News
Same-sex marriage opponents disrupt French Open final
Protester carried torch onto court during match between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer
Same-sex marriage opponents on Sunday interrupted the menās final of the French Open in Paris.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=P_a0W42TCqU
The French newspaper Le Monde reported a shirtless man wearing a white mask who had āthe rights of childrenā written on his body ran onto the court holding a flare during the final match between Spanish tennis stars Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. Four protesters also unfurled banners inside Roland Garros Stadium that criticized French President FranƧois Hollande and said in English that āwith help, France ridicules the rights of children.ā
“This kind of thing is regrettable but it has been taken care of remarkably by our security staff,” said tournament director Gilbert Ysern in a statement.
“It was a very quick moment,”Ā said Nadal ā who went on to win the match, and his eighth French Open title since 2005. “I felt a little bit scared at first because I didn’t see what was going on. I just saw a guy with some fire and I got a little scared at the first second. But then I saw it was one of these things that nobody can prevent.
“I want to thank very much all the security guys. They did amazing work. They were very courageous what they did so I just want to say thank you very much to them.”
Hommen, a group opposed to Franceās same-sex marriage law that Hollande signed last month, also posted a picture onto its Twitter page that shows five shirtless men holding flairs and unfurling a banner from the top of the stadium that urged the French president to resign.
Police say they also detained six more demonstrators who were found at the neighboring court where the Legends tournament was taking place, according to Reuters.
The first gay couple to legally marry in France tied the knot in the city of Montpellier on May 29, but same-sex marriage supporters maintain rhetoric against the law has sparked anti-gay violence across the country.
France 24 on Sunday reported a skinhead who allegedly beat ClĆ©ment Meric, an 18-year-old left-wing activist who campaigned for the countryās same-sex marriage law, to death outside a Paris subway station last week will face manslaughter charges. Opponents of nuptials for gays and lesbians routinely clashed with French authorities during protests in the weeks and months leading up to the National Assemblyās final approval of the same-sex marriage bill on April 23.
Police on May 26 arrested more than 200 people who clashed with police at the end of an anti-gay marriage march in Paris.
Charles Roncier, a gay blogger who is an assistant editor for the website VIH.org, told the Blade last week that La Manif Pour Tous and other same-sex marriage opponents are āout for bloodā because āthey lost the fight.ā
āThe political climate has definitely been altered by the months of homophobic protests,ā he said. āWe can say that far-right extremists feel more confident than ever to demonstrate, appear on [television] to spread their hate speech, especially after the tolerance the traditional… right-wing showed towards these extremists.ā
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday signed a bill that seeks to combat efforts to ban books from state libraries.
House Bill 785, also known as the Freedom to Read Act, would establish a state policy āthat local school systems operate their school library media programs consistent with certain standards; requiring each local school system to develop a policy and procedures to review objections to materials in a school library media program; prohibiting a county board of education from dismissing, demoting, suspending, disciplining, reassigning, transferring, or otherwise retaliating against certain school library media program personnel for performing their job duties consistent with certain standards.ā
Moore on Thursday also signed House Bill 1386, which GLSEN notes will ādevelop guidelines for an anti-bias training program for school employees.ā
The Mexican Senate on Thursday approved a bill that would ban so-called conversion therapy in the country.
Yaaj MĆ©xico, a Mexican LGBTQ rights group, on X noted the measure passed by a 77-4 vote margin with 15 abstentions. The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Mexico’s congress, approved the bill last month that, among other things, would subject conversion therapy practitioners to between two and six years in prison and fines.
The Senate on its X account described conversion therapy as “practices that have incentivized the violation of human rights of the LGBTTTIQ+ community.”
“The Senate moved (to) sanction therapies that impede or annul a person’s orientation or gender identity,” it said. “There are aggravating factors when the practices are done to minors, older adults and people with disabilities.”
Mexico City and the states of Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Jalisco and Sonora are among the Mexican jurisdictions that have banned the discredited practice.Ā
The Senate in 2022 passed a conversion therapy ban bill, but the House of Deputies did not approve it. It is not immediately clear whether President AndrĆ©s Manuel LĆ³pez Obrador supports the ban.
Canada, Brazil, Belgium, Germany, France, and New Zealand are among the countries that ban conversion therapy. Virginia, California, and D.C. are among the U.S. jurisdictions that prohibit the practice for minors.Ā Ā
The White House
Four states to ignore new Title IX rules protecting transgender students
Biden administrationĀ last Friday released final regulations
BY ERIN REED | Last Friday, the Biden administration released its final Title IX rules, which include protections for LGBTQ students by clarifying that Title IX forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The rule change could have a significant impact as it would supersede bathroom bans and other discriminatory policies that have become increasingly common in Republican states within the U.S.
As of Thursday morning, however, officials in at least four states ā Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina ā have directed schools to ignore the regulations, potentially setting up a federal showdown that may ultimately end up in a protracted court battle in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.
Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley was the first to respond, decrying the fact that the new Title IX regulations could block teachers and other students from exercising what has been dubbed by some a āright to bullyā transgender students by using their old names and pronouns intentionally.
Asserting that Title IX law does not protect trans and queer students, Brumley states that schools āshould not alter policies or procedures at this time.ā Critically, several courts have ruled that trans and queer students are protected by Title IX, including the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of AppealsĀ in a recent case in West Virginia.
In South Carolina, Schools Supt. Ellen Weaver wrote in a letter that providing protections for trans and LGBTQ students under Title IX āwould rescind 50 years of progress and equality of opportunity by putting girls and women at a disadvantage in the educational arena,ā apparently leaving trans kids out of her definition of those who deserve progress and equality of opportunity.
She then directed schools to ignore the new directive while waiting for court challenges. While South Carolina does not have a bathroom ban or statewide “Donāt Say Gay or Trans” law, such bills continue to be proposed in the state.
Responding to the South Carolina letter, Chase Glenn of Alliance For Full Acceptance stated, āWhile Supt. Weaver may not personally support the rights of LGBTQ+ students, she has the responsibility as the top school leader in our state to ensure that all students have equal rights and protections, and a safe place to learn and be themselves. The flagrant disregard shown for the Title IX rule tells me that our superintendent unfortunately does not have the best interests of all students in mind.ā
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz also joined in instructing schools not to implement Title IX regulations. In a letter issued to area schools, Diaz stated that the new Title IX regulations were tantamount to āgaslighting the country into believing that biological sex no longer has any meaning.ā
Governor Ron DeSantis approved of the letter and stated that Florida āwill not comply.ā Florida has notably been the site of some of the most viciously anti-queer and anti-trans legislation in recent history, including a “Donāt Say Gay or Trans” law that was used to force a trans female teacher to go by āMr.ā
State Education Supt. Ryan Walters of Oklahoma was the latest to echo similar sentiments. Walters has recently appointed the right-wing media figure Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok to an advisory role āto improve school safety,ā and notably, Raichik has posed proudly with papers accusing her of instigating bomb threats with her incendiary posts about LGBTQ people in classrooms.
The Title IX policies have been universally applauded by large LGBTQ rights organizations in the U.S. Lambda Legal, a key figure in fighting anti-LGBTQ legislation nationwide, said that the regulations āclearly cover LGBTQ+ students, as well as survivors and pregnant and parenting students across race and gender identity.ā The Human Rights Campaign also praised the rule, stating, ārule will be life-changing for so many LGBTQ+ youth and help ensure LGBTQ+ students can receive the same educational experience as their peers: Going to dances, safely using the restroom, and writing stories that tell the truth about their own lives.ā
The rule is slated to go into effect Aug. 1, pending any legal challenges.
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Erin Reed is a transgender woman (she/her pronouns) and researcher who tracks anti-LGBTQ+ legislation around the world and helps people become better advocates for their queer family, friends, colleagues, and community. Reed also is a social media consultant and public speaker.
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The preceding article was first published at Erin In The Morning and is republished with permission.
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