A trans blogger was killed in Iraq, a court in the Caribbean upheld a law that criminalizes gay sex, and Greece legalized same-sex marriage.
Trans Blogger ‘Simsim’ Killed In Iraq
Simsim, a transgender blogger, was killed by unknown assailants in the Al-Qādisiyyah governorate of Iraq.
According to Pink News, the blogger was stabbed several times near the mural roundabout in the center of the city of Diwaniyah.
This killing follows a series of attacks on transgender individuals in Iraq. Iraq has been cracking down on LGBTQ conduct, which is notably a cause for the rise in the anti-queer violence. Amendments that seek to make same-sex relations a criminal offense with punishment ranging from life in prison to the death penalty have been proposed.
As of now, same-sex sexual activity is legal in the country, but there are no laws to protect the LGBTQ community from discrimination.
St. Vincent Court Upholds Law Criminalizing Gay Sex
Cristian González Cabrera. Photo via hrw.org.
The top court in St. Vincent and the Grenadines upheld laws that criminalize gay sex.
According to The Guardian, the ruling stems from a 2019 case filed by two gay men from St. Vincent who sought to strike down colonial-era laws that call for 10 years in prison for anal intercourse and five years for “gross indecency” with another person of the same sex.
Cristian González Cabrera, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, called the ruling “a travesty of justice” in an interview with the Guardian.
While these laws are rarely invoked, activists say they help legitimize physical and verbal abuse against the gay community on the island.
Four other Caribbean nations have repealed their versions of this law.
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Photo via Pexels.
Greece has become the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage. The law was passed by parliament with 176 members voting in favor and 76 members voting against after two days of debate.
According to Al Jazeera, the vote not only allows same-sex marriage but also allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
“The reform that we are legislating today … will make the life of some of our fellow citizens that much better without – and I emphasize this – taking away anything from the lives of the many,” said Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as reported by Al Jazeera.
“People who have been invisible will finally be made visible around us. And with them, many children [will] finally find their rightful place,” said Mitsotakis.
Protestors of the law gathered in front of the Greek parliament, holding banners and crosses and reading prayers and passages from the bible to show their opposition to the bill.
In contrast, those in favor of the vote celebrated and cheered on the streets of the capital as Greece became the 35th nation to legalize same-sex marriage, as well as the first country in southeastern Europe to do so.
