Outrage in China Over 'Backward Concepts' in Sex Education Book
The Straits Times ‐ Beijing, China, 6/30/2016
‘Young women who have sex before marriage are degenerates’. ‘A girl who gives her body for love will make the boy who ‘conquers’ her love her less’. ‘Premarital sex has a ‘tremendous negative psychological and physical impact on girls’. These are some of the assertions in a sexuality education textbook approved by a provincial education department in China that has led to an outcry on social media. Outraged by the text, Senior Middle School Student Scientific Sexuality Education, a teacher posted photos from the book on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, on June 24, 2016, unleashing a firestorm of comments. ‘I was so angry when I read the textbook,’ Ms Zhong Guangquan, the teacher from Guangdong province whose post started the online debate, told Chinese website Sixth Tone. ‘The concepts are backward, and all the negative comments are directed towards girls.’
Section 377: CJI to Decide on Hearing New Petition by Celebrities
The Times of India - New Delhi, India, 6/29/2016
The Supreme Court on June 29, 2016 said the Chief Justice will decide whether a 5-judge bench should be sent the petition submitted by high-profile celebrities, who have challenged the validity of Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalises homosexuality. A curative petition on the same issue is already pending in the SC with the 5-judge bench. The bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur had agreed to hear in an open court the curative plea of NGO 'Naz Foundation' and some gay rights activists.
Sex Chat With Pappu & Papa: First Sex Education Fiction Series Coming Soon
The Times of India, India, 6/29/2016
Y-Films, the youth wing of Yash Raj Films, which is known to give quirky and path-breaking web series, are back with a novel show titled 'Sex Chat with Pappu & Papa'. Sex chat with Pappu and Papa is a unique show of its kind in India - and probably the world. A 5-part fiction series premiering on the Y-Films YouTube channel tells a story that will deliver information across different themes related to sex and sexuality.
Gay Celebs Cite Right to Life, Move SC Against Section 377
The Times of India ‐ New Delhi, India, 6/28/2016
In what could lend more heft to the fight for their rights, leading lights of the LGBT community have moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of Section 377 of IPC to protect their sexual preferences, saying these are part and parcel of the right to life. The petition by dancer N S Johar, journalist Sunil Mehra, chef Ritu Dalmia, hotelier Aman Nath and business executive Ayesha Kapur will come up for hearing before a bench of Justices S A Bobde and Ashok Bhushan on June 29, 2016 when the SC resumes business after a 45-day vacation. Leading lawyers Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar will argue for the petitioners.
Sex Workers’ Groups, Rights Activists Call For A Rethink of Draft Bill on Trafficking
The Indian Express ‐ Pune, India, 6/28/2016
Sex workers’ organisations and rights activists have raised several concerns around the draft Bill on Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2016.The draft Bill makes no provisions for prevention, rescue and rehabilitation for such people who may have been coerced into forced labour or organ transplantation. Indian laws continue to be centred around trafficking for sexual exploitation and abolishing sex work, said a release issued by the National Network of Sex Workers from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
A Censitive Take on Sexuality
Deccan Chronicle, India, 6/27/2016
This is what ‘Being Censitive’ (pun on the words ‘censor’ and ‘sensitive’), an art project by Akshita Chandra, addresses. What began as a student project at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bengaluru, turned into something else, even catching former diplomat and current MP Shashi Tharoor’s attention! Through the project, Akshita explores censorship in India on the grounds of obscenities, taking direct inspiration from the sculptures at Khajuraho Temple.
My Body, My Decision: Chennai’s LGBTQ Activists Rally For Equal Rights Again
Hindustan Times ‐ Chennai, India, 6/27/2016
‘Down with 377!’ chants a large crowd on a balmy June 26, 2016 afternoon as it marches through the heart of Chennai, each word punctuated by cheers and the hard thump of the Thavil – the traditional Tamil drum. This year’s parade saw a large turnout, with people dancing, singing street songs in the Tamil tradition of Dappankuthu and delivering speeches. A small but significant number of foreigners were also present at the pride. Ravikumar S, a 45-year-old autorickshaw driver from Triplicane said ‘They are people, just like you and I. I see no difference between us.’
India's Chand Qualifies For Rio 100m After Gender Ruling
Bangkok Post, Thailand, 6/26/2016
Indian sprinter Dutee Chand has qualified for the women's 100 metres at the Rio Olympics less than a year after she was cleared to race following a landmark ruling on so-called gender tests. Chand was diagnosed with hyperandrogenism- a condition that produces high testosterone levels - that meant she fell foul of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) rules on gender. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) suspended the controversial regulation in 2015 for two years, allowing Chand to compete again.
How to Talk to Your 10-Year-Old About: Homosexuality
The Indian Express, India, 6/26/2016
While we still battle basic gender equality in binary terms and debate sexuality education in schools in India, we need to add talking about homosexuality with our children to the to-do list. Unsurprisingly, gay teenagers considering coming out react to the stress of possibly being stigmatised in public and/or disowned at home (or in some cases, subjected to ‘cures’ theological, ideological and otherwise) in many ways. Studies show higher rates of suicide, depression, drug and alcohol abuse than their straight contemporaries.
HIV-Affected Teenager Driven Out of School Hostel in Odisha
The Hindu ‐ Odisha, India, 6/26/2016
A 13-year-old girl living with HIV has been driven out of the hostel of a Central government-run school in Odisha’s Kendrapara district allegedly on the insistence of other students’ parents, a child rights activist said. The girl has been allegedly denied the right to stay in the hostel of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalay residential school since last one year, though the school authorities allowed her to continue studies.
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