Is Same-Sex Marriage a Product of the West?
Jakarta Globe - Jakarta, Indonesia, 3/31/2013
Constitutional Court judge candidate Arief Hidayat recently spoke against same-sex marriage during a confirmation hearing before the House of Representatives. He argued that same-sex marriage was unconstitutional and against his religious values. He also said that same-sex marriage was a product of the West. Indonesia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community was quick to disagree. Hartoyo, a gay activist and general secretary of the LGBT online forum OurVoice, wrote a letter to Arief telling him about his experiences as a gay Muslim living in Indonesia. Hartoyo reportedly received a reply from Arief, who apologized for any offense he may have caused to the LGBT community, but maintained that same-sex marriage was against the ‘core values of Pancasila,’ the national ideology.
Rise in China’s HIV-Infected Students
Global Times, China, 3/31/2013
The number of Chinese students infected with HIV is on the rise, with homosexual transmission becoming the major cause of new infections, an official said on March 31, 2013. In 2012, 1,700 students were diagnosed with HIV, up 24.5 percent compared to 2011, according to Yu Jingjin, an official with the National Health and Family Planning Commission. Xu Xiaoyang, a scholar with the China Sexology Association, told the Global Times that since HIV has a latent period, the exact time of infection can be harder to determine. ‘But this reflects a serious problem. We are not taking education on prevention seriously,’ she said. ‘Students should be the target group for more comprehensive and thorough education since they are more open-minded.’
Thailand`s Mixed Same-Sex Marriage Messages
Bangkok Post - Bangkok, Thailand, 3/30/2013
Equal rights for the LGBT community are not confined to the United States. Facebook and Twitter users in Thailand have been showing their support for the cause too. This is despite the fact that Thailand`s views on sex and gender can easily leave one confused. In a poll conducted by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) in 2012, 58% of respondents stated that they were against same-sex marriage because it is unnatural and sets a bad example for children. Meanwhile, it was only relatively recently that men were legally allowed minor wives but a woman having an affair was grounds for divorce. At the same time, there is a side of Thai society that openly embraces homosexuality. The side of society that fully accepts homosexual singers and dara, that votes for transgender politicians and gives primetime television spots to homosexual talk show hosts.
Door Opens for Santhi Soundarajan After Gender Humiliation
The Times of India - Bangalore, India, 3/29/2013
Santhi Soundarajan, who was stripped of her 800m silver medal after failing a gender test at the 2006 Doha Asian Games and was later forced to work as a labourer in a brick kiln, has finally been given the opportunity to realise her dream of becoming a qualified athletics coach. The government has removed its rider of ascertaining her gender before allowing her to pursue the diploma course in Patiala.
‘Lack of Open Discussion on Sexual Health Putting Society at Risk’
Daily Times - Islamabad, Pakistan, 3/29/2013
Participants including former parliamentarians, civil society and religious scholars on March 28, 2013 agreed to advocate for the rectifications of existing policy gaps regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and maternal and neonatal health (MNH) needs of adolescent girls and young mothers. Pakistan has one of the youngest populations in the world, with 60 percent of its citizens less than 24-years-old and 21.4 percent in their adolescence (10-19 years). To maintain a healthy, productive growing population, it is essential that special attention is paid to the sexual and reproductive health needs of young people, they argued.
Gender Justice, Interrupted
The Hindu, India, 3/29/2013
Death or longer prison terms for rape under a new law will not empower women; what they need is the safety to walk on the streets free from the fear of sexual violence. The adoption of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 by the Indian Parliament is a moment to be neither celebrated nor mourned. The Act converges with the recent global spotlighting of violence against women, including the adoption of a declaration on the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls at the recently concluded U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in New York. Both these interventions highlight how the safety and security of women and girls around the world remains an elusive goal.
Reproductive Health Education a Must for Indonesia in Post-2015: Activist
The Jakarta Post - Bali, Indonesia, 3/28/2013
Most Indonesian adults still prefer a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ stance when it comes to sex and their children. However, access to accurate information is crucial to avoiding sexually transmitted disease and dangerous, often fatal, abortions, an activist said. Accurate information on the subject is still considered ‘taboo and very Western’, said Rachel of the Kuala Lumpur-based Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW). ‘With growing Islamic fundamentalism in Indonesia, young people are finding it difficult to get information and to exercise their right to sexual and reproductive health. Much of the information is hidden and some is censored,’ she told a press conference at the fourth post-MDGs High Level Panel talks, which ended on March 27, 2013.
Long Way to Go
Republica, Nepal, 3/26/2013
A new tourist season has started in Nepal. The government and various other promoters of tourism are gung-ho about the prospects of hosting a larger number of tourists than in any previous years. Every now and then, celebrations and events are organized all over the world - from London to New York to Shanghai - to attract more tourists. Newer approaches are also being employed to attract more tourists. For example, people involved with LGBT rights have been advertising Nepal as a place where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are more, if not equally, welcomed.
Religious Faith Twists Gender, as Men Cross-Dress in Kerala
Daily News and Analysis - Kollam, India, 3/25/2013
Several men dressed up as women turned up at Kollam to worship Hindu goddess Bhagavathy as they carried lamps in their hands followed by a procession during an annual temple festival. The cross-dressing is part of traditional ritual festivities, where men decked up in women`s attire attempt to please the temple goddess for their wish fulfilment. The cross-dressed devotees in colourful traditional Kerala drape and jewellery crowded the temple premises and walked with large lamps. Attractive decoration of the temple and the traditional music playing in the background created a spiritual aura.
Breather for Sex Workers in Anti-Rape Law
The Times of India - New Delhi, India, 3/25/2013
The amended anti-rape law does not include prostitution as a form of exploitation unlike the ordinance that criminalized sex work. The Criminal Law Amendment Bill, 2013 makes a distinction between sexual exploitation and consensual adult sex work. The move was welcomed by sex workers and activists who had slammed the ordinance that defined prostitution as exploitation. Meena Seshu of the National Network of Sex Workers said, ‘By removing adults voluntarily involved in sex work from the ambit of criminalization, the government has clarified its position.’ This would allow sex workers to seek protection of the law when they face violence, exploitation, extortion or abuse.
News Archives
2022
248