Groundbreakg Texas se protected gay rights 20 years ago

Contents:

• HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT
• JUDGE US SUPREME COURT’S GAY WEDDG WEBSE RULG FOR HER OWN ANTI-LGBTQ LAWSU
• TEXAS GOP'S NEW PLATFORM LLS GAY PEOPLE 'ABNORMAL' AND REJECTS TRANS INTI
• AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?
• TWENTY YEARS AFTER TEXAS SE LNCHED ERA OF GAY RIGHTS, TRANS PEOPLE ARE STILL THE FIGHT
• GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: ANTI-GAY LAWS PROMOTE VLENCE, DISCRIMATN ST. VCENT

Acrdg to the Texas judicial missn’s 2019 warng, Hensley referred gay upl who wanted her to pri over their marriage ceremony to other people who would officiate. They were among several bills the Legislature nsired that would brg major chang to the liv of gay and transgenr Texans. But the lower chamber didn’t brg the amend legislatn up for nsiratn, killg the Senate’s third attempt at phg what crics dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” provisn.

Crics say the provisns about LGBTQ lsons — patterned on ntroversial “Don’t Say Gay” law om Florida — nta vague language that uld stifle even rmal discsn about LGBTQ people, such as teachers discsg their same-sex spo. The Republin Party of Texas, which oppos any efforts to validate transgenr inti and claims that homosexualy is “an abnormal liftyle choice, ” also nsirs banng the “teachg, exposure, and/or discsn of sexual matters (mechanics, feelgs, orientatn, or ‘genr inty’ issu)” to be a legislative prry.

One bill signalg a shift opn toward the LGBTQ muny was Hoe Bill 2055, which would have repealed the state law crimalizg gay sex. Venton Jon, a Dallas Democrat who is the first Black, gay and openly HIV-posive lawmaker to serve at the Capol. Vcent to overturn anti-gay laws om the lonial era that have led to a recent wave of vlence and genr discrimatn on the small Caribbean island.

JUDGE US SUPREME COURT’S GAY WEDDG WEBSE RULG FOR HER OWN ANTI-LGBTQ LAWSU

Homosexualy ntu to be crimalized the former Brish lony after many hundreds of years, leavg LGBTQ dividuals wh ltle if any legal protectns while vlent crim were beg mted wh impuny, the report said.

Standg crimal s on the island put nsensual gay sex the same tegory as crim like rape, ct, and sexual asslt, although there have been no recent nvictns unr the law.

TEXAS GOP'S NEW PLATFORM LLS GAY PEOPLE 'ABNORMAL' AND REJECTS TRANS INTI

Gay people have been targeted by fay members, neighbors, -workers, classmat and teachers -- as well as police officers, the report said.

In many of the episos, police allegedly refed to offer assistance, and some s beme openly discrimatory toward gay victims.

AFTER YEARS OF PROGRS ON GAY RIGHTS, HOW DID THE US BEE SO ANTI-LGBTQ+?

Many of the terviewe said job hirgs and firgs were beg largely termed by sexual orientatn, while other gay people lucky to have jobs faced sexual harassment the workplace.

"The crimalizatn of gay sex giv tac state sanctn to the discrimatn and vlence that LGBT people experience their daily liv and pels many to look abroad to live eely and fulfill their dreams, " said Cristian González Cabrera, gay rights rearcher at Human Rights Watch.

Six other Wtern natns -- cludg Domi, Grenada, Guyana, Jamai, and Sat Lucia -- ntue to crimalize gay sex, wh penalti as weighty as a prison for "gross cency wh another person of the same sex. Vcent and the Grenad, where gay sex is still crimalized.From homelsns to ongog physil and verbal abe, the gay muny the small natn of some 100,000 people says is unr nstant threat.“Every LGBT person terviewed by Human Rights Watch said they wished to leave the untry immediately or had envisned their future abroad,” the report stated.In St. Vcent, anal sex is punishable by up to 10 years prison, while “gross cency” wh another person of the same sex is punishable by up to five years, acrdg to lonial-era laws that are mon the socially nservative Caribbean regn.While rarely voked, the rights group and a lol activist said the laws help legimize hostily and abe agast gay people.“The laws still have an impact,” said Jhua Bardoo, an ternatnal human rights lawyer om St.

TWENTY YEARS AFTER TEXAS SE LNCHED ERA OF GAY RIGHTS, TRANS PEOPLE ARE STILL THE FIGHT

Vcent who are livg abroad filed a se to challenge lol laws crimalizg gay sex that activists say should be stck down. “The (LGTBQ) muny the untry is very, very margalized and vulnerable.”Human Rights Watch terviewed more than 20 members of the island’s LGBTQ muny who shared their stori but were not intified to protect them, notg that lol police are often openly discrimatory toward gay people who seek help.A 58-year-old bisexual man relled how someone h him the head wh a bottle an attack that cracked his skull and put him a a. One gay man relled how his classmat beat him and broke his arm.Several reported that their fai are homophobic and physilly and verbally abed them, g them to bee homels and promptg some to nsir suici.Many also stggle to fd jobs amid a high unemployment rate and said they face discrimatn, cludg a 19-year-old gay man who said he has rorted to beggg: “Sometim I am so hungry.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

It is hard for me as a gay this untry.”Six English-speakg natns the Caribbean still crimalize gay sex, cludg Domi, Jamai, Guyana, Grenada and St. Vcent Prime Mister Ralph Gonsalv was not returned.Gonsalv prevly noted there’s been a history of discrimatn agast gay people. That kd of irratnal homophobia is entirely unacceptable.”González wh Human Rights Watch noted that 2019, the ernment held a workshop for public employe on the importance of rpectg gay rights, a rare move for a nservative Caribbean natn.