Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: UK all over, pinkwashing Davos, insecurity in NYC, Arizona Gov. Hobbs, a Rodney Rule for LGBTQ+ Boardroom representation, the Fashion of George Santos, Gay Ski Week in Aspen, 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.
This week: UK all over, pinkwashing Davos, insecurity in NYC, Arizona Gov. Hobbs, a Rodney Rule for LGBTQ+ Boardroom representation, the Fashion of George Santos, Gay Ski Week in Aspen
Global News
Davos: low-level toxicity
Talking about resource allocation….“Festival for the filthy-rich,” the “epitome of virtue-signaling,” or “the congregation of self-congratulatory elites,” there is some karma in the Davos brand becoming somewhat toxic. A leading lesbian in business once described to me being pushed in the banks of snow as men always assumed she was some important man’s assistant. In the meantime, like every year, HRC and GLAAD have substantial delegations there. I hope that, at least, short of getting some prominence for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the forum, they manage to squeeze some skiing in. If you have not read it, here is last week’s piece on Governance issues in our organizations, “The Year of the Scandals.” On a more positive note, Accenture and Open for Business managed to get the promenade to be lit in rainbow colors tonight.
The UK: a reversal in the ban on conversion practices
After an acrimonious debate around the conversion practices ban led to the cancellation of the #SafeToBeMe Conference last year, Government leaders in the U.K. pledged on Tuesday to revisit the proposed legislation. This time, with amended protections for transgender people in addition to other LGBTQ+ residents of England and Wales. Lord Nick Herbert, the UK Special Envoy on LGBTQ+ issues, did provide comments in the news but on the topic of fox hunting.
The UK: Scotland's Gender Recognition Reform Bill
One step forward, one step back: the UK Government blocked Scotland’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill from becoming law after it was passed overwhelmingly by the Scottish parliament. The bill had received cross-party support at Holyrood before Christmas with some Conservative MSPs even breaking ranks to back it. The UK finds it too forward. Activists promised that would not be the end of it.
The UK: LGBTQ+ population estimates
More than 1.5 million people identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, according to England and Wales’ first-ever sexuality and gender census. Newly released census data shared by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 3.2% of the population self-identifies as LGBTQ+. Read more about the survey from the BBC. Fun fact: when I came out, my father wrote to me that 90% of British people go through a homosexual “phase” but come out of it. A very French thing to say.
DR Congo: who is funding progress?
I believe francophone Africa is the poor parent of the global LGBTQ+ movement. Le Monde had a piece yesterday on how homosexuals in eastern DRC are forced into hiding. While no law criminalizes homosexuality in the country, harassment, assaults, and hatred against the Congolese LGBTQIA+ community are rampant. Similarly, NGOs in Cameroon warn of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ violence.
US News
Polyamory: the conservatives were right…
First gay marriage, and now…The Economist reports that “Polyamory is getting slivers of legal recognition in America.” I vaguely remember writing recently about how all my friends, in throuples, eventually became disenchanted. The best part:
“Views are changing: in 2020, a fifth of Americans told Gallup that polygamy was morally acceptable, up fourfold since 2006 […]. Millennials are most inclined towards non-monogamy: two in five prefer it, perhaps because the alternative does not pan out so well. In anonymized surveys, a fifth of people in monogamous relationships admit cheating.”
Rep: Pinocchio: a different lens to the story
The New York Times is not letting go of Rep. George Santos (or Anthony Devolder - it depends on the day, apparently). On Friday, it was reported that many Republican operatives and leaders (surprise, surprise!) knew about Santos' many lies and very loose view of ethics and did not do anything about it. I hate to tell you things you don’t want to hear, but the LGBTQ+ relationship to truth is a broader issue that is at play here too. This does not excuse Santos' lies of course, but it must be acknowledged. We are taught from an early age that to survive; we need to lie. We are told by society to hide our most fundamental truth from the people closest to us: our parents, our teachers, and our priests. Our own parents teach us that it is better to lie than tell the truth to guarantee the comfort of those around us. It is no wonder our relationship to truth is often deeply altered. It is not always as dramatic as in this case but whether it is unduly taking credit for marriage equality, claiming decriminalization in Singapore, or making up a conversion therapy story: examples abound.
The Gayest Congress in History that we know of
I know we spoke about this at length, but it is still nice to see it in print. The Pew Research Center reminded us that, with 13 members (including Kirsten and George), this is the gayest Congress that we know of. Read about it here. Now imagine if Sean Patrick Maloney and Mondaire Jones were still in Congress…
Arizona: Governor Hobbs over executive order protecting LGBTQ+ employees
Lesbian Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs’ first official executive order was to strengthen worker protections for LGBTQ+ state employees and contractors expressly prohibiting workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The opposition did not like it and promised to sue. Read about it here. When you think about it, America’s culture war is just weird, why wouldn’t you want civil servants to be protected from harassment?
New York: Hell’s Kitchen is a bit shadier than usual
The New York Times had a feature in December about drugging and robberies in gay bars in Hell’s Kitchen which led to two overdoses. And the criminals were subsequently arrested. Last week The Eagle warned patrons about individuals trying to lure them to parties at its entrance. Now a CUNY law student has been reported missing in Hell’s Kitchen.
The Boardroom
ISS: LGBTQ+ representation is Good Governance
As reported previously in this newsletter, ISS’s industry-leading Governance QualityScore (GQS) scoring solution for global institutional investors published their 2023 QualityScore updates, adding 23 new factors. One of those factors is whether there are any LGBTQ+ Directors on the Board. Strangely enough, the change got almost no coverage.
A Rooney Rule for LGBTQ+ Board Representation
The Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors has begun to reach out to the major recruiting firms asking them if they would agree to pledge to include at least one LGBTQ+ person in each slate of Boardroom candidates they present to their clients. We believe taking this step could play an important role in remedying the current abysmal representation of LGBTQ+ people in the boardrooms of Corporate America. We will keep you updated on their responses. If you are reading this and work at an executive search firm that does board placement we would love to hear from you about joining this pledge. Email info@lgbtqdirectors.org for more details.
NACD Northern California Chapter: LGBTQ+ Cohort this morning
I just concluded a fascinating conversation with three members of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors; Dr. Esteban Lopez, Heather Hiles, and Maggie Fitzpatrick who shared their board journeys and experiences with the NACD Northern California’s LGBTQ+ cohort hosted by the wondrous Lisa Spivey.
Hosting our inaugural dinner for LGBTQ+ POC in the Boardroom
Tomorrow night, the President of The New School, Dwight McBride is graciously hosting a dinner for LGBTQ+ People of Color in the Boardroom. The objective is to brainstorm on how to improve representation for LGBTQ+ people of color in the Boardroom and also in the Association’s pool of candidates.
Last call for inaugural LGBTQ+ NACD Accelerate Cohort
NACD Accelerate is a unique two-year program that creates a pathway for executives with little or no experience in the boardroom to prepare for board service. The package includes NACD Accreditation and membership. Read more about the program here. Reach out to us if you want to join this cohort and avail of the partner discount for our members: info@lgbtqdirectors.org
From the semi-cultural desk
Mandatory watching: Aftersun
If you are interested, my dithyrambic critic is here. The last time I was as enthusiastic about a movie might have been “Laurence Anyway” by Xavier Dolan. Aftersun is not per se a queer movie - although the main protagonist is a lesbian - but it might be the best movie of this Oscar season. Either that or it touched me because I am myself a single dad who often tried to shield his sons from what was happening in his life.
Watch the trailer below:
The Lawyer by Romas Zabarauskas
I finally watched Romas’ 2020 feature, The Lawyer, the first Baltic film to explore the theme of male homosexual love. The Lawyer tells what happens when a 37-year-old successful Lithuanian lawyer falls for a hot Syrian refugee stuck in Belgrade. For some reason, I kept thinking that the main actor Eimutis Kvosciauskas, playing “an old poof in homophobic Lithuania” is younger than me. Read the review here.
Brilliant: The Fashion of George Santos
The New York Times is obsessed with George Santos. Yesterday they published a review of his fashion choices and the role they played in making his lies more convincing: a mix of preppy and Goldman Sachs banker. I personally have never trusted anyone wearing a fleece vest with a logo on it.
Throughout history, the greatest grifters have understood that dressing the part is half the game.
The new trans owner of Miss Universe upsets Fox News
The new owner of Miss Universe, which used to belong to Trump, gave a speech claiming Miss Universe is “run by women, for women, and composed of women". Of course, Fox News felt it was offensive - the link to the story awfully states “he is in fact a man”.
The Persecution of Drag Performers in America
David Mixner published a passionate plea to defend Drag Performers as dragophobia sweeps through America. Also, an opportunity to learn about the history of Drag going back to the Romans and Greeks.
Queer Broadway in 2023
Also here is everything that’s coming to Broadway this year.
The Gay Agenda
ASPEN gay ski week
While there might not be much skiing or progress in Davos, the 46th Year of Gay Ski Week, presented by JPMorgan Chase is taking place in Aspen this week. You can read more here.
Inaugural “Queer in Development” Class
It’s Professor Houdart to you! I taught my first class of the semester at Georgetown last night. It featured Neela Goshal of Outright Action International as an exceptional guest speaker who gave an overview of the global setting for the class. Her analysis of the progress in Latin America despite the prevalence of religious conservatism was eye-opening.
Australia: WorldPride around the corner
Now, remember it’s summer down under. Sydney WorldPride will take place during Mardi Gras, between February 17 and March 5. It will be the first in the southern hemisphere and also marks the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of Sydney’s first Mardi Gras, and the fifth anniversary of the passing of same-sex marriage in Australia. You can expect a huge party (and also a human rights conference which will feature three Special Envoys (US, UK, and Argentina) as well as Victor Madrigal-Borloz, the UN Independent Expert).
ERRATUM
My friend pointed out that the Casa Ruby court-appointed receiver is not a “He” as I wrote but a “She”: the receiver is actually June Crenshaw. The Casa Ruby case was the topic of an in-depth exposé in “El Tiempo Latino” this week:
“2019 y 2021, Corado gastó $254 mil 852.30 en vistas a salones de belleza, manicura, pestañas postizas, quiroprácticos, productos de santería, viajes y gastos a El Salvador y comidas en restaurantes alrededor de Washington DC.”
god made all humans to love and we have a lot of hope for our country to love us all and stop all the hate we see we hope our country will change now trump is done and will be jailed then we hope and pray for us to join in love for america needs to heal from all the hate spewed buy many leders who hold a hate of god and his children he made to love in gods name we pray for healing america to be normal agian
A good read after a long day ... Getting hipped and really interested by the trailer of "aftersun", nice discover ! Thanks