World
Three LGBTQ people murdered in Honduras on same day
Two victims were gay couple in San Pedro Sula
Three LGBTQ people in Honduras were reported killed on Feb. 2.
Reportar sin Miedo reported Jonathan Gabriel Martínez, and his partner, César Gustavo Zúñiga, were killed in San Pedro Sula’s Ticamaya neighborhood. The Washington Blade’s Honduran media partner also noted María Fernanda Martínez was shot to death in La Libertad, a municipality in Comayagua department.
Reportar sin Miedo cited witnesses who said men dressed as police officers shot Jonathan Martínez and his partner in the liquor store that he owned. María Martínez, according to Reportar sin Miedo, had previously joined a migrant caravan that had hoped to reach the U.S.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Honduras office condemned the murders.
“The office expresses its concern over the attacks, threats and harassment that LGBTI people in the country face,” it said in a statement posted to its Twitter page. “The Honduran state must guarantee truth, justice and reparation for these crimes and ensure they don’t happen again.”
Cattrachas, a lesbian feminist human rights group based in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa, notes 405 LGBTQ people have been reported killed in the country since 2009.
Thalía Rodríguez, a prominent transgender activist, was killed outside her Tegucigalpa home on Jan. 11. Authorities have arrested a suspected MS-13 member in connection with Rodríguez’s murder.
Kazakhstan
Kazakh Senate tables anti-LGBTQ propaganda bill
Lawmakers say they need more time to consider proposal
The Kazakh Senate has tabled a vote on a bill that would ban so-called LGBTQ propaganda in the country.
Members of Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament last month unanimously approved the measure that would ban “‘LGBT propaganda’ online or in the media” with “fines for violators and up to 10 days in jail for repeat offenders.” The Kazakh Telegraph Agency, an independent news organization, reported the Senate in a statement said senators needed more time to consider the measure.
“It is important to note that the law introduces amendments and additions to the Labor Code of Kazakhstan as well as to 12 other laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This is a significant amount of work and requires additional time,” reads the statement. “Moreover, given that the law also regulates issues related to the protection of children’s rights, this is always a matter requiring special consideration and increased attention … “
Kazakhstan is a predominantly Muslim former Soviet republic in Central Asia that borders Russia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China.
Russia, Georgia, and Hungary are among the other countries with anti-LGBTQ propaganda laws.
Colombia
Colombia anunció la inclusión de las categorías ‘trans’ y ‘no binario’ en los documentos de identidad
Registraduría Nacional anunció el cambio el 28 de noviembre
Ahora los ciudadanos colombianos podrán seleccionar las categorías ‘trans’ y ‘no binario’ en los documentos de identidad del país.
Este viernes la Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil anunció que añadió las categorías ‘no binario’ y ‘trans’ en los distintos documentos de identidad con el fin de garantizar los derechos de las personas con identidad diversa.
El registrador nacional, Hernán Penagos, informó que hizo la inclusión de estas dos categorías en los documentos de: registro civil, tarjeta de identidad y cédula de ciudadanía.
Según la registraduría: “La inclusión de estas categorías representa un importante avance en materia de garantía de derechos de las personas con identidad de género diversa”.
Estas categorías estarán en el campo de ‘sexo’ en el que están normalmente las clasificaciones de ‘femenino’ y ‘masculino’ en los documentos de identidad.
En 2024 se inició la ejecución de diferentes acciones orientadas implementar componentes “‘NB’ y ‘T’ en el campo ‘sexo’ de los registros civiles y los documentos de identidad”.
Las personas trans existen y su identidad de género es un aspecto fundamental de su humanidad, reconocido por la Corte Constitucional de Colombia en sentencias como T-236/2023 y T-188/2024, que protegen sus derechos a la identidad y no discriminación. La actualización de la Registraduría implementa estos fallos que ya habían ordenado esos cambios en documentos de identidad.
Por su parte, el registrador nacional, Penagos, comentó que: “se trata del cumplimiento de unas órdenes por parte de la Corte Constitucional y, en segundo lugar, de una iniciativa en la que la Registraduría ha estado absolutamente comprometida”. Y explicó que en cada “una de las estaciones integradas de servicio de las más de 1.200 oficinas que tiene la Registraduría Nacional se va a incluir todo este proceso”.
Japan
Tokyo court upholds Japan’s same-sex marriage ban
Country is only G7 nation without legal recognition of same-sex couples
The Tokyo High Court on Nov. 28 ruled the lack of marriage rights for same-sex couples in Japan is constitutional.
The Associated Press notes Judge Ayumi Higashi upheld the legal definition of a family in Japan as a man and a woman and their children. The court also dismissed the eight plaintiffs’ demand for 1 million yen ($6,406.85) in damages.
Hiromi Hatogai, one of the plaintiffs, told reporters after the court ruled that she is “so disappointed.”
“Rather than sorrow, I’m outraged and appalled by the decision,” said Hatogai, according to the AP. “Were the judges listening to us?”
Japan remains the only G7 country without legal recognition of same-sex couples, even though several courts in recent years have ruled in favor of it.
The Sapporo District Court in 2021 ruled the denial of marriage benefits to same-sex couples violates the constitution’s equality clause. The Nagoya District Court in 2023 issued a similar ruling. The Fukuoka District Court in a separate decision said Japan’s current legal framework is unconstitutional. The Tokyo High Court in 2024 came to the same conclusion.
The Washington Blade last month noted Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is Japan’s first female head of government, opposes marriage equality and has reiterated the constitution’s assertion the family is an institution based around “the equal rights of husband and wife.”
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