comment, it’s hard for me to argue that I did not like Queer because it was a hard watch. I did not have a good time, which I now admit is because I was ill-prepared. I stumbled on this sentence: “Much of Burroughs' pain stems from the accidental death of his […] wife […] during a late-night drunken reenactment of William Tell.“ I dug more and found this paragraph, which explains everything:
Mrs Joan Vollmer Burroughs, 27, formerly of Loudonville, was shot and killed by her husband Thursday night during a drinking party in a Mexico City apartment. The husband, William Seward Burroughs, 37, a descendant of the adding machine family, first told police after the shooting he had tried to shoot a glass of gin off his wife’s head, but the bullet struck her in the forehead….
On Luigi Mangione
Look, I had no choice but to include his name in this newsletter: gay people are responsible for turning the murderer into a thirst trap. Luigi Mangione has ignited a frenzy online - focused on his abs. Viral posts, including claims from former classmates and hookups, suggest he might be bi, fueling internet fascination.
Christianity and Sexuality: A Tumultuous History
As highlighted in L’Express, Diarmaid MacCulloch’s latest book, Lower Than the Angels: A History of Sex and Christianity (2024), explores the complex and often contradictory relationship between Christianity and sexuality over three millennia. Read the full review.
Love Behind Barbed Wire: The Story of Nelly & Nadine
I read in le Nouvel Obs a reference to a 2022 documentary, Nelly & Nadine, by Magnus Gertten, which unveils a poignant love story born in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II. Here is the trailer below:
What to watch? No good Deed this Friday
Real estate is gay: that’s the link to this newsletter. No Good Deed, a dark comedy show starring Lisa Kudrow about three families who fight to buy the same villa, will premiere on Netflix on Friday. It sounds better than any Xmas party you were planning to attend.
Coming and Going
More on Scott Bessent
Scott Bessent, Trump's nominee for Treasury Secretary, is poised to make history as the highest-ranking openly gay official in U.S. history, so everybody is trying to figure out who he is. See his portrait in the NYTimes this week. In my space, LGBTQ+ international development, the Treasury matters as it oversees the U.S.’s engagement in Multilateral Development Banks. Not engaging Bessent would be irresponsible.
Laphonza Butler Exits Office
Laphonza Butler, the first openly LGBTQ+ Black U.S. senator, concluded her 14-month tenure after being appointed following the death of Senator Dianne Feinstein in 2023. As California’s junior senator, Butler championed voting rights, youth development, and reproductive health while combating book bans targeting Black and LGBTQ+ themes. Reflecting on her time, Butler made clear she has no plans for further public office: good for her: in the U.S. elected office is just a terrible job.
I didn’t fall in love with the process of being a legislator.
Dame Julia Hoggett: Among FT’s Most Influential Women of 2024
Congratulations to Dame Julia Hoggett, CEO of the London Stock Exchange, for being named one of the Financial Times’ 25 most influential women of 2024. Read more here.
Jerry Buttimer Returns to Ireland
In Ireland’s Cork South Central constituency, Fine Gael’s Jerry Buttimer reclaimed his seat in the Dáil after eight years. See here. There will be seven openly gay MPs.
The Gay Agenda
October 9-10: A new date for the LGBTQ+ inclusive Conference
The Global LGBTIQ+ Finance Forum, hosted by my non-profit Koppa, which I announced last week, will now occur in New York City on October 9–10, 2025. This adjustment accommodates participants observing the Easter holiday. Join us for two days of impactful dialogue, networking, and innovation in fostering inclusive financial ecosystems. Stay tuned for updates and registration details.
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Well, that was a lot for this week. Whether you are planning a kayak escape to Canada or hitting the Xmas party circuit, I hope you are getting ready to take a little break this season as I do - I booked myself and the twins at the Metropole starting next Wednesday. But until then, see you next week, same queer time, same queer place!