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LGBTIQ

LGBTIQ / 2SLGBTQIA+ legal topics cover rights related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, including protections against discrimination, access to healthcare, family recognition, and asylum protections. LGBTIQ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer. 

2SLGBTQIA+ is a more expansive acronym that stands for Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, plus (additional diverse sexual orientations and gender identities). Two-Spirit is a broad and culturally distinct term used by some North American indigenous communities to describe people who embody both masculine and feminine spirits. Many indigenous communities have their own expansive terminologies as the male/female gender binary is a colonial concept. 

A.S. v. Denmark

A.S., a Uganda national, applied for asylum in Denmark.  She claimed she was wanted in Uganda and at risk of being killed there because she was a lesbian.  She was forced to marry a man and have three children, and when he died, she made a living working in a bar frequented by lesbians.  Three men made advances to her in the bar, she turned them down, and they became aggressive.  Her home was ransacked and burned, her belongings were stolen, and the police looked for her, including at her mother’s house.

Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade 4275 (Direct Action of Unconstitutionality)

Brazil’s Supreme Court decided by a majority that transgender individuals could change their legal name and gender originally included in their civil registry, without the presentation of psychological or medical evaluation, hormonal treatment, transition surgery, or any other medical procedure. The majority understood that no judicial authorization is necessary for the amendment, stating only a self-written report of the trans person is sufficient to change his/her legal name.

Adoption (Amendment) Act 2017

The 2017 Act amends and extends the law in relation to the adoption of children and made conforming amendments to other legislation.  Among other things, the Act, in conjunction with the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 (available here), enables adoption by same-sex couples. The Act, in particular, amends use of heterosexual phrases in legislation, introducing more neutral terminology for words such as “parent” and “relative” (Section 3).

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