Burkina Faso's military junta banned homosexual acts, an Australian athlete received a suspension for anti-gay slurs, and a South Korean court upheld the right to health benefits for same-sex couples.
Burkina Faso's Military Junta Bans Homosexual Acts
Burkina Faso, a West African state, announced a ban on homosexual acts in their military junta.
"Henceforth, homosexuality and associated practices will be punished by the law," said the justice minister Edasso Rodrigue Bayala, according to the BBC.
Homosexuality is frowned upon in the socially conservative West African state, but it was never outlawed. The military seized power in Burkina Faso in 2022, and has pivoted towards Russia after drastically reducing ties with former colonial power, France.
The outlaw of LGBTQ relations is part of the state’s overhaul of its marriage law.
Bayala said the junta's cabinet had now approved legislation to make homosexual acts a punishable offense, but he did not give further details.
Athlete Receives Suspension For Anti-Gay Slurs
Lance Collard. Photo via Zero Hanger, X (formerly Twitter).
Lance Collard, an Australian Football League player, received a six-match ban, the longest suspension in AFL history, for homophobic behavior after using multiple anti-gay slurs.
According to Pink News, Collard is the third Aussie Rules player this year to be punished for homophobic language. The 19-year-old allegedly directed anti-gay abuse towards Williamstown opponents during a second-tier Victorian Football League game. Reports say Collard uttered offensive homophobic language as many as 10 times while playing.
The AFL found that Collard used “unprompted and highly offensive homophobic slurs.” They said Collard pleaded guilty to the offenses.
A statement from his club said that Collard was “incredibly remorseful” and would “fully accept the consequences” of his actions.
South Korean Court Upholds Right To Health Benefits For Couples
Chief Justice Jo Hee-de. Photo by Supreme Court of Korea, Wikimedia Commons.
The top court in South Korea ruled that the state must provide health insurance for same-sex partners.
According to Al Jazeera, the ruling allows common-law couples of the same sex to now register as dependents on their partner’s health insurance.
“It is an act of discrimination that violates human dignity and value, the right to pursue happiness, freedom of privacy and the right to equality before the law, and the degree of violation is serious,” said Chief Justice Jo Hee-de in response to why denying same-sex couples' benefits is discriminatory.
The case was brought by So Seong-wook and Kim Yong-min. Seong-wook sued the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) because it terminated benefits for his partner after discovering they were a gay couple.
“While this decision is a major milestone, the case itself is a sobering reminder of the lengthy judicial processes that same-sex couples must endure to secure basic rights that should be universally guaranteed,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
South Korea does not recognize same-sex marriages, but being in a same-sex relationship is not criminalized.
