Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: a landmark decision in Estonia, the Cannes Lioness, news from Arkansas, Twitter bans “cisgender,” Totegate, Tittygate, the Dodgers, the “do no harm” principle, frictions at Trevor & more...
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.
This week: a landmark decision in Estonia, the Cannes Lioness, good news in Arkansas, Twitter bans “cisgender,” Totegate, Tittygate, the Dodgers, the “do no harm” principle, frictions at Trevor and more…
Global News
Estonia: a landmark development for the wider region 🏳️🌈 🇪🇪
While the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights around the globe has been uneven, we are winning the fight. Ten countries decriminalized same-sex relationships in the past four years; marriage equality has rapidly expanded. This week, Estonia became the 35th nation to approve it. The decision, which ensures same-sex couples have adoption rights, will be effective January 1st. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, who championed marriage equality, stated:
"this decision shows that our society is caring and respectful towards each other."
Congo: the “rainbow bag" national crisis
The US has “tittygate” (see US News below), and the Democratic Republic of Congo has“totegate”. The “DRC mining week” distributed tote bags with an unfortunate rainbow color scheme, leading to a national crisis (see here). The government got involved, and David Ashdown, the CEO of VUKA Group, the South African Conference organizer, had to look very contrite, assuring the bags were unrelated to LGBTQ+ issues and would be burnt to the stake because we all know that rainbows, not corruption, human rights violations, and environmental impact, are the central issue in the Congolese mining sector. If it were not sad, it'd be hilarious! You can watch the whole debacle here:
“Promoting homosexuality is against our morals, values, and laws. And we won't let this sham pass!”
Japan: the legislation that disappoints
Without much global publicity, Japan's parliament on Friday enacted legislation to “promote the understanding of sexual minorities.” The title itself is awkward. Some Japanese activists are unimpressed, claiming that the new law provides no human rights guarantees and even tacitly encourages some forms of discrimination with a clause stipulating, "All citizens can live with peace of mind" (i.e., the '“preserve the Japanese cultural exception from your gayness” clause). Read more here.
France: saving LGBTQ+ lives at Le Majestic
American LGBTQ+ non-profit apparatchiks flew to the French Riviera for the Cannes Lions Festival this week. If you are the executive director of a U.S. gay charity these days, your vacation in Davos in the winter and summer in Cannes advocating for better LGBTQ+ representation one ethical and sustainable shrimp cocktail at a time. The Lions are an advertising conference that rebranded itself from an ad Conference to the “International Festival of Creativity.” Hopefully, our movement will be inspired to be creative and regain control of the LGBTQ+ narrative at home. In the meantime, here is another friendly reminder to stick with neutral colors in southern France and leave your black NYC outfits at home.
World Refugee Day: a “Pink Wave” of Migration
Yesterday was World Refugee Day 2023. An opportunity to reflect on a new trend by authoritarian regimes from Russia to Uganda to force mass migration of unwanted LGBTQ+ people. We are witnessing a “Pink wave” of migration stuck between pressure placed on LGBTQ+ communities and the willingness of other countries to admit LGBTQ+ immigrants. In the face of increasing legal repression and physical violence, many LGBTQ+ people have no choice but to flee. On this occasion, Rainbow Railroad launched its annual report titled "Understanding the State of Global LGBTQI+ Persecution.” Read it here.
Quebec: la belle province visits New York
Representatives from Fondation Émergence - of which I am a proud Governor - were visiting from Québec to meet with LGBTQ+ advocates in New York. I joined them to meet with the board chair of The American LGBTQ+ Museum - a $40 million project, Richard Burns (see picture below), and we then visited the New York City LGBT Center, the AIDS Memorial, and the Stonewall National Monument. 🏛️ Fondation Émergence later participated in a panel with the Consulate General of Canada in New York, which included opening remarks from the out-lesbian Quebec's Delegate General in New York Martine Hébert. 🍁⚜️
Cameroon: the French Special Envoy’s Visit
This is a crucial step showcasing that France is scaling up its engagement on global LGBTQ+ rights. Ambassador Jean-Marc Berthon, the French Special Envoy for the rights of LGBT people, will travel to Cameroon from June 27 to July 1st. Human Rights Watch recently called out the precarious situations of LGBTQ+ people in the country (see here).
US News
Trans care: great news from the Arkansas Court
Gov. Huckabee is unhappy: we might not have the votes in her state, but we still have a justice system. Arkansas’s 2021 law banning gender-affirming medical care for minors is unconstitutional, the Obama-appointed federal judge overseeing the challenge to the law ruled on Tuesday, favoring the plaintiffs and against the state ‘on all claims. The plaintiff families and doctors were represented by the national ACLU, ACLU of Arkansas, and the law firms of Sullivan & Cromwell, Gill, Ragon, Owen, and the Wallas Law Firm.
"Rather than protecting children or safeguarding medical ethics, the evidence showed that the prohibited medical care improves the mental health and well-being of patients and that, by prohibiting it, the State undermined the interests it claims to be advancing"
According to Gallup: U.S. support for same-sex relations dips
You know me, I hate to be difficult. Still, I am always amazed by the self-congratulatory attitude of leading national LGBTQ+ groups, boasting that they are “rewriting the script for LGBTQ+ acceptance” when the results are not there, whether on trans human rights or same-sex relations acceptance. According to Gallup this week, the number of adults saying gay or lesbian relations are morally acceptable fell to only 64% this year compared to a record-high 71% in 2022. Similarly, Western European nations all have higher approval ratings for same-sex marriage than North America. Some rotation might be the smart move, particularly in places where leadership has been in charge for nearly a decade.
GLAAD vs. Twitter
GLAAD published its social media safety index this week, claiming that all significant social media platforms fail LGBTQ+ people, with Twitter being the worst. Elon Musk responded by announcing today that the words “cisgender” and “cis” are considered “slurs” under the social media platform’s content policy from now on. See here.
From the Boardroom
50 Women to Watch for Boards
Congratulations to the LGBTQ+ women on the list: Katherine Dudtschak (on the Board of the Canadian Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors) and Lara Shewchuk (see the complete list here).
Ozzie Gromada in Hispanic Executive
The Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors’ Advisory Board Member extraordinaire Ozzie Gromada (also Executive Director of the Latino Association of Corporate Directors - LCDA) was featured in Hispanic Executive this week. See the full article here:
“While there are many differences between the Latino and LGBTQ+ communities, they share two commonalities: they are not monoliths, and they are being left out of the pipeline because in many cases, they lack the visible physical characteristics needed to identify them as diverse.”
The Gay business
Navigating Pride with a human rights lens
This week I wrote a piece on the Institute for Human Rights and Business forum in which I discuss how companies should consider their Pride engagement through the lens of the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business and Human Rights - a framework unanimously approved by the Human Rights Council in 2011 - rather than through the lens of culture, marketing or politics. You can read the piece here.
For Fashion and Beauty, LGBTQ+ marketing is a no-brainer.
I also shared some thoughts with Business of Fashion last week in an article that also features my friend Rob Smith of the Phluid Project about the alleged backlash against Corporate support for Pride:
“This is a gigantic opportunity for fashion and beauty brands,” said Fabrice Houdart, founder of his namesake LGBTQ organisational consulting firm, which works with Fortune 500 companies. “Any company that now has an external engagement on LGBTQ+ issues is not only showcasing their purpose but also saying, ‘Look, even in a difficult context, we’re still standing for the community.”
Lessons from the Dodger's gay night
Assess the risks and then stick to your guns. Flip-flopping on LGBTQ+ marketing - by which I mean the terrible habit of changing one’s mind when the trolls show up harms our community - is hurtful to us. This is true for Anheuser Busch, Disney, Target, or The Dodgers. The Dodgers had their Pride night with the Sisters, but unfortunately, a demonstration put a damper on the festivities (despite a very successful attendance in the Stadium). Read about the night here.
Allen & Overy Pride and the lavender ceiling
Despite incredible progress on workplace inclusion, representation in Senior Management, the executive committee, and the Boardroom lags in corporate America. In partnership with Allen & Overy this year, I called attention to the “lavender ceiling.” See the campaign here.
From the semi-cultural desk
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets
I started watching the documentary on the Duggar family, which is breaking record viewing. Frankly, it is much scarier than Black Mirror Season 6.
Tittygate 2023: Rose Montoya changes her tone
Her apologies showcase how a crisis management team can make everything better. She appeared in a video in a relatively conservative outfit with little makeup. I need a crisis PR Firm on retainer for the inevitable crisis this newsletter will one day bring. Also, read the Post article on Montoya’s apologies.
Who killed Robert Wone?
The August 2006 crime mystery involving three DC gay men has its inevitable show - Read the Washington Blade’s review here. Spoiler alert: it’s not me, even though I lived in DC then and, even though I have no memories, I surely got entangled in love triangles at times.
New drama at Trevor
Employees who have been laid off this month started a petition online.
The Gay Agenda
This week in DC
It’s been a whirlwind few days in Washington, and it’s not over. On Monday night, I spoke about the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors at a beautiful reception at the DC home of Marco Margheri. Tuesday, I spoke at the LGBTQ+ and allies table at the Cosmos Club on Board Diversity. In the evening, the Association hosted a lovely, intimate dinner of influential gays at the Club. And it’s not over; I am heading to the Equality PAC gala tonight at Union Station and will be at the Pride reception at the World Bank tomorrow afternoon before returning to New York just in time for Stonewall Day 2023 with the twins.
June 23rd: Spanish REDI celebrities five years
On June 23, REDI (Asociación Red Empresarial por la Diversidad e Inclusión LGBTI) in Spain will celebrate its 5th anniversary in the “El Triunfo de la Diversidad" event (see here).
June 25th: see you in the streets of New York
Read more on the Heritage of Pride’s website, including who the Grand Marshalls are this year.
Next week in Chicago
Our sponsor, JPMorgan Chase, is hosting the second dinner of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors outside of the East Coast, this time in Chicago. It promises to be a wonderful evening with some of the most prominent LGBTQ+ leaders in the city.
Well, that’s it for this week. As usual, thank you for reading, and please share with your network. Here is a picture of my boys at the NYC AIDS Memorial last Wednesday for their Pride Silent disco; I had such a lovely evening - what I love most about Pride is this month-long reminder that I am part of a community - something that was elusive to me for the longest time.