Ghana Proves Itself to be Ignorant of Human Rights in LGBT Case

The parliament of Ghana has passed legislation that continues to discriminate against LGBTQ people. 

Their new laws impose a prison sentence of up to five years for the "willful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities.

The people of Ghana are apparently not seeing hierarchies as a whole, if they do understand the hierarchy of race.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/28/ghana-intensifies-crackdown-on-rights-of-lgbtq-people-and-activists

Democrats Trying to Get Rid of Missouri Law Prohibiting Pregnant Women from Divorcing

Laws can be very outdated, but here is a great example. 

A controversial law in Missouri doesn't allow pregnant women to get divorced. The legislation has been in place for 50 years, but there is now a push by a Democratic state representative to overturn it.

The state's law was initially meant to "prevent what the courts consider the 'bastardization' of a child," Missouri House Rep. Ashley Aune, a Democrat who represents the 14th district in Kansas City, told USA TODAY.

The law was aimed at protecting families and basically made it illegal for pregnant couples to get a divorce before the mother gives birth.

Conservatives love to define women by pregnancy, and take away any right they can because only women can become pregnant.

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/29/missouri-divorce-law-pregnant-women/72758534007/

Religious "Nones" are Largest Group in US

Perhaps hierarchical religions are turning people off. So many religions think they are the one and only true viable alternative, placing themselves on top of a religious hierarchy that they create.

NPR reports that the Pew Research finds that the religiously unaffiliated – a group comprised of atheists, agnostic and those who say their religion is "nothing in particular" – is now the largest cohort in the U.S. They're more prevalent among American adults than Catholics (23%) or evangelical Protestants (24%).

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1226371734/religious-nones-are-now-the-largest-single-group-in-the-u-s

Gene Robinson: "I felt God called me out of the closet"

Gene Robinson was the first openly-gay bishop in all of Christendom.

Robinson is quick to point out that there have always been gay bishops in the Episcopal Church. "There have been a lot of us, let's just be clear," he said. "I'm just the first openly-gay one."

 "We forget what a big deal it was and how hard it was and how many people were opposed, and the pain it caused a lot of people," he said.

"I can tell you from my own experience, and it's one of the things that led to my coming out: it's an awful thing to stand in a pulpit and encourage people to live authentic lives when you know you're not being authentic," Robinson said. "It's why I felt God called me out of the closet."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bishop-gene-robinson-on-why-god-called-me-out-of-the-closet/

Elevated Access Flies People Across Texas Border for Reproductive Health Care

Texas made obtaining an abortion virtually impossible since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, . For a state as large as Texas, getting to where abortion is legal can be the challenge.

But volunteer pilots are giving flight to women in need of abortion care.

Elevated Access is an organization that coordinates small plane pilots with people in need of an abortion. The match-ups are done online. Elevated Access embraces anonymity. The pilots don’t even know the names of their passengers.

Privacy and secrecy is baked into the process of connecting people who need abortions with pilots who want to help. Elevated Access started a year and a half ago, and so far they’ve flown more than 600 missions for more than 800 people around the country. 

https://www.tpr.org/public-health/2023-12-28/volunteer-pilots-give-flight-to-women-needing-abortion

Ebony Alerts Will Be Used to Highlight Missing Black Children and Young Adults

Blacks make up 14% of the U.S. population but represent 38% of the missing children in the country.

Beginning in January, Ebony Alerts will debut to highlight missing Black children and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25, a tool to be used by the California Highway Patrol and other agencies. 

A larger percentage of missing Black children are classified as "runaways" in comparison to white children, who are classified as "missing," according to the Black and Missing Foundation. This discrepancy affects the information being sent out in Amber Alerts, which notify the public of missing children that are seen to be at risk.

https://www.pleasantonweekly.com/news/2023/12/28/ebony-alerts-debut-in-january-to-draw-attention-to-missing-women-and-children-of-color

Russian Court Bans "LGBTQ Movement"

As part of global moves against LGBTQ+ inclusivity, Russia’s Supreme Court has moved to classify the “international LGBT social movement” as an extremist organization. 

This ruling criminalizes not just any activist working to advance human rights for queer individuals, but could also enable prosecutors to target anyone who supports LGBTQ+ people. 

“If you speak at all about LGBT rights, whether you do it by protesting peacefully, or just posting comments on social media by saying anything in public, anything at all, you're going to be in trouble,” says Tanya Lokshina, associate director for Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division.

https://time.com/6342383/russias-court-ban-of-the-lgbtq-movement/?fbclid=IwAR0V8qqZNBPniutOUkIsrbJNwC2f5-vITZDJrq0UBBcCdoHoqHfZYGCfASY