Asia
Lauren Anderson: The Brit fighting for LGBT rights in Japan
GSN meets the girl from Liverpool who is committed to achieving equality for gays and lesbians in Japan and has become a key part of Tokyo Rainbow Pride On a recent visit to Tokyo, Lauren Anderson’s name seem to come up a lot. The English communications officer for Tokyo Rainbow Pride – it was clear… Read more »
Vietnam on right track to legalize same-sex marriages, but miles to go
They grabbed the paper, read it enthusiastically, but put it away quickly. The article about the government mulling over whether to allow same-sex couples to legally cohabitate failed to excite a group of gay men in Ho Chi Minh City. “This doesn’t really matter,” Nguyen Van Trung, a tour guide, told Vietweek. “We have been… Read more »
Singapore’s gay rights (and blogging) pioneer speaks
Gay Star News talks to Alex Au, born in 1952, one of the pioneers of gay activism and blog writing in Singapore During his lifetime Alex Au has witnessed Singapore’s gay scene move from the underground to the public eye, police tactics move from entrapment and ‘pogroms’ against gay men to ‘non-enforcement’ of the anti-homosexuality… Read more »
Oldest Pride in Asia sees 1,500 march in Manila
Groups demand that congress pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill to protect the rights of LGBT people 1,500 people marched for LGBT rights in Manila on Saturday at the 18th Metro Manila Pride parade in the Philippines’ capital. The primary demand of the dozens of advocacy groups was for congress to pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill. ‘After eighteen… Read more »
Cambodia’s PM speaks out against anti-gay bias
Phnom Penh, Cambodia — Cambodia’s prime minister urged the Southeast Asian nation’s people on Tuesday not to discriminate against their gay countrymen. Prime Minister Hun Sen spoke at a ceremony to hand land titles to villagers in southern Cambodia. Gay rights is not a major issue in Cambodia, and Hun Sen seemed to have been… Read more »
How can a pink dot change society?
Gay Star News talks to one of the organizers of Singapore’s Pink Dot, an annual LGBT awareness-raising festival ‘The first Pride in X country’ makes headlines around the world, but what if country creates their own LGBT pride event from scratch? That’s what activists in Singapore have done with Pink Dot. Instead of a rainbow… Read more »
Gay male sex workers on rise in Vietnam
Government draws up action plan to tackle male prostitution in cities including Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang Gay male prostitution is on the increase in several cities across Vietnam, according to government officials. Le Van Quy, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Bureau for Social Evil Prevention, claims a growing number… Read more »
Human Rights Watch tells Malaysia to stop vilifying LGBT people
Leading human rights organization sends letter to Malaysian PM saying his discriminatory policies are against the principles of UN member states Leading global human rights defender Human Rights Watch has sent a letter to the Malaysian prime minister asking him to stop discriminating against LGBT citizens. In the open letter to Prime Minister Najib Abdul… Read more »
Indonesian Islamic extremists shut down trans festival
FPI forces closure of Festival Waria Berbudaya (Cultural Transgender Festival) in Jakarta, but denies violence Indonesian Islamic extremist group FPI (Front Pembela Islam, the Islamic Defenders Front) forced the closure of a festival for transgender rights in Jakarta on Monday. A witness reported that the members of the FPI wore helmets and brought sticks to… Read more »
Vietnam trans video goes viral
LGBT rights group ICS show the people behind the stigmatizing term ‘pêdê’ in Vietnam A short film about trans women in Vietnam made by LGBT rights organization ICS has been watched over 200,000 times on YouTube. The film follows Yuki and her friends, showing the people behind the label ‘pêdê’ – the title of the… Read more »
Queer Singapore: Illiberal Citizenship and Mediated Cultures
Editors Audrey Yue and Jun Zubillaga-Pow have curated a solid collection of essays looking at LGBT Singapore from multiple perspectives, examining in particular the coexistence in the nation of institutionalised repression and tolerance of the gay community. Queer Singapore: Illiberal Citizenship and Mediated Cultures Edited by Audrey Yue and Jun Zubillaga-Pow Paperback 268 pages Published… Read more »
Dying of fear in the Philippines
After seeing too many of their friends die of Aids before even taking an HIV test, a group of gay men in Manila formed Love Yourself to educate their peers that they have nothing to fear but fear itself HIV among gay men in the Philippines is spreading rapidly, but in an age when the… Read more »
Burma author restores gay love novel after censors lift ban
Relaxed censorship laws in Myanmar allow award-winning writer Nu Nu Yi to re-release celebrated novel with deleted gay plots An acclaimed author in Burma is planning to re-release one of her novels to include gay love plot previously purged by the country’s oppressive regime. Nu Nu Yi’s novel ‘Smile as They Bow’ was heavily censored… Read more »
India’s Gay Community Comes Out of the Closet
After more than a century of oppression, India’s gay community is striding out of the closet. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, Mumbai’s western suburb of Bandra—home to observant middle-class Roman Catholic and Sunni Muslim families—is packed with people strolling the seaside promenades. The main streets are abuzz with vendors selling cheap shoes and colorful scarves.… Read more »
India’s Gay Pride
Delhi, India – More than a thousand people thronged into the heart of India’s capital for the fifth edition of the Delhi Queer Pride Parade that took place on Sunday in support of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community. Carrying rainbow-coloured flags and placards with slogans, supporters marched to the beats of traditional… Read more »
Indian gay rights parade demands extension of anti-discriminatory laws
New Delhi — Hundreds of gay rights activists marched through New Delhi on Sunday to demand that they be allowed to lead lives of dignity in India’s deeply conservative society. Dozens of demonstrators carried a nearly 15-meter (50-foot) -long, rainbow-colored banner and waved placards demanding that the government extend the scope of anti-discrimination laws to… Read more »
Tokyo Rainbow Pride planning a bright future for Japanese gays and lesbians
GSN meets the organizers of Tokyo Rainbow Pride I met Inui Hiroteru, co-chair of Tokyo Rainbow Pride at the Park Hyatt hotel near Shinjuku. ‘Call me Hiro’ he said politely as we shook hands; 33-year-old Hiro’s English was perfect, my Japanese non-existent. It was happy hour in the New York Bar, so we chatted over… Read more »
Tokyo Rainbow Pride planning a bright future for Japanese gays and lesbians
GSN meets the organizers of Tokyo Rainbow Pride I met Inui Hiroteru, co-chair of Tokyo Rainbow Pride at the Park Hyatt hotel near Shinjuku. ‘Call me Hiro’ he said politely as we shook hands; 33-year-old Hiro’s English was perfect, my Japanese non-existent. It was happy hour in the New York Bar, so we chatted over… Read more »
Lost in Tokyo
GSN channels our inner Scarlett Johansson and explores the Japanese capital This was my first visit to Japan and I was excited. I flew Virgin Atlantic from London’s Heathrow to Tokyo Narita Airport (grabbing some Yo Sushi! for breakfast to help me start to connect with the Japanese culture). I was prepared to be overwhelmed… Read more »
68 LGBT groups and NGOs protest non-inclusion of LGBTs in ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) heads of government are set to formally adopt the first ever ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) at the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh on Nov 18. To the grave disappointment of representatives of the LGBTIQ peoples throughout the region, the declaration did not include protections for this highly… Read more »
The Rainbow Shines In Taipei At Taiwan Pride
On Saturday, more than 50,000 queers and their allies flocked to Taipei for the annual Taiwan LGBT Pride, the largest celebration of its kind in Asia. Now in its tenth year, the capital city’s celebration kicked off with a rally and speakers outside the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard. Hong Kong pop star Gigi Leung… Read more »
Sapphic Nomads: Two Santa Feans Explore Mongolia
Mongolia: Tales of a Dusty City, Friendly Nomads, And Too Much Mutton! This summer, we (Katie Cook and Maggie Young) left on a year-long journey to discover the range of LGBT experiences of people we meet around the world. Along the way, we are seeking out, meeting with, and interviewing LGBT folks. In addition to… Read more »
Transgender Pakistanis face society’s scorn
Rawalpindi, Pakistan (AP) — Dressed up in elaborate, feminine outfits and artfully applied makeup, they are showered with money while dancing at all-male wedding parties. But the lives of transgender people in Pakistan are also marked by harassment, rejection and poverty. Transgender people live in a tenuous position in conservative Pakistan, where the roles of… Read more »
Hong Kong lawmakers reject public consultation on equal rights for sexual minorities
Gay rights group describes opposing legislators as ‘in the Stone Ages and oblivious to world trends’ Hong Kong lawmakers rejected a motion calling for a public consultation on equal rights for people of all sexual orientations yesterday. The motion was proposed by pro-human-rights legislator Cyd Ho. Only 33 of the 70 members of the legislative… Read more »
Lesbians hold wedding in east China
Gay women openly hold a wedding ceremony in Wuhu, Anhui province, China Two lesbians held a wedding ceremony openly in Wuhu in China’s eastern Anhui province on Saturday 27 October, according to Xinhua news agency. It is the first public lesbian marriage ceremony in Wuhu, despite the fact that the Chinese government does not recognize… Read more »
Filipina trans wins Miss International Queen beauty pageant
Kevin Balot, 21, says she hopes winning the transgender contest will make her dad finally accept her A transgender woman from the Phillipines has been crowned Miss International Queen 2012. Kevin Balot beat 21 finalists from 15 countries to be named this year’s winner of the annual trans beauty pageant in Pattaya, Thailand. Balot, who… Read more »
The dark side of the blossoming Taiwan gay party scene
Around two-thirds of gay men with HIV in Taiwan are rejected by their families, says a charity worker Chung Han Lee started working for Harmony Home Association after supporting his HIV-positive partner ‘from unknown, to diagnosis, through all the procedures, problems, depression and physical changes’. Harmony Home has four shelters in Taipei for people with… Read more »
PFLAG China confronts national adoption agency ban on gay couples
Message on China Center of Adoption’s website says homosexuality is a mental illness The director of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) China has confronted the national adoption agency about a message on their website that says they don’t allow gay couples to adopt because homosexuality is a ‘mental illness’. Homosexuality was removed… Read more »
Transgender couple in Thailand speak
A touching video about a Thai opposite-gender couple who both happen to be trans The Bangkok post has made a touching video about a loving couple who both happen to be transgender. Trans woman Sittichai ‘Pond’ Suafug and trans man Benhamaporn ‘Ben’ Rotjutakul met five years ago and on Valentine’s Day this year Ben proposed.… Read more »
Transgender beauty pageant crown awarded to Miss Philippines
The finals of the 2012 Miss International Queen competition reached a colourful and spectacular climax in Thailand on Friday. The annual beauty pageant for transvestites and transgender males saw contestants from around the world battling for the crown. The event in Pattaya, 130 kilometres southeast of Bangkok, is fashioned after the Miss World beauty pageant… Read more »
Gay Pakistanis, Still in Shadows, Seek Acceptance
Lahore, Pakistan — The group meets irregularly in a simple building among a row of shops here that close in the evening. Drapes cover the windows. Sometimes members watch movies or read poetry. Occasionally, they give a party, dance and drink and let off steam. The group is invitation only, by word of mouth. Members… Read more »
Yale hosts Singaporean gay rights movement lecture
Lecture informs debate over America’s most gay-friendly Ivy League university opening a campus in a state where homosexuality is illegal In an attempt to placate the controversy around America’s most gay-friendly Ivy League university opening a campus in a state where homosexuality is illegal, Yale hosted a lecture about the gay rights movement in Singapore… Read more »
The GayGlobe
In the last two years, three internet surveys in Europe, the USA and Asia asked over 200,000 gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) about sex, safety and stigma. Gus Cairns looks at some of the data, and finds a mix of the expected and unexpected and some challenging findings for… Read more »
“Advocacy for human rights”, a new book features Nepal and Blue Diamond Society
Dear LGBTI Colleagues in Nepal and our Allies and Friends We are nicely surprised that our work/activism has been acknowledged in this new book about human rights activism around the world: http://www. advocacyforhumanrights.com/ This will be a major text book in universities for years to come, and it’s great to see Nepal/BDS featured as an… Read more »
Thousands in Taiwan rally for gay marriage
Taipei – Tens of thousands of people marched through Taipei on Saturday to push for the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Taiwan as the island marked its 10th annual Gay Pride event in colourful fashion. “The theme this year is to fight for equal rights on marriage. Gay people are also tax-paying citizens and we… Read more »
Choe Seung-ja’s “Love in this Age”: Exploring a Modern Same-Sex Poet
At a time when media coverage of self-inflicted gun shots, hangings, and bridge-jumpings of bullied gay teens has sparked celebrity attention and Internet campaigns assuring suffering teens that “things will get better,” the “feelings”/emotional experiences of American LGBT teens have suddenly been brought into wider national consciousness. Fortunately, South Korea, at least until recently, has… Read more »
10th annual Taiwan LGBT Pride calls for marriage equality and recognition of other relationship models
Over 30,000 LGBTs and their allies from around Taiwan and the world are expected to converge in Taiwan to attend Asia’s largest LGBT Pride march on Saturday, 27 Oct. Watch official videos here. First held in 2003 with about 500 participants, the event has since grown to over 30,000 last year where participants marched through… Read more »
Gay rights activist rejected as Indonesian human rights commissioner
After months of tests Dede Oetomo is not one of the 13 applicants chosen by MPs to serve on Indonesia’s human rights commission An Indonesian gay rights activist who has been waiting for months to hear if he will be accepted to serve on the national human rights commission has found out that he didn’t… Read more »
Cebu becomes first province in the Philippines to pass anti-discrimination law
The Cebu City Council on Wednesday passed a landmark anti-discrimination ordinance on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, disability, age, health status, ethnicity and religion. The landmark ordinance will prohibit excluding, refusing or dismissing any person from public programs and services and educational institutions on the basis of disability, age, health status, sexual… Read more »
Philippines: UN Human Rights Committee identifies LGBT rights violations
Members of the UN Human Rights Committee expressed concern about reports of LGBT violations received from NGOs at the fourth periodic review of the compliance of the Philippines with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in Geneva this week. The following is a press release issued by the International Gay and Lesbian… Read more »
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