Fabrice Houdart | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality
This week: legal victories in Hong Kong, Bulgaria, HRW calls out Lebanon, an infuriating story from Zanzibar, public opinion and trans issues in the US, the LGBTQ+ rentrée littéraire, a post-mortem of
Welcome to the 133rd issue of my equality news digest, where I share important (and much less important) news, updates, and commentary about the LGBTQ+ equality movement at the intersection with business.
This week: legal victories in Hong Kong, Bulgaria, HRW calls out Lebanon, an infuriating story from Zanzibar, public opinion and trans issues in the US, the LGBTQ+ rentrée littéraire, a post-mortem of the ex-gay movement, fundraisers and more…
Global News
Hong Kong: An Unexpected Court Victory
For cities like Hong Kong, which rely on talent for economic growth, removing discrimination against LGBTQ+ people makes complete sense. Yet, given the radical clamp-down on LGBTQ+ civil society in mainland China, a favorable judicial ruling was a surprise this week. The Court decided 3-2 that Hong Kong had to grant gay citizens an alternative framework to marriage equality within two years. It is the last of several regional victories, including decriminalization in Singapore, intensifying pressure on Japan. This is also a reminder that the "backlash" in the United States and the UK are minor (yet tragic at the individual level) delays in the global trend towards equality. Read about the decision in the Washington Post.
Asia (also): The changing landscape unleashes LGBTQ+ economic power
My fellow Outright Board members Gigi Chao and Kathy Teo were among the interviewees for this Reuters article. The business case for the Asian financial hubs to attract and foster LGBTQ+ talent has never been so well articulated, even if laws take too long to change. I liked this quote by Teo:
The best talent in the world are not just LGBTQ individuals but they're also comprised of people and individuals who are actually more progressive,
Tanzania: A French gay couple denied entry
This infuriating story, while not uncommon, is a reminder of the risks LGBTQ+ people face when deciding to travel to many “unfriendly” destinations. A French gay couple, who had chosen Zanzibar for their honeymoon spent 9 hours at immigration being humiliated and seriously shaken down for money until they were eventually sent back. At disembarking, the customs officers had figured out that the couple was gay and saw an opportunity. On online forums, the recommendation is to be “straight-acting” on the island...🙄 Read more here.
Bulgaria: condemned by The European Court of Human Rights
Two women, married in 2016 in England, succeeded in challenging the refusal of the Bulgarian authorities to register the mention "married" on the registry in front of the European Court of Human Rights. See here.
Lebanon: A sharp degradation of the situation for LGBTQ+ people
I am not the only one that has beef with Minister al-Mawlawi. Last week, I described how Christian religious fanatics attacked an LGBTQ+ event with total impunity despite police presence. This week, Human Rights Watch places the incident in the broader context of the degradation of freedoms for LGBTQ+ people in the country, including through proposed legislation linked to the need for the caretaker government to distract the public from corruption and the crumbling of Lebanon’s economy. Read more about it here.
India (Bharat?): the hypocrisy of the BJP
A 68-year-old Harish Salve, former Solicitor General of India, married his third wife in London last week. LGBTQ+ activists noted that Salve had recently argued, on behalf of the Government/BJP, in front of the five-judge Constitution Bench that “Marriage is for procreation, and since LGBTQ+ folks cannot procreate, marriage cannot be made available for them.” Given their respective ages, how Salve and his third wife intend to procreate is a mystery.
US News
An essential survey in California, Arizona, and Texas
This new report, “Public Opinion on Transgender Related Legislation & Policies in Blue California, Red Texas & Purple Arizona,” is mandatory reading for anybody interested in the US Presidential elections and trans rights. It analyzes a survey conducted between May/June among a representative sample of Arizona, California, and Texas residents aged 18 and older. The results show rather negative attitudes and opinions of the three states residents regarding access to bathrooms, sports, and gender-affirming care, with some critical divide along religiosity and political lines. This highlights the need for organizations in our movement to refine and re-assess their strategy on trans acceptance urgently. To be blunt, our talking points are fueling anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric by politicians.
US non-profit fights “national emergency” one Ball at a time
Help is on the way, though. To address this messaging issue and anti-LGBTQ+ violence, the Human Rights Campaign hosted an Equality Ball in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino Resort (read about it on Billboard). This is the second LGBTQ+ organization I can think of which hosted a glamorous Ball this year to protect and expand rights for LGBTQ+ individuals in the fraught US context. Kelley Robinson was wise enough not to feature her choreography with backdancers.
Tim Scott’s sexual orientation problem
In the Republican party, it is worse to be a suspected homosexual than a potential felon. As some consider him a likely player in the upcoming Presidential Elections, the rumor mill is buzzing about Scott's sexual orientation (see GOP donors fret over Scott's single status in Axios). His response might be to double down on the party LGBTQ+ lines:
It’s not complicated, it’s common sense. If God made you a man, you play sports against men.
The New York Times and the gay Republican
The New York Times published an interview with Brad Polumbo this week, whose main point was that Trump’s tolerance of LGBTQ+ issues had created a bridge with the Republican party and our movement’s “intransigence” destroyed. An imaginative but dangerous narrative as Trump readies himself for another term. Trump is a demagogue; right now, LGBTQ+ issues are free for all, so I assure you he will throw the gays under the bus during the campaign and if he gets a second term. As for the appointment of Rick Grenell, I once nicknamed him the “Trump administration’s gay man equivalent of honorary white in apartheid South Africa,” to the horror of my employer at the time, who did not want to antagonize him (I had to delete the tweet under duress to keep my job - well my visa really, I stand by it though).
Queering the Boardroom
Board diversity: Asia is next
All male Boards remain the norm in China. However, under the new rules, companies listed on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index must have at least one woman on their boards by the end of 2024. Bloomberg reports that the rule could create more than 1,300 women-only positions.
Sally Susman, keynote speaker for the Association’s October Summit
We are excited to announce that Sally Susman, Pfizer’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer who recently authored “Breaking Through,” will open the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors’ Summit on October 19th in NYC. Before joining Pfizer in 2007, Sally held several senior communications and government relations roles at The Estée Lauder Companies and American Express. Earlier in her career, she spent eight years in government service, focused on international trade issues.
What about College and University Boards?
While this article does not mention diversity in terms of sexual orientation and gender identity, it highlights the abysmal gender, ethnic, and racial diversity of the Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. Interestingly, as mentioned before, being on these boards correlates with serving on a Corporate Board.
BoardList acquired by BoardProspects
Boardlist, the “curated marketplace for connecting exceptional diverse candidates with global boards,” has been acquired by Boston-based BoardProspects this week. Read about it here.
Submit your profile to the Association of LGBTQ+ Corporate Directors
If you are not officially a member, please submit your profile here. We have been a bit delinquent in using the member’s platform, but “la rentrée” is a time for good resolutions, and we would love for existing and aspiring LGBTQ+ Directors to have a virtual place to share searches, host discussions, and network outside of our regular programming of events.
The Gay Business
Indeed offers $10K to trans people to relocate
Indeed, a worldwide employment website launched in November 2004 with about 15,000 employees offers its transgender employees $10K to relocate to a more friendly state if they wish. It might not be the most costly move as Indeed is based in Austin, Stamford, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle, which are rather trans-friendly. Read about it here.
Queer people and labor: a match made in heaven
Read this interesting article on how the LGBTQ+ and Labor movements are again finding themselves.
Czech Republic: Companies ask for same-sex marriage
While the US struggles to coordinate businesses in opposing anti-trans legislation in local legislatures, 66 companies, including Ikea, Microsoft, and Mastercard, operating in the Czech Republic signed an open letter to Prime Minister Petr Fiala asking him to pass a marriage equality bill quickly. See here.
From the semi-cultural
Social contagion or a complex human evolution?
This piece by Hugh Ryan in the Boston Review is everything. This is a fantastic read if you are interested in a historical counterpoint to the “social contagion” narrative. I love this sentence drawing a parallel between what urbanization and the internet did in disturbing expressions of sexuality and gender identity:
Like urbanization, the exploding internet allowed new communities to develop around aspects of desire and gender that were previously ignored or underexplored
Wayne Besen’s explosive new book
I first met Wayne Besen in 2010 when the World Bank was embroiled in supporting one of many “ex-gay” organizations, PFOX (true story, check it out). Besen helped me wage a campaign for the Bank to drop the organization, which it eventually did. I read an advanced copy of his new book “Lies with a Straight Face: Exposing the Cranks and Cons Inside the Ex-Gay Industry” which retraces the rise and fall of the ex-gay industry and his lifelong dedication to busting the most damaging myths about LGBTQ+ people: that they can and need to be “fixed.” While the topic is tragic, it was a fun read, as many of Besen’s one-the-ground undercover operations are spy novel material. Unfortunately, Besen highlights in the book that the “ex-gay industry” is moving aggressively to other parts of the globe as it is defeated in the West: another unfortunate export from the U.S.
How come nobody told me Ricky Martin divorced?
Who am I to judge? I haven’t had a date in a year.
What to read? Bad Habit by Alana Portero
If you don’t read Spanish, you can pre-order the English version of Alana Portero's debut novel ”Bad Habit,” which has fantastic reviews. From childhood to adulthood, from the 1980s to the beginning of the 2010s, the story of a trans woman meeting her destiny.
While waiting for this translation ↑, read Imogen Binnie’s Nevada
Have You Read Nevada? You must. The 2013 novel is getting a new life - you can read the 2022 New Yorker critic here.
Music: Zorn@70
I am doing my part in derailing the “great dumbing down” of Gay America this week. The composer and saxophonist John Zorn is 70 this year and getting a lot of exposure. It is well-deserved, as Zorn is one of the most influential composers and happens to be as gay as Christmas. The Miller Theater at Columbia University is doing three concerts to celebrate him. Get your tickets here.
The Little Richard documentary
A documentary, which just premiered on CNN, explores Little Richard's musical and cultural legacy. I Am Everything on Amazon Prime.
Third Girl on the Left at the corner of Broadway and AIDS
So much has been written about the AIDS epidemic in the US and the ravage of AIDS among the brilliant minds of that generation. Yet, it is a reminder of how quickly the Government can dismiss some citizens as “undesirable.” Read the Book review in the NYTimes.
Lonesome
I rented Lonesome for $1.99, a gay coming-of-age Australian story, and the ROI was good. It was sexy if you still have some cowboy fetish like me and Ralph Lauren.
Ordinary People on Netflix
Not THAT “Ordinary People”. I am a little late to the party, but I just watched Ordinary People (2016) on Netflix. I cannot stand poverty porn, but this movie is amazingly nuanced and eye-opening. Interestingly, the villain is a trans person, even though it is a secondary aspect of her character.
The US political fundraiser corner
Gay political fundraisers are the new Hinge, I am told.
September 11th: Joe Vogel in NYC
Vogel, 26, who was born in Uruguay and immigrated with his family to Rockville when he was three years old, is getting excellent press. The Democratic Candidate for Maryland's 6th will be in NYC. Register here.
September 12th: Fundraising for Jirair Ratevosian
Read this piece about Jirair Ratevosian: Why I’m running for Congress? Register here for his upcoming fundraiser in NYC.
October 12th: Will Rollins in the UWS
And finally, Will Rollins for California's 41st congressional district. Rollins lost his bid for California’s 41st Congressional District last year to Calvert, a 30-year incumbent Republican, by just a few thousand votes. The fundraiser will be right next to my mansion. Register here.
Coming and Going
Andre du Plessis joins Outright
Du Plessis, who led ILGA World for many years and served in this position as interim Director, has been confirmed as United Nations Program Director at Outright International—an essential job as Outright famously coordinates the UN Core group. Listen to him speak about this work.
This newsletter is 10 minutes late - the shame! True, I am on the mend from the poison ivy debacle, thanks for asking, but tomorrow is the first day of school for the twins and my first class at Columbia, so I would say we are still in crisis. I have no babysitter tomorrow night, so if you are at Columbia and want to entertain the boys from 6 to 8 p.m., let me know. #BadFather
re: Joe Vogel, although I'm in Maryland, I had to look him up. Wikipedia provides useful context.
When I was newly 'out' in the first half of the 1980s, politicians' stances on topics like South Africa and LGBT+ told us whether they really 'got' the immorality of discrimination, from a core perspective. Today, South African apartheid is gone, and the U.S. has moved forward (and sideways, and backward) on LGBTQIA issues, and a current measure of whether a politician truly understands the immoral discrimination at the heart of 'othering' is found in stances on Israel-Palestine.
Joe Vogel currently espouses a one-sided -- and thus I and many other Marylanders find, a prejudiced -- view. Wikipedia: "While a member of the GWU Student Association Senate, Vogel opposed a student government resolution encouraging the university to divest from companies accused of violating Palestinian human rights." So, he's in favor of companies violating SOME people's human rights.
Further, he "does not support conditioning U.S. foreign aid on Israeli actions." So, although the U.S. gives billions each year that's spent in systemic repression, imprisonment, murder, and dispossession of the native population of illegally occupied lands, he doesn't want any moderation of the systemic dispossession which, in effect, means there will never be a two-state solution because Israel's trajectory since the Oslo Accords has been elimination of Palestinian homes and land by seizure through widespread settlement, squatting and displacement, intimidation, impoverishment, and terrorist activity (like jailing and even killing mere children, targeting and murdering journalists, vandalizing Palestinian property including cars and churches, bulldozing multi-generational homes, uprooting / burning / spraying herbicides on sustenance crops and diverting their water to illegal settlements), and other forms of collective punishment for those who threaten or actively resist Israel's systemic ethnic cleansing of occupied Palestine.
"He supports the definition of antisemitism promoted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance...(which defines ANY criticism of actions of the state of Israel as)..."antisemitic" making the conclusion particularly interesting because it finishes, "In May 2023, Vogel said he supported the protests against proposed judicial reforms in Israel." So, Vogel is either antisemitic or a poster child for cognitive dissonance.
Gay or no Gay, he is NOT a politician for whom I and other Marylanders who believe in dignity and equality for ALL could vote.