Latest news with #JennifferGonzálezColón
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Puerto Rico Supreme Court recognizes ‘X' as third gender for birth certificates in landmark decision
Puerto Rico's Supreme Court has mandated that the government include an 'X' gender marker on birth certificates in a ruling issued on Monday. A group of nonbinary Puerto Ricans filed the case, and the ruling allows for the representation of those who identify outside of the gender binary. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. 'Puerto Rico's current Birth Certificate Policy is not supported by a rational basis, and therefore violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,' the justices wrote in their 19-page decision. The court found that while the government might have a legitimate interest in maintaining an accurate record of each citizen's sex assigned at birth, lawyers for the government 'failed to articulate why this particular interest is furthered by treating nonbinary individuals differently than binary individuals.' RELATED: Trump's 'two genders' executive order will hurt millions of Americans: study A federal court in 2018 ordered Puerto Rico to permit transgender individuals to change their gender markers, but nonbinary individuals were left unable to accurately reflect their gender identity on official records. Six nonbinary plaintiffs filed suit in court, and the court on Monday ruled in their favor. 'Their request is simple: to be permitted to have a gender marker on their birth certificate that reflects their true gender identity, like everyone else,' the justices wrote of the plaintiffs in their decision. 'Specifically, Plaintiffs request the Court to order the Demographic Registry of Puerto Rico to modify its application to amend a Puerto Rican birth certificate, to include an option to change one's gender marker to an 'X.'' The justices found the government's current birth certificate gender identification policy discriminatory and that there was no rational reason to deny the plaintiff's request. RELATED: Texas AG tells agencies to ignore court orders on gender changes 'The current Birth Certificate Policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and nonbinary individuals and subjects nonbinary individuals to disfavored treatment, without any justification for doing so,' the justices concluded in their ruling. 'In such cases, it is the duty of the federal courts to intervene, to guarantee the equal protection of all persons under the law.' Puerto Rico's Republican Governor Jenniffer González Colón indicated that she would consult with government lawyers before determining her future course of action. Puerto Rico Representative Jorge 'Georgie' Navarro Suárez announced he was introducing a non-binding resolution condemning the ruling. RELATED: Experience fun in the safe and sunny LGBTQ+ paradise of San Juan, Puerto Rico 'The Federal Court's ruling represents a challenge to the administrative and social stability of Puerto Rico,' Navarro Suárez said in a statement announcing the resolution. 'While we fully respect human dignity and rights, we firmly believe that traditional gender identification based on male and female provides essential clarity and consistency in the administrative processes of the Demographic Registry.' Navarro Suárez is a member of the New Progressive Party (PNP), which advocates for statehood with the U.S. Both of Navarro Suárez's brothers were recently arrested on federal corruption charges. Edgardo Navarro Suárez and Ricardo Luis Suárez were arrested in April and charged with financial fraud and money laundering of federal funds meant for relief during the global economic shutdown. Prosecutors claim the two brothers and a third man attempted to bribe a bank official to help facilitate over $2 million in allegedly bogus COVID-19 relief funds.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Puerto Rico Allows LGBTQ+ People To Use 'X' Gender Marker On Birth Certificates
In what activists say is a landmark decision for Puerto Rico, a federal judge issued a ruling on Monday allowing nonbinary, intersex and gender-fluid individuals in the territory to adjust their birth certificate so that it accurately reflects their gender identity. Judge María Antongiorgi Jordán, of the Federal District of Puerto Rico, ordered the Demographic Registry to amend a form so that people can select 'X' as a gender marker on their birth certificate. Gov. Jenniffer González Colón said she was awaiting recommendations from the territory's Justice Department regarding the ruling, and applicants will have to wait to change their gender marker until the new form is available. 'At a time when nonbinary, gender nonconforming and trans communities are under attack, this historic decision opens the door to the full recognition of their dignity,' said Pedro Julio Serrano, activist and president of the LGBTQ+ Federation of Puerto Rico. 'We celebrate a milestone that allows the equality promised in the Constitution to be put in practice.' Trans people in Puerto Rico have been allowed to change their gender marker from 'male' to 'female' and vice versa since 2018, but until Monday could not choose an option that aligned with an identity outside the gender binary. This difference violates the right to equal protection of all people, according to the court order. 'The Court finds there is no rational basis to deny the plaintiff's request,' the order said. 'The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's current birth certificate policy arbitrarily distinguishes between binary and nonbinary individuals and subjects nonbinary individuals to disadvantaged treatment without any justification for doing so.' The ruling is in response to an October 2023 lawsuit against González Colón requesting the 'X' marker on birth certificates. The suit was filed by six nonbinary Puerto Ricans: Ínaru Nadia de la Fuente Díaz, Maru Rosa Hernández, André Rodil, Yelvy Vélez Bartolomei, Gé Castro Cruz and Deni Juste. The ruling 'represents a respite from so much repression … It's an unexpected victory,' de la Fuente Díaz told Puerto Rican outlet Todas. 'The fact that you wake up every day knowing that they're trying to take away your rights, and the next day you wake up and find that they won the lawsuit, that there's a possibility of continuing to fight in this political climate, shows once again that [U.S. President Donald Trump] doesn't have absolute power, nor does the government of Puerto Rico.' Puerto Rico has long had a history of grassroots activism that protects and uplifts the territory's LGBTQ+ communities — beating 30 states and other U.S. territories in overall LGBTQ+ rights and equity, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Trans and nonbinary Puerto Ricans had been able to choose a third gender marker on their passports since 2021, until Trump signed an executive order threatening it. The January order prohibits the use of 'X' on federal documents like U.S. passports, military IDs and Social Security cards — not state- and territory-issued papers like birth certificates and driver's licenses. Trump's order, which is policy and not law, was temporarily halted by a federal judge in April. At least 16 states and the District of Columbia currently allow citizens to use the 'X' gender marker on their birth certificates, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Many in the LGBTQ+ community have expressed concern about that changing under an administration actively working to roll back civil rights, but activists say they're determined to keep fighting for equality. 'This is proof that when you fight, you win,' said Ivana Fred Millán, director of the LGBTQ+ Federation that's made up of hundreds of individuals and more than 100 community and allied organizations. 'Even with so many attacks, the LGBTQ+ communities are still fighting to achieve the promised equality,' she continued. 'We will not take a step back and will continue fighting until equality is achieved.'
Washington Post
30-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Puerto Rico's governor pledges to improve island's power grid and economy
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico's governor pledged Thursday to improve the island's crumbling electric grid and boost the economy in her first address after being elected last year as anger intensifies over chronic power outages and an increase in cost-of-living expenses. Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, spoke for nearly two hours as she listed her accomplishments since taking office in January and announced multimillion-dollar investments to improve Puerto Rico's health, education and public safety.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Puerto Rico's governor pledges to improve island's power grid and economy
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor pledged Thursday to improve the island's crumbling electric grid and boost the economy in her first address after being elected last year as anger intensifies over chronic power outages and an increase in cost-of-living expenses. Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, spoke for nearly two hours as she listed her accomplishments since taking office in January and announced multimillion-dollar investments to improve Puerto Rico's health, education and public safety. 'Without a doubt, the road has been difficult and full of lessons that we must ensure we don't repeat,' she said. González Colón said the upcoming budget includes funds to hire 800 new police officers, $12 million to hire new firefighters and $24 million to recruit resident doctors as health professionals continue to move to the U.S. mainland, leaving Puerto Rico with few or no specialists in certain areas. She noted that more than 60%, or roughly $8 billion, of the upcoming general fund budget is slated for health, education and public safety. The budget has not yet been approved. María de Lourdes Santiago, vice president of Puerto Rico's Independence Party, said after the governor's address that the numbers announced are not sufficient given that thousands of certain government employees, including police officers, are needed. González Colón, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, decried federal bureaucracy during her address, noting her administration would keep pushing to free some $18 billion in federal funds set aside to improve Puerto Rico's power grid, which Hurricane Maria razed in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm. She also renewed her pledge to cancel the government's contract with Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico. 'The termination of this contract will be a reality,' she said as supporters stood up and applauded. González Colón said reliable power is essential to attract investment as she promised to keep attracting more manufacturing to Puerto Rico. In upcoming months, she said she would announce the expansion of five industries on the island. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. The length of her address and the speed at which she sometimes delivered it surprised some. Political analyst and university professor Jorge Schmidt Nieto said it seemed like a ploy to distract those who have criticized her administration of inaction and the government of so far not approving many laws. 'She tried to bring an optimistic tone because she knows she has received a lot of criticism,' Schmidt Nieto said. Another who criticized González was Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress and president of the opposition Popular Democratic Party: 'If one word describes the start of this government, that word is disorder.' He noted that in the past five months, González has presented three candidates for Puerto Rico's secretary of state, two candidates for its justice department and another two candidates for its labor department. None of those positions have been filled as González's party has failed so far to approve her nominees.
Associated Press
30-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Puerto Rico's governor pledges to improve island's power grid and economy
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's governor pledged Thursday to improve the island's crumbling electric grid and boost the economy in her first address after being elected last year as anger intensifies over chronic power outages and an increase in cost-of-living expenses. Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, spoke for nearly two hours as she listed her accomplishments since taking office in January and announced multimillion-dollar investments to improve Puerto Rico's health, education and public safety. 'Without a doubt, the road has been difficult and full of lessons that we must ensure we don't repeat,' she said. González Colón said the upcoming budget includes funds to hire 800 new police officers, $12 million to hire new firefighters and $24 million to recruit resident doctors as health professionals continue to move to the U.S. mainland, leaving Puerto Rico with few or no specialists in certain areas. She noted that more than 60%, or roughly $8 billion, of the upcoming general fund budget is slated for health, education and public safety. The budget has not yet been approved. María de Lourdes Santiago, vice president of Puerto Rico's Independence Party, said after the governor's address that the numbers announced are not sufficient given that thousands of certain government employees, including police officers, are needed. González Colón, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, decried federal bureaucracy during her address, noting her administration would keep pushing to free some $18 billion in federal funds set aside to improve Puerto Rico's power grid, which Hurricane Maria razed in September 2017 as a Category 4 storm. She also renewed her pledge to cancel the government's contract with Luma Energy, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power in Puerto Rico. 'The termination of this contract will be a reality,' she said as supporters stood up and applauded. González Colón said reliable power is essential to attract investment as she promised to keep attracting more manufacturing to Puerto Rico. In upcoming months, she said she would announce the expansion of five industries on the island. The length of her address and the speed at which she sometimes delivered it surprised some. Political analyst and university professor Jorge Schmidt Nieto said it seemed like a ploy to distract those who have criticized her administration of inaction and the government of so far not approving many laws. 'She tried to bring an optimistic tone because she knows she has received a lot of criticism,' Schmidt Nieto said. Another who criticized González was Pablo José Hernández, Puerto Rico's representative in Congress and president of the opposition Popular Democratic Party: 'If one word describes the start of this government, that word is disorder.' He noted that in the past five months, González has presented three candidates for Puerto Rico's secretary of state, two candidates for its justice department and another two candidates for its labor department. None of those positions have been filled as González's party has failed so far to approve her nominees.
