OutPerform | A weekly newsletter on LGBTQ+ Equality - Issue #50

This week: Ukraine invasion with an LGBTQ+ lens, Florida passes "Don't Say Gay," Disney in the storm, families leave Texas, Justice Kirby on Singapore, Argentina's LGBTQ+ envoy, and more....

Welcome to this edition of my weekly equality news digest, where I share important (and, let's be honest, less important news!) news, updates, and commentary about the global LGBTQ+ equality movement.

I'm writing this week's edition from my bed. It seems I am the last New Yorker ever to catch Omicron (no worries, I seem to be on the mend…).

Questions, feedback, and comments are always welcome. Would you mind sharing with your network to continue helping us move the LGBTQ+ equality conversation forward?

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Ukraine: with an LGBTQ+ lens

The refugee crisis: a control tower for LGBTQ+ Ukrainians.

While the unfathomable number of forcibly displaced Ukrainians, 2.2 million as of today, is not an LGBTQ+-related crisis, our community can play a role in helping to relocate LGBTQ+ people to places nurturing and supportive of their sexual orientation/gender identity. There will not be a return home for years to come, and we know the trauma of forced displacement is hard to overcome. NPR already highlighted this week that it is an issue in Poland and Hungary. We created a secure Slack channel for people interested in helping in resettlement efforts in Europe and the Americas, and you can join here.

The cultural war: Patriarch Kirill blames the invasion on the gays.

It was only a matter of time before Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill blamed the Ukraine invasion on the gays. Kirill unsurprisingly endorsed Putin's narrative in a sermon this week. According to him, the West blackmailed countries that refused to stage gay parades paving the way for a militarized conflict. Kirill, often described as a "religious politician," is a mouthpiece for Putin's narrative of the decadent West versus a pure Russia centered on family and tradition. Read about it here.

Trans women and mobilization.

Some reports have emerged that trans women whose passport identification does not match their gender were prevented from leaving the country. Ukrainian authorities need to make exceptions to the President’s order on mobilization for transgender women and inform the border authorities accordingly. It is widely-accepted practice that individuals born male who have changed their gender to female can be exempt from military obligations if they receive an order to report for induction.

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US News

Florida: reality TV right on the Senate Floor.

The two days of debate on HB1557 / the "Don't Say Gay bill" on the Senate floor was alternatively moving, surrealistic, and depressing (see my summary here, I also live-tweeted it). Two Americas were battling: Senator Baxley, a seventy-year-old funeral director from Ocala, FL, who admitted to fearing LGBTQ+ youth versus the students chanting outside to demand change. The apparatchiks inside won: starting July; teachers will be exposed to lawsuits if parents suspect their child (age 4 to 8) has been told about the diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities. Senators Brandes and Bradley were the only republicans to vote no, and we wrote to thank them.

Florida again: Disney faces outrage after Chapek's comments.

Chris Johnson from the Washington Blade interviewed me for his article on Disney's silence on the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, which featured our joint letter. Last Thursday, the letter was sent to 8 "LGBTQ+-friendly" businesses in the State, including Disney, was signed by 14 LGBTQ+ leaders, including Urvashi Vaid, Geena Rocero, Barney Frank, Jason Moore, David Mixner or Dustin Lance Black. The strange response by Disney CEO Bob Chapek claiming that "corporate statements do very little to change outcomes" was poorly timed as Coca-Cola, Airbnb, Ikea, and Shell are part of the world's response to the invasion of Ukraine. Economic leverage remains our most potent tool to defend the human rights framework despite Chapek's cop-out. The backlash was immediate. (Read about it on Buzzfeed)

Tennessee: TN lawmaker to Senator Braxley, "hold my beer."

HB800 is the nuclear version of HB1557. In the bill, which you can view here, the sponsor, Rep. Bruce Griffey, writes, "the promotion of LGBT [sic] issues and lifestyles in public schools offends a significant portion of students, parents, and Tennessee residents with Christian values." The bill would prohibit the school system from "adopting or using textbooks and instructional materials that promote, normalize, support, or address LGBTQ+ issues or lifestyles." 

Texas: families of trans kids are leaving the State.

Yesterday, I spoke to a company that had to relocate an employee's family because of the direct threat of a Texas Family Protective Services investigation in a county. Indeed, DFPS has the authority to remove children from family care without a court order. Texas Competes and HRC have gathered 57 businesses to co-sign a full-page ad in the Dallas Morning News this Friday. Texas is waging war on LGBTQ+ people (including removing suicide prevention resources from State's websites): silence is not an option for companies.

HRC responds to former President accusations.  

This week HRC's lawyers responded to the lawsuit filed by HRC's former President, Alphonso David. Unsurprisingly they refuted the key assertions in the lawsuit, namely that a senior HRC executive that David's public support for racial justice risked alienating White donors, that he was initially paid less than Chad Griffin's $570,446/year salary, or that an HRC co-chair told him that he was initially paid less because he is Black and that the organization may not be ready to be led by a Black person. (Read about it in the Washington Post)

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Global News

Singapore: Justice Michael Kirby tells it like it is. 

Justice Michael Kirby (formerly on the Australia Supreme Court) commented that the 377A decision in Singapore last week was superb. He highlights the aberration and danger of having a constitutional court claiming that it has no jurisdiction because the law is "not enforced" by the Government. Take the time to read his letter here. Meanwhile, the ruling party continued to act as if it was about culture rather than its politics (see comments from Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Thursday on March 3 here). 

Argentina: names Special Envoy on LGBTQ+ issues.

Following the lead set by Canada, the US, the UK, and Italy, Argentina created the position of Special Envoy on LGBTQ+ rights. Special Envoy for Italy Fabrizio Petri welcomed the appointment of Alba Rueda in a tweet. The Argentine Foreign Ministry appointed Rueda, a trans woman, President of Mujeres Trans Argentina, and a well-known activist. Read about it here.

France: looking back at Macron's Presidency.

While France still struggles to have a consistent position on these issues. LGBTQ+ issues are the purview of Delphine Borione, the Ambassador for Human Rights responsible for international issues relating to the Holocaust – which you will agree is slightly off-topic. Mediapart took stock of Macron's engagement this week, concluding LGBTQ+ equality was ultimately not a priority for his presidency.

Colombia: adopts non-binary gender marker.

It is easy to get drowned in US affairs, but progress continues in other parts of the world. Human Rights Watch reports that the Colombian Constitutional Court has recognized a non-binary gender marker this week. The high court's decision is the first of its kind in Latin America.

Senegal: the daily experience of homophobia in West Africa.

Yesterday a local news site published an article about how a gay man was trapped and beaten by students in Saint Louis, a secondary city in Senegal. While the story is horrendous, the article's tone is a stark reminder of rampant homophobia in the country. A reminder that francophone Africa, often forgotten by donors and the global LGBTQ+ movement, has been slow in making progress on legal and societal fronts. This is a direct consequence of the lack of French engagement on these issues highlighted above.

Horasis: overcoming global inequalities.

If you missed it, here is the recording of our discussion at Horasis last week. My two main points were that trickle-down economics does not work for minorities. Secondly, the complex issue of lack of socio-economic diversity in institutions and companies can only be tackled by positive discrimination and affirmative action.

United Nations: Global LGBTQ+ corporate standards: 5 years on.

The Cambridge Journal for Business and Human Rights had a long piece examining the LGBTQ+ standards I co-authored in 2017, and we read it with some trepidation. However, the academics who wrote this piece concluded nice things about the standards and their impact on the overall human rights and business framework.

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From the Semi-Cultural desk

Kate McKinnon mistakenly celebrates "Don't Say Gay" on SNL.

It was a rough week in the US, so kudos to SNL for making us smile. Watch the skit here.

GaYme Changer: finalist for Business Book Awards 2022.

Congrats to our friend Jens Schadendorf, Author of "GaYme Changer," now a finalist for the Business Book Awards 2022 shortlisted in the category Smart thinking. The book is even more relevant as a rebuke to Disney Chapek's comments this week as it explores how the private sector contributed to unthinkable social change on LGBTQ+ issues in many places.

Ace Ventura ages poorly.

This weekend as we quarantined, I watched 1994 "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" with the twins, and I had not remembered it had a trans plot and treated transgender people so cruelly. The Miami Dolphins (a Related Company – read my 2020 piece on the Dolphins here) are also central to the plot, which is timely considering they threw the community under the bus on HB1557 this week.

But The Birdcage ages excellently.  

Ultimately The Birdcage (1996), now 26th years old, the only movie I pretty much know by heart, along with "House of Yes," is the exact opposite of Ace: a story about personal acceptance and human dignity. Director Mike Nichols' film holds up extraordinarily, and I recommend it along with the French original ("La Cage aux Folles") if you need a laugh this week.

Gawker: the narcissism of queer influencer activists.

Read this article by Jason Okundaye on Gawker: "Queer influencer activists scramble to frame all things through queerness as it allows them to insert themselves into narratives for issues which have nothing much to do with them at all." I tried not to take it personally when Edafe sent it to me :-)

And finally – even Golf Caddies come out now.

This piece of news baffled me a little, but I can see how it would be news in Detroit. Just kidding...I love Michigan. 

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The Gay Agenda

Tonight: TransNewYork's event at the Stonewall Inn.

Join TransNewYork tonight at the Inn on Christopher street (6–8:30 pm) for their first in-person event of 2022! You'll meet fabulous board members, including Stephanie Battaglino, and learn about the organization's programs.

UK: Official visit of Special Envoy on LGBTQ+ issues.  

On the occasion of the UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy on LGBT+ Rights, Lord Herbert of South Downs's visit to New York in the context of the upcoming #SafeToBeMe conference in June, the British Embassy hosts several events in the coming days with the community. I will be at home staring at my Omicron test. 

Erratum

A small correction to my post last week on the upcoming black tie season in NYC: I forgot to mention Lambda Legal's Gala Dinner on April 28 in NYC – see you there!  

Let's be honest; it was another difficult week for the world, so take good care of yourselves and keep hope and faith. See you next week, hopefully Omicron-free, at the same time.