The Brexit process is threatening the rights of the LGBTI community, British lawyer Helena Kennedy warns.
After Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal was defeated by a historic margin in parliament, her government survived the no-confidence vote. However, the situation still feels uncertain ahead of the official Brexit date, 29 March 2019.
In an interview with Reuters, Kennedy explained the lack of a government commitment to the Human Rights Act might be a sign the law will be replaced or repealed after Brexit.
The Human Rights Act incorporates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) into the British statute book. It protects citizens on the ground of sexual orientation and gender identity.
‘If you’re a gay man or woman, a person who’s bisexual, a person who’s transsexual, just beware, this is what they have in mind,’ said Kennedy.
The human rights lawyer is also an opposition Labour member of the House of Lords. Moreover, she has always championed LGBTI rights. In 1996, she won a landmark ruling that made it illegal to discriminate against transgender people at work.
Human rights are also at risk thanks to the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a Northern Irish party that supports the government in key votes. The DUP also opposes marriage equality and legalizing abortion in Northern Ireland.
‘Take your signal from the fact that the DUP has been able to exercise so much power in this government.’
Kennedy furthermore added: ‘Look at this small group of people, who are deeply reactionary, homophobic, misogynistic.’
Mehdi is terrified of returning to Iran | Photo: Courtesy of Carlo Rapisarda15 February 2019 15:12 GMTJoe Morgan
A gay 19-year-old is fighting for survival as he fears being executed in his home country of Iran.
Mehdi Shokr Khoda, who also identifies as Christian, is hoping he will be granted asylum in Sweden in his final appeal.
The final decision will be made in two weeks.
Terrified of being deported to Iran
‘I cannot live open as a gay in Iran,’ Mehdi told Gay Star News.
‘They won’t understand something about you. They will just kill you first.’
In his corner is his partner, 23-year-old Carlo Rapisarda – originally from Italy.
The two of them have been together close to a year.
Mehdi followed his transgender sister, who fled to Stockholm from Iran a few years ago. Because she was granted asylum, he traveled to Sweden in 2017 in the hopes he would be given the same protection.
Their parents are unaware of their two children’s true sexual or gender identity.
Finding love in Sweden
Mehdi met Carlo on Tinder in January last year. The two quickly fell for each other and moved in with each other after six months.
‘He understands me well. When we fight we are not fire with fire – we are fire with water,’ Mehdi added to GSN.
‘He’s so mature… This is the kind of thing I love about him so much.’
At the end of last year, the Migration Board rejected Mehdi’s application as they thought he was lying.
They appealed the decision and went to court at the end of January 2019. Carlo testified for their relationship.
‘They want evidence,’ Carlo said.
‘We live together, we love each other, we’ve known each other a long time. Isn’t that evidence enough?
‘There’s not a scientific way – you can’t hook him up to cables and check.’
The couple also got a letter from the Swedish Federation for LGBT rights. It said: ‘There’s no doubt. Medhi is gay and in need of protection. ‘
They were once again rejected saying Mehdi was unable to explain his coming out process.
Rejected on basis of lacking ‘nuance’
Sweden’s government questioned why Mehdi had only been baptised when he came to Stockholm. They also said the 19-year-old’s ‘thoughts and reflections’ on Christianity were lacking.
Mehdi said his faith is private, something he learned to do in Iran.
‘You’re either Muslim or you’re dead,’ Mehdi added.
The couple also blames their failure on a ‘terrible interpreter’.
But what the Swedish courts don’t understand, Mehdi says, is that he didn’t really have a coming out process.
He was bullied for speaking higher than other boys, a ‘gay voice’, from a young age.
At 15, a boy befriended him and gained his trust. But then the boy screen-shotted the chats they had and sent them around the school.
‘It was awful for me,’ Mehdi said, quietly.
Mehdi and Carlo have considered getting married. However, they’re in a Catch 22. To go through the normal route involves getting permission from Iran (not an option). But to get married also means Mehdi needs a resident’s card, something he can’t have without the Swedish government’s permission.
Slim chance at survival
If the asylum appeal fails, Mehdi will have two weeks to leave the country.
If he is deported, his life is in immediate danger.
‘[Officers] will absolutely figure it out,’ he said. ‘They’ll ask questions.
‘If they find out I’m Christian or I’m gay or I tried to seek asylum, they will not understand that.
And if they do win, they’ll be able to start their lives together. Mehdi will be able to finish school, get a job, and start a life where he’s free to do so.
‘I would like to be a pharmacist – make medicine – make people better,’ he said.
And while Carlo is a Master’s student at a technical university, he’s willing to drop it all to follow his partner.
He said: ‘If he has to go to another country, I will follow him.’
A Republican bill in Tennessee would penalise trans people who use a locker room which doesn’t match their assigned gender.
House Bill 1151 was introduced on on February 6 and it proposes expanding the offence of indecent exposure to include any “member of the opposite sex” who enters a single-sex bathroom, locker room, dressing room or shower and shows their “genitals or buttocks.”
It states: “A medical, psychiatric, or psychological diagnosis of gender dysphoria, gender confusion, or similar conditions, in the absence of untreated mental conditions, such as schizophrenia, does not serve as a defence to the offence of indecent exposure.”
Republican lawmaker John D Ragan denied the bill was anti-trans (John D Ragan/facebook)
Republican state representative John Ragan, who introduced the legislation to the House of Representatives, told Nashville’s NewsChannel 5 that he filed the bill for his two young granddaughters.
The 70-year-old added: “This bill is about making sure that it is clear where certain behaviours are appropriate and others are not.
“The expectation is if you are in a restroom that is designated for your sex, you have an expectation of certain conditions.”
Ragan denied that the bill was prejudiced against trans people.
“It doesn’t target them,” he said. “What it does is prevent them from using that as an excuse.”
Tennessee LGBT+ activists condemn Republican anti-trans bill
Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, criticised the bill when speaking to NewsChannel 5
He said that it was “a way of putting in a little bit of language that’s very damaging to the transgender community.
“It’s really about criminalising transgender people in certain kinds of public places.”
— Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project
“It’s really about criminalising transgender people in certain kinds of public places.”
House Bill 1151 is the latest in a group of proposed laws in Tennessee which have been dubbed the “Slate of Hate” by the Tennessee Equality Project and other queer advocates.
Tennessee Republicans are targeting the LGBT+ community
Republican lawmakers Sen. Mark Pody and Rep. Jerry Sexton have introduced SB1282/HB1369, otherwise known as the Tennessee Natural Marriage Defence Act.
The bill declares that the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in favour of equal marriage “does not apply” in Tennessee, as the state’s constitution defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
The proposed law also seeks to enforce the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman in Tennessee, prohibiting state government officials from recognising same-sex unions in any capacity.
The bill also directs the state’s Attorney General to defend Tennessee law if there is any court battle on the issue—which campaigners say is a sign of the true motive behind the plan.
If passed, the legislation would result in a court battle that could have much wider consequences if it reaches the US Supreme Court.
Ragan was also one of the sponsors of SB0848, which calls for adoption agencies to be allowed to reject gay couples if it conflicts with a company’s “sincerely held religious beliefs.”
Photo: Facebook/Asociacion Aspidh Arcoiris Trans18 February 2019
A transgender woman who was killed in El Salvador was reportedly deported by United States immigration officials before her death. They allegedly did not believe her concerns of being in danger in her home country.
Camila died on 3 February, though the cause of death remains undisclosed at this time.
LGBTI organization Presentes is investigating what happened to the 29-year-old sex worker. Some of Camila’s fellow sex workers told Presentes they saw police attack Camila and dump her body.
‘Presentes has asked police for an official response but it has closed the case and has not responded,’ the organization said in a statement.
Asociación Aspidh Arcoiris Trans, another Salvadoran trans group, told the Washington Blade they learned Camila was taken to Rosales National Hospital on 31 January with numerous injuries.
US immigration policies
Camila migrated to the US over threats posed to her in El Salvador. Advocates say that immigration authorities in the US allegedly didn’t believe her concerns and deported her back to her native country.
Aislinn Odaly’s, an LGBTI rights advocate, told the Blade: ‘She migrated to the US because of threats that she had received, but she was deported because they didn’t believe her.’
This case is a magnifying glass on immigration policies in the United States.
Last week, Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the border wall he wants along the US-Mexico border. He did this over a perceived ‘crisis’ at the border caused by illegal immigration.
This, however, affects LGBTI people fleeing the violence and discrimination in their home countries, as seen in the case of Camila.
Even when immigrants make it to the United States, though, they face new obstacles. A recent report revealed US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently holding over 100 transgender individuals.
Sonoma County, California: The Sonoma County Pride Board of Directors is excited to announce Graton Resort & Casino as our Year of LoveEntertainment Presenting Sponsor for Pride weekend on Valentine’s Day. The resort is returning for the fifth year as a major sponsor of Sonoma County Pride.
Board President, JD Donovan says: “The tremendous growth Sonoma County Pride has enjoyed over the past few years is thanks in large part to support from great community partners like Graton Resort. We are proud to be associated with a company that is so progressive and who gives so much back to the community in which it does business.”
Entertainment Director, Shawn Brockmeyer commented, “Graton is a class act. Their support will allow us to continue to improve and expand the variety of entertainment we offer to the public during our Pride weekend events.
Logistics Director, Brian Rogers announced an expanded line-up of events for Pride weekend, which takes place in Santa Rosa May 31- June 2. Year of Love Pride Weekend Events include:
May 31st Let There be Love official Pride Kick-Off Party; Produced in partnership with The Letter People Casa Del Mar – 3660 Stony Point Rd – Santa Rosa CA 95407
June 1st Stonewall to Sonoma, a Heritage of Love Pride Parade 4th Street & Mendocino Ave – Downtown Santa Rosa
June 1st Love in the Square Pride Festival Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa CA 95404
June 1st Love Shack Official Pride After-Party; Produced in partnership with Santa Rosa GayDar The Lounge @ La Rosa – 500 4th Street 2, Santa Rosa CA 95404
June 2nd OutWatch Film Festival 3rd Street Cinemas – 620 3rd, Santa Rosa CA 95404
June 2nd Pride In the Park -Transgender, Youth & Family Picnic including Bark in the Park – Canine & Feline Pets with Pride Juilliard Park – 227 Santa Rosa Ave, Santa Rosa CA 95401
Christopher Kren-Mora, Director of Marketing & Technology stated that, “the diversity of events allows Sonoma County Pride to experience Pride in a variety of venues with different vibes.”
More details will be posted on the Sonoma County Pride website in the coming weeks, including event times, entertainment line-ups and Exhibitor/Vendor and Parade online registration. Please visit https://www.sonomacountypride.org/ for additional information and/or follow the Facebook page for all the latest information.
Sonoma County Pride is dedicated to enhancing the lives and well-being of our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex (LGBTQI) community and allies throughout Sonoma County. We promote equality for all through education and activism, while serving as a liaison with government, businesses and other organizations on behalf of our community. We recognize and celebrate the history, achievements and contributions of the LGBTQI community of Sonoma County.
Sonoma County LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Intersex) Pride Parade and Festival will take place May 31 – June 2, 2019 in downtown Santa Rosa at Old Courthouse Square.
Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has died, aged 85. The German-born, creative director of Chanel had reportedly been suffering ill health over the past few weeks, although no official cause of death has been revealed.
French magazine Closer broke the news of Lagerfeld’s death. Sources at Chanel have confirmed the news.
The designer missed two Chanel catwalk shows in late January. However, at the time the company said it was due to tiredness.
It was the first time he had ever missed a Chanel catwalk show since taking over the helm in 1983.
Career and controversy
Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg in 1933: the son of a businessman and former lingerie saleswoman. He undertook his secondary schooling in Paris, after which he took up a job as an apprenticeship with the designer Pierre Balmain.
He designed his first haute couture collection, for Jean Patou, in 1958.
Lagerfeld built a name for himself during the 1960s, working extensively with Chloe and Curiel. He also began to collaborate with the Italian fashion house, Fendi.
Lagerfeld was appointed creative director for Chanel in 1983, which is when he truly became a global fashion brand. Instantly recognizable, he became as known for his trademark silver hair, ponytail, sunglasses, large white shirt collars and leather gloves as his clothing and accessory designs.
His career was also not without controversies. He was a frequent target of animal rights groups such as PETA for his use of fur in his designs. He also had to apologize after using a verse from the Qur’an in his spring 1994 couture collection for Chanel.
Dubbed ‘Kaiser Karl’ and ‘Fashion Meister’, he was also known for the occasional his bitchy remarks.
In 2012, he said of the singer Adele, ‘She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.’
Once asked his views on Russia, the designer said, ‘If I was a woman in Russia I would be a lesbian, as the men are very ugly.’
He also looked down upon those who made little effort with their attire: ‘Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.’
More recently, he was criticized for his response to the #MeToo movement after saying: ‘If you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model!’
‘Elegance is an attitude’
However, he was also known for his craftmanship and vision. He was an accomplished artist, continuing to hand-draw his own designs until late in life, and photographer.
Among the first to pay tribute to Lagerfeld is Donatella Versace. The Italian designer posted a photo of her with Lagerfeld and a message: ‘Karl your genius touched the lives of so many, especially Gianni and I. We will never forget your incredible talent and endless inspiration. We were always learning from you.’
The mayor of a Mexican border city that has provided assistance to LGBTI migrants says President Trump’s continued demands for a border wall is a political “tactic.”
Jesús Antonio Pujol Irastorza told the Washington Blade on Jan. 23 during an interview at his office — less than a mile south of the Nogales port of entry — that his administration is “prepared for issues of violence,” referring to one of Trump’s justifications for a border wall.
“It is a tactic to go to certain people who want to build this wall…to say, look Congress, look Senate, we need to build this wall because groups of 5,000, 10,000 people who want to stay in the country are coming,” added Pujol.
Official statistics indicate 233,000 people live in Nogales, which is in Mexico’s Sonora state. The city borders Nogales, Ariz.
Daniel Hernández, one of four openly gay members of the Arizona Legislature, represents Nogales, Ariz., in the Arizona House of Representatives. The two cities are collectively known as Ambos Nogales or Both Nogales.
“It is practically one city divided by the border,” said Pujol. “Many have relatives, friends who live there, and many people live there and then come to work here.”
Pujol, who is a member of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) party, was elected on July 1, 2018.
A group of roughly 45 LGBTI migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico arrived in Nogales last November from Tijuana. Pujol’s administration provided them with food, clothing, blankets and rooms in two hotels near the border and access to one of the four migrant shelters in the city.
“We received them like any other migrant, like any other person who comes, seeks help,” Pujol told the Blade. “We received them, we took care of them.”
Pujol said many of the migrants with whom he spoke said they had relatives or friends in the U.S. He told the Blade some of them said they had suffered racism and other discrimination in their home countries or states, but he added most of them migrated because of a lack of economic opportunities.
“They are looking for better opportunity,” said Pujol. “[It is] practically the same reason for any migrant who wants to go to the U.S.”
A group of 16 transgender and gay migrants from Central America asked for asylum in the U.S. at the Nogales port of entry in August 2017. LGBTI Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans were among the thousands of migrants who arrived in Tijuana last November with hopes of seeking asylum in the U.S.
U.S. Army troops who were deployed around Nogales installed concertina wire with razors on top of the border fence in anticipation of the migrants’ arrival. Shipping containers temporarily blocked two of the six vehicle lanes on the U.S. side of the Nogales port of entry.
Pujol spoke with the Blade two days before the Trump administration announced it will begin its controversial pilot “remain in Mexico” program that will force some migrants who ask for asylum at the San Ysidro port of entry south of San Diego to remain in Mexico as they await the outcome of their cases.
The first asylum seeker who was sent back to Mexico under the program arrived in Tijuana on Tuesday. The partial federal government shutdown over Trump’s demands for border wall funding ended on Jan. 25.
The Mexico-U.S. border from Nogales, Mexico, on Jan. 23, 2019 (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)
Pujol acknowledged some Nogales residents have criticized “the president of the United States for his comments that he makes” against migrants and Mexicans. Pujol also told the Blade the Trump administration’s decision to deploy troops and install razor wire along the border fence is “a tactic of intimidation.”
“We here on the border are already used to Border Patrol, to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on the border,” he said, noting Mexicans who want to enter the U.S. sometimes have to wait hours at the Nogales port of entry.
Pujol told the Blade his city is also “used to receiving” migrants, but not in the large numbers that have arrived in Tijuana over the last year. Pujol added Trump’s policies have not deterred them from traveling to the border.
“They are not afraid of what has been happening with the wall, with the new barbed wire,” said Pujol.
JP Petrucione will be the governor’s director of digital media, one of several LGBTQ appointees named by Newsom.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed JP Petrucione as director of digital media in the governor’s office, making Petrucione the highest-ranking transgender appointee in the state’s history.
Petrucione, 45, was previously global digital director for public policy at Airbnb for two years, according to a Thursday press release from the governor’s office. Before that he cofounded and was managing partner at Social Stream Media and worked as a consultant at Storefront Political Media in San Francisco. When Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, Petrucione was his deputy communications director from 2004 to 2007. He was also director of scheduling in Newsom’s mayoral campaign in 2003. A native of San Francisco, he spent the past eight years in Portland, Ore., but now has relocated to Sacramento.
Equality California, the statewide LGBTQ rights group, issued a statement praising Petrucione’s appointment. “Equality California congratulates JP on this exciting appointment,” said executive director Rick Zbur. “The governor and the people of California will be well-served by his talents and the perspective he brings to work each day as an openly transgender man.
“Throughout history, LGBTQ people — and transgender people in particular — have been denied a seat at the table simply because of who were are whom we love. But in just one month, Governor Newsom has demonstrated the strength of his commitment to build an inclusive, people-powered administration that reflects the diversity of our great state.”
Newsom has appointed several other LGBTQ people to prominent positions, notes Equality California. They include Ana J. Matosantos as cabinet secretary, Daniel Zingale as director of strategic communications and public engagement, Nathan Click as director of public affairs, Kris Perry (one of the plaintiffs in the successful court challenge to the anti-marriage equality Proposition 8) as deputy secretary for early childhood development and senior adviser to the governor, and Jesse Melgar as deputy director of public affairs. Melgar previously served as communications director for Equality California.
During Newsom’s transition period, he named three LGBTQ leaders to a panel of ambassadors advising the governor on policy, strategy and personnel: Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, former California Sen. Christine Kehoe, and labor leader Laphonza Butler. Newsom, previously lieutenant governor, was sworn in as governor last month, succeeding fellow Democrat Jerry Brown, who did not run again due to term limits.
“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett reportedly staged an attack against himself in late January after a “racist” letter sent to the TV show’s studio, which contained a white powder, did not get a “bigger reaction,” according to a local Chicago news station.
A source told CBS Chicago the actor allegedly “concocted” the “staged” Jan. 29 attack and paid his “acquaintances”—brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo—over $3,000 to carry it out.
Smollett reportedly opened the letter on Jan. 22 at Chicago’s Cinespace Studios, and the white powder prompted a HAZMAT team to respond. Chicago Police Department told the news station that the substance turned out to be asprin. Cinespace Studios would not comment to The Daily Beast about the incident. Fox, “Empire’s” network, also declined to provide comment or confirmation.
The missive itself contained letters cut out from magazines to create “racial and homophobic threats” towards Smollett specifically. During a search of the Osundairo brothers’ home last week, CPD reportedly found and took a “magazine, a wallet with stamps and piece of paper/writing.” According to CBS Chicago, the FBI is now handling the probe into the letter.
“We are not racist. We are not homophobic, and we are not anti-Trump,” the brothers—one, reportedly an “Empire” extra and the other, Smollett’s ex-personal trainer—said in a statement. “We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens.”
The Osundairo brothers’ attorney, Gloria Schmidt, said “all the facts will reveal themselves” in due time. “At the end of the day my clients are honest and credible,” she told CBS Chicago.
The brothers are now reportedly cooperating with the Chicago police after being released without charges. They reportedly fled to Nigeria after the incident and were arrested upon their return to the U.S.
Initially, Smollett claimed two white men attacked him on the streets of Chicago in the early morning hours of Jan. 29. One attacker allegedly wore a red hat while yelling racist and homophobic slurs at him, and the other poured bleach and tied a rope around Smollett’s neck. On a Feb. 14 appearance on “Good Morning America,” Smollett reiterated the racial overtones of the alleged attack.
“They called me a f—–t, they called me a n—-r,” he said. “There’s no which way you cut it. I don’t need some MAGA hat as the cherry on some racist sundae.”
It was previously reported by CBS Chicago at least one of the brothers allegedly purchased a rope “at Smollett’s request” from a hardware store on Jan. 25, and the brothers rehearsed the attack with Smollett days before it took place. The news station also reported that a red hat was also purchased at a neighborhood beauty supply store.
The brothers told officials Smollett paid them $3,500 before they fled to Nigeria after the attack took place and the actor promised them another $500 upon their return, according to CBS Chicago.
Chicago Police Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi said there were “some developments” in their probe on Sunday. “Detectives have some follow-ups to complete which include speaking to the individual who reported the incident,” Guglielmi wrote on Twitter.
Smollett’s attorneys have denied that the attack was staged by their client.
“As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with,” lawyers Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said in a statement Sunday. “He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”
Schools in France are set to replace the words “mother” and “father” with gender neutral terms “parent 1” and “parent 2” on official documents in an attempt to curb discrimination against same-sex parents.
The new measure is outlined in an amendment to France’s School of Trust Bill and has passed a first reading by the country’s National Assembly on February 12, French newspaper Le Figaro reported.
Supporters of the amendment argue that change is needed to acknowledge the existence of same-sex parents.
Valérie Petit, MP for the REM party, said the amendment aims “to root in law children’s family diversity in administrative forms submitted in school,” according to the Telegraph.
“We have families who find themselves faced with tick boxes stuck in rather old-fashioned social and family models. For us, this article is a measurement of social equality,” Petit added.
The amendment says: “To prevent discrimination, school enrolment, class registers, parental authorisations and all other official forms involving children must mention only Parent 1 and Parent 2.”
Gender neutral terms
The amendment was first raised in 2013, when France legalised same-sex marriage.
The change in law will now have to be approved by France’s Senate, and will then go back to the National Assembly for a final reading.
The change has prompted a debate on social media, with many arguing for and against French schools adopting gender neutral terms “parent 1” and “parent 2” instead of “mother” and “father.”
“For us, this article is a measurement of social equality.”
– Valérie Petit
One Twitter user, Gary Roustan, pointed out that nobody has taken issue with the use of “declarant 1” and “declarant 2” for tax purposes in France.
Others took issue with how parents would decide who would be identified as “parent 1” and “parent 2.”
French schools to replace ‘mother’ and ‘father’ with gender neutral terms (JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty)
This is not the first instance meant to tackling LGBT+ discrimination in France.
Last month, the government launched a new campaign to tackle anti-LGBT+ bullying in middle and high schools.
Anti-LGBT+ bullying in France
France’s Ministry for Education and Youth launched All Equal, All Allies in January, which will see all state schools putting up posters and providing guides about LGBT+ issues.
The move was welcomed by anti-homophobia organisation SOS Homophobie, who said that anti-LGBT+ bullying is a daily reality for thousands of queer students in France.
A report by that organisation from last year found that there had been a 38 percent increase in reports of homophobic acts in schools.
Same-sex parents rights in France
Same-sex parents have been legally allowed to adopt children in France since May 2013, when same-sex marriage came into effect.
However, IVF has been a contentious issue for same-sex female couples, as the medical practice has only been available to opposite sex couples in France for several decades.
IVF has been available in France since the 1980s, but was only offered to opposite sex couples who could prove that they were married or cohabiting for two years.
Single women – or women who do not share finances with their partner – as well as same-sex couples have not qualified for IVF as a result of this.
However, France’s highest court ruled last summer that there is no constitutional or legal reason that single women or women in same-sex partnerships can be denied IVF.
