Asia
Never knew PRIDE like this before – Thailand Pride Festival 2022: Pride for Unity and Diversity
The coalition of Thai LGBTQI groups, a network of individuals and community-based organizations working to advance the human rights of LGBTQI community for decades, hosted the premier Thailand Pride Festival 2022 during 25-27 November 2022 in Bangkok as the annual and national event. Under the concept of “Unity and Diversity”, this festival aims to raise… Read more »
Hong Kong court strikes down ‘unacceptable’ gender law that forces surgery on trans people
Hong Kong’s highest court handed down a landmark ruling that will allow trans people to change their gender on identity cards without undergoing surgery. Trans activist Henry Edward Tse and another trans man, only identified as “Q”, filed a legal challenge in 2019 against the government’s current policy that trans people can only update their… Read more »
Indian government refused to appoint openly gay judge: Supreme Court
New Delhi – India’s government has refused to appoint a senior lawyer as a judge because he is gay and has a foreign partner, the country’s Supreme Court said. New Delhi only decriminalised gay sex in 2018 with a Supreme Court ruling, and opposition to gay rights is widespread in the largely conservative and devout… Read more »
Edwin Chiloba: LGBTQ activist found dead in Kenya
Police in Kenya are investigating the death of young fashion designer and LGBTQ activist Edwin Chiloba after his body was found dumped in a metal box by the roadside near the town of Eldoret. A suspect believed to be a friend of the victim has been arrested but police have not spoken about a motive.… Read more »
‘More work needed’ to eradicate Aids by 2030
Civil society organisations that advocate on behalf of Aids victims and related issues have urged the government to work harder to achieve the goal of wiping out cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome… During a recent media interview, Midnight Poonkasetwattana, executive director of the Asia Pacific Coalition for Male Sex Health (APCOM), said there are… Read more »
Superheroes, jazz, queer art: how Pakistan’s transgressive pop culture went global
In August, Pakistan’s three censor boards cleared Saim Sadiq’s award-winning film Joyland for release. Shot in Lahore, the film is about a young married man from a conservative family who finds work at a dance theatre and falls in love with a trans woman struggling to land her moment on stage. It was the first… Read more »
Gay couples in India ask Supreme Court to legalise same-sex marriage
New Delhi (Reuters) – Four gay couples have asked India’s Supreme Court to recognise same-sex marriages, setting the stage for a legal face-off with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government which has in the past refused to legalise such marriages. In a historic verdict in 2018, India’s top court decriminalised homosexuality by scrapping a colonial-era ban… Read more »
‘Queersapien’ by Sharif D. Rangnekar and queer as new normal
For a queer person, “coming out” happens multiple times. First and the most difficult one is coming out to the self, then the family and close friends and ultimately to the larger world. The process is neither linear nor always progressive. For instance, during the Covid-19 emergency, many queer persons had to move back into… Read more »
Gay couples in India ask Supreme Court to legalise same-sex marriage
New Delhi (Reuters) – Four gay couples have asked India’s Supreme Court to recognise same-sex marriages, setting the stage for a legal face-off with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government which has in the past refused to legalise such marriages. In a historic verdict in 2018, India’s top court decriminalised homosexuality by scrapping a colonial-era ban… Read more »
LGBTQ people remain outcasts in Muslim world
Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AP) — On the outskirts of Yogyakarta is a small boarding school with a mission that seems out of place in Indonesia, a nation with more Muslim citizens than any other. Its students are transgender women. It is a rare oasis of LGBTQ acceptance across the far-flung Muslim world. Many Muslim nations criminalize… Read more »
LGBTQ people remain outcasts in Muslim world
Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AP) — On the outskirts of Yogyakarta is a small boarding school with a mission that seems out of place in Indonesia, a nation with more Muslim citizens than any other. Its students are transgender women. It is a rare oasis of LGBTQ acceptance across the far-flung Muslim world. Many Muslim nations criminalize… Read more »
Thailand Pride Festival 2022
Thailand Pride Festival 2022:Pride for Unity and Diversity The coalition of Thai LGBTQI groups, a network of individuals and community-based organizations working to advance the human rights of LGBTQI community for decades, hosted the premier Thailand Pride Festival 2022 during 25-27 November 2022 in Bangkok as the annual and national event. Under the concept of… Read more »
Tokyo issues long-awaited same-sex partnership certificates
Partnership certificates allow same-sex couples to be treated as married couples in areas like housing, health and welfare Tokyo’s metropolitan government began issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples who live and work in the capital on Tuesday, a move that’s been long-awaited in a country that still does not allow equal marriage. The status does… Read more »
Indonesian soldiers get jail time for gay sex
Jakarta: Two Indonesian soldiers have been given a seven-month jail term for having gay sex, which is banned by the Southeast Asian nation’s military as “inappropriate behavior.” The soldiers, who joined the army last year and were based on the archipelago’s main island of Java, were also booted from the army, according to a military… Read more »
Hun Sen marks World AIDS Day
Cambodia was recognised for having a treatment rate of over 99 per cent for HIV-positive persons, which is the highest rate in the Asia Pacific region. As of the second quarter of this year, there were 63,610 HIV-positive patients receiving anti-viral therapies free of charge from state-run hospitals, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen. The… Read more »
South Korea’s supreme court rules on legal transgender recognition
In a victory for LGBTQ rights, South Korea’s supreme court ruled that transgender people have the right to change their legal sex status, regardless of whether they have underage children. Click link for audiohttps://www.npr.org/player/embed/1139190242/1139190243 TranscriptA Martinez, Host:South Korea has been a democracy for more than three decades. Now, despite this, some minorities, including sexual minorities,… Read more »
South Korea’s supreme court rules on legal transgender recognition
In a victory for LGBTQ rights, South Korea’s supreme court ruled that transgender people have the right to change their legal sex status, regardless of whether they have underage children. A Martinez, Host: South Korea has been a democracy for more than three decades. Now, despite this, some minorities, including sexual minorities, are still battling… Read more »
Tokyo issues long-awaited same-sex partnership certificates
Partnership certificates allow same-sex couples to be treated as married couples in areas like housing, health and welfare Tokyo’s metropolitan government began issuing partnership certificates to same-sex couples who live and work in the capital on Tuesday, a move that’s been long-awaited in a country that still does not allow equal marriage. The status does… Read more »
Taiwan celebrates diversity, equality in east Asia’s largest Pride march
Taipei – About 120,000 people, many carrying rainbow flags, marched through Taiwan’s capital Taipei on Saturday to celebrate LGBTQ+ equality in east Asia’s largest Pride march. Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in 2019 in a first for Asia, and is proud of its reputation as a bastion of LGBTQ+ rights and liberalism. The rainy streets of… Read more »
Here’s how hundreds of Chinese same-sex couples are getting married in Utah
Two laws in the state have converged to make this possible. A legal loophole has led a slew of LGBTQ couples from China – where same-sex marriage is not recognized – to get legally married in Provo, Utah. Two laws in the state have converged to make this possible. Number one: the state of Utah… Read more »
Vietnam says homosexuality ‘not a disease’ in win for gay rights
Announcement from Health Ministry also bans conversion therapy but lacks enforcement powers. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Phong Vuong was preparing for the launch of a campaign advocating for the legalisation of gay marriage when he heard that the government had decided that homosexuality was “not a disease”. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health also announced… Read more »
Singapore to Repeal Ban on Sex Between Consenting Men
In announcing the move, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong took a step long sought by gay rights advocates, but he said same-sex marriage would continue to be illegal. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said on Sunday that the government would repeal the country’s colonial-era law criminalizing sex between men, a step long sought… Read more »
LGBTQ+ RIGHTS Organisation APCOM Receives Funding From Canadian Government
The funding from Global Affairs Canada amounts to US$1.69 million Apcom, a Thailand-based not-for-profit organisation championing the rights and inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities in Asia-Pacific, has received the backing of the Canandian government. It is one of three organisations to receive about US$1.69 million in funding support from Global Affairs Canada. Apcom focuses on advancing… Read more »
Meet the brave transgender refugee staging the ‘world’s first’ LGBTQ+ Afghan protest
“Life before the Taliban was also not easy for us, but after the coming of the Taliban, everything was totally destroyed.” Afghanistan has never been a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people, but for trans women like Ozlam, the Taliban takeover in August 2021 plunged her into danger in a way she’d never experienced before. Overnight,… Read more »
LGBTQ+ RIGHTS ORGANISATION APCOM RECEIVES FUNDING FROM CANADIAN GOVERNMENT
The funding from Global Affairs Canada amounts to US$1.69 million Apcom, a Thailand-based not-for-profit organisation championing the rights and inclusion of LGBTQ+ communities in Asia-Pacific, has received the backing of the Canandian government. It is one of three organisations to receive about US$1.69 million in funding support from Global Affairs Canada. Apcom focuses on advancing… Read more »
India’s transgender population struggles with unhelpful hospitals and high costs
India’s transgender community faces many obstacles to accessing quality health care, especially when it comes to the costs of gender affirmation surgery. Manisha Khera, a transgender person from Mumbai, has been saving up for several years for a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and at a later stage a sex reassignment surgery (SRS) but finds the… Read more »
How Thailand Is Blazing Trails on Gay Rights, Legalizing Marijuana
Thailand is largely regarded as a conservative, deeply religious country, with a military prone to intervening in politics and a king for whom “revered worship” is stipulated in the constitution. It’s also the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis and the first in Southeast Asia to move toward legalizing same-sex unions. Such developments stand… Read more »
China’s Tsinghua University Punishes Students for LGBTQ Flags
Advocacy for LGBTQ people increasingly tough in Xi’s ChinaClampdown on sexual diversity has deepened in top universities Two students at one of China’s most prestigious universities were issued warnings for distributing LGBTQ rainbow flags, highlighting how the nation’s increasing intolerance for sexual diversity is extending further into campuses. The pair were reprimanded for placing 10… Read more »
Tokyo Plans Recognition of Same-Sex Unions, But Not Marriage Equality
The city of Tokyo has announced a plan to give legal recognition to same-sex unions, but they will not be the same as marriages. Officials with Tokyo’s metropolitan government have proposed offering a certificate to same-sex couples, which would give them access to joint apartment rentals, hospital visitations, and other privileges that are often limited… Read more »
What’s it like to travel the world as a nomadic trans couple?
When queer, trans couple Sujay and Erick first met, just over two years ago, they quickly realized they shared plenty in common. This included a love of traveling and discovering new countries and cultures. A joint Instagram (@twotransnomads) they set up now documents their travels. They talked to GayCities about their favorite locations and some… Read more »
Japan’s first trans march held in Tokyo’s Shinjuku area to raise awareness on rights
Tokyo – Japan’s first ever trans march was held in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on Nov. 20, and called on people to recognize human rights and dignity for the transgender community. Some 400 participants marched for about 1.7 kilometers in the area surrounding Shinjuku Station and through high-rise buildings downtown, while holding up trans pride flags… Read more »
China to ban video games featuring same-sex relationships, ‘effeminate’ men and moral choices
China will ban video games featuring same-sex relationships, ‘effeminate’ men and moral choices, according to a leaked memo. The internal memo from a recent internal training by the state-backed gaming association was revealed by the South China Morning Post, lays out new restrictions for approving video games in China. According to the publication, the memo… Read more »
Afghanistan gay rights
As the Taliban appeared on every corner of Kabul, Marwa and her friend — both gay Afghans — took the drastic decision to become husband and wife. The hurried marriage was conducted with no ceremony or family around them. “I was telling myself that the Taliban would come and kill me,” the 24-year-old told AFP… Read more »
Hong Kong Gay Games postponed for one year
Organizers cite potential COVID-related travel restrictions Hong Kong – Officials with Gay Games Hong Kong 2022, the committee organizing the quadrennial international LGBTQ sports event scheduled to take place in Hong Kong in November 2022, announced on Sept. 15 that the Gay Games will be postponed for one year due to concerns over the COVID-19… Read more »
Gay Games in Hong Kong face attacks as China’s proxies target LGBT groups
Hong Kong — When Hong Kong was announced in 2017 as host of the 11th Gay Games next year, the first time the event would be held in Asia, it was a nod to the city’s status as a cosmopolitan place and a relative bright spot in the region for progressive causes. Now, attacks on… Read more »
Six Islamic militants sentenced to death for brutal murder of gay rights activists
Six members of an Islamic militant group have been sentenced to death for the brutal murder of two prominent Bangladeshi gay rights activists. Bangladesh’s LGBT+ community was left in shock in April 2016 when Xulhaz Mannan, 35, and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, 25, were found hacked to death in Mannan’s apartment. Mannan was the editor of… Read more »
Taliban cut Afghan man’s body into pieces to ‘show what they do with gay people’
A gay man in Afghanistan has described how the Taliban killed his boyfriend and “cut his body into pieces” to “show what they do with gay people”. The 26-year-old, going by the pseudonym of “Gabir” to protect his identity, told the i that he and his boyfriend were sitting in a restaurant together in Afghanistan’s… Read more »
Column: The Taliban’s return means death for LGBTQ Afghans. Biden, will you help?
President Biden is held in high regard in the LGBTQ community, largely for his “Meet the Press” interview in 2012, when as vice president he endorsed same-sex marriage ahead of President Obama. As the boss now, Biden has continued that support: bringing Pride Month celebrations back to the White House and creating an administration with… Read more »
Taliban promises to brutally execute gays if it regains power in Afghanistan
Gay people, a Taliban judge promised, will be prosecuted and executed by stoning or pushing a wall on top of them. A Taliban judge is promising that Sharia law will be reinstated in Afghanistan after coalition forces have left the country and the brutal Islamic force regains power. Gay people, he promised, will be prosecuted… Read more »
News cameraman dies after being beaten by a bloodthirsty mob protesting a pride parade
Authorities say the riot and death were “very unfortunate” but “violence happens everywhere.” A Georgian news cameraman has died after being beaten by a mob of anti-LGBTQ protestors who were angry over a planned Pride march in the former Soviet country. The parade was called off after protestors ransacked the Tblisi Pride office and beat… Read more »
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