Javier Milei’s rise to power marked a sea change in Argentine politics that profoundly impacted the country’s LGBTQ+ community.

His first year in office has seen a combination of hostile rhetoric and concrete measures that have dismantled historic advances in human rights.

“Javier Milei’s administration is fighting a two-way battle,” Congressman Esteban Paulón, a long-time LGBTQ+ activist, pointed out to the Washington Blade. “On the one hand, symbolically, with an openly homo, lesbo and transodiant discourse, and on the other, in concrete facts, such as the closure of the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, and INADI (the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism).”

The decision to eliminate these key institutions sent a clear message: Diversity policies are no longer a state priority. This dismantling left LGBTQ+ Argentines without national advocacy tools.

Some provinces have tried to fill this void, but many others have followed the national government’s lead. This trend, according to Paulón and other activists, has left LGBTQ+ Argentines even more vulnerable.

“What we are seeing is not only a setback in public policies, but also a direct attack on the dignity of thousands of people who, until recently, felt the support of the state,” said Paulón. 

One of Milei administration’s first acts was to close the Women, Gender and Diversity Ministry and INADI. These decisions, which Milei said was necessary to reduce “unnecessary public spending,” eliminated agencies that played an essential role in the promotion of human rights and the fight against discrimination.

“Without these institutions, the LGBTQ community has been left unprotected against violence and prejudice. Now, discrimination cases that used to be handled by INADI end up shelved or without follow-up,” Paulón warned. “The message this sends is that our lives don’t matter to this government.”

Paulón and other activists say one of the Milei government’s most alarming decisions is to allow employers to fire employees without legal consequences.

“Today, a person can be fired because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, without the possibility of recovering their job,” warned Paulón. 

The new policy has left many employees — especially transgender people — without legal recourse. Advocacy groups say companies have taken advantage of this regulation to carry out selective firings. The freezing of a trans-specific labor quota has deepened employment discrepancies for one of the country’s most vulnerable communities.

Paulón told the Blade that anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from Milei and several of his ministers has also had an effect on Argentine society.

“Today, anyone feels they can say anything without consequences,” said Paulón, who noted that ultraconservative and religious sectors view Milei’s government as an ally. 

This rhetoric, according to Paulón, has yet to translate into widespread violence.

“We are not yet in a situation of systematic violence as in other countries, but the risk is there,” he said. “Every word of hate from power legitimizes violent actions.”

Congress, civil society leads resistance

In the face of this adverse scenario, resistance has taken various forms.

Paulón and other opposition lawmakers have worked on bills to protect LGBTQ+ rights and reverse regressive measures.

“We will not stand idly by. We put forward concrete proposals to guarantee access to health care, inclusive education and labor protections,” said Paulón.

Activists have strengthened alliances with their counterparts in neighboring countries, such as Brazil and Chile, and Mexico. They are also working with international organizations that have expressed concern about the situation in Argentina.

Although the outlook is bleak, Paulón said he remains hopeful. 

“Milei is going to pass, like all processes in democracy,” he said. 

Paulón stressed that marriage equality and the transgender rights law are deeply rooted in Argentine society, and act as barriers to stop further setbacks. The challenge now, he says, is to maintain resistance, organize the community, and strengthen international ties.

“We have an organized movement, tools to defend ourselves and a mostly plural and diverse society. This process will also come to an end,” said Paulón. “In this context, the struggle for LGBTQ rights in Argentina is a reminder that social conquests are never definitive and that resistance is vital to preserve the achievements made.” 

Ugandan Foreign Affairs Minister Henry Oryem has revealed U.S. and EU sanctions over the country’s Anti-Homosexuality Act and other human rights violations have pushed Kampala to join the BRICS bloc.

Oryem noted Western powers’ decision to sanction other countries without U.N. input is against international norms, and Uganda needed to shield itself from such actions by aligning with the bloc that includes China, Russia, India, South Africa, Brazil, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Iran, and Indonesia. (Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Ethiopia. Iran is among the countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.)

Kampala officially became a BRICS member on Jan. 1, joining eight other countries whose applications for admission were approved last October during the bloc’s 16^th annual summit in Kazan, Russia.  

“The United States and European Union, whenever they impose sanctions, expect all those other countries to make sure they abide by those sanctions and if you don’t, you face penalties or even they sanction you,” Oryem said. 

Oryem spoke before parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

MPs asked him to explain the circumstances that led Uganda to join BRICS and the country’s financial obligation from the membership.      

“Now because of that and the recent events, you have realized that the United States and European Union have started freezing assets of countries in their nations without UN resolutions which is a breach of international world order,” Oryem said. “Uganda can’t just standby and look at these changes and not be part of these changes. It will not be right.”

Oryem also said President Yoweri Museveni’s Cabinet discussed and approved the matter before he directed the Foreign Affairs Ministry to write to the BRICS Secretariat about admitting Uganda into the bloc.

The U.S. and other Western governments condemned Museveni’s decision to sign the Anti-Homosexuality Act, and announced a series of sanctions against Kampala. 

Washington, for example, imposed visa restrictions on government officials who championed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, re-evaluated its foreign aid and investment engagement with Uganda, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and reviewed Kampala’s duty-free trade with the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act for sub-Saharan African countries.

The U.S. in May 2024 imposed sanctions on House Speaker Anita Among and four other senior Ugandan government officials accused of corruption and significant human rights violations.

Although the EU criticized the enactment of the Anti-Homosexuality Act, the 27-member bloc did not sanction Kampala, despite pressure from queer rights activists. The state-funded Uganda Human Rights Commission and several other human rights groups and queer activists, meanwhile, continue to pressure the government to withdraw implementation of the law.

UHRC Chair Mariam Wangadya, who called on the government to decriminalize homosexuality last month, has said her commission has received reports that indicate security officers who enforce the Anti-Homosexuality Act have subjected marginalized communities to discrimination and inhuman and degrading treatment

“As a signatory to several international and regional human rights conventions, Uganda is committed to ensuring non-discrimination and equality before the law,” Wangadya said.  “At the domestic level, Uganda’s constitution, under Article 21, prohibits discrimination based on gender, ensuring equality before the law, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, or social status.”

Museveni’s son comes out against Anti-Homosexuality Act

Museveni’s son, Army Chief General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has also emerged as a critic of the Anti-Homosexuality Act.

“I was totally shocked and very hurt. Japanese are warriors like us. I respect them very much. I asked them how we were oppressing them. Then they told me about the AHA,” he said on X on Jan. 3 while talking about how the Japanese questioned him over Uganda’s persecution of queer people during his recent visit to Tokyo. “Compatriots, let’s get rid of that small law. Our friends around the world are misunderstanding us.”

Kainerugaba, who is positioning himself as Museveni’s successor, had already declared an interest in running for president in 2026 before he withdrew last September in favor of his 80-year-old father who has been in power for more than three decades.

In his X post, Kainerugaba also indicated that “we shall remove this Anti-Homosexuality Act in 2026.” He left the platform six days later after his posts threatened Uganda’s diplomatic relations.

“They (gays) are sick people, but since the Creator made them … what do we do? Even ‘kiboko’ (whips) might not work. We shall pray for them,” Kainerugaba said. 

The Supreme Court is currently considering a case that challenges the Anti-Homosexuality Act. The Constitutional Court last April upheld the law.

The Indian Supreme Court on Jan. 9 rejected a series of petitions that challenged its 2023 ruling against marriage equality

A 5-judge bench — Justices Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, Surya Kant, Bengaluru Venkataramiah Nagarathna, Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, and Dipankar Datta — said there were no errors in the ruling that justified a review.

A five-judge Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Yeshwant Chandrachud, on Oct. 17, 2023, in a 3-2 decision ruled against recognizing the constitutional validity of same-sex marriages in India.

The court emphasized it is parliament’s rule to decide whether to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. It also acknowledged its function is limited to interpreting laws, not creating them.

The judges on Jan. 9 stated they had reviewed the original rulings.

“We do not find any error apparent on the face of the record,” they said. “We further find that the view expressed in both the judgments is in accordance with law and as such, no interference is warranted. Accordingly, the review petitions are dismissed.”

A new bench of judges formed on July 10, 2024, after Justice Sanjiv Khanna unexpectedly recused himself from hearing the appeals, citing personal reasons. The reconstituted bench included Narasimha, who was part of the original group of judges who delivered the ruling.

“The fact that we have lost is a comma and not a full stop for equality,” said Harish Iyer, a prominent LGBTQ+ rights activist in India and one of the plaintiffs of marriage equality case. “The admission of review petitions is a rarity, and while we will proceed with all legal recourses available this is not the only fight.”

Some of the plaintiffs in November 2023 appealed the Supreme Court’s original decision. Udit Sood and other lawyers who had represented them in the original marriage equality case filed the appeal.

The appeal argued the ruling contained “errors apparent on the face of the record,” and described the earlier ruling as “self-contradictory and manifestly unjust.” It criticized the court for acknowledging the plaintiffs face discrimination, but then dismissing their claims with “best wishes for the future,” contending this approach fails to fulfill the court’s constitutional obligations toward queer Indians and undermines the separation of powers envisioned in the constitution. The appeal also asserted the majority ruling warrants review because it summarily dismissed established legal precedents and made the “chilling declaration” that the constitution does not guarantee a fundamental right to marry, create a family, or form a civil union.

While speaking to the Washington Blade, Iyer said this setback is a reminder that our futures can be shaped by collaboration and numerous small victories along the way.

“We will have a multi-pronged approach,” he said. “We need to speak to parents groups, teachers, police personnel, doctors, and medical staff, news reporters, podcasters, grassroots activists, activists from allied movements, our local/state and national level elected representatives. We all need to do our bit in our circle of influence. These small waves will create a force that will help us propel toward marriage equality.”

Iyer told the Blade he is confident the community will achieve marriage equality within his lifetime, offering assurance to every queer individual.

“I just hope that I am not too old to find someone to marry with by then.”

As per the Supreme Court’s rules, a ruling is reviewed only if there is a mistake or error apparent on the face of the record, the discovery of new evidence, or any reason equivalent to these two. Justices typically consider appeals without oral arguments, circulating them among themselves in chambers. The same set of justices who issued the original ruling typically rules on the appeal. In this case, however, Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and S. Ravindra Bhat, and Chandrachud, who were part of the original bench, had retired.

Souvik Saha, founder of Jamshedpur Queer Circle, an LGBTQ+ organization that conducts sensitization workshops with law enforcement and local communities, described the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the appeal as not just a legal setback, but a significant blow to the hopes of millions of LGBTQ+ people across India. He said the decision perpetuates a sense of exclusion, denying the community the constitutional promise of equality under Article 14 and the right to live with dignity under Article 21.

“This decision comes at a time when global momentum on marriage equality is growing,” said Saha, noting Taiwan and more than 30 other countries around the world have extended marriage rights to same-sex couples. “The lack of recognition in India, despite the 2018 Navtej Johar judgment — decriminalizing homosexuality, leaves the LGBTQ community in a vulnerable position.”

Saha further noted in Jharkhand, a state in eastern India where socio-cultural stigmas run deep, the Supreme Court’s refusal highlights the fight for equality is far from over.

He shared the Jamshedpur Queer Circle recently supported a young lesbian couple who were disowned by their families and faced threats when attempting to formalize their relationship. Saha stressed that without legal safeguards, such couples are left without recourse, underscoring the urgent need for marriage equality to ensure protection and recognition for LGBTQ+ people.

“While the decision delays progress, it cannot halt the movement for equality,” said Saha. “Marriage equality is inevitable in a country where nearly 60 percent of Indians aged 18-34 believe that same-sex couples should have the right to marry (Ipsos LGBT+ Pride Survey, 2021.) This ruling highlights the need to shift our advocacy strategy towards building a stronger case for social and political change.”

Saha proposed several calls to action and strategies for moving forward.

He emphasized to the Blade the need for mobilizing the community through state-level consultations and storytelling campaigns to humanize the issue of marriage equality. Saha also highlighted the importance of developing stronger petitions, supported by case studies, international precedents, and data to effectively address judicial concerns.

Saha suggested working with allies in civil society and corporate India to push for incremental changes. He advocated for engaging policymakers in dialogue to promote legislative reforms, emphasizing the economic benefits of inclusion. Saha also called for campaigns to counter misinformation and prejudice, while establishing counseling and support groups for LGBTQ+ people and their families that provide guidance and support.

“Legal recognition of marriage is not just about ceremony; it is about the basic rights, dignity, and respect that every individual deserves,” said Saha. “Together, through collective action, we will ensure that the arc of justice bends in our favor.”

Indrani Chakraborty, an LGBTQ+ activist and mother of Amulya Gautam, a transgender student from Guwahati in Assam state, described the Supreme Court’s appeal denial as an “insensitive approach.”

“Love and commitment are emotions that can never be under boundaries. Rejection of same-sex marriage is an oppressive approach towards the LGBTQI+ community,” said Chakraborty. “This is discrimination. Marriage provides social and legal security to the couple and that should be irrespective of gender. Same-sex relationships will be there as always even with or without any constitutional recognition. The fight should go on, as I believe, this validates the intention. The community needs to stand bold, and equality be achieved.”

The Vatican has approved new guidelines that opens the door for gay men in Italy to become priests.

The New York Times on Jan. 10 reported the Vatican approved the guidelines the Italian Bishop’s Conference adopted last November.

The guidelines specifically stipulate seminaries cannot reject applicants simply because of their sexual orientation, as long as they remain celibate. They will remain in place for what the Times described as a “3-year trial period.”

“This development is a big step forward,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Maryland-based LGBTQ+ Catholic organization, in a press release. “It clarifies previous ambiguous statements about gay seminary candidates, which viewed them with suspicion. This ambiguity caused lots of fear and discrimination in the church, way beyond the arena of seminary admissions.”

“This new clarification treats gay candidates in the same way that heterosexual candidates are treated,” added DeBernardo. “That type of equal treatment is what the church should be aiming for in regards to all LGBTQ+ issues.”

The Vatican in 2016 reaffirmed gay men becoming priests.

“The church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called ‘gay culture,’” reads a document the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy released that Pope Francis approved.

The document essentially reaffirmed the Vatican’s 2005 position on the issue. (Benedict XVI was pope at the time.)

The Vatican’s tone towards LGBTQ+ and intersex issues has softened since Francis became pope in 2013.

Francis publicly backs civil unions for same-sex couples, and has described laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust.” Francis in 2023 said priests can bless same-sex couples.

The pontiff earlier this month named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, who DeBernardo notes has made “strong positive statements regarding LGBTQ+ issues,” as the new archbishop of Washington. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Brian Burch, the president and co-founder of CatholicVote, an anti-LGBTQ+ Catholic group, to become the next U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.

Francis during a 2023 interview with an Argentine newspaper described gender ideology as “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations” in the world because “it blurs differences and the value of men and women.” A declaration the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released last March with Francis’s approval condemned gender-affirming surgeries and “gender theory.”

FRANCE

Clips and memes of the song “Nobody Mourns the Wicked,” from the hit movie musical “Wicked” went viral in France this week after the death of Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of France’s far-right National Rally party. Le Pen was 96 when he passed away on Jan. 7 and was the father of current National Rally leader Marine Le Pen.

Le Pen rose to prominence in the 1970s and 80s as a politician with his frequent tirades against immigrants, Muslims, and queer people. He ran for president of France five times, making it to the second round in the 2002 election, where he was defeated in an historic landslide.

In 2018, a court found Le Pen guilty of spreading hate toward homosexuals on three separate incidents and ordered him to pay fines. He had claimed that pedophilia was linked to homosexuality in a 2016 blog video, had told a reporter that having gays in his party was like having too much salt in soup, and then said the husband of a gay police officer who had been killed in a terrorist attack should not have been allowed to speak at the officer’s state funeral. 

In the 1980s, he also advocated for the forced isolation of anyone living with HIV.

But his controversial statements don’t end there. He frequently voiced support for those who collaborated with the Nazi regime in World War II and downplayed the Holocaust, suggesting it was a mere “detail” of history and that mass murders never took place. Those remarks saw him fined by multiple courts over the years.

His daughter Marine took over the National Rally in 2011, and in 2015, the party expelled him over his refusal to attend a disciplinary hearing over his repeated Holocaust denial.

Shortly after news of LePen’s death broke, hundreds of people gathered at Paris’s Place de la République to celebrate, with many waving Pride flags and tossing confetti in celebration. The hashtag “NoOneMournsTheWicked” started trending on French X.

In a fun bit of transatlantic synchronicity, the same hashtag trended in the U.S. three days later, when news broke of the death of notorious 80s homophobe Anita Bryant.

AUSTRALIA

Melbourne’s major Pride festival Midsumma has become the focus of controversy this week, with the lobby group Transgender Victoria announcing it won’t participate in this year’s parade and a group of masked vandals defacing businesses that were showing support for the festival.

Overnight on Jan. 8, businesses along the parade route that supported the festival were vandalized with posters and spray paint calling for a boycott of Midsumma. The vandals were caught on video surveillance but have not been identified.

The posters variously decry the commercialization of Pride and the participation of police in the festival.  

“We will not be satisfied with a commercialized gay identity, that denies the intrinsic links between queer struggle and challenging power,” says one poster. “We are dedicated to fighting the assimilationist monster with a devastating mobilization of queer brilliance.” 

“Queer liberation not rainbow capitalism,” says another, which lists Midsumma’s sponsors as Amazon, Woolworth’s, AGL, and L’Oreal. 

“No Pride on stolen land,” says another poster.

Businesses were able to clean up most of the damage before the start of business Thursday.

On Sunday, Transgender Victoria,, the state’s leading trans advocacy group, posted on its Instagram account that it was suspending its participation in the festival, citing concerns over police involvement.

“A recent community forum and survey conducted by TGV have confirmed a deep and pervasive discontent among TGD [trans and gender diverse] people regarding their interactions with and treatment by Victoria Police,” the statement says. “In light of these concerns, TGV’s Committee has approved a one-year suspension of participation in the Midsumma Pride March. Our future participation is contingent on Victoria Police accepting accountability for measurable change.”

TGV’s statement says it will participate in other Midsumma events and will schedule a Trans Pride Picnic as an alternative to the Pride march. 

Last year’s Pride march was a site of conflict, when a group of about 50 protesters doused a contingent of police officers marching in the parade with pink paint. Officers were seen on video pushing protesters out of the way. The police officers had agreed to join the parade out of uniform and without weapons. 

This year’s Midsumma Festival runs from Jan. 19 to Feb. 9 in Melbourne, with the Midsumma Pride March on Feb. 2 and Victoria’s Pride Street Party on Feb 9.

A prominent LGBTQ+ activist in Cameroon is facing terrorism charges.

Alice Nkom, a human rights lawyer and board president of Réseau des Défenseurs des Droits Humains en Afrique Centrale, a group known by the acronym Redhac that translates to Human Rights Defenders Network in Central Africa, on Jan. 2 received a summons from Cameroon’s National Gendarmerie, or national military intelligence.

The summons follows a complaint that Lilian Engoulou, general coordinator of the Observatory for Societal Development, filed.

Engoulou has accused Nkom of attempting to endanger state security, financing terrorism, and funding separatist groups in the northwest and southwest regions of the country that are fighting for independence from Cameroon.

Nkom in recent months has been vocal over the human rights situation in the country, including LGBTQ+ rights.

Territorial Administration Minister Paul Atanga Nji last month suspended Redhac and sealed the organization’s offices for alleged illegal and exorbitant funding and lack of compliance with government regulations on how NGOs should be run.

Nkom, however, removed the seals. This action prompted authorities in Littoral province where Redhoc’s offices are located to issue the summons on Dec. 19 after she did not appear.

Nkom has described the summons as a political witch hunt, stating she doesn’t acknowledge the Observatory for Societal Development. Nkom added she broke the seals because authorities placed them illegally.

“At the beginning of the year, a new summons, this time issued by the police, at the request of the military court, with accusations of financing terrorism, following the complaint of an association that I ignore from its existence, its leaders, or even the date of its creation,” she said.

“Human rights defenders are small, fragile but courageous, against the authoritarian and totalitarian drift of a state,” added Nkom. “Like the dikes facing the rising tide of injustice, they stand there firm, despite their vulnerability. I am an advocate, a human rights defender, a humanist. Humanity cannot be divided into categories. We are one, all connected by the same dignity.”

Maurice Kamto, a fierce critic of President Paul Biya who is a lawyer and leads the opposition Cameroon Renaissance Movement political party, said Nkom should not face judicial and political harassment. Kamto offered to represent her pro bono.

“She is an eminent figure in the public life of our country,” said Kamto. “She is fighting many battles. We do not share all these battles, and it is not all her battles that are at issue today.”

Kamto further described Nkom as “an important voice in the public arena of our country.”

“It is therefore, unacceptable that she should be the object of the judicial and political harassment that the authorities are currently inflicting on her,” said Kamto. “We cannot stand by and watch this happen.”

Consensual same-sex sexual relations are criminalized under Section 347 of Cameroon’s penal code with up to five years in prison. A 2010 law states whoever uses electronic communication devices to make “a sexual proposal to a person of the same sex” faces up to two years in prison.

A number of Cameroonians in recent years have been arrested — and tortured — for engaging in same-sex sexual relations.

A Human Rights Watch report notes Cameroonian security forces between February and April 2021 arrested at least 27 people, including a child, for alleged consensual same-sex conduct or gender nonconformity. Some of those arrested were beaten.

Biya’s daughter, Brenda Biya, last year posted an image to her Instagram page of her kissing her ex-girlfriend, Layyons Valença, and saying her wish was for them to live in peace as a couple. Brenda Biya deleted the post after it sparked controversy in Cameroon.

Nkom is expected to appear before the National Gendarmerie on Jan. 14, which is also her 80th Birthday.

Reportar sin Miedo es el socio mediático del Los Angeles Blade en Honduras. Esta nota salió en su sitio web el 5 de enero.

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Casi 16 años después del asesinato de la líder trans Vicky Hernández, el general retirado Romeo Vásquez Velásquez fue capturado hoy como supuesto responsable de la muerte violenta de Isy Obed Murillo durante el golpe de Estado de 2009. 

Tras el arresto, la opinión pública ha exigido justicia para Isy Murillo y la activista trans. Ambos fueron las primeras víctimas mortales del toque de queda encabezado por Vásquez Velásquez tras el golpe de Estado contra Manuel Zelaya Rosales en 2009.

La opinión pública se pregunta si de este modo se está allanando el camino para que los responsables paguen por el asesinato de Vicky Hernández e Isy Obed. 

Junto con el general en retiro, las autoridades capturaron a otros jerarcas de las Fuerzas Armadas. 

Estos arrestos, según el Ministerio Público, se deben a que estos militares comandaron y lideraron el operativo en que soldados abrieron fuego contra manifestantes opuestos al golpe de Estado, el 5 de julio de 2009.

Ese día, cientos de hondureños se aglomeraron cerca del aeropuerto Toncontín, en Tegucigalpa, para manifestarse y recibir al presidente Manuel Zelaya Rosales, quien iba a regresar en avión a Honduras. 

Sin embargo, el ejército impidió la entrada de Zelaya en una acción en la cual mató de un balazo en la cabeza al joven Isy Obed Murillo. 

«No solo incumplieron su deber de supervisar y controlar a sus subordinados, sino que, con pleno conocimiento de los hechos, permitieron y facilitaron estas atrocidades», dijo el MP en un comunicado. 

A través de sus redes sociales, Romeo Vásquez respondió que la acusación en su contra es un intento del Gobierno de «callarlo a cualquier costo».

¿Pagará Romeo por el asesinato de Vicky?

Con la captura de Romeo Vásquez, el gobierno de Xiomara Castro parece haber dado un paso firme en busca de justicia para las víctimas del golpe de Estado de 2009. 

Sin embargo, los arrestos de hoy han recibido también las críticas de grupos de la oposición y críticos de la administración de la presidenta Castro.

Por otro lado, la ciudadanía espera que no solo se haga justicia en el caso de Isy Obed Murillo, sino también en el de centenares de víctimas durante el mandato del general Romeo Vásquez bajo el gobierno de facto de Roberto Micheletti. 

Por sobre todo, urge que las capturas de hoy abran la puerta para que las poblaciones LGBTQ+ victimizadas durante el golpe de Estado de hace 16 años reciban por fin una justicia largamente esperada.

Así, defensoras de los derechos de las diversidades esperan que las acciones de hoy sirvan para reivindicar a activistas como Vicky Hernández, asesinada entre el 28 y 29 de julio de 2009. 

“¿Cuándo pagará Romeo Vásquez por el asesinato de Vicky Hernández?” es la pregunta que se hacen las organizaciones defensoras de derechos humanos de las poblaciones de la diversidad sexual en Honduras.

Según la sentencia de Vicky Hernández vs Honduras, la muerte de Vicky fue una ejecución extrajudicial cometida entre el 28 de junio y la madrugada del 29 de junio en San Pedro Sula, norte de Honduras. 

El asesinato de la líder trans se dio en el marco del toque de queda y el golpe de Estado ejecutado por Roberto Micheletti contra Manuel “Mel” Zelaya a través del jefe de las Fuerzas Armadas, Romeo Vásquez Velásquez. 

“Como representantes de las víctimas, exigimos justicia y no olvidar los asesinatos de personas LGBTI+ en el marco del golpe de Estado”, afirmó Indyra Mendoza de la Red Lésbica Cattrachas.

Asimismo, la Red Lésbica Cattrachas pidió al Ministerio Público que no olvide la sentencia de la Corte Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (Corte IDH) del caso “Vicky Hernández vs Honduras”, donde se especifica que el asesinato de la líder trans fue una ejecución extrajudicial.

En su sentencia, la Corte constató indicios de participación de agentes estatales en la violación del derecho a la vida de Vicky Hernández en un contexto de violencia anti-LGBTQ+.

El Estado reconoció en parte su responsabilidad internacional, ya que las autoridades no investigaron con diligencia el homicidio de Vicky. De hecho, según la Corte, las autoridades no consideraron el contexto de discriminación y violencia policial contra las personas LGBTQ+ y las mujeres trans trabajadoras sexuales. 

Asimismo, el Tribunal determinó que, al haber sido asesinada y por el marco jurídico general de discriminación, se vulneraron los derechos a no discriminación y a la identidad de género de Vicky. A su vez, el Tribunal encontró que las familiares de Vicky Hernández resultaron afectadas por el sufrimiento que les causó su muerte, la permanente discriminación contra ella y la impunidad del homicidio.

En razón de estas violaciones, la Corte ordenó diversas medidas de reparación al Estado. Entre estas demandas está promover y continuar las investigaciones sobre el homicidio de Vicky Hernández.

Así reaccionan al arresto de Romeo  

Minutos después de la captura del general retirado Romeo Vásquez para deducirle responsabilidades por la muerte violenta de Isy Obed Murillo, personalidades del ambiente político y social de Honduras salieron a dar declaraciones al respecto en medios y redes sociales.

El padre Ismael Moreno se halla entre quienes manifestaron su satisfacción por las capturas que hacen vislumbrar un rayo de esperanza a las familiares de las víctimas del golpe de 2009. En sus redes sociales, el padre Melo señaló que no es posible dejar “en el olvido” crímenes como el cometido contra Murillo.

“Que la justicia actúe con firmeza y conforme a debido proceso ante un militar que simboliza unas FF. AA. comprometidas con la impunidad. Ningún hecho de violación a derechos humanos y crímenes que vinculan al Estado contra inocentes prescriben ni pueden quedar en el olvido”, escribió Melo. 

De manera parecida se expresó David Murillo, padre del joven asesinado en 2009. «No es persecución política, ¡él mató a mi hijo, él es el culpable!», afirmó el padre de Isy.

🚨 #ÚLTIMAHORA | 🗣️David Murillo: "No es persecución política, ¡él mató a mi hijo, él es el culpable!".

En #EXCLUSIVA, el padre de Isy Obed Murillo se pronuncia ante la captura de Romeo Vasquez Velázquez pic.twitter.com/Y1gX1j1iMP

— TSiHonduras (@TSiHonduras) January 5, 2025

Del mismo modo, el abogado Joaquín Mejía recomendó, por su parte, consultar el informe de la Comisión de la Verdad y la Reconciliación “que establece la responsabilidad de [Vásquez] en las graves violaciones a derechos humanos cometidas en el contexto del golpe de Estado”.

“Según la Comisión, la ‘responsabilidad del general […] está estrechamente ligada a la de Micheletti’”, publicó Mejía en sus redes. Además, afirmó que no debe olvidarse la responsabilidad del resto del Estado Mayor Conjunto.

Mientras tanto, la activista Berta Oliva ofreció un testimonio personal al recordar la manera como acompañó el dolor “de la madre y el padre de Isy Obed Murillo en su exilio en Argentina y en su romería interminable en Honduras”.

Para Oliva, la familia de Murillo ha recibido una “ofensa brutal” con “los años de silencio” alrededor del asesinato.  

Entretanto, Gabriela Castellanos, del Consejo Hondureño Anticorrupción (CNA), volvió a mostrar por qué la consideran una de las críticas más duras del gobierno de Xiomara Castro.

“La persecución, la tortura y el asesinato de manera sistematizada de personas por motivos políticos en el marco del golpe de Estado en 2009, son hechos indiscutibles que hoy se disfrazan en nombre de la ‘justicia’”, aseguró Castellanos en X. 

🗣️ Jorge Cálix: "Si se ha aplicado amnistía a otros como Rasel Tomé, el general puede solicitar ampararse en la misma ley". pic.twitter.com/JqjrIl36pw

— TSiHonduras (@TSiHonduras) January 5, 2025

Otro crítico de la acción de hoy del Ministerio Público, el analista político Olban Valladares, afirmó que la captura de Romeo Vásquez significa que el Ministerio Público “está cumpliendo instrucciones políticas de los que el pueblo ha identificado como los mandamases”. 

Según Valladares, no es posible requerir a Vásquez porque “no se le ha probado ser ni el hechor material ni el intelectual” de la muerte violenta de Isy Murillo. Además criticó que Romeo “forma parte de un Estado Mayor Conjunto, una junta de comandantes, y se enfilan los cañones contra una sola persona”.

Entretanto, para el precandidato del Partido Liberal, Salvador Nasralla, medidas como el arresto del exjerarca militar Romeo Vásquez “sirven para asustar a la oposición”. 

“En el caso de Romeo, lo que tienen que presentar son las pruebas por los que ellos creen que cometió”, agregó el presentador de televisión.

Declaraciones del Candidato Presidencial del Partido Liberal Salvador Nasralla sobre la persecución política que ha iniciado hoy 5 de enero 2025 el gobierno dictatorial de honduras. pic.twitter.com/sPKp49eXx0

— Salvador Nasralla (@SalvaPresidente) January 5, 2025

A las voces de la oposición que se alzaron contra la decisión del MP se unió el Partido Liberal, el cual declaró que está preocupado por la detención de Vásquez, “curiosamente avalada por funcionarios del Gobierno”. 

Además, demandó al Ministerio Público que respete los derechos de Vásquez y pidió “no permitir por ningún motivo que se instale en nuestro país una nueva Venezuela”.

El Partido Nacional, por su parte, exigió «justicia plena, imparcial» y no usar las instituciones para vengarse.

La esposa de Romeo Vásquez, Lisbeth Zelaya, declaró que hace días habían amenazado a su esposo con encarcelarlo y que lo capturaron “sin pruebas”. 

Para finalizar, las Fuerzas Armadas de Honduras se manifestaron la noche de hoy por medio de un comunicado sobre “la captura de tres exmiembros de esta institución”.

A continuación, la institución armada afirmó en el boletín que condena “todo golpe de Estado” y que rechaza “cualquier acción que implique la violación de los derechos humanos y las garantías constitucionales”.

Asimismo, las FF. AA. garantizó “que no habrá más golpes de Estado” y que “por ningún motivo las armas confiadas a nuestra institución serán utilizadas para afectar a nuestro pueblo”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday announced he will resign as the leader of his Liberal Party.

The announcement, which came against the backdrop of growing calls for the embattled prime minister to resign that increased after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was the country’s deputy prime minister, stepped down from the government last month, will set the stage for national elections that must take place before Oct. 20.

CNN notes polls show the Liberal Party would lose to the Conservative Party of which anti-LGBTQ+ MP Pierre Poilievre is the leader.

Trudeau became prime minister in 2015 when he defeated then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was Canada’s prime minister from 1968-1979 and from 1980-1984.

The younger Trudeau is the first Canadian prime minister to have marched in a Pride parade.

Canada in 2022 banned so-called conversion therapy, which Justin Trudeau described as a “hateful and harmful practice.” Justin Trudeau in 2017 also formally apologized to Canadians who suffered persecution and discrimination under the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws — including those convicted of “gross indecency” before Canada decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations — and policies

“We have failed to (protect) LGBTQ2 communities, individuals time and time again,” he said. “It is with shame and sorrow and deep regret that the things we have done that I stand here today and say we were wrong, we apologize. I am sorry. We are sorry.”

UNITED KINGDOM

“RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” winner The Vivienne, born James Lee Williams, has passed away at age 32, their representative Simon Jones says.

In a post on Instagram, Jones announced the star’s passing and requested privacy for Williams’s family.

“It is with immense sadness that we let you know our beloved James Lee Williams — The Vivienne, has passed away this weekend. James was an incredibly loved, warm-hearted and amazing person. Their family are heartbroken at the loss of their son, brother, and uncle. They are so proud of the wonderful things James achieved in their life and career,” Jones says.

“We will not be releasing any further details,” the statement says.

Williams was born in Wales but grew up in Liverpool, where they started their drag career in the late 2000s. In 2015, RuPaul appointed them “UK Drag Ambassador,” leading to them competing in and winning the first season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race UK” in 2019. She returned to the franchise in 2022 for the seventh season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” tying for seventh place. 

The Vivienne also appeared on several other reality competition shows, including the 15th season of ITV’s “Dancing on Ice” and the Christmas edition of “The Great British Sewing Bee.” Their final TV appearance was last month on the Christmas edition of the UK game show “Blankety Blank.”

Beyond the screen, they released their EP “Bitch on Heels” in 2022, and toured as the Wicked Witch in the 2024 West End revival of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Tributes to The Vivienne poured in on social media in the wake of the announcement.”

“Heartbreaking 💔 I don’t know how to say how I feel,” wrote “Drag Race” judge Michelle Visage on Instagram. “My darling @thevivienne_ we go back to when I started coming over here to the UK. You were always there, always laughing, always giving, always on point. Your laughter, your wit, your talent, your drag. I loved all of it but I loved your friendship most of all. You were a beacon to so many.”

The death has come as a shock to many.

RUSSIA

Russian clubgoers have been fined for dressing “too gay” as part of the country’s ongoing crackdown on LGBTQ+ people and expression.

At least seven people were ordered to pay the fines after a raid on a nightclub in Tula, about 120 miles south of Moscow, in February 2024, according to independent Russian media outlet Verstka, which reviewed court documents and video footage of the raid.

Those fined were charged with “trying to arouse interest in non-traditional sexual relations,” which is a crime under Russia’s so-called “LGBT propaganda” laws. They included a man who wore “crosses of black tape glued to his nipples” and a “women’s style corset,” and another man who wore “pink socks” and “an unbuttoned kimono.”

Other offending wardrobe on men included a crop top, black leather shorts, and fishnet stockings.

A judge ruled their clothing was “’inconsistent with the image of a man with traditional sexual orientation,” and fined the men.

Two of the men were ordered to pay fines of 50,000 rubles (approximately $450). That’s a little more than the average monthly salary in Tula, according to Russia’s official statistics agency, Rosstat.

Russia’s crackdown on LGBTQ+ people has expanded dramatically over the last several years. The initial propaganda law targeted only expression that could be seen by children, but it was expanded in 2022 to criminalize all forms of LGBTQ+ organization and expression. In 2023, the Russian Supreme Court declared the “international LGBT movement” to be an “extremist” organization, which was backed up the following year with a decision labeling the “movement” to be “terrorist.”

Verstka reports that at least 131 cases of “LGBT propaganda” charges were brought to Russian courts in 2024, with fines ranging up to 200,000 rubles (approximately $1,850.) 

SINGAPORE

LGBTQ+ activists are crying foul after the Singapore government introduced the island’s first workplace nondiscrimination bill without any protections for queer workers. The are calling on the government to amend the bill to add prohibitions on discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity before it passes into law.

A coalition of activists called SAFE (Supporting, Affirming and Empowering our LGBTQ+ friends and families) published a statement on its Facebook page calling on the government to rethink the bill.

“SAFE and our community partners who have co-signed this statement are resolutely against the bill’s exclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected characteristics under the bill. We deem it as extremely discriminatory, which runs counter to the objective of the bill which is to address discrimination in the workplace in the first place,” the statement reads. “Often when parents share with us their fears for their children who have come out to them, discrimination against their queer or trans children rank high on the list. It is thus distressing for our parent community that the exclusions may inadvertently encourage discriminatory and bullying actions towards their children who are LGBTQ+ persons.”

SAFE’s statement also notes that unfair workplace practices also compound the discrimination that LGBTQ+ people face in other aspects of life, including in housing and education, which contributes to economic precarity.

Singapore’s Manpower Ministry says the new Workplace Fairness Legislation codifies existing, non binding guidelines on fair employment practices that were introduced in 2007, including prohibiting discrimination based on age, nationality, sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, language, disability, and mental health conditions. But those guidelines were issued 15 years before Singapore finally decriminalized homosexuality in 2022.

Singapore is home to one of the largest and most visible LGBTQ+ communities in southeast Asia, and the annual Pink Dot festival attracts thousands of people to celebrate Pride and demand greater rights. 

AUSTRALIA

The Palace Hotel in Broken Hill has been officially recognized as an LGBTQ+ landmark for the role it plays in the iconic film “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” 

In the 1994 film, a trio of drag queens stay at the hotel while driving their bus, the titular Priscilla, from Sydney to Alice Springs in the Outback. 

Fans of the film have long flocked to the Palace Hotel — famous for its many murals — and the hotel even offers guests the “Priscilla Suite” where the characters stayed in the film.

Palace Hill was already listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register, but this week Culture Minister Penny Sharpe announced that its listing would be amended to officially recognize the hotel’s significance to the queer community.

“The interior of the Palace Hotel, with its extensive murals, was a prominent filming location of ’The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,’” the new listing reads. “[The film] introduced LGBTQIA+ themes to mainstream audiences in Australia and internationally. ‘Priscilla’ represented a monumental shift in cinema of the representation of gay and transgender people in Australia.”

“The Palace Hotel has been closely associated with the LGBTQIA+ community and Australian drag artistry since the film’s release.”

Sharpe says the new listing honors the hotel’s importance in queer history.

“Now we’re ensuring its significant role in the history of Australia’s LGBTQIA+ community is officially recognized and celebrated,” Sharpe wrote in a post on Instagram.

Last year, it was reported in Deadline that a sequel to Priscilla was in the development, with the director and cast attached to return. It’s not yet known what the plot of the sequel will be, or if the queens will return to the Palace Hotel.

A law that extends marriage rights to same-sex couples in Liechtenstein took effect on Wednesday.

Lawmakers in the small European country that borders Switzerland and Austria approved a marriage equality bill in May 2024. Liechtenstein is the last country in which German is the primary language to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Switzerland and Austria since 2022 and 2019 respectively. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Germany since 2017.

“This milestone is a testament to the dedication and advocacy of countless individuals who worked tirelessly for equality,” said the U.S. Embassy in Bern, the Swiss capital, in an X post.  

Congratulations to 🇱🇮 on the enactment of same-sex marriage, effective as of today! This milestone is a testament to the dedication and advocacy of countless individuals who worked tirelessly for equality. Wishing everyone a joyful and inclusive start to the New Year! 🌈✨ pic.twitter.com/ZbG5Vd4tOf

— U.S. Embassy Bern (@USEmbassyBern) January 1, 2025

The Washington Blade in 2022 interviewed Scott Miller, the openly gay U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. He was among those who spoke at Liechtenstein’s first-ever Pride event that took place that year.

“It will be a discussion that I think activists will have to work on a lot,” he said, referring to marriage equality efforts in Liechtenstein. “I will support (them) in any way I can.”