Lebanon: Homosexuality is Not a Crime
Al Bawaba, Lebanon, 3/31/2019
Lebanon's top military prosecutor recently ruled that homosexuality is not a crime, local newspaper The Daily Star reported. Judge Peter Germanos on March 30, 2019, chose to not to prosecute four soldiers dismissed from their posts in a ‘sodomy’ case, saying that ‘sodomy is not punishable by law’ and that homosexuality is ‘not a crime’. Historically, people ‘charged with’ homosexuality in Lebanon have been punished under an article that outlaws ‘unnatural relations’ with up to one year in prison. But Germanos argued that the Lebanese penal code fails to determine what sexual acts are ‘against nature’, and hence, homosexuality could not be prosecuted based on it. The move comes after an appeals court in 2018 upheld an acquittal of nine people prosecuted for being gay.
Brunei Defends its Right to Stone People to Death for Homosexuality and Adultery Under Strict New Sharia Laws
The Daily Mail, Brunei, 3/30/2019
Brunei has defended its right to stone people to death for homosexuality and adultery under Sharia law against growing global criticism. It will implement the new laws from April 3, 2019, punishing sodomy, adultery and rape with the death penalty, and theft with amputation. The laws, elements of which were first adopted in 2014 and which have been rolled out in phases since then, will be fully implemented from the coming week. The expected implementation of the strict Islamic laws has drawn widespread criticism. In the recent past, instances of public punishments or executions for people engaging in same-sex intimacy have increased in Brunei’s neighbouring countries, Malaysia and Indonesia, which has become a concerning trend.
Sex Work Might be Decriminalised
Sowetan, South Africa, 3/29/2019
At the inauguration of a newly-built court in Oakdene, Johanneburg, on March 29, 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in front of dozens of women and civil organisations that the government is looking into decriminalising sex work. The president told his audience that the government and its partners were working to review existing laws and policies that relate to gender-based violence and femicide, and in this process, they felt the decriminalisation of sex work to be a pertinent issue. His statement was well received by women activists and members of non-governmental organisations working against gender-based violence. The new court, which is equipped with a fully-fledged sexual offences wing, will also offer a range of services to address gender-based violence.
Brunei to Impose Death by Stoning for Gay Sex and Adultery
Jakarta Post, Brunei, 3/28/2019
Adultery and ‘gay sex’ in Brunei will be subject to death by stoning from the coming week, authorities said, under a strict Sharia law that has been on hold for four years amid heavy criticism. Rights groups reacted in horror on March 27, 2019, to the latest hardline move from the resource-rich nation on Borneo, which practises a stricter brand of Islam than its neighbours Malaysia and Indonesia. Homosexuality is already illegal in Brunei but it will now become a capital offence. The law only applies to Muslims. Amnesty International on March 27, 2019, urged Brunei to ‘immediately halt’ implementing the new penalties. ‘To legalise such cruel and inhuman penalties is appalling of itself,’ Brunei researcher Rachel Chhoa-Howard said in a statement.
Indonesian University Censors Lesbian Love Story
Human Rights Watch, Indonesia, 3/26/2019
A student news website in Indonesia that published a story about a woman expressing her love for another woman was ordered by university officials to shut down its entire news operation after the story went viral. North Sumatra University (USU), a public university, gave the 18 students who write for and publish Suara USU (USU News) just 48 hours to shut down and vacate the newsroom. The 1,000-word story, “Semua Menolak Kehadiran Diriku di Dekatnya” (Everyone Refuses My Presence Near Her), was published on Suara USU’s website on March 12, 2019. Authorities said the story ‘violated campus values’ by ‘promoting homosexuality’, while the students who published the story stood by it. Incidents like this can be traced to the anti-LGBT moral panic that has recently engulfed Indonesia.
Thailand Elects First Transgender MP
Paper Magazine, Thailand, 3/25/2019
In the first election since Thailand's 2014 military coup, the country has elected its very first transgender MP. According to Pink News, Tanwarin Sukkhapisit – who was running as a candidate for the rapidly-growing Future Forward Party – was elected to office on March 24, 2019. Identifying as bisexual and transgender, Tanwarin ran on a platform that included legalising same-sex marriage in Thailand. She had also promised to represent and uphold the rights of LGBTQ minorities in Thailand and fight for their right to also adopt children. This year’s elections have been historic for trans visibility in Thai politics, with another transgender candidate, Pauline Ngarmpring, also running for prime minister. However, unlike Tanwarin, Ngarmpring’s could not win a majority.
6 LGBT Scenes Cut from 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in China
Business Insider - Beijing, China, 3/24/2019
Six scenes of LGBTQ content were cut from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the biopic of British rock band Queen, for the Chinese audience, including the word ‘gay’, the media reported on March 25, 2019. The award-winning film, which opened in China on March 22, 2019, prominently features a LGBTQ character who is later diagnosed with AIDS – hence proving ‘controversial’. In 2016, Chinese censors banned the portrayal of ‘abnormal sexual behaviour’, including gay and lesbian relationships in TV and online shows, which is what led to these cuts from the movie. Homosexuality is not illegal in China and the authorities in 2001 removed it from the official list of ‘mental disorders’, but activists and experts agree that prejudices and discrimination – as well as periodic government crackdowns – persist.
Kerala Students' Week-Long Protest Forces College to Extend Curfew Timings For Girls in Hostels
India Times - Kerala, India, 3/23/2019
The women hostellers of Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur won a major battle when the college management finally accepted their demands of extending the hostel ‘in-time’. Now the in-time is 8:30 pm, as opposed to the earlier 4:30 pm. The students have been demanding it for years and have been protesting nonstop for the past week. But the development has come a month after Kerala High Court’s condemnation of the regressive rule in response to a petition filed by alumni Anjitha Jose. ‘The students deserve all credits for this revolutionary change,’ said Jose in a statement, ‘I was fighting this battle alone years back. Now, my juniors took it forward and I am happy that they get to enjoy the freedom that my batch never got.’
China, Burma Failing to Stop ‘Bride’ Trafficking
Epoch Times, Bangkok, 3/22/2019
Authorities in China and Burma are failing to stop the brutal trafficking of young women, often teenagers, from the conflict-ridden Kachin region for sexual slavery, according to a report by Human Rights Watch. The report released on March 21, 2019, says women are often tricked into travelling to China in search of work or kidnapped and held against their will to be sold as ‘brides’ for Chinese men. Most of those taken hostage by Chinese families are locked up and raped, it says. The report urges authorities to do more to raise awareness about the risks of trafficking, provide more support for victims who return home, and to prosecute those guilty of crimes against them.
Thailand’s Transgender Politician Pauline Ngarmpring: ‘I Do it for Future Generations’
Egypt Independent, Thailand, 3/22/2019
On March 24, Thai voters will elect a new parliament, and 52-year-old Pauline Ngarmpring, a transgender candidate, is contesting the polls. In fact, Ngarmpring is one of three candidates put forward by the party for the post of prime minister. She is, however, not considered a front-runner. In a recent interview, Ngarmpring says she wants to bring hope to the marginalised and create political space for future generations of LGBT people. ‘People around the world think that Thailand is a sort of paradise for LGBT people but in reality it is so difficult for people to come out of the closet,’ said Ngarmpring. It is this stigma she seeks to fight in her political career. If elected, she will be the Thailand’s first prime minister.
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