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Biden takes swipe at Sanders for accepting Joe Rogan’s support

Former VP reiterates trans issues ‘the civil rights issue of our time’

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Former Vice President Joe Biden at the CNN and Des Moines Registerā€™s Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy CNN/Des Moines Register)

In an increasingly heated Democratic primary just weeks before the Iowa caucuses, Joseph Biden took a not-so-veiled swipe at Bernie Sanders on Saturday for accepting Joe Rogan’s support despite comments from the podcast host condemned as transphobic.

Taking to Twitter, Biden draws on his comments he made as vice president when he called transgender rights “the civil rights issue of our time,” which stands in contrast to the Sanders campaign accepting Rogan’s support.

An LGBTQ backlash against Sanders ensued after he promoted the Rogan endorsement on his Twitter account. Among those criticizing Sanders was Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David, who said “it is disappointing that the Sanders campaign has accepted and promoted the endorsement.”

“The Sanders campaign must reconsider this endorsement and the decision to publicize the views of someone who has consistently attacked and dehumanized marginalized people,” David said.

Among other things, Rogan in the past has said a transgender woman athlete is actually a man, has used anti-gay epithets before “retiring” them and compared a black neighborhood to “Planet of the Apes” before admitting the comments were racist.

Amid the backlash, the Sanders campaign didn’t retract the endorsement or admonish Rogan for his comments, but instead defended the decision.

ā€œSharing a big tent requires including those who do not share every one of our beliefs, while always making clear that we will never compromise our values,” said Sanders national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray.

Also defending Sanders is Christine Hallquist, the first openly transgender gubernatorial nominee of a major party. Hallquist, who unsuccessfully ran in Vermont in 2018, told the Huffington Post “there is a contingent of privileged white males and we need their votes.” Additionally, Hallquist said she plans on endorsing Sanders.

Biden makes the veiled criticism of Sanders as the two are locked in national polls as the front-runners for the Democratic presidential nomination. The upcoming Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3 will be key to see who has momentum going forward.

None of other major presidential candidates (or for that matter President Trump) have been public in criticizing Sanders for accepting Rogan’s support, including gay presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. The Blade has placed in with the campaigns of Buttigieg, Andrew Yang and Elizabeth Warren seeking comment. (UPDATE: A spokesperson for Yang campaign told the Blade it has no comment on the Rogan controversy.)

Both Biden and Sanders have long records of supporting LGBTQ rights in the lifelong public service, although there are some differences in the margins.

For example, Sanders in 1996 was one of a few House members to vote against the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act, but Biden voted for it as a U.S. senator. Biden’s early support for marriage equality in 2012 got the ball rolling for victories at the ballot, but Sanders was late in embracing the issue.

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Kenya

Kenyan court awards two gay men $31K

Couple subjected to genital examination, given HIV tests after ā€˜unnatural sexā€™ arrest

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(Image by Bigstock)

A Kenyan court has awarded two gay men charged with ā€œunnatural sexā€ for engaging in consensual sexual relations a total of Sh4 million ($31,000) in compensation.

This is after the Magistrates Court in the coastal city of Mombasa ruled the authorities violated the menā€™s rights in obtaining evidence.

During the arrest, the two men were forcefully subjected to genital examination and HIV tests against their constitutional rights to privacy and the rights of an arrested person, including being allowed to speak with a lawyer.

Section 162 of Kenya’s penal code criminalizes consensual same-sex relations with a 14-year jail term. Prosecutors wanted the court to find the two gay men, who were arrested in 2021, guilty of the offence.

In a ruling issued on Oct. 24, the court, while awarding each of the men Sh2 million ($15,600) in compensation, faulted prosecutorsā€™ unlawful extraction of evidence.

The Center for Minority Rights and Strategic Litigation, a local LGBTQ rights organization, last year petitioned the court not to admit the evidence for having been obtained unlawfully, to stop the hearing, and for the accused to be compensated.   

In the petition, CMRSL cited infringement on the gay menā€™s right to human dignity: A ban on cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, the rights to privacy and a fair trial, rights of an arrested person, and violation of their freedom and security as the constitution and international law mandates.

ā€œThis provision (Section 162 of the penal code) has historically been used by the State to target and harass LGBTQ+ persons based on their gender identity and sexual orientation,ā€ CMRSL Legal Manager Michael Kioko told the Washington Blade.

The High Court in 2019 declined to decriminalize sections of the penal code that ban homosexuality in response to queer rights organizationsā€™ petition that argued the State cannot criminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations between adults. The constitutionality of laws that criminalize homosexuality is still contested in the appeals court, based on the argument they infringe on the rights to privacy and human dignity.

CMRSL termed the latest ruling ā€œa crucial step toward dignity and human rights for allā€ while noting that the case was critical in its legal representation efforts to protect the fundamental rights of queer people in Kenya.Ā 

The Oct. 24 decision affirms the Mombasa appeals court’s 2018 ruling that struck down the use of forced anal testing in homosexuality cases by terming it as unlawful. Kenyaā€™s National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission brought the case.

The appeals court verdict stemmed from a 2015 case where police in Mombasa obtained a court order to force two gay men to undergo anal examinations and HIV testing at a local clinic after authorities arrested them and charged them with unnatural sex.

NGLHRC, in challenging the court order, argued forced anal examinations are cruel, inhuman, degrading, and breached local and international medical ethics and human rights. 

The latest ruling exonerating the two gay men from prosecution is among numerous cases in which CMRSL has represented queer people in court to defend and protect LGBTQ rights in the country.

The case against a gay man in Mombasa charged with an unnatural act (a same-sex affair) and represented by CMRSL in court saw the matter dropped last September. The court last June acquitted transgender women in Lamu charged with committing gross indecent acts between males against provisions of the penal code.

CMRSL represented the trans women.

The group has deployed community paralegals and field monitors to monitor, document, and report queer rights violations. 

ā€œThey (field monitors) work closely with LGBTQ+ community paralegals to link survivors to justice by providing legal support and connecting those to pro bono lawyers and legal aid services,ā€ Kioko said. ā€œOn average, our monitors handle around 10 cases each month, ensuring that violations are addressed and survivors receive the necessary legal pathways to seek justice.ā€  

CMRSL in partnership with several queer lobby groups, is also challenging the Kenya Films Classification Board in court for banning a movie titled ā€œI Am Samuelā€ on the pretext it contained gay scenes that violate Kenyan law.

The Kenya Films Classification Board in 2018 also banned the ā€œRafikiā€ because it contains lesbian-specific content. Petitioners who challenged the ban in court argue the decision violates freedom of expression and other constitutional provisions.

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Politics

Gay members of Congress challenge Vance over the ‘normal gay guy vote’

GOP vice presidential nominee spoke to Joe Rogan on Thursday

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2024 GOP vice presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio) speaks at the Republican National Convention (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

In comments to the Washington Blade on Friday, two gay members of Congress rebuffed claims by the Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, that he and former President Donald Trump have “the normal gay guy vote.”

A poll of LGBTQ voters in August by the Human Rights Campaign showed the community overwhelmingly supports the Democratic ticket, led by Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, by a margin of 74-7.5 percent.

Nevertheless, Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan during an interview on Thursday that, ā€œI wouldnā€™t be surprised if me and Trump won, just, the normal gay guy vote, because, they just wanted to be left the hell alone.ā€

The senator continued, ā€œNow you have all this crazy stuff on top of it that theyā€™re like, ā€˜No, no, we didnā€™t want to give pharmaceutical products to 9-year-olds who are transitioning their genders.ā€™ā€

GayU.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, told the Blade “I donā€™t trust JD Vance on a lot of things, and I sure as hell donā€™t trust him to know whatā€™s ‘normal.'”

“JD has spent his time as both a candidate and Senator attacking the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, and he has no idea what ā€œnormal gays” go through because of bullies like him and Trump,” Pocan said.

He added, “‘Normal’ gays are like ‘normal’ non-gays ā€” we care about our families and we care about our country. My guess is the vast majority are voting for Kamala Harris because they know whatā€™s at stake for our community and our country.”

Over the phone, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a gay co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said the suggestion that “gay people are gonna somehow, en masse, start voting for Donald Trump and JD Vance, who are completely anti-gay, anti-LGBTQ and [have been] saying horrible things about the community” is “so stupid” and “ridiculous.”

“There might be, like, a handful of these MAGA Log Cabin folks that, quite frankly, are few and far between” the congressman said, referring to the LGBT conservative group Log Cabin Republicans, “but the support that Kamala Harris has in the gay community is is huge” and these voters are going to turn up on election day.

“And then, of course, this idea that [Vance is] somehow separating out ‘normal,’ regular gay guys,” Garcia said, “shows their complete lack of awareness about our community, what motivates us,” and “the solidarity we have together ā€” we’re a close community; we support each other.”

“Trying to separate us is not going to work in these last few days, it’s completely desperate and just completely out of touch,” he said.

Asked whether he believes the message might appeal to some gay men, or lesbian or bisexual folks for that matter, at a time when trans rights have become a salient political issue, Garcia emphasized that by and large, “Because of our own identity and struggles, we support our members of the trans community and trans families and we understand how difficult that is for folks.”

“Most of us in the community know people that are trans, have trans friends, have marched for rights with them, have been to fundraisers, raising money for causes, for the community with them,” the congressman said. “So they’re part of of our community.”

“We’re not going to allow Donald Trump and JD Vance try to separate them out,” he said. “I think that is something that conservatives try to do is to somehow say that they’re okay with, you know, the LGB, but not with trans people, and that’s unacceptable to us.”

Garcia added, “It should be unacceptable to all members of our community. We should never allow them to separate us and to damage the solidarity that we have with people that are our friends and that are being attacked every day.”

Asked about the Trump campaign’s last-ditch outreach to gay conservatives, Garcia said the “Log Cabin types should look in the mirror and ask themselves what the fuck they’re doing and what the fuck they’re thinking because this is absolutely destructive to anyone that they care about.”

He continued, “this idea that they can still blindly support Donald Trump who wants to overthrow our government, move us backwards, attack our community, install a Supreme Court that will take away our rights ā€” it’s insane, total insanity.”

“That’s why overwhelmingly our community supports Kamala Harris,” Garcia said. “We’ve done a lot of events with the Out for Harris team and get out the vote efforts, and the energy is there, people are excited, gay people are turning out and showing up, and we’re not going to be separated out by weirdos like JD Vance.”

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Israel

ILGA World suspends Israeli advocacy group after bid to host conference withdrawn

Decision has prompted praise, criticism

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Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 5, 2024. ILGA World has withdrawn the Aguda's bid to host its conference in the city, and suspended the organization. (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

ILGA World has suspended an Israeli advocacy group after it withdrew its bid to host its conference in Tel Aviv.

The Aguda, the Association for LGBTQ+ Equality in Israel, had bid to host the 2026/2027 ILGA World Conference. The ILGA World board of directors was to have voted on the proposal at the 2024 ILGA World Conference 2024 that will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from Nov. 11-15.

ILGA World on Tuesday announced ā€œthe bid to host our next World Conference in Tel Aviv will not go forward, and will not be put to a vote at the upcoming World Conference.ā€ The announcement notes the ILGA World Board ā€œheld an emergency meeting and unanimously decided to remove the bid from the Aguda from consideration, and it has also decided to suspend the organization from our membership.ā€

The announcement further says the Agudaā€™s bid ā€œwas found in violation of ILGA Worldā€™s aims and objectives set out in our constitution (3.1 and 3.2.)ā€

(Screenshot of ILGA World’s constitution)

ā€œThe ILGA World board is also reviewing the Agudaā€™s compliance with our constitution and has decided to suspend the organization from our membership to allow for that to happen,ā€ said ILGA World in its announcement.

The decision to suspend the Aguda comes against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas militants last Oct. 7 killed roughly 1,200 people, including upwards of 360 partygoers at the Nova Music Festival, when they launched a surprise attack against southern Israel. The Israeli government says the militants also kidnapped more than 200 people.

The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed more than 41,000 people in the enclave since Oct. 7.

A case that South Africa filed with the International Court of Justice in the Hague late last year accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court, which is also in the Hague, in May announced it plans to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders ā€” Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh. 

Karim Khan, the ICCā€™s chief prosecutor, said the five men have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza and Israel. (A suspected Israeli airstrike on July 31 killed Haniyah while he was in the Iranian capital of Tehran to attend Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkianā€™s inauguration. Israeli soldiers on Oct. 16 killed Sinwar in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza that borders Egypt.)

ā€œWe know that seeing the Tel Aviv bid taken into consideration caused anger and harm to our communities,ā€ said ILGA World in its statement. ā€œOur apologyĀ goes to our members, to our host organizations, and our global communities ā€” and especially to those in South Africa, who will soon host the global movement for our upcoming World Conference.ā€

ā€œWe recognize the historical experience with apartheid and colonialism in South Africa: Even the possibility of voting on such a bid in their home country would have been at odds with the unequivocal solidarity for the Palestinian people,ā€ it adds.

ILGA World also said it supports calls for ā€œstronger governance practices in vetting the proposals we receive.ā€

ā€œWe heard our communities, and we must do better in the future: A situation like this must not repeat,ā€ it said.

The Aguda in a statement said it is ā€œdeeply disappointment that ILGA has chosen to boycott those who work for LGBTQ+ rights and strive towards a more just society.ā€

ā€œFor 50 years, the Aguda, the Association for LGBTQ+ Equality in Israel, has worked to support the LGBTQ+ community and uphold human rights for all, including supporting LGBTQ+ individuals in the Arab community, and Palestinian asylum seekers persecuted for their sexual and gender identities,ā€ reads the statement. ā€œThe Israeli LGBTQ+ identity embraces both service and contribution to the state as citizens, while continuing to fight for the values of democracy and human rights in the society in which we live.ā€

The Aguda added Israelā€™s LGBTQ community ā€œshould not bear responsibility for government policy, and we expect the international community to support liberal voices rather than boycott them.ā€

ā€œWe are proud to be LGBTQ+ and Israeli, and we will continue to fight for a more equal and safer society,ā€ said the Aguda.

Aguda CEO Yael Sinai Biblash was among the hundreds of people who attended a memorial service for gay Israel Defense Forces Sgt. Sagi Golan that took place in Herzliya, Israel, on Oct. 8, 2023. Hamas militants a year earlier killed Golan at a kibbutz that is close to the Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. His fiancĆ©, Omer Ohana, successfully lobbied Israeli lawmakers to amend the countryā€™s Bereaved Families Law to recognize LGBTQ widows and widowers of fallen servicemembers. (Photo by Lior Horesh)

ILGA World Executive Director Julia Ehrt on Wednesday told the Washington Blade in an emailed statement the organization ā€œhas communicated in writing with the Aguda.ā€

ā€œSo far, we have not heard from them other than on social media, but of course they have a right to defend their membership status according to our governance procedures,ā€ said Ehrt.

Groups ‘complicit in Israeli apartheid or genocide should be expelled’

Charbel Maydaa, the founder and general director of MOSAIC, a Lebanon-based advocacy group that works throughout the Middle East and North Africa, is also the co-chair of ILGA Asia. He is among the activists who welcomed ILGA Worldā€™s decision to withdraw the Agudaā€™s bid.

A thread in response to a post on Maydaa’s LinkedIn page notes ILGA World in 1987 expelled the Gay Association of South Africa after it ā€œrefused to condemn apartheidā€ in the country ā€œor to get involved in political struggles.ā€

ā€œGASA’s stance led to its dissolution, and the formation of new and more progressive LGBT rights groups in South Africa,ā€ said Gabriel Hoosain Khan, a London-based activist. ā€œOrganizations that are complicit in Israeli apartheid or genocide should be expelled.ā€

The International Planned Parenthood Federation also welcomed ILGA Worldā€™s decision. A Wider Bridge, a group that ā€œadvocates for justice, counters LGBTQphobia, and fights antisemitism, and other forms of hatred,ā€ described it as ā€œoutrageous and unacceptable.ā€

ILGA (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) supposedly stands for respect for human rights, equality and freedom regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics,ā€ said A Wider Bridge in a statement. ā€œBut by singling out Israel and Israeli LGBTQ people for opprobrium, ILGA violates its fundamental principles.ā€

The 2022 ILGA World Conference took place in Long Beach, Calif.

ā€œI am appalled and disgusted that ILGA World would ostracize and expel the leading organization in Israel that fights for the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people there,ā€ said California Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who is the former executive director of Equality California, a statewide LGBTQ rights group, on X. ā€œThis is appalling and blatant anti-Semitism and an abandonment of LGBTQ+ Israelis.ā€

Ehrt in her statement to the Blade acknowledged criticisms over ILGA Worldā€™s decision. She also dismissed suggestions that anti-Semitism prompted it.

ā€œILGA World has a long and proven record of fighting for equality for all,ā€ said Ehrt. ā€œWe have repeatedly called for peace in the region, and continue to work every day to counter racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, and anti-Semitism ā€” alongside LGBTI-phobia. Our daily work speaks much louder than the baseless accusations we are receiving.ā€ 

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