Progressive or regressive: Was 2022 a good year for the LGBTQIA+ community? Here's the year in review

The year 2022 has been a mixed one for the LGBTIA+ community, with many highs and lows. Even as the world moves towards a more progressive and inclusive road, this year saw some major setbacks. Here's a month-wise summary of how the year fared for the community:

The year started on a positive note with Germany appointing Sven Lehmann as its first  LGBTQ+ commissioner, a role created under the new coalition government's plans for cultural modernisation.

In Texas, US Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services ordering them to begin investigating the parents of children who undergo "sex change procedures," which the governor wrote "constitute child abuse under existing Texas law."

China censored teh popular 90s US sitcom "Friends". the censored content includes scenes depicting/showing  LGBT issues,  removed lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-related content.

March was a damning month for transgender rights in the US.

In Texas, an appeals court imposed a temporary injunction which prohibits the state from investigating parents who provide their transgender children certain medical care that Governor Greg Abbott in February branded "child abuse."

Republican governors of Oklahoma and Arizona signed bills banning transgender athletes from girls' school sports.

The US Justice Department eventually had to send a letter to states warning them against passing legislation that would discriminate against transgender youth, including measures that would ban them from seeking gender-affirming treatments.

Meanwhile, Idaho's Senate blocked a controversial bill that would have outlawed gender-affirming healthcare for transgender children under the age of 18.

In the United Kingdom, Jamie Wallis a lawmaker in the-then Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party came out as trans and announced his plan to change his gender identity to become Britain's first openly transgender member of parliament.

However, a London tribunal ruled that Domestic Partnership Act, a 2018 Bermuda law that bans same-sex marriage in the British overseas territory is constitutional. This means while couples can form partnerships they can't marry.

Chile's Javier Silva and Jaime Nazar became the first two men to tie the knot after a law allowing same-sex marriage went into effect.

Alabama's Republican governor signed into law a bill that criminalises gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth, making it a felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison to provide medical care including hormone treatment, puberty blockers and surgery to help align physical characteristics to the gender identity of a minor.

May saw 16 US states pledge to introduce legislations providing legal refuge to transgender youth and their families displaced by restrictive laws in their states.

Meanwhile South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster signed "Save Women's Sports Act" a bill banning transgender athletes from playing school sports that match their gender identity.

In Alabama, providing gender-affirming medical treatment to transgender youth  was made a felony. However, later a part of this ban was blocked by a judge who rued that transgender minors can use medicine to transition.

June was a mixed month.

In Poland, a top appeals court ruled that the so-called "LGBT-free zones" must be scrapped in four municipalities. The so-called LGBT-free zones sought to ban what local authorities see as the promotion of homosexuality and other minority sexual identities, especially in schools.

United States President Joe Biden proposed Title IX protections against sex discrimination to include transgender students, which would mark the first time trans students would've be explicitly protected under the law.

On the other hand, Louisiana banned transgender girls from joining girls' sports teams. The same month Ohio's House of Representatives passed a bill that bans transgender girls from school sports and require genital verification from a doctor if a student's sex is called into question.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stop state officials from treating transgender healthcare like estrogen or testosterone treatments or hormone blockers for minors as a form of child abuse.

In Japan, a court ruled that the nation's ban on same-sex marriages was not unconstitutional. 

In August, a federal judge in Tennessee, US temporarily blocked Biden administration directives allowing transgender workers and students to use bathrooms and locker rooms and join sports teams that correspond with their gender identity. Judge Charles Atchley Jr. of the Eastern District of Tennessee ruled that the directives would make it impossible for some states to enforce their own laws on transgender athletes' participation in girls' sports and access to bathrooms.

Switzerland's 57-year-old Alois Carnier, 57, and 67-year-old Peter Leu became the first couple to be wed as same-sex marriages became legal in the country.
 

August saw 'transgender hate' in Utah, US, where the state's government attempted to impose an all-out ban on transgender girls competing in girls' sports in schools. This move was paused by a judge, but now transgender girls' participation will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

In September, India welcomed its first ever matchmaking website 'RainbowLuv' that caters to LGBTQIA+ community.

France's Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced that the French government will soon create an ambassador's post promoting LGBTQ rights across the world.

Cuba in an overwhelming vote approved Gay marriage and adoption in a government backed referendum. 

In Montana, US a judge blocked the state from enforcing a new rule that prohibited transgender individuals from changing gender on their birth certificate.

With Tamaulipas approving a resolution sex unions became legal in all 32 Mexico states.

Tokyo, Japan started issuing certificates recognising same-sex couples. Thanks to this LGBT couples will now be treated as married couples and can avail a range of services in areas like housing, medicine and welfare.

Japan introduced a sperm donation law that could outlaw teh procedure for lesbian couples and single women.

Chile issued its first gender-neutral identity document with a brand-new Gender 'X' that marks someone who doesn't identify as male or female.Singapore banned '#LookAtMe' a film on LGBTQ and religious issues. The nation also penalised Vogue Singapore for promoting 'non-traditional' families.

In occupied West Bank, a gay Palestinian man was reportedly beheaded for his sexualty.

This year's Brazil congress election proved to be 'historic' as two black trans women were elected to the lower house.

Slovenia legalised same-sex marriages and became the eastern European country to give gay couples the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts.

In November, traditional Japan refused to follow the progressive way and a Tokyo court ruled that the Japanese constitution's definition of marriage as a union "with the mutual consent of both sexes". 

Singapore lifted the ban on sex between two men but also bolstered the existing definition of marriage as between two men, effectively blocking marriage equality for same-sex couples.

Russia passed legislation banning what it called "LGBT propoganda" and increasing punishment, and fines for those found in breach. 

The month also saw a hate crime. In the United States' Colorado Springs, more than a dozen people were injured and five were killed at a mass shooting at Club Q a popular LGBT nightclub.

The New York marathon allowed people to participate in the non-binary category for the second year. In 2022, for the first time, the category carried a $5,000 prize for the first-place runner.

Also in the US, the LGBTQ community created history with non-binary candidates running in from all 50 states and Washington in this year's mid-term elections.

Ecuador marked the 25th year of the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn lifted strict gender-based rules for staff uniforms to allow employees to mix and match traditional outfits according to their identity.

December saw Spain join a select few countries in allowing its citizens to change the gender on their national ID through a simple self-declaration. Under it, citizens above 16 years of age can easily make the change. Additionally, it also bans conversion therapies, promotes non-discrimination against LGBTQ people in the workplace and seeks "to advance the inclusion" of transgender women in particular who tend to be disproportionately affected.

In the US, President Joe Biden signed a bill granting federal protection to same-sex marriages. "Love is love. Right is right. Justice is justice," he said while signing the bill into law. It comes almost seven years after the US Supreme Court legalised same-sex unions.

December also saw Indonesia ban sex outside marriage. In a country where same-sex marriages aren't legally allowed this law has been seen as a "nail in the coffin" for LGBTQ couples.

The Malaysian state of Terengganu too in a stepback passed a law that punishes women for donning men's clothing and conceiving out-of-wedlock pregnancies.