Global Quickies: Censorship of Feminism, Misogynistic Politician, and Transphobic Bus Stopped
EUROPE
“The European Parliament has launched a hate speech investigation into a Polish politician after he stated that “women must earn less than men, because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent” during a debate this week on the gender pay gap.”
NICARAGUA
“The Nicaragua National Police force has charged five members of a religious sect with murder after they allegedly burned a 25-year-old woman at the stake, claiming she was “possessed by the devil.”“
TIBET
“Tibetan women’s soccer players denied US visas for Texas tournament. US embassy officials in Delhi told 15 players they ‘don’t have strong reasons to go to Dallas’, raising questions about Trump’s policy toward the contested region.”
VATICAN
“A survivor of clerical sex abuse has resigned from a panel established by Pope Francis to address the issue, saying Vatican officials mounted “shameful” resistance to its work.”
URUGUAY
“A 24-year-old woman and her ex-partner are engaged in both a legal battle and a race against the clock in an abortion case without precedents in Uruguay, the only country in South America where the procedure is legal. Last week a judge in the city of Mercedes in the west of the country ruled the woman could not terminate her pregnancy after her former partner lodged a legal appeal to prevent her from doing so.”
SPAIN
“A bright orange bus emblazoned with an anti-transgender message has been forced off the roads in Spain, after activists, trade unions, and Madrid City Council united against it. The slogan on the bus read: “Boys have penises, girls have vulvas. Do not be fooled.”
INDIA
“An Indian government resource kit on adolescent health has received acclaim because of its progressive stance on sexuality. The resource kit by the National Health Mission, written in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, is aimed at “peer educators” – young girls and boys who will be responsible for reaching out to adolescents and discussing issues relating to their physical and mental health and development.”
INDIA
“The director of an award-winning Indian film is fighting film censors to ensure that Lipstick Under My Burkha gets released in the country. Alankrita Shrivastava was recently informed in a letter – badly-worded and full of spelling mistakes – that her film was being denied a censor certificate for being too “lady-oriended [oriented]” with “contanious [continuous] sexual scenes”.”
Featured image by Lynette Olanos (CC)
