Pivotal street actions that have fueled the march toward LGBTQ liberation are included in a newly-accessible collection of This Way Out programs at americanarchive.org: Section 28 protesters converged on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Downing Street, a Stop AIDS Now barricade blocked the Golden Gate Bridge, and a “rice-toss” in San Francisco expressed anger over the Defense of Marriage Act. Generation Z activism has been influenced by the protest culture of the past — now on digital “streets” and across intersectional lines. Pacific Pride Foundation Community Outreach Manager Levin Fetzer talks about the struggle to remain hopeful and the importance of learning from movement predecessors. (Part Four of a four-part Pride Month series produced by Daniel Huecias.)
And in NewsWrap: Namibia’s High Court finds the colonial-era laws against sex between men unconstitutional, Thailand is poised to become the first Southeast Asian country to open civil marriage to same-gender couples, a federal judge allows six more U.S. states to ignore the Biden administration’s Title IX protections for LGBTQ students, Black lesbian White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre offers the president’s greetings for Pride Month, Kyiv Pride marches again for the first time since the Russian invasion, Pope Francis’ unfortunate use of the homophobic slur “frociaggine” is the target of Rome Pride pranks, and more international LGBTQ news reported this week by David Hunt and Ava Davis (produced by Brian DeShazor).
All this on the June 24, 2024 edition of This Way Out!
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Complete Program Summary
for the week of June 24, 2024
Pride Is A Protest
Hosted this week by Greg Gordon and produced with Lucia Chappelle
NewsWrap (full transcript below): Namibia’s High Court overturns the Southwest African nation’s colonial-era sodomy laws … Thailand lawmakers give final approval to a bill opening civil marriage to same-gender couples, making it soon-to-be the first Southeast Asian nation with marriage equality [with brief comments by Thai activist Matcha Phorn-In] … another federal judge adds six more Republican-controlled U.S. states to those that can ignore the Biden administration’s interpretation that Title IX federal statutes banning discrimination in education based on sex also protect LGBTQ students … White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre kicks off a press briefing this week by celebrating June Pride month [with excerpts from her remarks, and a cameo by President Joe Biden] … some 500 people hit the streets of Kyiv for a peaceful and vocal LGBTQ Pride march — the first since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine [with brief on-scene sound] … and thousands of Rome Pride-goers roast Roman Catholic Pope Francis for his widely reported use of a slur for gay men — twice [with brief on-scene sound] (written by GREG GORDON and LUCIA CHAPPELLE, produced by BRIAN DeSHAZOR, reported this week by DAVID HUNT and AVA DAVIS).
Feature: Pivotal street actions that have fueled the march toward LGBTQ liberation are included in a newly-accessible collection of This Way Out programs at americanarchive.org: Section 28 protesters converged on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at Downing Street, a Stop AIDS Now barricade blocked the Golden Gate Bridge, and a “rice-toss” in San Francisco expressed anger over the Defense of Marriage Act. Generation Z activism has been influenced by the protest culture of the past — now on digital “streets” and across intersectional lines. Pacific Pride Foundation Community Outreach Manager Levin Fetzer talks about the struggle to remain hopeful and the importance of learning from movement predecessors. (produced by DANIEL HUECIAS with BRIAN DeSHAZOR and LUCIA CHAPPELLE; music by KETSA).
NewsWrap
A summary of some of the news in or affecting
global LGBTQ communities
for the week ending June 22nd, 2024
Written by Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappelle,
reported this week by David Hunt and Ava Davis,
produced by Brian DeShazor
with technical assistance by Daniel Huecias
Sex between men is no longer a crime in Namibia. A three-judge panel of the High Court has ruled that the colonial-era sodomy laws unconstitutionally targeted gay men.
The judges’ June 21st opinion admitted that male homosexual activity may be unpopular in the conservative country. However they wrote, “the enforcement of the private moral views of a section of the community (even if they form the majority of that community), which are based to a large extent on nothing more than prejudice … poses a greater threat to the fabric of society as a whole than tolerance.”
Activist Friedel Dausab brought his challenge in 2020 with the help of the British NGO Human Dignity Trust. His attorneys argued that the sodomy laws “unfairly and irrationally discriminate against him and other gay men on the basis of sex and sexual orientation and thus infringe his constitutional right to equality, dignity, privacy, freedom of expression and freedom of association.”
Namibian Attorney General Festus Mbandeka responded that the primarily Christian southwest African country is still too conservative to accept the change.
For Dausab, “It is a great day for Namibia … This is good for young LGBTQ people to know that their love is not a crime.”
Thailand will soon be the first Southeast Asian country to open civil marriage to same-gender couples. A bill that extends them the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts passed its final reading in the Senate on June 18th. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved marriage equality in April. Next comes the rubber-stamp approval of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The new laws will then take effect within 120 days of its official publication in the Government Gazette.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his Pheu Thai Party were strong supporters. They were so confident of victory in the Senate that the rainbow carpet was already rolled out for a Government House celebration. Rainbow and Thai flags and a giant balloon in the shape of two hands making a heart sign adorned the main building. A procession of floats carried leading lawmakers, celebrities, foreign diplomats and trailblazing Thai activists.
Thavisin missed the party because he recently tested positive for COVID-19. He tweeted, “We will continue our fight for social rights for all people regardless of their status.”
Matcha Phorn-in is the founder of the Thai queer advocacy Sangsan Anakot Yawachon Foundation. She reflected on the long fought-for victory for Deutsche-Welle:
[SOUND: Phorn-in]
I think we have been struggle for almost two decades to advancing right to family for LGBTQI people. We lost some of our colleagues along the way, but we have been evolving with a lot of young activists. This marriage equality achievement means so much for our community, especially LGBTIQ young people.
Thailand will be Asia’s third marriage equality country, following Taiwan and Nepal.
In the U.S., six more states can ignore the Biden administration’s effort to protect LGBTQ students. Federal District Judge Danny C. Reeves struck down the interpretation of Title IX rules banning sex-based bias in education. Beginning with “There are only two sexes: male and female,” Reeves insisted, “‘Sex’ and ‘gender identity’ do not mean the same thing. … The [Biden] interpretation conflicts with the plain language of Title IX and therefore exceeds its authority to promulgate regulations under that statute.”
Reeves’ June 17th decision came just days after another federal judge reached the same conclusion in a case covering the Republican-dominated states of Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana. This week’s action adds the Republican-led states of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia to the list. Republican attorneys general from Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota also jointly challenged the Biden guidelines last month.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began a regular press briefing on June 17th by recognizing LGBTQA+ Pride month. The lesbian daughter of Haitian immigrants said, in part:
[SOUND: Jean-Pierre and Biden]
Jean-Pierre: [L]ast year, more than 600 anti-LGBTQI+ bills were filed in statehouses across the country and a significant portion of them target transgender youth.
As President Biden says, these young people are some of the bravest people he knows, but no one should have to be brave just to be themselves.
Biden: To all of you, Happy Pride Month ... Happy Pride Year, Happy Pride Life!
Jean-Pierre: I want to close by saying to the LGBTQI+ community that there is always someone you can talk to if you’re going through a hard time and need support.
The Biden-Harris administration launched the 988 line to help, and we have a line dedicated to serving LGBTQI+ young people that can be reached by dialing 988 and pressing 3. Again, dialing 988 and pressing 3. This month, we will continue to celebrate courageous LGBTQI+ people and take pride in the example they set for our nation and around the world.
That’s White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
For the first time since the Russian invasion, LGBTQ Pride was demonstrated in Kyiv. Even though the time and location of the Equality March was publicized only by word-of-mouth, more than 500 people hit the streets on June 16th under banners declaring “no peace without justice for Ukraine” and “United toward victory.”
[SOUND: chanting crowd]
Queer Ukrainian soldiers with rainbow badges on their uniforms joined the procession carrying a large banner with photographs honoring fallen comrades.
Kyiv Pride organizers’ original request earlier this month to hold the annual march in the city’s subway system was denied. They thought underground would be the safest venue during wartime, but city officials cited “security concerns.” A strong police presence kept the march to the agreed upon 100-meter route for about 30 minutes. After the Equality March dispersed several hundred right-wing militants charged in, but they chanted their anti-Russian slogans and homophobic death threats to an empty street.
Kyiv Pride tweeted an appeal for support from queers and allies around the world, posting, “Pride Month in Ukraine is about struggle, we don’t just want to celebrate diversity. Now we are fighting not only for rights and freedoms, but for our independence.”
Finally, Pope Francis’ unfortunate homophobic slur has come back to haunt him. The Roman Catholic pontiff was recently reported not once, but twice using the expression “frociaggine” -- as in “too much ‘frociaggine’ in seminaries.” It’s also an offensive “F-word” for gay men in English. Even though the Vatican had issued a formal apology, participants in Rome‘s 30th annual LGBTQ Pride Parade on June 15th used his remarks for all they were worth.
[SOUND: crowd and beeping horn]
A “dyke on bike” in a rainbow-colored hat led the parade holding a sign reading “Attention, from here on, high levels of frociaggine.” Several marchers paraded in papal regalia, one of whom held a sign warning, “there is too much frociaggine in this parade.”
Doctored photos of the Pope in a furry pink scarf or in pink sunglasses seemed to be everywhere. One Pride-goer’s banner gave the gracious invitation, “Francy, you are welcome in our parish.”