Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: Uganda, Ghana, the coming out of the French Minister of labor, the Lesbian Project launch, the Nashville shooting, Hochul and the 340B carve-out, Jeff Whitty tells it like it is 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: Uganda, Ghana, the coming out of the French Minister of labor, the Lesbian Project launch, the Nashville shooting, Hochul and the 340B carve-out, Jeff Whitty tells it like it is, and more...
Global News
Uganda: what’s next?
Uganda might have won the palm of the most outrageously homophobic law in the world with its provision regarding the “duty to report acts of homosexuality” (Vichy anybody?). The world seems to try and figure out on which foot to dance at this point. How can the African Union not denounce it when it condemned Tunisia on February 24, urging its President to “refrain from racialized hate speech that could bring people to harm”? Can’t they see how these human rights violations build on each other? Some Ugandan activists share my belief that the Bill will not be signed off on. Yet, the damage has been done, and LGBTQ+ Ugandans are left with two options: migration to neighboring countries, including Kenya, which is only marginally more tolerant, or despair. See the BBC piece.
And in the meantime in, Ghana
The problem with these bills is that they also tend to have a strong contagion effect in the region. Obscure parliamentarians propose similar bills in their country to gain votes and make a name for themselves. USVP Kamala Harris was in Ghana this week as the country is considering another draconian anti-LGBTQ+ bill and applied gentle pressure to soften it. Read about it here.
“substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the attorney general,”
France: the Minister of Labor comes out publicly
Strange - even suspicious - timing, as my home country is going up in flame amid the retirement age reform. Last week, the 44-year-old Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt, decided to come out publicly in the columns of Têtu magazine. Read the interview here. He mentioned the French trope of “this is my private life”, often used by the elite in business, politics, and the media, to justify his decision not to be out before. He also denounced the homophobic attacks which he faced while defending his reform. "In the insults that I receive […], there are many homophobic remarks [...] being homosexual was never neutral".
Israel: protests and the SCOTUS gay wedding cake case
Israel is also dealing with its worst domestic crisis in decades. Maybe for a more legitimate reason: Netanhayu’s attack on democracy. Interestingly, USA Today reports that his allies have been using a SCOTUS precedent to justify their attempt at limiting the powers of the Supreme Court. Many want to guarantee the right of businesses to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. In the meantime, the US and Israel were not exchanging niceties (read in the New York Times).
UK: Lesbian Project vs. Dyke Project
I know this is all very complex. The Lesbian Project, a trans-exclusionary initiative that received support from Martina Navratilova (see here), was met with protestors from the Dyke Project - an initiative created in opposition to the group - at their inaugural event last week. Its founder, Kathleen Stock, told the BBC’s Woman’s Hour earlier this month: “We’re interested in same-sex attracted females, exclusively same-sex attracted females.” Ambiance, ambiance… Read about it in PinkNews.
Fighting disinformation globally
My colleague Joel Bedos on the IDAHOBIT Committee announced that SOGI campaigns are launching an online course on identifying and combating disinformation campaigns. Very timely when myths about trans people around gender-affirming surgery, puberty-blockers, or hormonal treatments are constantly being peddled by conservative pundits in the Anglosaxon world. They are organizing a launch webinar in early May and would like to identify people who would particularly want to share their experience/expertise in this matter. Please be in touch with him directly.
US News
Nashville: another opportunity for unhinged transphobia in the US
Have you ever read a headline saying, “heterosexual cis man goes on a rampage?” - me either - here is how the New York Post covered the horrendous shooting in Nashville. It is baffling that THIS is also what Congres is talking about; never tired of deflecting any issue onto identity grounds and avoiding the core problem. Marjorie Taylor Greene, head of the trolling Caucus, did not wait a minute to blame the massacre on transitioning (see her tweet here). Don’t expect Congress to act on guns: they self-describe as “powerless”. The shooter was indeed a transgender white man. In the meantime, the media proved untrained to cover news, referring inaccurately to the shooter as a “trans woman”. Newsweek had a serious article describing how hormone therapy changes your brain.
Washington Post, New York Times rivalry heats up on trans issues
Seeing an opportunity in the criticism of the New York Times over its trans coverage, the Washington Post is doing a series of articles on the trans community. In a single week, they published three pieces: Most trans adults say transitioning made them more satisfied with their lives; “for trans people, medical visits can be more traumatizing than healing, and ‘I’ve always known I was different’: Four trans people share their stories. So, after all, all that posturing with the NYTimes might have had an indirect positive effect.
“These boxes don’t do me justice, and they don’t represent me in a way that encompasses all of who I am, so I’d rather exist between or outside those boxes.”
New York: Hochul at odds with LGBTQ+ community over HIV
The LGBTQ+ community has uninvited Governor Hochul from Buffalo Pride over the 340B carve-out (see here). Until now, this national program allows community safety net providers - e.g., HousingWorks - to purchase discounted drugs and use the savings to provide essential services. Removing this provision in her budget risks harming the state's HIV response. The Senate and Assembly have already rejected the executive budget proposal in their on-house budget bills, and a recent letter opposing the carve-out has been signed by more than 120 different groups. Yet Hochul has been persisting in her plan. You can read more on the fight here.
From the Boardroom
Queer women: double-whammy discrimination in the Boardroom
or triple sometimes… Last night the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors co-hosted with JP Morgan women aspiring and exiting Corporate Directors dinner on the occasion of Women’s History Month in New York City (see pictures here). The event included remarks by Brad Baumoel, Managing Director, Abby Fiorella of Mastercard, and author and activist Geena Rocero. Abby and Geena made a plea to “keep the door wide open” for the next generation of women. Representation is particularly abysmal for LBTQ women. Lesbians have not benefited equally from progress on gender diversity in the boardroom. And there are no trans women on a Fortune 500 board. As for women’s bisexuality, it remains taboo and stigmatized and is often sexualized, even at work. Our survey confirmed this; only 25% of all respondents were women. "Intimidated" was the word most volunteered when asked, "how the process of securing a corporate board seat makes you feel." Interestingly enough, 80% of all surveyed directors claimed "None—my voice is heard, and all views are acknowledged equally" when asked if they encountered difficulties in the but 67% of all women selected it. Networking specifically for Governance is how to change the numbers, and the Association plans to hold regular women's events.
Heidrick & Struggles glosses over LGBTQ+ Board diversity
The Heidrick & Struggles Board Monitor US 2023 report (see here) manages the difficult task of not mentioning LGBTQ+ diversity once in 16 pages. It is frustrating as it invalidates the stake of LGBTQ+ people in the Boardroom. The relative lack of data cannot be an excuse to ignore the most underrepresented group in the Corporate Boardroom constantly. H&S is listed on NASDAQ, having to disclose its lack of LGBTQ+ diversity on its board. This year’s report reveals that progress toward greater diversity slowed on Fortune 500 boards.
April 25: NACD Northern California virtual LGBTQ+ Cohort
The next virtual LGBTQ+ cohort event will occur from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. PT on April 25. I will moderate a panel of LGBTQ+ Directors extraordinaire Paula Boggs, Rob Smith, and Adam Stanley about their personal board journeys and current topics in the boardroom. If you are interested and available to participate, please register HERE.
The semi-cultural desk
Jeff Whitty calls out the entertainment industry
Read this horrific account of greed and betrayal in the entertainment industry by Jeff Whitty (Avenue Q, Will you ever forgive me). It’s a challenging read because Jeff was reduced to poverty and despair. The story feels familiar to everyone who crossed paths with money-obsessed narcissists. Commodifying everything to the extreme crushes souls and deprives us of beauty. There has to be a better way. Playbill picked up the expose.
Lord of the Ants: the Aldo Braibanti story
It’s always baffling to think how far we have come. In 1962 Braibanti stands trial in Italy for being a homosexual. His 23 years old lover gets electroshock therapy and is then sent back to his parents with a mandate not to read books less than 100 years old (a very Ron DeSantis thing to say). Braibanti did two years in jail for “plagio,” the crime of corrupting the mind of a young man, a fascist legacy law. The movie is a little pretentious but still a must-watch.
Of an Age: so well-done
I remember the thrill and terror of coming out and kissing my first boy, mostly with nostalgia. I used to take the shuttle from American University to Dupont Circle, which I perceived at the time as the terrifying gay neighborhood in DC, and walk quickly by Kramer’s book to get a glance at “the gays”. I waited twenty-two years for that first kiss which was only second to the time I first kissed someone I loved (much later). Of an Age brought me back to that time. Queer life is often an existence split between life in-between heartbreaks and splendor, and often the splendor makes the heartbreaks worthwhile.
British butches and studs
See these great pictures by Roman Manfredi of working-class British butch culture.
Gay anti-hero George Santos gets a legal break
Santos managed to stay in the news. This week he reached a deal with the Brazilian prosecutor over one of his many fraud cases. He will formally confess to defrauding a Rio de Janeiro clerk of $1,300 in clothes and shoes in 2008 and pay damages to the victim. Read more here.
The Gay Agenda
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. Register here.
April 20th: Rise Out with Joe Taiano
April 20th: Lavender Office: stepping into your power
My friend Joe Taiano (Accenture) might have abs, but I have wit. We will banter at the RiseOUT event at the Bryant Park Offices of Movable Ink in NYC on the Lavender Office: Stepping into your power. I won’t eat one carb until then. Please RSVP here to join us.
April 23rd: Victory Fund brunch
In the US, it’s all about the votes at the local level. We do not have the votes. We need the votes. The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is the only national organization working to elect more LGBTQ+ leaders to stand up and fight against these awful bills and homophobic, and anti-LGBTQ elected leaders. This year’s National Champagne Brunch will occur on Sunday, April 23rd | 11:00 am – 2:00 pm ET. Register here.
Pride 2023: Can’t cancel Pride is back
Can’t Cancel Pride, the annual show to drive visibility and funds for the LGBTQ+ community in partnership with iHeart radio, is back this June. It raised $11MM+ to date, supporting 6x national non-profits, including organizations such as Outright Action International or SAGE.
This is it for this week. Thank you for reading! We live in a dangerous era, but the surge in populism and the instrumentalization by politicians of our lives is also a test of our values. Our only chance to prevail is to stick with those who share them.
Bless you, Fabrice. I appreciate it. Thank you.
"I used to take the shuttle from American University to Dupont Circle, which I perceived at the time as the terrifying gay neighborhood in DC, and walk quickly by Kramer’s book to get a glance at “the gays”."
So, not Lambda Rising (one of the nation's first, and DC's first) Gay bookstore (which was up the next block a few meters away)?