“We are not going back to the margins”, a powerful speech in defence of trans rights

SPAIN — Más Madrid MP Carla Antonelli passionately defended trans rights before the Assembly of Madrid, responding to an attempt by the far-right Vox party to repeal a law protecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ people. “They want to take away our health care and put our lives at risk, as they did in the past … with their predecessors chasing us, hunting us, in parks and streets. Now, we have left the margins and we are in universities, in companies; we are professors, pharmaceuticals, teachers, actresses, military, police, lawyers, writers… We occupy seats and have a presence in the public administration. We have lost our fear”, Antonelli said. At the end of her speech, when her microphone was cut off, Antonelli shouted: “We are not going back to the margins.” At a time where trans rights are under threat around the world, the phrase has gone viral. Madrid’s so-called “trans law” was passed in 2016, offering a range of protections to trans and gender-diverse people. But the conservative ruling party, the PP, tried to amended it to include mandatory psychological counselling for trans children before hormone treatment, among other criticised interventions. After the proposed reform was declared unconstitutional, the debate returned to the Assembly. The far-right Vox party used this as an opportunity to try to completely repeal the law.

BRAZIL — The Brazilian supreme court has ruled that the country’s national law against domestic violence – the so-called Maria da Penha Law – should also provide legal protection to same-sex couples and transgender people in a unanimous decision. The justices found that the use of the expression “woman” in the law does not exclude transgender women. On including same-sex couples, even if they are even if they are formed by two men, Justice Alexandre de Morae said: “Considering that the Maria da Penha Law was enacted to protect women against domestic violence, based on an understanding of the cultural subordination of women in society, it is possible to extend the application of the rule to same-sex couples, if contextual factors are present that place the male victim of violence in a position of subordination within the relationship.” Passed in 2006, the Maria da Penha Law establishes legal protection for victims of domestic violence, such as the creation of special courts, emergency measures and assistance to victims.

KENYA — In the Legal Notice 153 of this year, intersex has been officially included as a third category on birth certificates. Intersex people are defined as those born with sex characteristics that do not conform to binary patterns of male or female. The recognition “will improve access to essential services such as healthcare and education to intersex persons”, the Kenyan Association of Intersex Parenthood said in a post on X. In Kenya, a census recorded the intersex population for the first time in 2019, registering a total of 1,524 intersex people (0.003% of the population), although it is estimated that they could actually number more than a million.

US — The US state of Iowa has removed gender identity protections from its civil rights code. The bill passed by the local congress was signed into law on February 28 by governor Kim Reynolds, who claimed the gender identity protections erased “the biological lines between the sexes” and allegedly prevented “to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls”. Iowa thus becomes the first state in the country to remove specific anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQIA+ people, in line with president Donald Trump’s statement that there are only two genders. Thousands of people flooded the state capitol to protest the bill. Iowa’s civil rights law prohibits discrimination based on race, religious belief, gender, sexual orientation, nationality and disability in schools, housing, real estate, lending, and employment practices. In 2007, Iowa added gender identity to the civil rights code as a protected classes. The new law not only removes gender identity from the code, it also requires that birth certificates reflect a person’s sex assigned at birth and eliminates the distinction between sex and gender. 

US — Idaho has become the sixth US state to introduce a bill that would classify abortion patients as murderers, following Indiana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas. All of these states except North Dakota have the death penalty for cases of homicide. In February, Republican Brandon Shippy introduced the Idaho Prenatal Equal Protection Act to state congress, proposing to classify abortion as a homicide and eliminating rape and incest as legal exceptions to the state’s ban on terminations. The bill could also open the way to investigating women who miscarry, according to journalist Jessica Valenti who published the revelations in her newsletter Abortion, Every Day. Meanwhile, the New York state increased protections for abortion pill providers, after a local doctor was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury for sending the medication by post to the southern state. New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law that allows doctors to omit their names in prescriptions for abortion pills to prevent prosecutions.

COSTA RICA — The government of President Rodrigo Chaves Robles introduced a bill to the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica that would increase prison sentences for people who have abortions and those who help them. Abortion is only permitted in cases of risk to the patient’s life or health in Costa Rica. In all other cases, it is prohibited. The amendment to articles 118 and 119 of the penal code seeks to increase prison sentences from four to six years for those who perform an abortion with consent. It also increases imprisonment from four to six years for those who cause or consent to their own abortion at any stage of pregnancy. The right-wing ruling party, however, does not have a majority in the legislature, so the bill is not guaranteed to pass.

SPAIN — The Spanish congress has renewed a state pact against gender-based violence with the support of all political parties except for the extreme right-wing Vox. A state pact is an agreement between several political parties, even opposites, to adopt legislation and actions in favour of a public policy. This new pact contains 460 proposed actions against gender-based violence, building upon one approved in December 2017, and incorporating new measures to address economic, digital and vicarious violence. Economic violence exercised by partners and ex-partners would be criminalised i cases of property extortion, fraud, misappropriation and unpaid pensions. Cybercrimes and the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images without consent will also be criminalised. The state pact emphasises that the minor children of abused women are also victims of vicarious violence and should receive assistance and protection from the abusive parent.

GERMANY — Germany’s upper house has passed an amendment to the Maternity Protection Act that extends maternity leave protection to women who suffer a miscarriage after 13 weeks of pregnancy. The bill will take effect on June 1, 2025.  Under current German law, women who lose a pregnancy before the 24th week had to apply for specific medical leave. Under the new legislation, leave becomes an option from the 13th week onwards. Paid maternity leave in Germany covers six weeks before and eight weeks after childbirth, the latter part will now be the same for those who miscarry. The parliament also passed a Violence Assistance Act, which guarantees that women affected by gender-based violence have a free legal right to protection and counselling. The aid scheme includes 2.6 billion euros until 2036. It is estimated that 400 women become victims of domestic violence every day in Germany.

AUSTRALIA — Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has announced its International Gender Equality Strategy, which will focus on preventing violence against women and strengthening sexual and reproductive health and rights around the world. The strategy’s priorities include pursuing gender-responsive peace and security efforts, delivering gender-equitable climate action and humanitarian assistance, promoting women’s economic equality and inclusive trade, and supporting locally led approaches to women’s leadership. « We know that gender equality reduces poverty, strengthens social cohesion, unlocks economic productivity and enhances prosperity for current and future generations, » Foreign Affairs minister, Penny Wong, said. “If women participated in the economy on equal terms with men, it could add up to US$28 trillion to the international economy. »

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — Male inmates raped more than 150 women during a mass jailbreak from Muzenze prison in the eastern city of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A UN spokesperson confirmed that only a dozen women survived the flames when the prison was eventually set on fire. The attack took place on January 27, when fighters from the Rwana-backed M23 rebel group advanced on Goma, eventually taking the city. During the clashes with the government, nearly 3,000 people were killed, while hundreds of thousands were displaced. Over 4,000 detainees escaped from the Muzenze prison, taking advantage of the chaos in the city. The UN warned that women and girls in the country are facing increased levels of sexual and gender-based violence, and the escalating violence could lead to the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war.

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