Rituparno Ghosh, an Icon for LGBT Community
Daily News and Analysis - Kolkata, India, 5/31/2013
Lighting multi-coloured candles and laying red roses, the rainbow community paid tribute to the director Rituparno Ghosh for his depiction of liberal sexuality both on screen (by exploring fluidity of sexuality through films) and off it. ‘A cross-dresser Ghosh, a gay with an assertive attitude towards his own sexual identity, had become an icon for sexual minorities’, said Malabika, director of Sappho for Equality.
Young Female Leaders Recognized
The Jakarta Post - Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia, 5/31/2013
Women Deliver named 100 young people whose work has made a great contribution to their communities. They came from countries in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific Region, Middle East, Africa, Europe and the United States to attend the Third Women Deliver global conference in Kuala Lumpur, which was held from 28th to 30th May 2013. ‘The conference has brought together fresh and talented individuals from across the world to work together in defining a new and brighter place free from all kinds of discrimination,’ said Yulia, a filmmaker.
Female Condoms, a New Choice
China Daily, China, 5/30/2013
NGOs are calling for the use of female condoms in China, to prevent unwanted pregnancy and disease. ‘Female condoms give women control and choice over their own sexual health. They can protect themselves when their partners do not want to use a male condom’, said Zhang Yun, the program officer from PATH, at the ‘Women Deliver’ conference in Malaysia on 29th May 2013. ‘Female condoms are the only female-initiated method of HIV and AIDS prevention that is safe and effective,’ said Shen He, a reproductive health professor with the commission.
Philippines: Where Catholics, Condoms and Conservatism Collide Over Health
The Guardian, Philippines, 5/30/2013
Reproductive health bill after labyrinthine legislative fight highlights global challenge of getting contraception and sexual health services to women who need them. According to the UNFPA, 600 million women use modern contraceptives, but about 220 million women who want services are unable to access them.
Recorded Abuses against LGBT ‘The Tip of the Iceberg’
The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia, 5/30/2013
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. Cases of violence include bullying, physical attacks, verbal abuse and murder. Instances of discrimination include exclusion in the workplace and criminalization.
Pakistan`s Glee Tackles Taboos of Gay Love, Radicals
The Age, Pakistan, 5/29/2013
Music could be a way to talk about homosexuality and romance. Gay romance, Islamic extremism and a soundtrack of classic love songs make for Pakistan`s taboo-breaking answer to the hugely successful US television series Glee. Taan - which is a musical note in Urdu - tackles subjects considered off limits in Pakistan`s deeply conservative Muslim society, with plotlines including love affairs between two men and between a Taliban extremist and a beautiful Christian girl.
Rotary Nusa Dua Gathers Support to Help HIV/AIDS Patients
The Jakarta Post - Bali, Indonesia, 5/28/2013
Rotary Club Bali Nusa Dua (RCBND) is inviting all interested parties to join their activities to assist people living with HIV and AIDS and raise public awareness about the illness. In the HIV and AIDS project, which started in 2012, the club is working closely with local NGO Kerti Praja Foundation to address sexual and reproductive health concerns among the public, as well as high-risk groups, including female sex workers and high-risk men.
LGBT Filmmakers to Showcase Work
The Hindu - Chennai, India, 5/28/2013
Chennai city in India will host a three-day film festival showcasing the works of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) video and filmmakers from June 7, 2013. Chennai Dost, a gay, lesbian and bisexual community-based organisation, is organising the event – ‘Chennai Rainbow Film Festival’, along with Alliance Francaise of Madras. More than 30 short films and documentaries from India and abroad will be screened at the festival.
Pakistani Lesbian Couple Marry in U.K. Defying Threats
The Hindu - London, U.K, 5/28/2013
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. Ms. Kausar, originally from Lahore, and Ms. Kamar, from the Mirpur region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, took vows at Leeds Registry Office under Britain’s Civil Partnership Act 2004 which gives gay couples the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexual couples enjoy in a civil marriage.
DFID Set to Roll Out New Project on Family Planning
The New Indian Express - Bhubaneswar, India, 5/28/2013
Department for International Development (DFID) is set to roll out a reproductive health framework project to address the need for family planning and reproductive health services in the state of Odisha, India. The project aims at covering about 2.80 lakh new users under family planning services while extending safe abortion services to one lakh women.
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