Activist-author Urvashi Vaid’s gender politics may have been ahead of her time, but her nibling, poet-comedian Alok Vaid-Menon, finds contemporary resonance in recordings of her from This Way Out’s archives (part 2 of 2, produced by Brian DeShazor).
And in NewsWrap: the European Court of Justice orders all 27 E.U. states to recognize a person’s legal gender transition secured in any other member state, Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili signs a “no promo homo” Protection of Family Values and Minors law after President Salome Zourabichvili refuses, detained gay Chechen men are forced to fight in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa will not allow bishops to approve blessing same-gender couples, California Governor Gavin Newsom signs a bill to protect state-funded public libraries from book bans, families attending an LGBTQ Pride event in small town of Grove City, Ohio are unfazed by a dozen armed Nazis spewing hate, and more international LGBTQ news reported by Tanya Kane-Parry and Marcos Najera (produced by Brian DeShazor).
All this on the October 7, 2024 edition of This Way Out!
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Complete Program Summary
for the week of October 7, 2024
Vaid Squared - Alok to the Power of Urvashi
NewsWrap (full transcript below): The European Court of Justice orders all 27 European Union member states to recognize a trans person’s government ID gender change legally obtained in any other member state … Georgia’s Parliament Speaker signs the “no promo homo” Protection of Family Values and Minors Bill into law after the Eastern European nation’s President refuses to do so … a Chechen human rights group claims that at least seven men entrapped by police using gay dating apps are being forced to fight on the frontlines for Russia in its horrific war on Ukraine, and that one has already been killed in battle … Southern African Anglicans reject two proposals to bless and minister to same-gender couples … California bans bans on books with diverse themes, including LGBTQ content, in state-funded public libraries about a year after it banned such bans in public school libraries … the annual family-friendly LGBTQ Pride celebration at Grove City, Ohio Park shrugs off an invasion of armed, masked, swastika flag-waving Nazis (written by GREG GORDON and LUCIA CHAPPELLE, produced by BRIAN DeSHAZOR, reported this week by TANYA KANE-PARRY and MARCOS NAJERA).
Feature: Two unique LGBTQ+ voices are linked across a generation by archival recordings and a recent interview — proving that some of the best old things are new again. This Way Out’s BRIAN DeSHAZOR continues his one-of-a-kind exploration of a very special queer evolution (writer/performer Alok Vaid-Menon reflects on the legacy of their aunt Urvashi Vaid via snippets from recordings of the pioneering lesbian activist in the 1990’s, thanks to the assistance of DANIEL HUECIAS and with music by KOI).
NewsWrap
A summary of some of the news in or affecting
global LGBTQ communities
for the week ending October 5th, 2024
Written this week by Greg Gordon, edited by Lucia Chappelle,
reported this week by Tanya Kane-Parry and Marcos Najera,
produced by Brian DeShazor
All 27 European Union member states must recognize a person’s legal gender transition secured in any other member state, by order of the European Court of Justice. In a landmark October 4th ruling, the E.U.’s highest court wrote, "Gender, like a first name, is a fundamental element of personal identity.”
Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi holds dual British and Romanian citizenship. His Romanian birth certificate registered him as female. He migrated to Britain in 2020 while it was still an E.U. member. There he was able to transition and change his legal gender to male. Under Romanian law, his application to change the gender marker on his birth certificate and government ID was rejected.
Every citizen in Romania must be able to provide their government ID for routine things like managing a bank account, picking up mail at a post office and using public transportation. In the Court’s view, “A divergence between identities resulting from such a refusal of recognition creates difficulties for a person in proving his or her identity in daily life as well as serious professional, administrative and private inconvenience."
Transgender people can now travel to any E.U. member state for business or pleasure and have their legal gender respected -- even if the national laws of a specific member state like Romania do not.
Plaintiff Arian Mirzarafie-Ahi is now a science tutor living in Cambridge. He celebrated by video link with a gathering of his supporters in Bucharest. He said, "I cried, really. It was indeed a victory that we have been waiting for for many years."
Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili refused to sign the Protection of Family Values and Minors law, but after several days of high drama Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili has wielded the pen. Zourabichvili is not a fan of Papuashvili’s ruling Georgian Dream Party’s governance, and strongly opposed the legislation. The politically powerful Georgian Orthodox Church backs the Party in the socially conservative Eastern European nation.
Mirroring similar “no promo homo” legislation in neighboring Russia, the bill outlaws public displays of support for LGBTQ people. Pride events and representation in all forms of media are prohibited – even displaying rainbow flags. The law denies gender-affirming healthcare and the ability to change legal gender. It rejects civil marriage and adoption rights for same-gender couples.
Papuashvili expects international criticism of the law he says does “not reflect current, temporary, changing ideas and ideologies.” His Facebook post says the law “is based on common sense, historical experience and centuries-old Christian, Georgian and European values.” He told RFE/RL, “… we saw that the currents of civilization were going in the wrong direction."
Several Georgian and international human rights groups have denounced the legislation. They call the country’s seeming drift toward Vladimir Putin’s Russia an obstacle to its European Union aspirations. However all politics is local, and the Dream Party’s immediate goal is domestic, stoking homo- and trans-phobia ahead of national elections in late October. As Tbilisi Pride activist Ana Tavadze told the Associated Press, “Georgian Dream’s aim is to ‘fabricate’ problems ahead of the election to distract people from ‘their failure’ to solve issues involving unemployment, education and healthcare.”
Gay Chechen men are reportedly being forced to fight in Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine. They are threatened with trumped up criminal charges and forced to enlist if they can’t afford to pay what is essentially a huge bribe, according to the Chechen human rights group SK SOS.
Chechnya’s Putin-puppet Ramzan Kadyrov often claims that there are no gay people in the predominantly Muslim Russian region. In reality, he has led a well-documented purge of queer people for the past several years under his semi-autonomous rule.
The SK SOS noted an “increasing wave of detentions” of gay men in Chechnya in August of this year. Authorities used gay dating apps to entrap and jail them. They then use those men’s social media and dating app accounts to entrap other gay men.
The rights group says that at least seven Chechen gays have been forced to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine. One of them has already been killed in battle.
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa has “rejected a proposal to allow bishops to approve the giving of blessings to couples in same-sex unions,” in the words of a Provincial Synod media statement. Clergy would have been able to decide based on their own consciences whether to bless or conduct marriage ceremonies for lesbian and gay couples. A show-of-hands vote on October 3rd quashed that proposal. Its proponents charged that the delegates failed “to address the reality of sexual diversity in humanity in general.”
The Synod also rejected a set of prayers for same-gender couples already in civil unions or civil partnerships.
The South African LGBTQ rights group Inclusive and Affirming Ministries is lamenting the double loss. Their press release calls it “a missed opportunity to move toward a more inclusive and compassionate expression of faith [that] further marginalizes individuals who seek nothing more than to live fully in the light of God’s love.”
The Anglican Church of Southern Africa ministers to millions of the faithful in Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Saint Helena and South Africa.
California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill this week to protect state-funded public libraries from book bans. The California Freedom to Read Act was sponsored by Democratic Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi of Torrance. He pointed to the escalating epidemic of bans on books with so-called “woke” themes, including those with queer, feminist, or racial content. Such purges usually come up in Republican-controlled states, but California has its conservative pockets. Muratsuchi’s press statement proclaimed, “We need to fight this movement to ensure that Californians have access to books that offer diverse perspectives from people of all backgrounds, ideas, and beliefs.”
The measure takes effect on January 1st and applies only to state-funded public libraries. A similar bill covering public school libraries was signed by Newsom in September 2023.
Under the law, “the race, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, political affiliation, or any other characteristic” may not be used to exclude books or other materials in public libraries. Access to such materials cannot be limited solely based on those criteria, “ … or the socioeconomic status” of the writer, or the perceived or intended audience.
The State Librarian will provide technical assistance to help jurisdictions develop local policies to comply with the legislation.
Finally, families attending an LGBTQ Pride event in the southern Ohio town of Grove City were enjoying the food trucks, live music, pumpkin painting and bracelet-making for children … then about a dozen armed, masked Nazis showed up. Ohio is an “open carry” state that allows such firearms displays.
The protesters waved swastika flags to demonstrate their displeasure on a nearby sidewalk cordoned off by police to prevent any direct confrontations. They chanted and yelled anti-LGBTQ epithets despite the presence of children. They made no overt threats of violence, and left after about a half-hour of failed intimidation.
Mayor Ike Stage and the Grove City Council issued a joint statement condemning “the display of hate.” It read in part, “We are a diverse community and want our citizens to feel welcome and safe … We stand with those affected and reaffirm our commitment to fostering an environment where all individuals can express themselves without fear or harassment.”
The September 28th festival was deemed the largest-ever event in the area, which has a population about of 42,000.
Nathan Stover said the Nazis had no impact on the celebration. He told local ABC-TV affiliate WSYX, “They can show up all they want, but it’s not going to change the energy. Love has a greater energy than hate does.”
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