“Love is now the law,” Cuba Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

This article originally appears in HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cuba-same-sex-marriage-vote_n_6331ece2e4b00f7fcb55598b

HAVANA (AP) — Cubans have approved a sweeping “family law” code that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt as well as redefining rights for children and grandparents, officials said Monday, though opposition in the national referendum was unusually strong on the Communist Party-governed island.

The measure — which contains more than 400 articles — was approved by 66.9% to 33.1%, the president of the National Electoral Council, Alina Balseiro Gutiérrez, told official news media, though returns from a few places remained to be counted.

The reforms had met unusually strong open resistance from the growing evangelical movement in Cuba — and many other Cubans — despite an extensive government campaign in favor of the measure, including thousands of informative meetings across the country and extensive media coverage backing it.

Cuban elections — in which no party other than the Communist is allowed — routinely produce victory margins of more than 90% — as did a referendum on a major constitutional reform in 2019.

The code would allow surrogate pregnancies, broader rights for grandparents in regard to grandchildren, protection of the elderly and measures against gender violence.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has promoted the law acknowledged questions about the measure as he voted on Sunday.

Original article is here.

Beautiful Mural in San Francisco

 

Seen on the streets of San Francisco, August 2022

Rise in LBGTQ Hate After Florida Passed ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Law

Read the original article by Eesha Pendharkar on Education Week here.

Digital hate directed at the LGBTQ+ community—often from Republican lawmakers or their spokespeople—increased sharply after Florida passed its controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, according to a new report.

"The sharp spike in hateful rhetoric against gay, lesbian, transgender, and nonbinary people was centered on the false accusation that LGBTQ+ people “groom” children, researchers from the Center for Countering Digital Hate found."

The law, formally titled Parental Rights in Education, was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on March 28. It bans lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity for students in kindergarten through 3rd grades.

In all, the research indicates that a right-wing narrative casting schools as sites of gender indoctrination is now having a broader impact on LGBTQ people and youth.

On Facebook, researchers identified 59 ads that promote the “grooming” narrative that were purchased between March and August and were viewed a total of more than 2.1 million times.

In the month following passage of the law, the volume of tweets engaging in “grooming” discourse increased by 406 percent, the report found. The 500 most-viewed tweets that advance the “grooming” narrative were viewed at least 72 million times.

Florida's “Don’t Say Gay” law prevents school from anti-bullying measures.

Students in a Florida school district can no longer access a training video aimed at helping prevent anti-LGBTQ bullying thanks to the state’s recently enacted “Don’t Say Gay” law.

Read the original article at LGBTQ Nation.

Duval County Public Schools removed the 12-minute video, which had been used in the district’s All In for Safe Schools program, from YouTube according to an investigation by WJCT Public Media’s Jacksonville Today.

Duval Schools District spokesperson Tracy Pierce confirmed that the video had “been removed for legal review to ensure the content complies with recent state legislation.”

According to Gay Straight Alliance faculty sponsor Scott Sowell, the video was created for students with the input of Duval LGBTQ students with funding from a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant.

House passes bill codifying same-sex marriage right, with some Republicans joining Democrats

Source: ABC News

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage in the wake of the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade -- with one justice writing that the right to same-sex marriage should also be reversed.

The final vote was 267-157, with 47 Republicans joining every Democrat in the majority.

Notable among those conservatives was Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming -- in a break from her past stance on the issue, which famously put her at odds with her parents and sister, who is gay. In 2021, Cheney reversed her opinion and said, "I was wrong." (By contrast, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of California, voted no on the legislation Tuesday.)

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., kicked off debate on the bill -- The Respect For Marriage Act -- which would prevent state discrimination related to marriage based on "sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin." It would also repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The legislation, Nadler said, "would reaffirm that marriage equality is and must remain the law of the land."

Hyde Park (Boston) Senior House vandalized with anti-gay hate and threats

Hyde Park Senior House vandalized with anti-gay hate and Threats

From Gretchen Van Ness:

Last night cowards vandalized The Pryde, spray painting threats to kill us & burn down our building. Join the Hyde Park community TODAY 7/10 at 4PM to stand against hate & for a welcoming, inclusive & diverse Boston.

STOP GAY HATE!