A court in Peru orders the legal recognition of same-sex couples, Russia bans gender-affirming surgery, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologizes to LGBTQ military veterans.
Peru Court Orders Legal Recognition of Same-sex Couples
A high court in Peru ordered same-sex marriages to be legally registered in public records.
According to Reuters, the ruling comes after a gay Peruvian citizen sued the registration office for refusing to record her 2019 marriage overseas, citing that her constitutional rights were violated.
The Superior Court of Justice of Lima announced on Twitter that the Peruvian court ordered the records' office to "proceed with the registration" of the woman's marriage.
Although it is not illegal to be gay in Peru, they are one of the few Latin American countries that has not recognized same-sex marriage, even though a 2021 survey found that 68% of Peruvian people were in favor of same-sex marriage.
Russia Bans Gender-Affirming Surgery
Protests against Putin's anti-LGBTQ policies. Photo via Flickr.
Trans people in Russia will now have a difficult time accessing gender-affirming services thanks to President Vladimir Putin signing a controversial law banning legal and surgical sex changes.
The law, which makes "medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person" and "the state registration of a change of gender without an operation" illegal, was passed by both houses of the Russian parliament earlier this month, The Moscow Times reported.
The law also bans individuals who have undergone gender reassignment from adopting children and annuls marriages in which one of the partners is trans.
LGBTQ activists have warned that the law might increase the rates of suicide among trans people, and encourage an underground market for surgeries and medications.
British PM Apologizes to LGBT Military Veterans
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak via wikipedia.org.
Rishi Sunak, the British Prime Minister, publicly apologized to LGBT military veterans who experienced sexual abuse, violence, bullying and harassment while serving in the armed forces before the ban on homosexuality was lifted in 2000.
The apology came after an independent review examining testimonies of LGBT veterans who served between 1967 and 2000 was published last week.
"As today’s report makes clear, in that period many endured the most horrific sexual abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment while bravely serving this country," said Sunak. "On behalf of the British state, I apologize."
He also said the ban was an "appalling failure of the British state."
Reuters reported that the report held a public call for evidence and received over 1,000 responses, about 300 of which came from veterans who were dismissed or discharged because of LGBT same-sex sexual acts and homosexual orientation.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said the review had made 49 recommendations for the government to include enhanced healthcare provisions for LGBT veterans and a financial award. The government has accepted the majority of those recommendations in principle and plan to respond after parliament's summer break.
