Bonjour from Paris - This week: insane developments everywhere, Qatar2022 again, Russia ups the ante, A4Revolution, the Sam Brinton story, Tucker Carlson’s gay producer, and much more
Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
Welcome to my weekly equality news digest, where I share important (and much less important) news, updates, and commentary about the global LGBTQ+ equality movement at the intersection with business.
Bonjour from Paris, this week: This week: insane developments everywhere, Qatar2022 again, Russia ups the ante, A4Revolution, the Sam Brinton story, Tucker Carlson’s gay producer, and much more
Global News
Qatar: articulating why our ire with the Cup is justified
“Why do gay people need to make everything about them? let’s not politicize sports! Being gay in Qatar is better than being gay in Russia”.
This World Cup has become a competition between radical cultural relativism with a zest of whataboutism and human rights universality. I am sure you can guess which team we are rooting for. This week Human Rights Watch criticized the head of the Japanese Football Association who said “We think right now is the time to focus on soccer”. I wrote a comprehensive piece outlining why this World Cup is problematic titled “Is pointing the finger at Qatar moral imperialism?”. Read it here.
Qatar: The Economist vs. Houdart II
It is not the first time I am at odds with The Economist (the last time was over the withdrawal of the World Bank Uganda loan in 2014 - read my take here), the poster child of cultural relativism, over LGBTQ+ issues. This time, the magazine felt the need to defend Qatar with this obnoxious argument: « gay sex is illegal, true but so is all sex outside marriage». Once again The Economist minimizes our experience of homophobia. At best the comment is ignorant, at worst offensive. The issue was never that gay people cannot have sex - many actually do despite the law - the issue is how it stigmatizes us and the consequences in terms of dignity, opportunity, well-being as well as hope for social change. A ban on sex outside marriage clearly does not have the same consequences on straight people. Read their awful article here.
World AIDS Day: the Middle East HIV Crisis
As tomorrow is World AIDS Day 2022 and in response to The Economist’s dismissive piece about our plight, let’s remember that access to treatment and prevention is abysmal in the Middle East amidst a growing epidemic. In Egypt as an example, it is close to impossible to get treatment as a gay man. The region ranks lowest globally in response indicators. You can read more about it here.
Russia: criminalizing LGBTQ+ people further
The lower house of Russia’s parliament has passed the final reading of a bill that would ban any attempt to represent the existence of LGBTQ+ people, including in movies, books, or advertising. The law expands Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws adopted between 2006 and 2013 which have already had a negative impact on the lives of Russian LGBTQ+ people. Read Human Rights Watch’s press release here. You know what struck me? the fact that the media uses the expression “promoting same-sex relationship” in describing the law, we are not promoting anything, it’s called reality!
Canada: not amused by Russia's embassy anti-LGBTQ+ antics
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly asked her services on Monday to summon the Russian Ambassador to Ottawa, Oleg Stepanov, following a series of anti-LGBT+ tweets, including one targeting an openly lesbian federal minister. Read about it here.
Singapore decriminalizes as it said it would
Singapore's parliament yesterday decriminalized sex between men but also amended the constitution to prevent court challenges that in other countries have led to the legalization of same-sex marriage. More on CNN. Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan and it was a bit disorienting to see how many claimed responsibility for this unexpected development (including Pelosi and/or the Chinese warship which followed her visit). The Palme d'Or goes to a US LGBTQ+ organization that published a 1,000-word press release self-congratulating for a development they had nothing to do with. Imagine if I published a press release congratulating myself for the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree because I happen to love Christmas? *eye roll*
China, the Protests and LGBTQ+ people
Xi’s clamp down on civil society and in particular LGBTQ+ people might be backfiring. Xi’s China - conformity at all cost - is at odd with the current era. The demonstrations are a sign that he might have gone too far. We will pay close attention to the A4Revolution — A4 is a reference to the size of the white pieces of paper. Read more about the situation from NPR here.
US News
Senate passes Respect for Marriage Act
Evan Wolfson, the architect of marriage equality, talked with NPR’s Ari Shapiro about the Senate passing the Respect for Marriage Act this week, how we got here and what comes next. The law extends federal protections to same-sex and interracial marriage. Listen here.
Returning Disney CEO Bob Iger addresses ‘Don’t Say Gay’ at company Town Hall
On Monday, Disney CEO Bob Iger told employees that inclusion and acceptance are among the “core values” of the company’s storytelling. I have criticized his predecessor Bob Chapek several times in this newsletter for his handling of the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ controversy in Florida (and sent him a letter which remains unanswered). Returning CEO Iger said:
“This company has been telling stories for 100 years, and those stories have had a meaningful, positive impact on the world, and one of the reasons they have had a meaningful, positive impact is because one of the core values of our storytelling is inclusion and acceptance and tolerance, and we can’t lose that,”
Young LGBTQ+ people grieve in Colorado Springs
The Washington Post published two articles this past week that are worth exploring. One is a visual essay that covers the tribute outside Q nightclub to those who were killed and injured in the mass shooting in Colorado Springs earlier this month. The second piece is a series of short reactions from some of the many people who have visited the tribute to pay their respects. From the Post:
“The tribute here has taken on a deeper meaning — it has become a space for LGBTQ teenagers and young adults to grieve, honor their community and ask, “What now?”
The Boardroom
Women’s Forum Global Meeting: tackling unconscious bias in the Boardroom
I had the pleasure to join Madelyn Flores of Lean In, Agathe Bousquet of the Publicis Groupe France, Mirna Safi of Sciences Po, and Karima Silvent of Axa to discuss unconscious bias. I highlighted how the reality of LGBTQ+ directors in the boardroom dispels myths about their contributions and qualifications. Read my remarks here.
Change in NACD Accelerate program
In January the cost of the National Association of Corporate Directors Accelerate program will increase from $5700 to $6385. You can lock in the 2022 pricing if you join before the end of the year. You can sign up on the NACD’s program website and click “Apply Today”. We hosted a webinar on NACD accreditation for LGBTQ+ people recently for over 40 existing and aspiring LGBTQ+ board directors. The recording is available to members of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors. You can apply to join here.
The NACD Inclusive Governance Center
Next week I have the pleasure of attending the NACD Center for Inclusive Governance meeting (see their website here) and the NACD Diversity, Equity & Inclusion awards that night in New York City. I have had the honor of being involved since the outset of the Center’s initiative and was on the awards jury this year.
LGBTQ+ Business
Balenciaga, Bondage Plush Bears, and human rights expertise
Balenciaga went through a rough patch this week as two of its campaigns came under fire. If you are in fashion, this is what everything is talking about. Even the New York Times felt the need to publish a What to Know About Balenciaga’s Campaign Controversy article.
Several companies have taken steps to secure expertise by setting up councils, including T-Mobile, GM, Abbott, Elsevier, Prada, the Morgan Stanley Institute, Barilla, Delivery Hero and L’Oreal (on which I serve) (KKR also just created an ESG Council). By securing external counsel on human rights issues, companies can innovate, avoid blind spots, and send a clear message to employees, consumers, and investors that they are taking human rights issues to heart.
Qatar: Coca-Cola in the spotlight
U.S. corporate titan Coca-Cola was in the spotlight this week for its silence on LGBTQ+ issues as a main sponsor of the World Cup. On Sunday, FIFA revealed that it had earned a record $7.5bn in earnings during the current World Cup cycle, most of it coughed up by top-tier sponsors. It is not the first time Coca-Cola threw us under the bus: Sochi, anyone?
From the semi-cultural desk
An even gayer White Lotus season!
Being in France this Sunday, I was terrified that I would miss episode 5 of Season 2. I had to break several laws to watch it. I am grateful I could. What is there not to like about a jaw-dropping gay twist? I don’t want to spoil it for anybody that had something better to do Sunday night, so you can read all about the episode here. I have been feeling concerned about what I’ll do with my life once the series is done (two more episodes which by the way is one more than the delicious Season 1).
The rather dark but impactful new video by Le Refuge
A new video by Le Refuge (the French equivalent of The Ali Forney Center) showcasing a father trying to erase his son from the family is a powerful watch. Watch it here.
Pittsburgh Yard sign success story
And an uplifting video of the Pittsburgh campaign #ProtectTransKids project which has distributed 1100+ yard signs and pens and stickers. Watch it here.
Coming and Going
The strange Sam Brinton development
Non-binary government employee, Sam Brinton, of the Department of Energy, has been charged with felony theft after they allegedly stole a bag from the baggage claim at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The right-wing news outlets are of course delighted to take down the “first openly genderfluid person in the federal government”. They also mistakenly present Sam as a political appointee. For a more nuanced take read MetroWeekly’s article. Let’s remember to be compassionate with each other and our struggles.
The gay man behind Carlson Tucker
This week, Signorile also informed us that a gay man is fueling Tucker’s anti-LGBTQ+ vitriol, Justin Wells, senior executive producer of Tucker Carlson Tonight. Some dubbed him a modern-day Ken Mehlman (former RNC head who eventually came out). You can see Wells' LinkedIn profile here (I have to confess I have six connections in common with him).
The Gay Agenda
Today, Rainbow Railroad is launching its Stories of Hope campaign, sharing stories of individuals in immediate danger it helped relocate. Yesterday, they shared a never-been-told-before story from a case individual who detailed his journey escaping Chechnya. In 2022, Musa escaped to Canada with the help of Rainbow Railroad. Listen to his story here.
Their fundraiser, 60 for 365, which runs during the last 60 days of the year, aims to raise funds to help hundreds of LGBTQI+ people between now and the end of the year, while also building momentum for Rainbow Railroad’s work in 2023. Individual donations can be made here. Third-party fundraising pages can be created here.
December 1st: World AIDS day
If you are in New York, join the NYC AIDS Memorial events tomorrow.
December 8th: Open for Business’s Human Rights Day Webinar
Here is the invite for the OfB Human Rights Day webinar on 8 December at 8 a.m. EST. Jon Miller will be speaking with UN Independent Expert Victor Madrigal-Borloz. Click here to RSVP.
See you at the same time next week. Thank you for reading and as always, please kindly share this newsletter with your networks!