Gender Pride March Takes Madurai by Storm
Times of India – Madurai, India, 7/30/2012
The gender pride march held in Madurai for the first time may have been relatively smaller compared to similar marches in metros across the country, but it has made heads turn. The organizers of the march are happy that the march was a success as it helped create awareness about LGBT rights and sensibilities.
New Rules for Blood Donors
China Daily, China, 7/30/2012
In China, all potential blood donors have to fill in health declaration forms in which they are supposed to reveal their sexual orientation. Acknowledging that lesbians are low-risk donors, the Ministry of Health revised the regulation introduced in 2001 that prohibited all homosexuals from giving blood. However, the regulation still prohibits gay men from donating blood, along with drug addicts and people with multiple sexual partners.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Seeks to Increase Support Base
The Times of India - Madurai, India, 7/29/2012
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community that gathered in Madurai for the city`s first Turing Rainbow festival expressed the need to increase their support base by roping in civil societies and other organisations. The event was organised by Srishti, a literary and resource circle for alternative genders and sexualities here on July 28, 2012.
Skilled Birth Attendance Vital for Cut in Maternal Mortality
Dawn, Pakistan, 7/27/2012
The dialogue on ‘Saving mothers in communities’ organised by Mercy Corps and Khwendo Kor was chaired by EDO (health) Dr Abdur Rahid Khattak at a local hotel.The speakers said annual maternal mortality rate in Pakistan was 276 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. They said a vast majority of maternal deaths (27.2 per cent) was caused by postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and that skilled birth attendance was critical for reducing maternal mortality and mortality including that associated with PPH.
Not Encouraging Prostitution: SC
The Indian Express – New Delhi, India, 7/27/2012
The Supreme Court on July 26, 2012 made it clear that its mandate to the Central and state governments on drafting schemes for the welfare and rehabilitation of sex workers should not be construed as ‘encouraging prostitution’. The court accepted the Centre’s application to modify its order so as to allay the fear that its directive could give an impression of validating prostitution as a legally recognised profession. The Bench said the directive on making conditions conducive for them to live with dignity shall stand as it is.
Most Indian Sex Workers Don’t Disclose HIV Status
The Times of India, India, 7/27/2012
Non-disclosure of HIV serostatus to sex partners among both HIV - infected female sex workers (FSWs) and HIV - infected clients of FSWs is exceedingly common in India, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) in partnership with Indian researchers and HIV positive networks groups, have found.
Unlikely Vietnam Considers Same-Sex Marriage
Guardian – Hanoi, Vietnam, 7/26/2012
Vietnam`s Communist government is considering whether to allow same-sex couples to marry or legally register and receive rights — positioning the country to be the first in Asia to do so. Even longtime gay-rights activists are stunned by the Justice Ministry`s proposal to include same-sex couples in its overhaul of the country`s marriage law. No one knows what form it will take or whether it will survive long enough to be debated before the National Assembly next year, but supporters say the fact that it`s even being considered is a victory in a region where simply being gay can result in jail sentences or whippings with a rattan cane.
Anti-Condom Groups ‘Ignoring’ Importance of Reproductive Health
Jakarta Post, - Jakarta, Indonesia, 7/26/2012
The debate over the distribution of free condoms has deviated to an extent that groups opposing the government’s policy are missing the whole point, experts say. Ihsan`s comments follow on the heels of a debate over whether the government should be allowed to distribute free condoms to those in need as a preventive measure in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi, said that in Indonesia, unprotected sex, or sex that could cause sexually-transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, affected people from almost all age groups, including children and adolescents.
Chinese Dictionary Refuses to Turn `Comrades` Gay
CNN, Hong Kong, 7/25/2012
A newly published edition of an authoritative Chinese dictionary has come under fire for leaving out the homosexual definition of a word commonly used to refer to gay men and lesbians. The word ‘tongzhi’ traditionally means ‘comrade’ and has been widely used by the Communist Party. But in recent decades the word has evolved to refer to homosexuals. The committee charged with revising and updating the dictionary said they chose to leave out the definition because they didn`t want to encourage its use, the director of the committee Jiang Langsheng told Chengdu Business Daily.
Demonising the ‘Other’ in Malaysia
Malay Mail, Malaysia, 7/25/2012
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has gone on record to say that it is right to discriminate against homosexuals, In reply to a question from lawyer Firoz Hussein if Malaysia should ‘discriminate against homosexuals,’ Anwar said: ‘Yes’. ‘We do not give space to homosexuals’.
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