Argentina President Alberto Fernandez is now requiring 1% of public sector jobs be set aside for transgender people, LGBTQ Nation noted, citing Pagina 12. Fernandez signed a decree that reads, "Every [trans] person has a right to decent and productive work in equitable and satisfactory working conditions and with protections against unemployment, without discrimination based on gender identity or expression." Transgender people do not have to have corrected the gender marker on their ID to qualify for one of the jobs, and the decree allows for jobs to be reserved for transgender people if they are still completing their education.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual Canadians are nearly three times more likely than heterosexuals to experience sexual or physical assault, according to newly released data from Statistics Canada, Out.com noted. The survey ( taken in 2018 but just released ) showed that among members of sexual-minority groups—including LGB people and those who otherwise identify as nonheterosexual—11 percent reported experiencing such an assault in the previous 12 months, compared to 4 percent of heterosexuals. Also, 59% of sexual minority Canadians reported having been assaulted at some point since age 15, while only 37 percent of heterosexuals did.
Almost 90 LGBTI and mainstream human-rights organizations in Uganda have received supplies of personal protective equipment from the human rights group Defenders Protection Initiative ( DPI ), RightsAfrica.com noted. Supplies for fighting Covid-19 help human-rights defenders keep their office premises open, with staff and visitors following strict procedures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Those procedures are spelled out in Public Health ( Control of COVID-19 ) Rules, 2020.
South African track athlete Caster Semenya lost an appeal against a rule that would force her to artificially lower her testosterone levels in order to compete at next year's Olympic games, LGBTQ Nation noted. Semenya has been involved in legal fights to participate in women's sports for years. She is a cisgender woman—she was assigned female at birth and she identifies as a woman—and an intersex condition means that she has high levels of testosterone in her body.
Canadian soccer star Rebecca Quinn came out as trans on Instagram, and they had a message for the cis community on how to be a good ally, Out.com noted. In part, Quinn offered a challenge to cis folks, even if they "don't know what cis means," with a five-point primer for how to be a good ally to the trans community. The steps include: Put your pronouns in your bios; listen to trans and nonbinary voices; practice using gender neutral pronouns; vote; and learn to identify and eliminate personal biases about the transgender community.
Human Rights Watch reported that Tanzanian authorities have reportedly stepped up their restrictions on organizations working to promote the rights and health of LGBT people ahead of the country's general elections slated for Oct. 28, 76Crimes.com noted. Crackdowns on LGBT Tanzanians and on advocates for their human rights and health have been ongoing since 2016. The repression gained international notoriety in 2018, when Paul Makonda, the administrative chief of the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, urged the public to report anyone they thought was a homosexual.
The Delhi High Court—while hearing a public interest litigation ( PIL ) seeking to recognise same-sex marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act—asked the petitioner to bring on record a list of persons aggrieved by the denial of registration of same-sex marriages, Asian News International reported. A bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan granted time to the petitioners to submit a list of persons aggrieved by non-registration of same-sex marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act and also asked to amend the petition while adjourned the matter for Oct. 21.
A religious leader who previously blamed the coronavirus pandemic on LGBTQ people has been hospitalized with complications from COVID-19, LGBTQ Nation reported. Ukraine's Patriarch Filaret—the leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, one of the biggest branches of Christianity in the country that claims it has 15 million followers in the nation of 42 million people—has pneumonia, according to media reports. This past April, Filaret went on television and said that the pandemic is "God's punishment for the sins of men, the sinfulness of humanity," such as "same-sex marriage."
The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association announced that it's planning to bring the 37th edition of its global convention to the W Atlanta-Midtown, Sept. 8-11, 2021, a press release noted. This marks the first time the organization's premier educational and networking event will be held in Georgia's capital city and its first appearance at a W Hotel property. The shift away from its traditional April/May dates came as IGLTA re-evaluated its convention during this pandemic down time. Atlanta hosts the largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in the Southeastern United States, as well as numerous other well-attended LGBTQ+ events, such as Out on Film, Black Gay Pride and the Atlanta Queer Literary Festival.
A gay-themed children's book about two princes who fall in love and get married has sparked protests by parents in Taiwan, after it was added to a government-backed reading program, Reuters reported. King & King, originally published in Dutch, follows the story of a young prince who was pressured by his mother to marry a princess but then falls in love with another prince. Taiwan's education ministry defended the decision on social media, stating that the book would help children to "recognize and respect differences," and promote a diverse society.
The LGBT Network said teachers in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, have been instructed to monitor their students' social media profiles for the presence of "LGBT symbols," The Moscow Times reported. Any such symbols would be considered violations of Russia's 2013 law that bans the display of "gay propaganda" toward minors. District administrators confirmed the LGBT Network's report, noting that the monitoring was part of an effort to protect children's interests within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
TikTok acknowledged that it restricts LGBT-related hashtags in some countries as part of its "localized" approach to moderation, the BBC reported. A report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute ( ASPI ) think tank said many LGBT hashtags were "shadow-banned" in Bosnia, Jordan and Russia. TikTok said that some hashtags were restricted to comply with local laws.
The 30th annual Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival ( Inside Out )'s organizers revealed the event's full film lineup debuting on the Inside Out streaming platform that will showcase 150 films and nine episodic series, a press release noted. Inside Out—which launched the first-ever annual LGBTQ Film Finance Forum and has established itself as an international home and incubator for LGBTQ emerging and established filmmakers—will take place online and with special drive-in events Oct. 1-11. Among other things, Inside Out ( in partnership with Netflix ) will host an exclusive conversation with special guests and talent from the Netflix film The Boys in the Band, based on the hit broadway play.
The 2020 British Britannia Awards will not take place until next year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Variety reported. BAFTA LA, which holds the event every year, said in a statement: "BAFTA's focus in Los Angeles during 2020 will continue to be on its year-round membership programming, educational initiatives, and new talent programs, reaffirming its commitment to keep people connected, creatively inspired and supported during these challenging circumstances."
In an interview with Italian writer Carlo Petrini—who has compiled several conversations with the pope for a new book—the pontiff referred to sex and food, among other delights, as gifts from God, The New York Post noted. Furthermore, to enjoy them is not sinful, as "overzealous" church leaders have taught in the past. "The pleasure of eating is there to keep you healthy by eating, just like sexual pleasure is there to make love more beautiful and guarantee the perpetuation of the species," said the Pontifex Maximus in the book TerraFutura: Conversations With Pope Francis on Integral Ecology, which is out now in Italy.
Tilda Swinton recently honored fellow Marvel actor Chadwick Boseman while attending the 77th Venice Film Festival, ETOnline.com noted. Swinton received the Venice Golden Lion for career achievement and gave a nod to the late Black Panther star. After her powerful speech, which was described as a love letter to cinema, the Doctor Strange actress concluded by saying, "Viva Venezia. Cinema cinema cinema. Wakanda Forever. Nothing but love."
A far-right Norwegian lawmaker said he has nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East, ABC7News.com noted. Christian Tybring-Gjedde, a member of the Norwegian Parliament for the far-right Progress Party, said Trump should be considered because of his work "for a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel which opens up for possible peace in the Middle East."
Baz Luhrmann's Warner Bros. Elvis movie is back on track, and will resume filming on Sept. 23 in Queensland, Australia, Deadline noted. The news comes six months after the production was forced to shut down after leading man Tom Hanks, who is playing the King of Rock Roll's manager Colonel Tom, came down with COVID-19.
