Queer Tales
Daily News and Analysis - Mumbai, India, 2/28/2014
On the lines of Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore in New York, Queer Ink is a first-of-its-kind store, which stocks books about the LGBT community in Mumbai, India. Apart from its Andheri store, Queer Ink also has an active presence online (www.queer-ink.com). With an enormous collection of books, from the profound to the frivolous, from the liberating to the indulgent, Queer Ink also has DVDs, art and merchandise. While the bookstore is a popular place for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, Queer Ink has also caught the attention of students and parents, who would want to know more about the topic.
‘Women’s Role in Peacemaking Vital’
The Hindu - Islamabad, Pakistan, 2/28/2014
A Regional Women’s Peace Conference was organised by the Paiman Alumni Trust for organisations from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Women from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan discussed ways of bringing women to the forefront of regional dialogues and ensuring that their voices were heard in crucial decision-making processes. Afghan Women’s Network has been trying to mobilise women in 28 provinces to register for voting. Khawar Mumtaz, activist and head of the National Commission on the Status of Women in Pakistan, said women had no role in a conflict but they always bore the brunt. Since Afghanistan had recently become part of SAARC, the issues from there were not included in the narrative of South Asia.
Urging SC to Act on The RH Law
The Philippine Star, Philippines, 2/27/2014
Former President Fidel Ramos and former Prime Minister Cesar Virata joined Senate President Franklin Drilon and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte in calling for the Supreme Court to favor immediately the implementation of the Reproductive Health Law. The RH Law, signed by President Aquino December 2012, is currently under suspension following the issuance of a 120-day status quo ante order by the Supreme Court and its indefinite extension after the order lapsed July 17, 2013. According to Virata, there were 137 who voted in favor of the RH Law against 79 members of Congress who did not. In the Senate, the RH Law passed its third and final reading by a vote of 13 senators in favor and 8 against.
A Sex Education App Aims to Spread The Seed of Procreational Knowledge to Teenage Thais
Bangkok Post - Bangkok, Thailand, 2/26/2014
Sex education in Thailand over the past decades was usually allocated only a few hours per semester as part of a physical education class, and even then consisted only of a theoretical component. To make discussions about the taboo topic easier and less uncomfortable, ThaiHealth (Thai Health Promotion Foundation) had turned to smartphones, with the launch of a sex education application called MeSex. The app provides information arranged in five categories Male, Female, Diseases, Emergency, and Love and Sex.
Pakistani Village Gives Girls Pioneering Sex Education Class
The Express Tribune, Sindh, Pakistan, 2/25/2014
Around 700 girls were enrolled in eight local schools run by the Village Shadabad Organisation in Pakistan. Their sex education lessons starting at age eight; covered issues around bodies, rights and protection. The lessons taught the girls about marital rape which is not a crime in Pakistan. The eight schools received sponsorship from BHP Billiton, an Australian company that operated a nearby gas plant, but Akbar Lashari, head of the organisation said that sex education was the villagers` own idea.
Debutant Voters in Karnatata Show 20% Gender Gap
The Times of India - Bangalore, India, 2/23/2014
As the Lok Sabha polls loom large, it appears that the young female population across India is not too enthused to vote. While first time male electors constituted 58.6 per cent in India, girls stood at 41.4 percent, showing a yawning 17.2 per cent gender gap. The data was released by the Election Commission of India, after its final compilation of voters in the country. What is disturbing is the wide gender gap in states like Haryana (34%), Chandigarh (27%) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli is 22%. Karnataka has the highest number of transgenders in the age group of 18-19 years as registered voters in the country. Andhra Pradesh is in the second position while Bihar is in the third position. Interestingly, of the 35 states and union territories, 21 have zero registrations under the `Others` category.
Gender Minorities to Step up Protest After Cabinet Expansion
Republica - Kathmandu, Nepal, 2/22/2014
Gender minorities - gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender, who recently handed over a memorandum to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala regarding their representation in the Constitution Assembly, are waiting for the cabinet to become full fledged as to exert more pressure for the cause. Due to the lack of clear legal recognition of the gender minorities, they have been facing various kinds of discrimination in society. Jamin Rana, president of Gay and Lesbian Sexual Minority Network, said that leaving any group of people vulnerable only makes the country poorer and backward.
‘Mythri’ Launch Marred by Protests
The Hindu - Bangalore, India, 2/22/2014
The State Government on February 21, 2014 launched ‘Mythri’, a pension scheme for sexuality minorities that will provide each of them an allowance of Rs. 500 per month. It will also make them eligible for other welfare schemes such as BPL card, health and housing schemes, said Revenue Minister V. Srinivas Prasad. The pension scheme is aimed at mainstreaming members of the sexuality community, who face discrimination. Officials have been directed to identify beneficiaries. Future plans include providing jobs to sexuality minorities. However, shortly after the launch, activists led by the Karnataka Sexual Minorities’ Forum protested outside the venue alleging ‘complete lack of clarity’ on the scheme.
Bali to Improve Sex Education Campaign
The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia, 2/22/2014
Bali is to strengthen its Planned Generation (GenRe) project by establishing teen- and student-counseling information centers (PIK-R/M) to spread information on reproductive health and inform the youth of the dangers of free sex, drugs and HIV and AIDS. ‘That way, Bali’s teen population can be healthy, aware and independent,’ said the head of the National Family Planning Agency’s (BKKBN) Bali office, I Wayan Sundra, in Denpasar on February 21, 2014. For this to happen, continued Sundra, teens have been urged to focus their attention on their education, giving leeway for the GenRe campaign to raise awareness through counseling centers being established in schools.
To Be or Not to Be: Health Workers Protest Against Non-Payment of Salaries
The Express Tribune - Peshawar, Pakistan, 2/22/2014
As the number of HIV and AIDS patients continues to rise in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), staffers of the National HIV and AIDS Control Programme have not received their salaries for the past eight months. Health workers continued their sit-in outside the K-P health secretary’s office for the fourth day on February 21, 2014 to protest against the non-issuance of their salaries. One of the health worker said on one hand the Pakistan government was neglecting HIV patients which are increasing every day. When contacted, National HIV and AIDS Control Programme Project Coordinator Dr Fazli Mullah said the programme could not be extended further due to lack of funds. ‘The treatment of HIV is very expensive and not available in the market. If the programme is cancelled, the patients will die,’ an official in the health department stressed.
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