Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: the Summer of Doom, Uganda and the World Bank, Erdogan’s reelection, the crusade of “cabin boy” in China, Goldman’s LGBTQ+ partners, the Pride controversy, bogus statistics, 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: the Summer of Doom, Uganda and the World Bank, Erdogan’s reelection, the crusade of “cabin boy” in China, Goldman’s LGBTQ+ partners, the blown-out Pride controversy, bogus statistics, and much more…
The Summer of Doom
Let’s start on an alarmist note! For some homosexuals, summer 2023 means a handful of weeks dressed in “Ken Core” in an alcoholic stupor in Fire Island before St Barth’s alcoholic stupor season opens. For this homosexual, it feels like the summer the world battles authoritarianism with the future of democracy and modernity in the balance.
A counteroffensive against Russian forces in Ukraine, a counterattack against DeSantis, his war chest, his book bans, and the Republicans in Congress, a counteroffensive against the global narrative anti-LGBTQ+ forces in the U.S. and the U.K have created on “wokeism” and “gender ideology” and, of course, a counterattack against the Uganda contagion risks in subsaharan Africa. And if you listen to SKE (I don’t), it is also the summer of a counteroffensive for the support of the private sector to LGBTQ+ people and the wider DEI agenda. And then there is China taking a turn for the worse (our friends at Semafor reported today that China’s economic recovery is fast losing steam, we know what’s next!). Summer 2023 is not the grand finale yet but a decisive moment.
May the odds be ever in your favor, and don’t forget your (La Roche Posay) sunscreen; you look a little red around the neck.
World News
Uganda: reframing LGBTQ+ issues in “genocidal terms”
There is something absurd about discussing the legitimacy of Pride in the U.S. when Musveni’s government crossed a “red line” on Monday in the persecution of homosexuals. Yet, it is another reason to fight unhinged anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric at home, such as unjust accusations of “grooming” against our community, as it emboldens anti-LGBTQ+ leaders abroad. There is a natural bridge between Tallahassee, Rome, Budapest and Kampala. There are 48 million people living in Uganda (3,5 m in Kampala). Everything in the law violates human rights: from banning landlords to rent to LGBTQ+ people to the death penalty for “repeat offenders” or the transmission of HIV. There is no longer a viable future for LGBTQ+ people in Uganda. Where will they go? The international community has very little ammunition against Uganda besides sanctions against politicians and their assets abroad and public condemnation by leaders, starting with Pope Francis, as the country is 40% catholic. Biden protested and threatened to bar some Ugandan officials from obtaining visas (read his statement here). Even Ted Cruz called it “horrific and wrong.” Ugandan LGBTQ activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, who filed a challenge in court, commented:
As a Ugandan human rights defender, I find it absurd to hear leaders promote hate and exclusion as African values. The threats and violence our communities are facing are already horrifying. The passing of this law makes the situation even worse. A legal challenge has already been filed, and we won’t stop until this law is overturned.
Uganda too: the World Bank’s internal struggle
The World Bank is a crucial development partner of Uganda and, as illustrated before, has enormous sway. Its legal department - which can be nefarious, take my word for it - advised Anna Bjerde, the World Bank's Managing Director for Operations, and Axel van Trotsenburg, the Senior Managing Director (SMD) responsible for Development Policy and Partnerships, for Ajay Banga, the new President, to keep a low profile on the persecution of LGBTQ+ people in Uganda. That would have been a volte-face from the position the Bank took ten years ago when Jim Kim, then President, published - a rather self-indulgent oped - in the Washington Post titled “Discrimination by law carries a high price” after Uganda passed a similar yet gentler law. The law was eventually struck down by the Supreme Court on atechnicality. The Bank at the time had suspended a project set to be approved that week. Earlier this month, Adriana Kugler, the US rep to the Bank, acknowledged that LGBTQ+ economic inclusion is a priority for the US in its multilateral engagement - making it very clear where the Board stands. While activists initially did not advocate for lending to stop because of 1) potential backlash and 2) the fact that these loans help their communities, they asked yesterday the Bank for a suspension of all payments pending a Court Decision. Van Trotsenburg and Bjerde would love to deal with this matter quietly despite its gravity, the potential for violence, and the regional contagion risks. Our view is that Banga should address the community's request. At a minimum, the Bank should stop promoting tourism to Uganda like it did this month in a tone-deaf blog whenLGBTQ+ tourists are threatened with denunciation, imprisonment, and the death penalty.
Such actions should include a pause on payments of specific implicated loans and the suspension of any future loans until Uganda’s Courts of Law have ruled on the law’s constitutionality. Other future World Bank actions would be made once the courts have made that determination.
Uganda again: a self-inflicted economic wound
I spoke with the BBC World Business Report on the bill's impact on the Ugandan economy. I spoke of the cost for the economy as outlined by Open for Business, the chilling effect on Foreign Direct Investment, and how it places development aid in an impossible situation. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is often perceived by investors as “the canary in the coal mine” in degrading the overall rule of law. No investor wants an uncertain environment. Similarly, this self-inflicted development wound defeats the purpose of economic aid itself. As usual, Museveni preferred his short-term political gains to the country's future. Listen here.
Turkey: the chronicle of a death foretold
If you watched the Succession finale Sunday or live in a Red state in the US, you know that in the end, all that counts are the votes. And Erdogan had the votes. He sintrumentalized Turkish LGBTQ+ lives to get re-elected with his eloquent “We're against LGBT” and used his victory speech to rail against “LGBT forces” who want to “infiltrate” Turkey, and then claimed he will “strangle” anyone who threatened sacred “family” values (see The Independent). Yet, contrary to Uganda, the Biden administration did not react (other than with words of congratulations) nor other Western counties or the United Nations. Regarding Turkey, the dignity and freedom of LGBTQ+ people are secondary to Erdogan’s potential agreement to let Sweden join NATO. See also “Turkey's LGBTQ community dread future under Erdogan.”
China: the tragic crusade of M. Chai
I asked ChatGPT what gay people want, and “equal rights and protections under the law” came as number 6 in its recommendations. This is lacking in China. The famous “China Southern Cabin Boy,” who fought his airline after he was fired when his passionate elevator kiss went viral, lost another court battle. At the time a manager took Chai aside and told him that homosexuality offended “socialist core values.” Read more here. Also, join this June 6th talk: is there room for a rainbow in Asia?
Japan: another step towards same-sex union recognition
The ruling by the Nagoya District Court yesterday found again that a ban against same-sex marriage unconstitutional adding pressure on the only G-7 country without any form of legal recognition of same-sex relationships. See here.
South Korea: a significant step towards marriage equality
Another positive development in Asia. South Korea’s first-ever marriage equality bill was introduced today along with two other family rights bills, the life partnership bill (civil union or domestic partnership) and the access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for unmarried persons. 12 MPs from 6 parties, including one independent, signed the bills.
UK: a mea culpa from the Armed Forces
Read about a thorough investigation into what LGBTQ+ British soldiers endured between 1967 to 2000, including electro-shock therapy, here. And some feel a month of Pride is uncomfortable…try electroshocks that’s uncomfortable!
US News
The artificial discussion around Pride boycotts
Oscar Niemeyer famously designed Brasilia beside the bridge over the artificial lake. I was told that once he was brought to see the bridge, he commented, “So much bridge for so little water.” That‘s what I felt about the Target controversy: too much ink over a minor development for our movement. For most corporations, the artificial debate around Pride merchandising, ad campaigns, and corporate events is, at worse, a tempest in a teapot and, at best, a fantastic purpose-driven marketing opportunity. We have enough of a problem with politicians instrumentalizing our lives not to jump at every artificial crisis created by right-wing trolls. See my take here.
An epidemic of LGBTQ+ shady statistics and bogus indexes
Some U.S. LGBTQ+ organizations have a bad habit of sharing shady or made-up statistics to gain visibility or fundraising. It ends up discrediting serious efforts, such as those of the Williams Institute, to document the socio-economic outcomes of the community. Catchy headlines such as “among LGBTQ employees, 24% relocated because of intolerance”, “26 percent of LGBTQ people have left an anti-gay state in the last two years” (imagine the sheer number of moving trucks on our highways it would represent), “the average life expectancy for a Black transgender woman is 35 years” (see here) or “the global purchasing power of the LGBTQ+ market is estimated at $5.2 trillion” are just inaccurate. The reality of LGBTQ+ lives is sufficiently bleak that we do not need to invent numbers to make it more outrageous. I pledge to call them out regularly.
Philanthropy: lots of empathy but very little money
The Equitable Giving Lab, a research project of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, found that from 2015 to 2019, LGBTQ+ organizations received just 0.13 percent of overall philanthropic support in the U.S. but grew their giving faster than non-LGBTQ+ groups during that time. You can read about the report here.
The Anti-Bud Light campaign worked
Indeed sales dropped 28% week after week. MarketWatch interviewed Imara Jones on a potential chilling effect on other brands. And yet, as I mentioned last week, to me, it talks much more about the amateurism of Anheuser-Busch in launching an LGBTQ+ campaign.
The Boardroom
The specific experience of queer women in the Boardroom
On the occasion of Pride, Chiquita Cartagena and I published a piece today on the NACD blog highlighting the intersectional experience of queer women in the Boardroom. Read it here.
Guidance on culture war
The boardroom has a role to play in navigating the “culture war,” says Fortune this week.
The Association’s dinner in Dallas
Every member of the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors is inspiring. To make it at the top of business as an LGBTQ+ individual in this generation, you had to be visionary, thoughtful, and proud. Last week, the Association hosted its first dinner with Directors outside of the coastal areas in Dallas, TX. As in all our events, we saw new relationships and friendships develop. We aim to ensure that when a member of the Association gets a call about a Board opportunity, they have one of our LGBTQ+ candidates in mind.
The Association on the road
Next, the Association will be in Washington (June 19-20) and Chicago (June 26-27) this month.
Business
The lavender ceiling: the odd case of Goldman Sachs
The lavender ceiling is the barrier faced by LGBTQ+ people in achieving positions in Senior Management, the C-Suite, or the Executive Committee, akin to the glass ceiling women encounter in the workplace. Goldman Sachs is an excellent example of a company focusing on rank-and-file LGBTQ+ employees but lagging beyond middle management. While Goldman is apparently planning to cut up to 250 senior-level jobs, it is worth remembering that 99% of partners at Goldman Sachs are straight and cisgender (Goldman has some 450-some partners - see the announcement of the 2022 class of new partners). This directly contradicts some of their external statements: “It’s how we manage all pieces of the LGBTQ+ talent life cycle, so when someone LGBTQ+ walks into the first day of work at Goldman Sachs, for instance, they see their entire career ahead of them in a supported way.”
The semi-cultural desk
Jeff Whitty is back in business
Whitty had a big reveal this Tuesday as he launched the eighth chapter of his online novel BAD FAIRY “a story with a hooker and a heart” available on Substack. ❤️
Geena Rocero in Vanity Fair
VF interviewed Geena for her debut memoir, Horse Barbie, from The Dial Press this week. Her quote on legal and rhetorical attacks on trans people in the U.S. struck me:
If it was a different population segment, people would always be on the streets. What’s everybody doing?
Celebrating 50 years of Olivia Cruise
I loved this article about Olivia, the leading travel company for lesbians and LGBTQ+ women created in 1973. Since then, it has organized over 300 trips for more than 350,000 women. This quote is impressive in the context of Erdogan’s negative comments:
We go to the Grand Bazaar – 400 lesbians. I’m going: ‘Oh no, what is this going to be like?’ We go inside, and I’m a little worried. Everyone had read their morning newspapers and they all started going: ‘Lovely lesbian ladies, come to my shop!’
David Mixner’s summer reading list
Listen to David Mixner's reading recommendation for your summer! Which includes Jamie Kirchick's "Secret City.” I just bought "Master of the Senate"!
Dressing like Ken, if you didn’t already
Oh God, please make it short. The ‘Barbie’ Movie Is Coming. So Is the Trend of Dressing Like Ken.
And to lighten up the mood: the 27 Sexiest Gay Scenes in Film
Coming and Going
Jivair Ratevosian running for Congress in LA
Jirair Ratevosian, an out Armenian American from Los Angeles, is running for Congress in California's 30th District. See here.
France: Florian Baratte is now co-President of L'Autre Cercle.
Florian Baratte, who recently hosted me to discuss global LGBTQ+ rights at EDF, is now Co-President of L'Autre Cercle at L'Autre Cercle.
I am back in France this week for business but plan to visit my beloved grandmother next Tuesday. She is turning 100 this month while my sons are turning 10 this week). In the words of my very clever aunt: “My maternal grandparents were the precursors of this behavior now common among very old people [in our family]: the lack of dying skills (le manque de savoir-mourir).” So you might be stuck with me for years to come.
Another great read. Thank you