Plebiscites, watchdogs and dead lesbian syndrome

Your Daily Package of newsy and naughty bits from around the world


Australia rejects equal marriage plebiscite

Australian parliament has voted down a public vote on same-sex marriage in the country. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had proposed the plebiscite as a compromise between conservatives in his own ruling coalition who do not want a vote in parliament and progressives who, like most Australians, want equal marriage. A majority in parliament, however, rejected the vote as expensive, unnecessary, and a potential platform for homophobia.

Read more at the New York Times.

UN could fire watchdog on LGBT rights

The newly appointed United Nations independent expert on LGBT rights could lose his job before he even starts work. A group of states led by Sierra Leone has put forward a motion in the UN General Assembly to cancel the position, which was created by the UN Human Rights Council, in a bid to quash discussion of LGBT issues.

Read more from BuzzFeed.

Hong Kong lags on basic gay rights protections

The South China Morning Post reports that while the majority of Hong Kong citizens support basic family rights for gay couples, such as participating in medical decisions or collecting a deceased partner’s ashes, the city’s government continues to stall.

TV representation good for LGBT folk, bad for lesbians

GLAAD’s annual report on LGBT representation on television shows that LGBT characters are thriving, but lesbians are lagging behind. Nearly five percent of characters are not LGBT, but only one sixth of those were lesbians, and that’s not to mention “dead lesbian syndrome.”

Read more at Vanity Fair.

North Carolina lawmaker comes out as bisexual

In a state where the government has spent a year attacking LGBT rights, a state representative has been inspired to come out as bisexual. State Representative Cecil Brockman says he decided to come out after being confronted with homophobic abuse for opposing anti-gay legislation.

 

Read more at the Greensboro News and Record.

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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