At the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, a keynote address by Democratic vice presidential nominee, coach and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recounts his own track record as an LGBTQ ally, which is as long and cutting-edge as that of his running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris.
And in NewsWrap: Georgia’s Parliament passes a package of bills modeled on Russia’s infamous “no promo homo law,” Kharkiv’s “auto Pride” links equality and Ukrainian victory in a motorcade through the city, Taiwan will recognize the marriages of its queer citizens to mainland Chinese spouses, one of the men convicted of murdering gay student Matthew Shepard in 1998 loses a bid to commute the rest of his two consecutive life sentences after 25 years in prison, the Denver-based Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a law banning conversion therapy for minors in the state of Colorado, Kentucky’s governor issues an Executive Order banning conversion therapy on minors, Paige Johnson becomes the first out transgender person elected to public office in the Australian state of New South Wales, and more international LGBTQ news reported by Tanya Kane-Parry and Joe Boehnlein (produced by Brian DeShazor).
All this on the September 23, 2024 edition of This Way Out!
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Complete Program Summary
for the week of September 23, 2024
Gov. Tim Walz at HRC National Dinner
NewsWrap (full transcript below): Lawmakers in the Eastern European nation of Georgia approve “no promo homo” legislation that bans public support for LGBTQ people, including LGBTQ Pride events and even rainbow flags, and censors queer-positive content in books and other publications, and in movies and all other forms of media … 18 miles from the Russian border, dozens of Ukrainians celebrate a rainbow flag-waving “motorized” 6th annual Pride event through the center of the city of Kharkiv … the government of Taiwan will finally recognize the same-gender marriages of Taiwanese citizens and their spouses from mainland China, but the unions must be legally conducted outside Taiwan ,,, the Wyoming Parole Board rejects an application for clemency from one of the brutal killers of Laramie college student Matthew Shepard in 1998, Russell Henderson … a three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the ban on conversion therapy for minors in the state of Colorado … Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear bypasses the Republican-controlled legislature and issues an executive order banning the same conversion therapy for minors in his state … the city of Newcastle’s Paige Johnson becomes the first out transgender candidate elected to public office in the Australian state of New South Wales (written this week by GREG GORDON, edited by DAVID HUNT, produced by BRIAN DeSHAZOR, reported by TANYA KANE-PARRY and JOE BOEHNLEIN).
Feature: Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris on the campaign trail (introduced with music by BEYONCE) + At the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner in Washington, DC, the headliner was Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz. The Minnesota Governor recounted his running mate’s queer accomplishments before and during the Biden/Harris administration for the September 7th audience of influential activists, allies and donors, and then touted his own decades-long allyship (with music by JOHN MELLENCAMP and a vintage TWO ID by DENNIS SHEPARD introduced with music by TOM ROBINSON).
NewsWrap
A summary of some of the news in or affecting
global LGBTQ communities
for the week ending September 21st, 2024
Written this week by Greg Gordon,with thanks to David Hunt,
reported by Tanya Kane-Parry and Joe Boehnlein,
produced by Brian DeShazor
Parliament in the Eastern European nation of Georgia passed a package of bills this week modeled on Russia’s infamous “no promo homo law.” Lawmakers approved the third and final reading on September 17th of the LGBT Propaganda Bill, a measure intended to boost “family values and [protect] minors.” It bans public expressions of support for LGBTQ rights, including Pride events and even displays of the rainbow flag. It will also allow censors in the former Soviet republic to purge queer content in books and other publications, films and other forms of media. It also reaffirms existing bans on marriage equality, adoption, gender reassignment surgery and the changing of gender markers on official documents.
Leaders of the governing Georgian Dream Party had promised during the recent election campaign to enact such laws to “safeguard traditional moral values” in Georgia. They have the strong backing of the politically powerful Georgian Orthodox Church.
The move comes ahead of national parliamentary elections on October 26th that the far-right Dream Party hopes will encourage massive conservative turnout in the socially conservative country.
Georgia has European Union aspirations, but Western governments have deep concerns about the country’s increasing tilt toward neighboring Russia.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili is no friend of the Dream Party and has indicated that she’ll veto the bill. Hers is a largely ceremonial office, however, and the Dream Party and its allies have enough seats in Parliament to override any veto attempt.
Tamara Jakeli leads the advocacy group Tblisi Pride. She told Reuters that the legislation is “the most terrible thing to happen to the LGBT community in Georgia … We will most likely have to shut down. There is no way for us to continue functioning.”
A motorized procession on September 15th marked the sixth annual LGBTQ Pride celebration in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. About 60 celebrants of “auto Pride” drove 13 cars through the center of the city with Ukrainian and LGBTQ Pride flags flying from their windows. A press release noted that “several LGBTQ+ soldiers participated in the [event].”
It was held just 30 kilometers – about 18 miles – from the Russian border, where Vladimir Putin continues his illegal assault on the freedom-loving Ukrainians.
Placards in many of the cars demanded passage of a queer-inclusive hate crimes law, legal recognition of same-gender couples, and more support from their European neighbors as they resist Putin’s land-grabbing efforts. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his support for a civil partnership bill in August of 2022.
Kharkiv Pride co-organizer Anna Sharyhina announced this year’s theme was “Together for Equality and Victory.” She said in a media statement that, “We remember every day how important Ukraine’s victory is. … Just as important to us is the fight for equal rights and the protection of the LGBTQ+ community. People who are fighting, risking their lives, cannot be denied their rights. It is both unjust and undignified, and the war has only highlighted these challenges.”
Taiwan’s government finally took a step toward removing the remaining barriers to full civil marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples.
The Ministry of the Interior announced on September 19th that it will recognize the marriages of Taiwanese citizens and their mainland Chinese spouses. The island’s original marriage equality laws, enacted in twenty-nineteen, specifically barred that recognition. Liang Wen-chieh, who represents Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said during a briefing that those queer couples must marry outside Taiwan in one of the 35 other countries with marriage equality, and submit the marriage certificate and other verifying documents to the registry office. Unlike the registration of other marriages of same-gender couples, however, Liang said that "relevant agencies will conduct interviews with the couple. Only after passing the interview on the border (at the airport and ports) can they enter the country to register their marriages. This is our current principle for cross-strait marriages."
A joint statement from Taiwan’s major LGBTQ rights groups welcomed the change but pointed out that it still places an undue economic burden on those couples because they are required to marry outside of Taiwan. Marriage equality is illegal in mainland China.
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The Parole Board in the U.S. state of Wyoming has rejected a petition by one of the men convicted of the brutal 1998 murder of university student Matthew Shepard. Russell Henderson, who has served 25 years behind bars, asked the board to commute the rest of his two consecutive life sentences.
The board held a hearing on the petition but declined to forward it to the governor.
Intense media coverage of the crime sparked outrage and raised the public’s awareness of antigay violence. Henderson and his co-defendant Aaron McKinney offered Shepard a ride home after meeting him at a local Laramie, Wyoming bar. They claimed that they only intended to rob him. The men drove Shepard to an isolated area, tied him to a fence post, and savagely beat him. Shepard died six days later, after his limp body was discovered by a passer-by, still tied to the fence in freezing temperatures.
Henderson can file another petition in five years.
The Denver-based Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a law banning conversion therapy for minors in the state of Colorado. By a vote of 2-to-1, a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court denied a request to delay enforcement of the law by Colorado Springs-based counselor Kaley Chiles, who is represented by the anti-queer legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. They unsuccessfully claimed that what they called The Counseling Censorship Law is a violation of free speech rights.
Chris Stoll is Senior Staff Attorney for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. She celebrated the decision, saying, “These discredited practices, which falsely promise to be able to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, have been rejected as unsafe by every major medical and mental health organization in the country.”
Both Chiles and the Alliance Defending Freedom vowed to appeal.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear has bypassed the Republican controlled state legislature and issued an Executive Order banning conversion therapy on minors.
As Beshear said of his September 18th edict, “Let’s be clear: conversion therapy has no basis in medicine or science, and it has been shown to increase rates of suicide and depression. … This is about doing what is right and protecting our children. Hate is not who we are as Kentuckians.”
Finally, congratulations to Paige Johnson, who on September 14th became the first out transgender person elected to public office in the Australian state of New South Wales. The Labor Party candidate won the top Councilor position in Ward two in local elections in the city of Newcastle. The third time was the charm for Johnson, who had lost two previous bids for office.
She’s a civil engineer at Lake Macquarie City Council and a delegate to the Newcastle Trades Hall Council. Johnson is also Vice President of the trans and gender diversity advocacy group Hunter Gender Alliance.
Johnson issued a statement reflecting on her victory. She said in part, “Visibility matters, and I know how difficult it can be to see your future self somewhere where there isn’t much representation of people like you. … I also know being able to be yourself and live your truth every day makes a world of difference.”
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