#DrivingWhileTrans

Late in 2014, Russia passed a law to make their roads safer. The idea behind this new law is the denial of driver’s licenses to anyone deemed “mentally ill.” It seems like a failsafe plan, but only if the criteria for categorizing the mentally ill is regularized.

Russian government officials claim the new law will not pose a threat to the rights of LGBT Russians, but some LGBT Russian activists disagree. When the propaganda law was passed, the government claimed a similar stance–that the LGBT population would not be affected. They were wrong and many people in the LGBT Russian community were fired and harassed because of it.

The posting for the law on the Kremlin’s website listed many conditions and codes for identifying a person too unstable to drive. Among the list are the codes listed by the World Health Organization for “transexualism” and “sexual relationship disorder.” Though the World Health Organization has pledged to review their outdated information, Russian LGBT advocates are worried that this law and its criteria are just another way that this law will diminish the freedom of LGBT Russians.

LGBT news source, The Alliance, has asked some of its readers to tweet pictures of themselves driving with the hashtag #DrivingWhileTrans to send a message to Russian president Vladmir Putin’s administration in hopes they will understand that “there is nothing ‘disordered’ about being trans.

Michigan Judge accepts same-sex marriage

Last year the state of Michigan had a 24 hour-stint of time allowing same-sex couples to get married. However, Michigan has been actively fighting to keep a ban on same-sex marriage since states started changing their laws. During the 24 hours of legal same-sex marriage, approximately 300 same-sex couples were married.

For a long amount of time, the state of Michigan refused to acknowledge the same-sex marriages performed within that 24-hours. Recently, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced that he and his administration will recognize those 300 same-sex marriages which will allow the couples to receive the same benefits as all married couples in Michigan.

The recognition of these 300 same-sex marriages does not change Michigan’s plan to defend the state ban on same-sex marriage in the U.S. Supreme Court later this year. Michigan is one of four states going to the Supreme Court this year about same-sex marriage rights, and many agree that these cases could cause a nationwide ruling on same-sex marriage.