Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: decriminalization in Sri Lanka, the Palmade scandal, Wyndham anti-trans incident, Sydney World Pride, Gigi Sohn’s hearing, the Attitude 101, Britain’s King’s Singers "lifestyle" and 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: decriminalization in Sri Lanka, the Palmade scandal, Sydney World Pride, Wyndham anti-trans incident, Gigi Sohn’s hearing, the “Attitude 101”, Britain’s King’s Singers’s problematic "lifestyle" and more...
Global News
Sri Lanka: the country will decriminalize
One of the perks of having been around close to 45 years is that you realize dramatic social change is actually possible. Following India’s decriminalization of same-sex relationships in 2018, last week Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister announced that the Government would remove a similar law. With the recent changes in the Caribbean, the number of countries criminalizing dwindled to 67. Read about the Sri Lankan announcement here and also look at this Human Rights Watch’s map of the remaining countries criminalizing same-sex love.
France: Pierre Palmade, a deadly accident, Chemex, and escorts
Pierre Palmade, a famous French gay humorist, provoked a deadly car accident while under the influence last week. A pregnant woman lost her child. The prosecutor already raised the role that “chemsex” played, and the media claims that Palmade’s two passengers - who initially ran away - were “escorts” (read here). Palmade had been very open about his addictions linked to his internalized homophobia. In 2013, he told radio station Europe 1:
“I don't like my homosexuality, I'm really sad [...]. Before I was angry, now I'm just sad to be gay. But never mind… I thought I was made for women, to make them laugh, to protect them, everything you see in movies and Walt Disney movies”
UK: Iain Anderson jumps ship
Iain Anderson, who previously resigned as the Government's LGBT business champion in April after ministers initially said they would not ban transgender conversion therapy for trans people (Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has since reversed course and committed to a comprehensive ban). Now Anderson announced he is leaving the Tories for the Labour party, mentioning, among other reasons, that they are planning to push a 'culture war' in the lead-up to the next general election. Read about it here.
Australia: WorldPride party starts in three days
Everything is rainbow in Sydney these days as WorldPride (Feb 18 - Mar 5) is about to start. Idle partymongers are already flying over (business class), hoping to find love (once again) at Mardi Gras. In the meantime, Aussie Pride merchandising is everywhere, as reported in the Guardian (or on the Aussie Bum website). The article gave honorable mentions to most rebranding besides Rio Tinto, which got a 0/10 score despite them finding the radioactive capsule they had recently “misplaced” (granted, their latest “error” consisted in the destruction of a 46,000-year-old Aboriginal heritage site).
Switzerland: lesbian’s claim on survivor benefits deemed inadmissible
A few months ago, I mentioned Beatriz Hernandez, a New Jersey widow, who is fighting Switzerland in a discrimination case (see full story here), which denies her the Social Security benefits of her deceased partner (despite the very recent approval of same-sex marriage). Beatriz’s case was just found inadmissible by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg: a disappointing blow to her courageous stance. There is no appeal possible. Do you have any suggestions for Beatriz to take her case forward? I can put you in touch.
US News
A transphobic incident at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown
One of the members of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors, Jessica Bussert, experienced a horrendous transphobic interaction at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. An employee felt entitled to intentionally misgender and humiliate her because he is “a Christian”. Read the full story on Linkedin. More than the incident, what is troubling is the laissez-faire attitude of Wyndham’s management in handling the issue: more concerned with sweeping it under the carpet than how Jessica feels. We wrote to CEO Geoffrey Ballotti, who got an award from AHLA for his inclusive leadership on top of a $18,209,539 in total compensation last year, to no avail. The company, of course, enjoys a 100% score on HRC’s CEI index, HRC responded “We will look into it.” Promising.
Another year of hateful bills
Gender-affirming care for minors is getting banned in numerous states (see horrendous Arkansas hearing in which Senator gleefully asks trans doctor if she has a penis). Look, we don’t have the votes at the local level, so it will be a long year of hateful bills that we will need to challenge in court (thank God for Lambda Legal!). The ACLU has a tracker for these bills, which you can find here. Also, Chris Geidner keeps track of what is happening in courts in his Substack.
The intense attacks on lesbian FCC nominee Gigi Sohn
This week, the WSJ attacked the lesbian nominee for FCC commissioner Gigi Sohn highlighting that the Senate Commerce Committee was holding another confirmation hearing yesterday (read the hit piece here). The hearing included this showdown between Sohn and Ted Cruz over minor political donations and her stance on “net neutrality”. Read a more comprehensive review on her nomination delays here. The determination and preparation of some Senators to derail her nomination is a red flag. This is part of a coordinated attack, often bundling together completely irrelevant arguments against Sohn’s appointment. Sohn said in her testimony:
“I faced 15 months of false and misleading attacks on my record and my character. My industry opponents have hidden behind dark money groups and surrogates because they fear a pragmatic, pro-competition, pro-consumer policymaker who will support policies that will bring more, faster, and lower-priced broadband."
US Virgin Islands passes anti-discrimination law
The Governor of the US Virgin Islands has signed Bill No. 34-0271 into law, which makes it illegal to discriminate against a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity (see here).
Discrediting Rep. Santos is indeed a distraction, but from what?
Santos’ campaign expenses were back in the news this week, among a few other things (Read “Another horrible, no good, very bad week for George Santos”). I’ve been reflecting on why there is continuous attention on the unsavory congressperson weeks after weeks (NPR thinks it is because it marks the end of shame in politics, I think that happened the moment every morning headline in America showed a mass shooting of children). Discrediting Santos is akin to blaming the most egregious clown for the frivolity of the whole circus. Mitt Romney understands that Santos is a risk because he caricatures the intrinsic corruption of the American political system. In doing so, he threatens the veneer of respectability of Congress, which some Americans still believe in (not many, according to the Edelman survey). Santos showcases how everybody and anybody can be elected or nominated to government, provided he finds a way to buy his seat: The US Democracy, a complex system of patronage and clientelism, has been for sale for a while to the detriment of the people. Santos allows Congress to say: “We are not like him; we might have sold your ideals but we never stole puppies.”
The Boardroom
A clearer picture of Fortune 500 LGBTQ+ representation
The Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors published its quarterly update on LGBTQ+ representation in the Fortune 500 Boardroom. In 5 years of “advocacy” and despite some prestigious appointments, representation only progressed from 0.5% to 6% (34 seats in 32 companies occupied by 25 individuals). It’s time for a change: we won’t change this situation one Fire Island house renovation at a time. See the complete picture here.
More black women on boards but few lesbians
Incidentally, the WSJ had a cheerful piece on black women’s representation on Corporate Boards. The group is achieving real progress in part because of the strategy of the non-profit Black Women on Boards (which just rang the NYSE bell) similar to ours. While there are four gay black men on Fortune 500 boards, there are no black LBT women in this very exclusive circle despite women representing 56% of all LGBTQ+ individuals on these boards. At the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors, this is something we want to change. If you are interested in joining or supporting our mission, email info@lgbtqdirectors.org to get in touch.
Is the “impostor syndrome” an unhelpful concept?
This interesting article in the Harvard Business Review on the “imposter syndrome” made me think. It is a narrative I often use to discuss lesbian self-exclusion from the boardroom. This unique form of self-doubt afflicts exceptionally high achievers. I would love to hear your thoughts.
“Rather than focus on fixing imposter syndrome, professionals whose identities have been marginalized and discriminated against must experience a cultural shift writ large.”
Speaking at Columbia Business School tomorrow
I will speak tomorrow (Thursday) at lunchtime on The Power of LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Boardroom hosted by The Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia University in NYC. You can register here.
Have you filled out your Board profile?
This is a reminder that to populate our searchable LGBTQ+ database of candidates fully; we need you to fill out your profile. Here is the link. It only takes a few minutes, and more than 300 LGBTQ+ individuals have already done so.
LGBTQ+ Business
Florida: the Disney punishment
As DeSantis promised, the Florida Senate approved a plan to have the State take control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Concretely it won’t mean much change for the company. Yet, the move is allegedly a punishment for Disney’s (late and clumsy) criticism of Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” law. Read more here.
The Economist predicts a bloody DEI war
That is wishful thinking on their part. The magazine predicts once again that DEI is about to explode in this article which initially focuses on relatively innocuous DEI statements at Universities and how it irks many. However, the Post reminds us today on the “Affirmative Action” SCOTUS Case that Americans are more sensitive to “fairness” than diversity.
Where were the LGBTQ+ ads at the Super Bowl?
I would not know: I watched “Darjeeling Limited” and “Last of us” that night while eating ice cream. But AdWeek wondered why we were so absent this year: have we lost touch? Is gay over? Are we losing the culture war? GLAAD had nothing interesting to say:
“While we don’t know exactly why LGBTQ visibility in Super Bowl ads is waning, we know it will negatively impact the bottom line for brands,” Promising!
The semi-cultural desk
France: Un “Homme heureux”, a comedy on transitioning
It could have been terrible, but it is well done. “Un homme heureux” addresses how families deal with transitions while avoiding vulgarity, and even conservative Le Figaro called it “a hymn to tolerance”. Indeed it shows that with love, we can overcome differences. Highly recommended. See the trailer below.
Magic Mike’s last dance, on the other hand…
Needs improvement. It used to be a gay favorite for obvious reasons. The movie features Salma Hayek, who, by the way, is the wife of François-Henri Pinault, the billionaire Kering CEO. Watch the Trailer here.
I also watched “Knock at the Cabin” so you don’t have to
It was entertaining, but I probably missed something because The New Yorker takes it much more seriously than I do. Apparently, “Gay love” can save people from the Apocalypse. Aldridge - who came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a post on Instagram on National Coming Out Day 2020 and as gay in 2021- looked delicious.
In Florida: Britain’s King’s Singers are visiting the stone age
Britain’s King’s Singers announced on Monday night that Pensacola Christian College in Florida had canceled the ensemble’s scheduled performance on Saturday because of some of the “members' lifestyle” [sic]. See their very polite response.
Beyoncé: Dubai’s concert
Some remain unhappy that Beyoncé gave a $24 million concert at the opening of The Atlantis The Royal Resort in Dubai (see the Daily Mail article) before dedicating her Grammy to queer people. I am not as shocked about the concert’s location as I am by its price tag showcasing: so much inflation !!! Some of her fans have issues with the fact homosexuality is illegal in the UAE. Yet The Guardian points out that western gay men in the UAE can “use their economic, social and cultural privileges to create communities where they can meet and socialize”.
Coming and Going
Attitude 101: people in the community making a difference
Congratulations to Attitude Magazine 101, the annual list of LGBTQ+ trailblazers (see the complete list here) which includes many friends like activist Steve Lesike, Board member Marty Chavez, or business leader Andrew Lowenthal, etc… Congratulations to my friends Peter Jordan, Oriol Palmies, and Amy Martin-Ziegenfuss in the travel industry (see here).
Kenji Yoshino joins the Oversight Board for Facebook and Instagram
Professor Kenji Yoshino, who is openly gay, a legal scholar, and the Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU School of Law, announced Monday that he had been tapped to be part of the Facebook Oversight Board.
When Mark Segal met Biden & Harris, and there is a cute backstory
A delightful read. Please see about it here.
The passing of Howard Bragman
Howard Bragman, a famous PR professional who helped many come out, died this week. See his obituary in the Washington Post.
Gay elders have plenty of advice
I believe that what our movement lacks most at the moment is wisdom. It has ego - lots of it- but where is the wisdom? Probably with gay elders. This MSN article is mandatory reading.
The Gay Agenda
Today February 15th @ 2 p.m. EST - being LGBTQ+ under Taliban rule
If you are free at 2 p.m. today, our friends at Outright International are hosting a webinar to take stock of the LGBTQ+ situation since the Taliban took over. Taliban officials appear to have made targeting LGBTQ+ people a greater priority. Join the webinar here.
This week: 2023 Creating Change Conference
It’s less glamorous than Sidney Pride but essential: the National LGBTQ Task Force – the country’s oldest LGBTQ advocacy group – is bringing together more than 3,000 LGBTQ activists and organizers to 2023 Creating Change conference from Friday, February 17 - Tuesday, February 21.
May 2023: ESCP creates its LGBTQ+ leadership program
Not in France but in Berlin. The ESCP LGBT+ Leadership Programme is a 4-day program where participants “develop their LGBT+ leadership style and learn how their LGBT+ identity can impact their leadership experience.” Their next open enrollment program will take place at the Berlin campus on 23 May - 26 May 2023.
I hope you had an excellent Valentine’s Day. Caroline brought cupcakes to our Tuesday night Georgetown class - I had two. As always, thank you for reading. I am always interested to hear your thoughts, rebuttal and gossips. Please kindly share this with your network.