We're Winning and They're Mad About It!
#154
Welcome to Third Cultured, a newsletter about Queer people in diplomacy, politics, and war from the perspective of Kyle Borland (he/they). My goal is to highlight all the ways today is different (and not so) from yesterday.
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This edition:
Opinion Essay
A List of LGBTQ+ Wins
Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate, Laws & Violence Around the World
Extra Links, Quotes & Gay Shit
Opinion Essay
It’s the most wonderful time of year.
Yes, there are the holidays, but I’m specifically referring to the couple weeks of the year where even our work-obsessed American culture acknowledges family and rest are more important than the rat race. As of noon today, I am off until January 9 (and even then I’m really off until January 17 because San Francisco doesn’t start running again until after MLK Day).
Aside from the time to catch up on Netflix and forget about closing our rings until Baby New Year arrives, it only makes sense to look back and take stock of what we all experienced. I take plenty of time throughout the year to highlight the bad, the horrible, and the ugly – so today I want to spotlight what is going our way. It’s easy to feel like we’re drowning in a world so set on lashing out at any form of Queer progress, but despite it all, LGBTQ+ people all over the globe found a way to thrive like we always do.
Ukraine’s legislature passed a law on December 15 making hate speech and incitement against the LGBTQ+ community illegal. Even while suffering under a Russian onslaught since February, Ukrainians have continued the progress they’ve made toward the Queer community the past several decades. It’s to the point that the treatment of LGBTQ+ people is becoming one of the primary differentiators between Ukrainians and Russians, and Putin’s invasion has only accelerated this trajectory for Kyiv.
In Russia, Brittney Griner was freed from a gulag in a prisoner swap organized by President Biden.
India’s Supreme Court will hear a marriage equality case in January 2023, which the community is cautiously optimistic about following the court’s decision to decriminalize homosexuality in 2018.
Barbados overturned its colonial-era anti-sodomy laws on December 12, which was just the latest bit of progress that the Caribbean saw this year with Antigua and Barbuda (July 5) and Saint Kitts and Nevis (August 29) striking down similar laws. There are pending cases in Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines so it’s likely more dominos will fall in 2023.
In the US, the Congressional Equality Caucus released the first report on the state of LGBTQ+ rights in the US, establishing an official benchmark of the nation’s progress in advancing LGBTQ equality and called for an update to the 2030 Census to include Queer Americans. Not to mention, we passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified federal protections for same-sex and interracial marriage into law! It isn’t full equality but it’s a vital step in ensuring that families aren’t disrupted should SCOTUS treat Obergefell how we expect they will.
As always, there is still plenty of work to be done, but it’s important to remember that we are making progress. Hell, we’re winning! That’s why our enemies are so crazed.
Whether you’ve been with me for years or you joined in 2022, thank you for supporting Third Cultured and taking this ride with me. Following all of this news can be overwhelming at times, but I feel compelled to read it and share it, especially while I live in the LGBTQ+ mecca of the world. Knowing others feel the same and building a community of fellow Queers and allies around that knowledge keeps me coming back for every edition.
I hope you have a wonderful end to your year, and I’ll see you in 2023.
Stay safe and Happy Holidays, beautiful people.
As always, thanks for reading.
Kyle (@kgborland)
PS – The holidays are a difficult time of year for many Queer folks, so make sure you prioritize and take care of yourself. Remember why chosen families are such a big part of our culture and celebrate the beginning of winter/the end of the year in a way that rejuvenates you.
A List of LGBTQ+ Wins
1 in 5 studio films (16/77) included an LGBTQ character in 2021 (NBC News)
2022 LGBTQ+ Data in Review (Williams Institute)
2022 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health (The Trevor Project)
A Texas Superintendent Ordered School Librarians to Remove LGBTQ Books. Now the Federal Government Is Investigating. (ProPublica)
An Appeals Court Ruled Yeshiva University Must Recognize LGBTQ+ Club (them)
Angry librarian tells off conservative Christians protesting library in righteous speech (LGBTQ Nation)
At Istanbul's Queer Olympix, the aim is for LGBTQ+ athletes to have fun and feel safe (NPR)
Bay Area region's 1st gay Black mayors prioritize housing (Bay Area Reporter)
Biden admin’s response to an anti-LGBTQ+ Fox News story is classic (LGBTQ Nation)
CA sets 2024 debut for LGBTQ teacher training course (Bay Area Reporter)
Congress approves $100m boost to HIV/AIDS initiatives (Washington Blade)
Christian hate group tried putting up a homophobic billboard, but the neighbors weren’t having it (Queerty)
Curious about US trend toward LGBTQ equal rights? Look at Colorado. (CSMonitor)
Director Janice Li elected the first queer woman of color to be elected president of BART’s board (Bay Area Reporter)
How We Stopped Mpox This Year And What’s Next For The Disease Formerly Known As Monkeypox (BuzzFeed News)
Large North Carolina School District Passes Strong Trans Protections - Other Districts Should Follow (Erin in the Morning)
Peru’s Ballroom Community is Young, Mighty, and Ready To Fight (them)
Protest the LGBTQ+ Blood Ban by Wearing Real Gay Blood (PAPER)
Republican attacks on LGBTQ lives may have helped elect Democrats (WashPost)
'We Have to Be Our Own Shield': SF's LGBTQ+ Community Honors Victims of the Pulse and Club Q Shootings in New Memorial (KQED)
Anti-LGBTQ+ Hate, Laws & Violence Around the World
A therapist from online provider BetterHelp reportedly told a 22-year-old gay patient to turn straight so he could reunite with his family (Business Insider)
Anti-LGBTQ efforts were widespread in 2022. Six people share the impact (WashPost)
Anti-LGBTQ hate thrives online, spurs fears of more violence (LATimes)
Anti-trans Bills Watch: Bad Bills In UT/MO/SC, Positive Movement In IL, NC (Erin in the Morning)
Biden Invited a Drag Artist to the White House. Now They're Getting Death Threats (them)
Club Q: Judge warned of LGBTQ bar attacker’s shootout plans in 2021 (CPR)
Confusion, exasperation and dating apps – my month as a gay reporter at the Qatar World Cup (The Athletic)
Despite Decriminalisation Of Section 377, Same-Sex Couples Continue To Face Abuse (Outlook India)
Foes of Drag Queen Story Hours Invade Gay NYC Councilman’s Home (them)
"Gender Exploratory Therapy": A New Anti-trans Conversion Therapy With A Misleading Name (Erin the Morning)
House Oversight Committee, LGBTQI+ Violence: Testimony (Williams Institute)
How ‘Gender Queer: A Memoir’ became America’s most banned book (LA Times)
Indiana Just Introduced a “Don’t Say Gay” Copycat Bill (Into)
JK Rowling gleefully tweets anti-trans “holiday” message to fan (LGBTQ Nation)
LGBTQ+ students get bomb threat after “Libs of TikTok” targeted them with doctored drag video (LGBTQ Nation)
LGBTQ youth are facing a mental health crisis in California (Axios)
Moral panics 101 (Sex and the State)
Polish president vetoes anti-LGBTQ bill that targeted schools (Washington Blade)
Texas LGBTQ youths report high rate of suicidal thoughts, difficulty getting needed care (Dallas Morning News)
Texas man charged with threatening doctor at LGBTQ clinic (AP)
The coverup of a secret gay prison in Australia is one of the most fascinating & disturbing stories of 2022 (LGBTQ Nation)
The youngest victims of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination (News is Out)
Trump recently referred to LGBTQ+ people as "sickos" who “support the perverted sexualization of minor children." (LGBTQ Nation)
Turkey Targets Film Deemed “LGBT Propaganda” (Hyperallergic)
Extra Links, Quotes & Gay Shit
9 LGBTQ+ Sex Ed Facts All Queer Teens Should Know (them)
Crash and Burn: Why the F-35 is more than a meme. (Warfare and Welfare)
Grieving California (Coda Story)
How Being Bullied Affects Your Adulthood (Slate)
Joseph Altuzarra’s Altu is Telling Gay Stories, Starting by Collaborating With the Photographer Alvin Baltrop’s Estate (Vogue)
My Year in Queer Spaces (The New Yorker)
New polyamorous flag is revealed (Bay Area Reporter)
Queer and Disabled Lives Beautifully Intersected (The Advocate)
Stop Doing The Pronoun Dance: How To Remember Your Trans Friends Names/Pronouns (Erin in the Morning)
The Allure of San Fran-Sicko (Darrell Owens)
The Books Banned in Your State’s Prisons (Marshall Project)
The Year TV Shows Got So Horny (Daily Beast)
We’re drowning in old books. But getting rid of them is heartbreaking. (WashPost)
Who was Hawaii’s so-called last princess, Abigail Kawānanakoa? The LGBT royal was a philanthropist who died with a US$215 million fortune and drove with her ‘wifey’ in a Rolls-Royce (South China Morning Post)