Killers of trans people could face 70 years under Mexico City's law, Grindr blocks the explore function around Olympic Village, and the Indian Home Ministry urges prisons to protect trans inmates.

Killers of Trans People Could Face 70 Years Under New Law

A person convicted for killing a trans person in Mexico City could now face 70 years in prison following a ruling by the capital’s legislature.

According to Pink News, this change comes after years of campaigns by the Morena Party. The ruling passed 45-1 and makes Mexico City the second of the country’s 32 states to criminalize these killings. In addition to the 70-year prison sentence, the law makes it possible for a victim’s friends, not just relatives, to identify and claim bodies. This is important in a country where some families disown their transgender relatives.“For the first time, we can feel represented before the law, and that violence against us really carries a severe punishment,” said Kenya Cuevas.

Grindr Blocks Explore Function Around Olympic Village

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The explore function on Grindr has been limited in the Olympic Village. 

According to Pink News, users took to social media to show that the explore function listed no profiles at all. The Verge reported that users logging into the Paris enclave will be told: “Your privacy is important to us. Our explore feature has been disabled in the Olympic Village so that people outside your immediate area can’t browse here.”Similar efforts were taken in Beijing in 2008, when Grindr confirmed that the Olympic Village in China was specifically limited to prevent users from finding athletes’ profiles.Initial suggestions say that this is to prevent athletes from being outed against their will and to protect Olympians. 

Home Ministry Directs Prisons To Protect Trans Inmates

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The Indian Home Ministry sent a note to state and territorial officials and prison administrators that first acknowledged that queer prisoners regularly face discrimination and violence due to their sexual orientation and gender identity. The note then asked all states and territories to ensure queer people receive equal rights in prison. 

According to the Washington Blade, the government has also instructed state and territorial officials to prevent discrimination in relation to accessing goods and services inside their prisons, especially visitation rights. The note stated that provisions related to private and domestic matters, interviews, preparing for an appeal, securing bail, and more should “equally apply to members of the queer community.” 

This ruling was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and, for the first time, explicitly referenced the queer community. Activists are calling this directive a significant shift in government policy. “It is hopeful that at least people will have access to services without discrimination whether legally or in prison services,” said Sadam Hanjabam, the founder of northeast India’s first registered LGBTQ youth-led organization that is recognized by the United Nations. “We hope that it could be [that] this is towards [a] more inclusive step.”