Asia
Is this the happiest nation on earth?
In Bhutan tourists must contribute at least $250 a day. Anna Leach joins them to delve into the Himalayan country’s Gross National Happiness index. Is it just a gimmick or are the Bhutanese happier than other nationalities? Bhutan: Home to the happiest people on earth – officially. Bhutan is famous for its Gross National Happiness… Read more »
Who are the clients of male brothels?
Male prostitution in Vietnam has existed for a long time but their services, which are illegal in the nation, have not been publicly mentioned, especially by local media. Normally, contact information for rings and male prostitutes are passed from hand to hand among ‘clients’ in confidence to avoid their relations being revealed or commented on.… Read more »
A queer state
This midsummer’s weekend, hundreds of Beijingers enjoyed ales and pies at the second annual craft-beer festival. The Beijing LGBT Centre, a non-profit organisation (for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people), had a stall there too, where they handed out T-shirts and answered questions (pictured to the right). This in itself was a small victory—the venue… Read more »
A look inside male brothels
Male sex workers in Vietnamese brothels usually don’t ‘receive’ guests who are strange or have no recommendation from a certain acquaintance, as the service is banned here. So, the opportunity to visit these brothels is quite limited due to security measures, especially after police arrested two male prostitutes in a hotel in Ho Chi Minh… Read more »
On gay marriage, could Vietnam beat U.S.? Column
LGBT freedom no threat to communists. Hanoi — International human rights advocates rarely give communist authorities here a thumbs up. Vietnamese bloggers, folk singers and journalists are behind bars for deeds and words that in many countries are considered birthright freedoms. Yet in one respect, Vietnam’s powers-that-be seem open-minded. As the U.S. Supreme Court ponders… Read more »
Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History
Lambda literary award finalist, Same-Sex Love in India presents a stunning array of writings on same-sex love from over 2000 years of Indian literature. Translated from more than a dozen languages and drawn from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and modern fictional traditions, these writings testify to the presence of same-sex love in various forms since ancient… Read more »
Despite strong intolerance of gays, Pakistan leads in world for gay porn searches
Despite being strongly intolerant of gay and lesbian people, Pakistan leads in the world for the most Google searches for gay porn, according to a recent analysis of search terms. The analysis, posted by Mother Jones, found that Pakistan was the world leader in searches for the terms “teen anal sex”, “man fucking man”, and… Read more »
Pakistan internet users top Google searches for gay sex despite being one of the world’s most homophobic countries
Survey shows only 2 per cent think society should accept homosexuality Google gives Pakistan a 100 rating in trends analysis of internet searches Pakistan has the highest volume of internet searches for gay pornography despite being one of the least tolerant countries when it comes to homosexuality. The most searches for terms related to same-sex… Read more »
UNDP commends Vietnamese government for addressing the struggles of LGBT citizens, their parents and friends
Speaking at Vietnam’s first National LGBT Community Dialogue, UNDP Country Director Louise Chamberlain acknowledged the efforts of the Vietnamese government to address the struggles of LGBT citizens and their parents, family and friends. Speaking at Vietnam’s first National LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) Community Dialogue held in Hanoi on June 5, United Nations Development… Read more »
Supreme Orders Government to Issue Third Gender Passports
Kathmandu, Nepal – The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the government to issue passports to the third gender by ammending the Passport Regulations. A division bench of Justices Sushila Karki and Baidaynath Upadhyay ruled this responding to a petition filed by Dilu Buduja on July 25, 2011. Buduja, a third gender and an original resident… Read more »
ideo of biggest gay pride parade in China released
Queer Comrades congratulate Changsha Pride for ‘courage’ after the biggest LGBT pride march in China Queer Comrades website, China’s ‘LGBT TV channel’, has released a video about last month’s pride march in Changsha, Henan province. It was the biggest LGBT pride parade in China so far, after Changsha Pride debuted on a much smaller scale… Read more »
Trans women in Bangladesh demand political voice
Newly formed Bangladesh Transgender Welfare Foundation demands equality for estimated 1.2 million trans people in the country Transgender women in Bangladesh are calling for an allocated seat in parliament to speak out for their rights. The demand was made at the launch of a new organization called Bangladesh Transgender Welfare Foundation (BTWF) at Dhaka National… Read more »
Chief District Office of Kathmandu renews annual operating license for Blue Diamond Society after false allegations are cleared.
After a drawn out and painful struggle with the Nepali bureaucracy, the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) finally succeeded today in getting the current Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu to renew its annual operating license that had been suspended since last 9 months. This long awaited and much welcomed move was the product of a… Read more »
No country for gay men?
The deafening silence in the mainstream press, even as blogs and HIV/AIDS alliance NGOs buzzed with obituaries, stood in stark contrast with the media frenzy a decade ago. It has almost been a fortnight since the founder of Naz Foundation International and a pioneering gay rights activist OBE (Order of the British Empire) Shivananda Khan… Read more »
Gay culture gaining momentum in Singapore
Although homosexuality is against the law, the gay community in this city-state has become more prominent recently. Singapore – Homosexuality in this Southeast Asian city-state has been illegal here for more than a century, dating back to law under colonial British rule. In a country that still lashes convicted criminals with a cane, sexual contact… Read more »
South Korea easing homophobic views on news of gay ‘wedding’
South Korea appears to be becoming more accepting of gays following news that one of its movie directors is set to marry his boyfriend. The first time a South Korean celebrity announced he was gay, in 2000, the reaction was quick and without empathy. Popular actor and entertainer Hong Suk-chon was banished from television and… Read more »
Legal protections against HIV-related human rights violations: Experiences and lessons learned from national HIV laws in Asia and the Pacific
Increasingly, countries in the Asia-Pacific region have put in place HIV laws to provide legal protections for people living with HIV. In a follow-up to the report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, Legal Protections against HIV-related Human Rights Violations: Experiences and Lessons Learned from National HIV Laws in Asia and the… Read more »
Recorded abuses against LGBT ‘the tip of the iceberg’
Forum LGBT Indonesia, a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, has recorded 47 cases of abuse against gay individuals across the country over the last year, a figure it says is only the tip of the iceberg. The coalition said on Tuesday that it had collected and studied 47 reports of violence… Read more »
North Korean escapees forced to return home, to rights groups’ concern
Nine young North Korean refugees were forcibly returned to Pyongyang after escaping to Laos. Nine North Korean refugees have been forced to return home after escaping to Laos, drawing protests from human rights groups and concern from the US. The defectors, the oldest aged 23 and the youngest just 15, were arrested in Laos three… Read more »
New web censorship rule bans gay content in Singapore
Websites accessed in Singapore subject to regulations that prohibit ‘material [that] advocates homosexuality or lesbianism’ The Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore is introducing a tough new rule that will censor websites that are read from inside the country, even if they are not hosted there. The new rule, which will come into effect on… Read more »
Chennai holds film festival for LGBT community
30 films, Indian and international, celebrating the LGBT community will be screened at the Chennai Rainbow Film Festival The Chennai Rainbow Film Festival (CRFF) 2013 is an LGBT film festival running from 7 to 9 June 2013 in India. It will be the first in the Tamil Nadu’s capital city, with more than 30 short… Read more »
China: 81-year-old inspired by Pride march to appeal rape conviction
An 81-year-old war veteran charged with raping 11 of his fellow workers during the rise of Mao Zedong says he has been inspired by a Pride march to defend himself for having had consensual sex with men. The man, known only by his surname, Li, said he read in the news about a Pride march… Read more »
Same-sex union bill no cause for celebration The Nation
Bangkok – Lesbians, gays and others seek equal treatment under the law, not special favours and condescension The recent move by the Parliamentary Commission on Law, Justice and Human Rights to legalise same-sex relationships came as a pleasant surprise to the local community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and intersex persons (LGBTIs). Three leading LGBTI… Read more »
Pakistani lesbian couple marry in U.K. defying threats
On a day that a French lesbian love story won the top award at Cannes, two young lesbians from Pakistan became the first Muslim women in Britain to marry in a civil ceremony in what the gay community hailed as a “landmark” event. Rehana Kausar (34) and Sobia Kamar (29) said they decided to go… Read more »
LGBT Thai teens forced to become monks by parents to turn them straight
Homophobic Thai parents have been forcing their LGBT children to become monks but they are taking to social media to assert their identity LGBT teens are being forced to become monks by homophobic Buddhist Thai parents but are taking to social media to express their identities according to the Bankok Post. 28 year-old Deer, who… Read more »
Characteristics of a Sexual Network of Behaviorally Bisexual Men in Vientiane, Lao PDR, 2010.
Abstract Men who have sex with both men and women (behaviorally bisexual men) may be at increased risk of HIV acquisition and transmission due to risky sexual behaviors. We recruited a sexual network comprised of behaviorally bisexual men and their sexual partners in Vientiane, Lao PDR in 2010 to inform our understanding of the potential… Read more »
Human rights in China
On May 14, the Information Office of the State Council—China’s cabinet—published Progress in China’s Human Rights in 2012. The cabinet’s white paper assesses human rights achievements through the lens of development: “Development is the key to solving all existing problems and facilitating progress of human rights in China.” The report reviews economic and social achievements… Read more »
Queer fest screens films from ‘homophobic’ China
Queer films from China, made under strict censorship and fear of reprisal from a “homophobic government”, will play in the city over the next few days as part of the fourth edition of the Kashish International Queer Film Festival that kicked off on Wednesday. This year, the festival’s country focus is on China, with two… Read more »
Over hundred LGBT South Koreans and allies record video against gay hate
in Korea, Republic Of, Korean Gay Men’s Human Rights Group Chingusai organized the recording of You Make me Proud, a song created by Sydney Gay and Lesbian choir to mark IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia) in 2012. ‘[The song] conveys the conviction that, just as LGBT people affirm and recover their lives and… Read more »
UN congratulates Vietnam on LGBT rights progress
UN’s resident co-ordinator in Vietnam praises the Southeast Asian nation’s LGBT rights achievements in the last year The UN has congratulated Vietnam on the progress of the LGBT rights movement in the Southeast Asian nation. ‘This is vital in order to be better understood, to reduce social prejudice and stigma based on sexual orientation and… Read more »
Gay rights activist arrested after protest in Changsha
Police in Changsha have detained a young gay rights activist after he organised a protest in the capital of Hunan province to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. A 19-year-old man, identified only as Xiang, was arrested on Saturday and will be in administrative detention for 12 days for organising an “illegal protest”,… Read more »
China arrests gay activists during IDAHO events
LGBT rights advocates have been detained in at least two cities in China while engaging in IDAHO activities LGBT rights advocates were detained in at least two Chinese cities when celebrating the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Officers detained about a dozen LGBT advocates who were handing flyers about IDAHO in a… Read more »
Georgia: Homophobic violence mars Tbilisi Pride event
Police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi failed to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) activists as thousands of people violently attacked a Pride event today in what Amnesty International said was an ineffective response to organized and violent homophobia. Georgian LGBTI activists were assembling in the capital’s Pushkin park for a peaceful rally… Read more »
Overlooked, ignored, forgotten? No longer: Groups call for an end to transphobia in Asia Pacific
Bangkok, Thailand – “HIV remains a serious threat to transgender people worldwide,” states a new policy brief, Overlooked, Ignored, Forgotten: HIV and Basic Rights of Transgender People in Asia and the Pacific. For Asia and the Pacific, HIV rates among transgender people are disturbingly high, ranging from 49% in Delhi, India to 11% in Bangkok,… Read more »
Crowd Led by Priests Attacks Gay Rights Marchers in Georgia
Moscow — A throng of thousands led by priests in black robes surged through police cordons in downtown Tbilisi, Georgia, on Friday and attacked a group of about 50 gay rights demonstrators. Carrying banners reading “No to mental genocide” and “No to gays,” the masses of mostly young men began by hurling rocks and eggs… Read more »
Georgia: IDAHOT rally attacked by thousands of violent protesters
A rally in the Georgian city of Tbilisi to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), has been taken over by a violent mob of thousands who chased down demonstrators, forcing police to evacuate gay rights supporters The IDAHOT rally was attacked by thousands of, mainly young, male, Georgians. The group attacking the… Read more »
Over hundred LGBT South Koreans and allies record video against gay hate
YouTube video released for IDAHO (International Day Against homophobia and transphobia) Over 100 South Korean LGBT people and allies star in a YouTube video in support of gay rights released this week (Monday 13 May). Korean Gay Men’s Human Rights Group Chingusai organized the recording of You Make me Proud, a song created by Sydney… Read more »
Homophobia & Transphobia: The Story in Malaysia
Despite Malaysia being a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons has reached “new levels of intensity” according to Human Rights Watch’s latest report on Malaysia. For this year’s International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, IREX spoke about the state of LGBT rights in Malaysia with Julian Sanjivan, a Community… Read more »
Being queer without fear: films on LGBTS from Iran, Pakistan
What must it be like to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender in a conservative country? This year, the Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival will highlight the travails of the LGBT community by screening films from countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Serbia and Israel. Still from Noor, a film about the LGBT community… Read more »
Gay Activists Press for Rights in China
Beijing — While the United States Supreme Court considers whether gay men and women have the right to marry, debate on the issue also is growing in China. Gay rights activists in that nation increasingly are vocal about the right to marry and live free from discrimination. Xiao Tie works at Beijing’s LGBT [Lesbian, Gay,… Read more »
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