Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: Shame on Uganda, skipping Indonesia, Meloni and our children, Mariage-pour-tous ten years on, Masha Gessen on gender, the promises of Apertude, some Equine comments, and much 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: Shame on Uganda, skipping Indonesia, Meloni and our children, Mariage-pour-tous ten years on, Masha Gessen on gender, the promises of Apertude, some Equine comments, and much more…
Global News
Uganda: the parliament shames itself on YouTube
I watched some of the Ugandan parliamentary debate on the retrogressive Anti-Homosexuality Bill yesterday afternoon. Knowing it had the world's attention, the chamber indulged in a day of prejudice and misconceptions about homosexuality. All but two of the 389 legislators voted for the bill, a repeat of their infamous 2014 best-seller, which introduces capital and life imprisonment sentences for gay sex and “recruitment, promotion and funding” of same-sex “activities.” Hopefully, President Museveni will veto the bill, or it will be struck down by a Court (like it was - on a technicality - back in 2014) after some more circus and external pressure. This sad spectacle is not entertaining for LGBTQ+ Ugandans, who are once again vilified publicly and thrown at the mercy of an uneducated public on this topic. You can read more about it here.
Indonesia and the U.S. State Department's annual Human Rights Reports
As usual, the 2022 report dropped this week and drew criticism from civil society for being lenient with US geopolitical partners. Amnesty also noted that by criminalizing sex outside of marriage this year, the Indonesian authorities had effectively criminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, something the report failed to acknowledge. Read the complete Amnesty response here. This development is a tragedy for LGBTQ+ Indonesians who benefited from some level of tolerance in society. As a side note, Bali has become a gigantic Russian escape room, so tourists should consider going on their extra-marital affair elsewhere (see “Trouble in Paradise”). I would also avoid St Barth, a nouveau riche débâcle (follow my side-eye), so you will have to do with Turks & Caicos.
Italy: Meloni declares war against same-sex families
In the US, it’s all about trans people, while in Europe, anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric often centers around families. There is a global consensus, though: we are a threat to children and families *eye roll*. Until now, the city of Milan has registered the civil status children of gay couples born either through the use abroad of surrogacy (GPA), prohibited in Italy, or through medically assisted procreation. The City must now stop doing so at the request of the far-right Meloni Government—a move the LGBTQ+ community decries as an attack on their families. The European Court of Human Rights had previously ruled that not registering children violates Article 8 of the European Convention regarding the right to respect their family life and the right to respect the private lives of the children concerned. It’s also an incredibly mean way to score political points. (see jurisprudence here). Read more about the Italian context here.
France: 10 years of mariage-pour-tous and Armageddon
Same-sex marriage was voted on May 29th, 2013. It was not a pleasant year for French gay people and me: the debate on same-sex marriage allowed many to express their homophobic views. France is starting to reflect on that period (see this article) - I remember my former Scout Captain (yes, I was a Marine Scout in the 7th Charcot in my youth - see below if you don’t believe me), then a “philosophe en enterprise”, writing same-sex marriages would lead to the collapse of society, the legalization of incest and a hike in occurences of bestiality. I wish I could write that ten years on, none of it happened, but, hasard du calendrier [your French expression of the week], someone was just sentenced for having had non-consensual sex with a horse (unnecessary details here). Coincidence? I think not.
US News
Masha Gessen on Trans Rights in The New Yorker
Masha, who now identifies as non-binary and trans, is intelligent in an ocean of loud but thoughtless voices, so THIS interview by David Renmick in the New Yorker is mandatory reading for anybody who wants to develop an informed opinion. It is heartwarming to read: the universality of a yearning for simpler times conservatives are tapping into, the fact that Masha misgendered Judith Butler and then corrected themselves, that there are still public intellectuals in America, the quip at Andrew Sullivan (who Keith Wetmore once insisted was a “real intellectual” to me), the sentence “I was canceled by trans-Twitter once” (who wasn’t? I once misgendered the soccer player Quinn and was mauled by an angry Texan troll), the questioning of GLAAD’s hounding of the New York Times for covering trans issue “too much”, the idea of “gender exception” that everything about gender fluidity is questioned while we give a pass to other issues (such as the widespread prescription of antidepressants to children). Not buying into the orthodoxy today is a dangerous game, so I am in awe of the few remaining independent voices on the left. By the way I sent out an interview with Stephanie Battaglino yesterday if you missed it. Being publicly vilified takes a toll on us, let’s never forget that.
PrEP vs. Apertude: unequal and ignored
PrEP has not successfully curbed the epidemic among Latino and Black men. Apertude (injectable PrEP with six clinic visits per year approved by the FDA in 2021) has better potential but is often not covered by insurance, although it might happen soon. As a reminder, although African Americans make up about 13% of the U.S. population, they represent 40% of all new HIV diagnoses, 70% of which are among gay and trans people. Read Benjamin Ryan’s take here. On a separate note, information on PrEP's long-term effects, particularly what sustained and continued use might do to individuals' overall health, remains rare despite the drug being approved in 2012. It always concerns me, although I am conscious the benefits override the risks.
April 27/28: apply for Harvard Advocacy Summit
A few people shared the application for the Spring 2023 International LGBTQI+ Advocacy Summit at Harvard University. If you are an international LGBTQ+ advocate and want to participate, here is the application form.
Santos denounces plots to brainwash kids into kindness
Not sure why, but this week DeSantos graduates from the semi-cultural desk to US News. The mythomaniac representative went after LGBTQ+ educators by retweeting a right-wing group Project Veritas video. Veritas claims to have carried out a five-month undercover “investigation” into EdCamp Long Island, a grassroots, teacher-led professional development event, and uncovered a plot to brainwash kids into being nice to each other. It’s unclear what Santos's end-game is besides being resented by everybody.
"Out gay Rep. George Santos (R-NY) retweeted an anti-LGBTQ+ video and said teachers who advocate for inclusion and tolerance in the classroom are indoctrinating children”
The Gay Boardroom
The Association’s survey closes
Thank you to the more than two hundred existing and aspiring LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors who took the survey of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors - the first of its kind - along with numerous other stakeholders. We will present the results of our landmark research study on diversity in board representation in mid-April. Among the things that struck me: i) how concentrated senior LGBTQ+ people are in “non-masculinized industries” (Financial Services, Law, and Tech), ii) the fact that most stakeholders report difficulties in identifying LGBTQ+ candidates; and iii) that 35% of existing LGBTQ+ Board members obtained their first seat because of a connection to a current board member. As a little appetizer, here is a word cloud from respondents. Edifying.
What do racehorses and gay Board members have in common?
So much about horses in this edition; I will call it our “Equine Edition”. There were some developments in the case opposing the Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment (a.k.a. Jay Blum - see my piece here) to the Nasdaq. The Alliance told the Court last week that its case got a boost from a March 3 decision affirming the constitutionality of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. In Oklahoma v. United States, another Court ruled that a federal agency has regulatory authority over a private entity, dismissing claims the government unconstitutionally delegated powers to a non-state actor. So the Alliance believes the SEC can’t “hide behind Nasdaq to avoid constitutional scrutiny,”. In the meantime, the Nasdaq law is still the rule of the land, giving us an unprecedented view of the abysmal representation of LGBTQ+ in the boardroom, something the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors intends to solve. KPMG published a piece this week on how disclosures could be a game changer.
LA Times article on the lack of Latino Directors
Great article on the abysmal Hispanic diversity on Corporate Boards in the LA Times. However, Spencer Stuart’s quote in the article (see below) was utterly tone-deaf, given the systematic exclusion of minorities from the Boardroom. I am surprised they even printed their comment. I had called their argument out in a piece titled “What’s next? Redhead quotas on Corporate Boards?”. Such a cheap shot. I also took umbrage with the narrative on the “least represented group in the boardroom”: LGBTQ+ people have 0.6% of board seats when they comprise 5.7% of the population. Do the math. To be blunt, it illustrates how LGBTQ+ representation is still perceived as a bs topic in America. We need to change that…
“Are we going to say, ‘I’m blond. Now we need a person who has dark hair in the room because blonds have a different experience’? We have to be very careful about dividing us all into teeny tiny little bits.”
Nominating aspiring lesbian Directors to new 50/50 list
50/50 Women on Boards is building a list of 50 women, which will be shared with board directors and companies. This opportunity will also provide these women with Board exposure and exclusive network opportunities. Please consider applying or sharing with your network of LBT women. To enter, women cannot currently serve on a public company board and must hold or have held a leadership position or be a founder/principal of an organization for at least five years. The deadline is April 30. Here is the link to apply. We can also nominate you.
May 18 - NACD New York event
The NACD New York chapter invited members of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors for the NACD NY upcoming event on May 18. They are happy to give our non-NACD members the member rate to attend. Please let us know if you are interested at info@lgbtqdirectors.org, and we will connect you.
Myrna Soto gets an additional Board Advisor position
I like to think of our friend Myrna as the “poster child of lesbian contribution” to the Boardroom. She was just appointed Advisor to the Board of ThreatConnect. See the announcement here.
The semi-cultural desk
Geffen’s new husband
Billionaire David Geffen got married to a strapping young man, Donovan Michaels (I have been here 22 years, and I still don't get why Americans use first and last names interchangeably; I suspect it is to confuse foreigners). The dirt on Queerty. Some were quick to dismiss the age difference. My thought was that at least they are easy to tell apart, unlike Rep. Chris Pappas and his husband, who also recently got married.
Alphonso David settles with HRC
I wrote a piece on Alphonso David’s settlement with HRC and what it meant about Governance in the organization. My harsh conclusion was:
“Until HRC shows us it is addressing these matters, donors should cease funding […] Instead, they should shift their money to focus on better avenues such as Lambda Legal, anything related to voter engagement, and the Victory Fund.”
I watched Cocaine Bear instead of an LGBTQ+ movie
I have movie PTSD - no kidding; I cried listening to Albinoni yesterday morning - so instead of watching another dramatic gay movie like “Of an age” and “Lord of the Ants” as I planned, I watched “Cocaine Bear” last night which was pretty hilarious albeit gory.
Coming and going
Open for Business recruiting a Global Programmes Director
Open for Business, the only global LGBTQ+ business network CEOs and multinational companies trust to advance LGBTQ+ rights globally, is recruiting Global Programmes Director will be crucial to our success. For more details, please visit this link.
The Gay Agenda
Tonight - Join the twins and me in NYC: Ari Shapiro’s new book
We will attend the interview between Ari Shapiro and Benj Pasek on the release of “the best strangers in the world” ($23 on Harper Collins website). Ari happens to be Maxime’s godfather.
🕛 6:30 PM — 7:45 PM EDT at Temple Emanu-El, 10 E 66th St. tickets here.
March 30th - GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles
Margaret Cho is hosting, but when you see the list of special guests, I recommend bringing a good book or very discreet earphones. Here.
April 5th - Asia: the next battleground for LGBTQ+ rights
Join the Institute of Current World Affairs for a Zoom webinar discussion with David Mixner, Chantale Wong, Yanhui Peng, and Edric Huang, moderated by yours truly about the state of LGBTQ+ issues in Asia and its implications for US foreign policy. They will also address what local queer communities can learn from developments in China and Taiwan and how the private sector can build momentum for progress.
🕛 9 AM - 10 AM EDT - online - Register here
Love your consistency and relevance, Fabrice. Keep it up!
Another great newsletter... and no, names and surnames aren't used interchangeable to confuse us. It's an old Anglo custom. If it's a first name, it's written without the 's'. If it's a last name, with the 's'. I met a Thomas Thomas in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada years ago. I think I was just as confused as you. He did explain it was something about connecting to the family tree. Like the prefixes 'ben' in Hebrew or 'de' in Spanish, also the suffix 'ez' in Spanish, as in Fernandez (the son of Fernando). Or maybe there wasn't a whole lot of creativity when it came to naming conventions. Not sure, and who am I to explain. My paternal last name is Santiago (I use my maternal last name too, thus the distinction), which in the vast majority of the Spanish-speaking world is a first name.