OutPerform | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality - Issue #23
Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly equality news digest (from rainy rural Connecticut), where I share important news, updates, and commentary about the LGBTQ+ equality movement globally.
US NEWS
A lawsuit against the administration over trans protections. Twenty Attorney Generals from Republican States are suing to overturn Biden Administration rules on trans issues. They claim that the Department of Education and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission misinterpreted the SCOTUS decision on Title VII last year in applying them to sex-segregated bathrooms and locker rooms. Bathroom and locker lawsuits are never about facilities and always about hate.
Peter Staley’s “Never silent” memoir. The legendary HIV/AIDS activist Peter Staley, featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary "How to Survive a Plague," finished his memoir titled “Never Silent”. I just bought my autographed copy – for Oct. 2021 – here.
Developments on the HIV vaccine. While J&J announced this week that their vaccine had experienced a significant setback in trials, Moderna had better news regarding its experimental mRNA HIV vaccine. An estimated 1,5 million individuals worldwide acquired HIV in 2020, about 35,000 of which in the US.
GLOBAL NEWS
France: the Church, TikTok and homosexuality. Fr. Matthieu Jasseron, a 36 year old catholic priest with 620,000 TikTok followers recorded a video claiming homosexuality is not a sin in the Catholic tradition. His viral video did not please everybody. Other priests with an online presence responded in their own videos here and here (the latter has an SNL feel)
India: an LGBTQ+ forefather leaves us. The Indian LGBTQ+ community mourns one of its forefathers: the visionary and courageous Saleem Kidwai [1951-2021], LGBTQ+ activist and historian, who I had met during my first trip to India for the World Bank in 2012 in Lucknow.
China: a worrying request to monitor LGBTQ+ students. Authorities are increasingly restrictive with LGBTQ+ people as illustrated by the cancellation of Shangai Pride and LGBTQ+ accounts on WeChat. This week there were reports that Shangai University, and possibly others, are collecting information on LGBTQ+ students. See The Guardian’s article.
Afghanistan: a specific fund for LGBTQ+ refuges. GiveOut launched an LGBTQ+ Emergency Fund in response to the refugee crisis. Their appeal focuses on Rainbow Railroad in their work to help LGBTQ+ Afghans at risk. Donate here.
Hong Kong 2022 Gay Games under attack. The GayGames are one of the longest running and most ambitious projects in LGBTQ+ history. For the first time, they are coming to Asia in 2022. The Games will not feature the usual LGBTQ+ Human Rights conference in order not to upset the Chinese authorities. Yet, as the Washington Post reports, they are increasingly under attack from pro-Chinese lawmakers.
Chechnya: as the global attention shifted away. Human Rights Watch published an article to remind us that despite the media having moved on, the situation of LGBTQ+ people in Chechnya has only worsened. An opportunity to rewatch “Welcome To Chechnya”, now on HBO, which has received many awards in the past months.
UK: Stonewall faces criticism. Another UK Governmental agency (Ofcom) left Stonewall UK diversity scheme over its stance on transgender issues. This week Peter Tatchell also withdrew from a debate with a trans-exclusionary feminist after backlash from the community.
Bangladesh: capital punishment for the murder of LGBTQ+ activists. Six terrorists who were targeting the LGBTQ+ community and murdered activists Xulhaz Mannan and Tonoy in Dhaka in April 2016 were sentenced to death. Bangladesh still criminalizes consensual same -sex acts
IN OTHER NEWS
Out Leadership’s “Back to the office” Instagram series. As part of our “Back to the office” series we will be featuring on Instagram LGBTQ+ business and civil society leaders at their desk every day of September with what symbolizes their Pride (Mine is a photo of Stephen Gendin getting arrested by the NYPD at an ActUP demonstration and of course my East meets West Pride flag in the corner). Email me your own pics and blurb: info@outleadership.com
Online censorship in the least tolerant countries. OutRight Action International and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy Citizen Lab published a report on LGBTQ+ website censorship, focused on Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Restricting LGBTQ+ freedom of expression frustrates social change.
Kimberly leaves InterACT. InterACT, the US intersex organization, is losing its amazing long-term Executive Director, Kimberly Zieselman who will leave at the end of the year. It will begin a national search for a new ED to lead the organization.
Miss: a non-binary comedy. I finally watched “Miss”, the 2020 Film of Ruben Alves with androgynous model Alexandre Wetter about a boy who dreams of becoming Miss France in the popular national beauty contest. The movie features Amanda Lear, a giant gay icon, who faced unpleasant scrutiny over her gender for decades.
Lack of representation at WorldPride. Nigerian LGBTQ+ activist Edafe Okporo penned a piece questioning representation at World Pride. Read it here.
And a few other news … The Trevor Project is honoring performer Lil Nas X. Check out my summary of OutLeadership’s sessions in WorldPride: impact investing, human rights and the future of inclusive workplaces.