Triple Talaq: India Criminalises Muslim Instant Divorce
The Independent - New Delhi, India, 7/31/2019
India’s parliament has passed a bill to criminalise the Islamic practice of divorce known as ‘triple talaq’, a move which the Government said was to empower women but which has been criticised by members of the Muslim community. Triple talaq is condemned by most mainstream Muslim groups in India as inherently patriarchal. It is only available to men, with women required to seek permission from their husbands if they want a divorce, and does not feature in the Quran. Nonetheless, there is general consensus that it is a civil matter which should have been reviewed by community leaders rather than outlawed by the government, and that there are islamophobic overtones to making it a criminal offence punishable by law.
Kerala Opens Its First Care-Home for Transgender Community
Business Standard - Kerala, India, 7/30/2019
The long-pending demand of the transgender community to have a safe shelter has finally become a reality in Kerala, as authorities have opened a short-stay home exclusively for them. The Kerala Social Justice Department has facilitated the opening of the state's first-of-its-kind short stay facility at Kunnukuzhy ward, located in the heart of Thiruvanathapuram, with the support of 'Queerythm', a community-based outfit (CBO). "Thanal", the transgender care home, is meant for transmen, authorities said. The short-stay facility would provide safe accommodation for transgender persons, undergoing sexual reaffirmation surgeries, or other emergency situations. All the employees appointed at the care home are transgender as well, and hence, the care-home project is also helping provide employment to the transgender community.
Bill Shields LGBT from Discrimination
Manila Bulletin, Philippines, 7/28/2019
Geraldine Roman, Philippines’ first transgender lawmaker, has breathed life into a measure that could prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. Roman has urged her colleagues in parliament to prioritise the passage of a bill that would be a major step for LGBTQ rights in the country. The bill proposes protection from discriminatory practices such as being denied public services on the basis of sexual or gender identity, being asked to disclose one’s identity in job applications, protection from physical and sexual harassment, and so on. The bill also states that LGBTQ people cannot be ‘prosecuted by reason of the exercise of the right to personal privacy’. The bill is currently being debated in the House of Representatives.
Pakistan among States with Highest Ratio of AIDS Victims
Dawn - Lahore, Pakistan, 7/27/2019
Inadequate mea¬sures for curtailing HIV and AIDs have led to Pakistan being included among a list of 11 countries which have the highest prevalence of the disease - 13 per cent - in a latest United Nations report. It is the highest ratio of HIV prevalence the country has touched during the last decade. The UNAIDS-2019 analysis revealed that though the world is on track to end the AIDS epidemic, Pakistan is among the countries where ratio of new AIDs cases saw a sharp increase. The average HIV incidence per 1000 people in Pakistan was 0.08 in 2010, which has now risen to 0.11. Despite recent cases of HIV outbreaks in some Pakistani provinces, the authorities haven’t been prompt enough with their preventive measures.
NCERT’s New Course for Academicians to Make Books, School Education Gender-Neutral
The Indian Express - New Delhi, India, 7/26/2019
With the aim to eliminate gender stereotyping from the school text-books, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is planning to launch an online course to sensitise the academicians about the gender issues in education. The course will also deal with the problem of the portrayal of traditional gender roles in the school text-books. “Patriarchy impacts us in ways we do not even realise. The course would train teachers to be sensitive to such issues,” a representative of the NCERT commented. The course will be available in the current financial year, and will consist of online lectures, assignments, and activities. Teachers and academicians are the target group for the course, however, once released; the course would be available to all.
Applause as Indonesia Pardons Woman Jailed After Reporting Harassment
The Straits Times - Jakarta, Indonesia, 7/25/2019
Indonesia's parliament approved on July 25, 2019, an amnesty for a woman who was jailed after recording evidence of her boss sexually harassing her, in a case that has caused outrage and warnings that it could discourage victims of sexual abuse from speaking out. President Joko Widodo had earlier granted an amnesty to Ms Baiq Nuril Maknun after she had exhausted all other legal avenues in the case, but it was only on July 25, 2019 that the parliament approved the amnesty. An official statement from the parliament said that ‘Baiq Nuril was the real victim, instead of the perpetrator’. There have been a number of such high profile cases in Indonesia in recent years where victims have been similarly penalised for speaking out about sexual harassment.
Taiwan School Adopts Gender-Neutral Uniform Policy
Straits Times - Taipei, Taiwan, 7/24/2019
Any student will be allowed to wear a skirt or trousers at a school in Taiwan after it announced plans to drop gender-specific uniforms yesterday, a move LGBTQ campaigners said was a boost for gender equality. The change, a rare move in Asia, came after male students and teachers at Banqiao Senior High School near Taipei donned skirts in May during a week-long campaign seeking to break down gender stereotypes. Under current guidelines, male students are required to wear trousers while skirts are mandatory for female students, but the new dress code - to take effect from Aug 30 - will remove any mention of specific gender. Taiwan also became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage in May 2019.
Election of Gay Lawmaker in Japan Spurs Hopes for Same-Sex Marriage
Reuters - Tokyo, Japan, 7/23/2019
Japan’s first openly gay male lawmaker said on July 22, 2019 that he believed the country would legalise same-sex marriage, months after Taiwan became the first Asian nation to allow gay unions. Taiga Ishikawa, 45, was elected to parliament’s upper house on July 21, 2019, on a platform calling for marriage equality, hailing from the party of Japan’s first openly LGBTQ lawmaker (who was elected in 2013). ‘Since the early 2000s, the issue of same-sex marriage has progressed leaps and bounds.’ Ishikawa said, ‘It will happen within the six years of my term, I am sure.’ Japan’s laws on LGBTQ issues are relatively liberal compared to many Asian countries, with homosexual sex legal since 1880, but being openly gay remains largely taboo.
"Personal Win": Lawyers Who Fought Against Section 377 Come Out As Couple
NDTV - New Delhi, India, 7/22/2019
Menaka Guruswamy and Arundhati Katju - the two lawyers who led a long fight against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the controversial law that had banned consensual gay sex - have come out as a couple. Having also been featured in TIME magazine’s list of 100 Most Influential People earlier this year, in a recent interview they talked about the challenges which they faced in the legal fight because they ‘didn't just argue the case together but they were also a couple’. Nearly a year after the historic verdict, the two lawyers called it a "personal win" and highlighted how activists in Sri Lanka and Malaysia are now taking cued from this judgement to overturn the anti-gay laws in their own countries.
India Set to Get First Dedicated LGBT Hiring Consultancy
The Tribune - Mumbai, India, 7/21/2019
Almost a year after the landmark Supreme Court judgment decriminalising homosexuality, India is set to get its first dedicated hiring consultancy firm for the members of the LGBTQ community. At present, even after the change in law, members of India’s LGBTIQ community lag behind in attaining equal pay, corporate representation and other benefits. Accordingly, the Bengaluru-based Diversity & Inclusion firm - Pride Circle - plans to overcome some of these barriers via a dedicated wing which will look at the job consultancy market for the LGBTQ candidates. They aim to work with companies to eliminate biases in the recruitment process and also work with LGBTQ candidates to enable them for facing interviews, since many of them deal with self-esteem issues.
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