Ryan Thoreson
Human Rights Watch
New York, NY, United States
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Past articles by Ryan:
US Congress Protects Right to Marry
On December 8, 2022, the US Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects statutory recognition of interracial and same-sex marriages in the United States. → Read More
US State Readies First Anti-Transgender Bill of 2023
Just one day after the midterm elections in the United States, lawmakers in Tennessee filed bills to ban gender-affirming health care for children in next year’s state legislative session. → Read More
Romania — Latest EU Hotspot in Backlash Against LGBT Rights
Romania is considering a dangerous bill to prohibit educational materials that discuss homosexuality and gender transition. → Read More
South Korean Court Limits Military ‘Sodomy’ Law
In a victory for human rights in South Korea, the country’s Supreme Court on April 21 overturned the conviction of two men prosecuted under article 92-6 of the Military Criminal Act, which prohibits same-sex activity between soldiers with possible punishments of up to two years in prison. → Read More
Hungarian Groups Fight Fines for Supporting LGBT Rights
The National Election Committee should drop the fines and the government should stop seeking to deter and punish civil society organizations that defend LGBT rights and children’s rights in Hungary. → Read More
Texas Officials Threaten Transgender Children and Families
This week, the attorney general of the US state of Texas took the extreme position that gender-affirming health care for children should be criminalized as a form of child abuse. Texas Governor Greg Abbott subsequently ordered state agencies to investigate parents whose children are receiving gender-affirming health care and threatened punishment for professionals who fail to report it. → Read More
Florida Advances 'Don’t Say Gay' Bill
On February 17, a Florida committee advanced a bill that would restrict discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools. The bill would ban discussing these issues in primary schools and restrict how they are discussed in other grades if they are deemed “age-inappropriate.” However, it does not specify what would be considered age-appropriate, or who decides. → Read More
LGBT Rights Under Renewed Pressure in Hungary
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights and the groups who work to protect them are under fresh pressure in Hungary. → Read More
South Dakota Embraces Attacks on Transgender Kids
After seven years of failed attempts to bar transgender kids from playing sports, South Dakota has enacted a law prohibiting transgender girls from participating with their cisgender peers. The new law makes South Dakota the tenth state in the US to enact a law banning transgender children from playing sports, and the first to enact an anti-transgender law this year. → Read More
Namibian Court Rules It Cannot Require Recognition of Same-Sex Marriages
Namibia’s High Court ruled last week that it could not require that the marriages of two same-sex couples conducted outside of the country be granted legal recognition. → Read More
South Korean Court Declines to Recognize Same-Sex Partners
A court in Seoul, South Korea has rejected a same-sex couple’s bid for spousal health insurance benefits, underscoring the lack of legal protections for same-sex couples in the country. → Read More
Biden Administration Confronts US Anti-Trans Violence
To commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20, the Biden administration issued a report on violence and discrimination against transgender people in the United States. → Read More
To stop anti-transgender violence, lawmakers must address its roots
High rates of violence that transgender people experience are fueled by public hostility, which some lawmakers have stoked. → Read More
How Schools in South Korea Can Help LGBT Youth Thrive
South Korea has the opportunity to become a regional leader in LGBT rights by enacting anti-discrimination legislation and following international guidelines that will help all young people thrive. → Read More
US Supreme Court Avoids Sweeping License to Discriminate
In a highly-anticipated ruling today, the US Supreme Court sidestepped an apparent clash between religious freedom and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. → Read More
US State of Alabama Removes Anti-LGBT Language from Sex Ed Law
Previously, Alabama state law required that sexuality education emphasize “that homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public” and “homosexual conduct is a criminal offense under the laws of the state.” → Read More
When Lawmakers Bully Trans Children, Everyone Loses
As some state lawmakers search for new battles in the culture war, they have introduced bills to exclude transgender children from playing sports with their classmates. Lawmakers in North Dakota should reject these cynical attempts – and send a signal to young people that inclusivity, sportsmanship, and respect are as much the bedrock of sport as competition. → Read More
The United States Still Needs the Equality Act
On a Saturday night in 2017, a transgender woman was about to pay for her purchases at a Walmart in Oklahoma when the cashier stared at her with wide eyes and abruptly closed the check-out lane. “I don’t have to deal with you people,” she said. → Read More
The United States still needs the Equality Act
Most Americans support protecting LGBT people against discrimination, and the Biden administration has pledged to confront it. → Read More
Oklahoma Wants to Make Gender-Affirming Care a Crime
Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming medical treatment, other than counseling, to anyone under the age of 21. → Read More