This No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) news digest rounds up some of the week’s top LGBTI rights stories for the week ending 1 February:
Church of England faces calls to withdraw trans welcome ceremonies
Reuters, 29 Jan 2019
The Church of England is facing pressure to withdraw guidance for ceremonies welcoming transgender worshippers following a transition after more than 2,000 members signed a letter of protest.
Clergy members were among those who signed the open letter saying the “notion of gender transition is highly contested in wider society” and the guidance for baptism-style ceremonies raised significant theological concerns.
“In the light of these significant concerns, we ask that the House of Bishops revise, postpone or withdraw this guidance until all these questions are properly addressed,” it said.
Trans military personnel uncertain over Trump plan to restrict service
The Guardian, 26 Jan 2019
In the long term, lawyers and activists battling to ensure that transgender people can serve openly in the US military are convinced they will prevail. Short-term, they are braced for anguishing consequences if the Trump administration proceeds with its plan to sharply restrict such service.
The US supreme court, in a 5-4 vote last Tuesday, gave the administration the green light to put the policy into effect even as legal challenges continue.
GayStarNews, 25 Jan 2019
In the 1960s, I grew up in Pasuruan, East Java in Indonesia. During this time, I learned that trans women in Jakarta started organizing action groups.
The first trans women organization was Himpunan Wadam Djakarta (also known as Hiwad – Jakarta Trans Women Association). The organization began in the late 1960s with the facilitation of the then Governor of Jakarta, Ali Sadikin, a marine general.
Local governments often financially supported transgender organizations, which then led these organizations to support trans women in the community.
Egypt’s LGBT Crackdown Expands to Stifle Journalists
Human Rights Watch, 25 Jan 2019
An Egyptian television anchor was unexpectedly sentenced to one year in prison for interviewing a gay man on TV last week. The conviction of Mohamed Al-Ghaity, a host on the satellite channel LTV, reveals the lengths the government will go to shut down discussions on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues particularly, because al-Ghaity is known as a staunch supporter of Egypt’s government and, based on his past anti-gay comments, apparently shares the government’s hostility towards LGBT rights.
South Dakota Rejects Restrictions on Trans Athletes
Human Rights Watch , 25 Jan 2019
South Dakota lawmakers have rejected a bill which would have barred transgender students from participating in athletics consistent with their gender identity.
The ACLU and other organizations spoke out against the bill, with the South Dakota High School Activities Association, the Association of School Boards in South Dakota, the South Dakota Education Association, the Sioux Falls School District, the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, school personnel, parents, and the Presentation Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary testifying against it.
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