Fridae

About 2,000 people marched in Delhi on Sunday, the first such event since male-to-male sex was legalised last year.

In lieu of a pride parade which could not be held due to outstanding debts and other issues, the LGBT community finally took to the beach on Sunday after the event had hit some licensing snags and was postponed due to Typhoon Megi.

Organisers hailed the Taiwan LGBT Pride last to be the biggest ever gay pride parade in Asia with 30,000 people observing or marching through Taipei streets on Saturday. 

The European Court of Human Rights ruled last Thursday that Russia's ban on gay parades is illegal and ordered the government to pay a fine and damages amounting to about US$41,000.

Despite several event cancellations due to police intervention last year, organisers of Shanghai Pride this week announced the line-up although individual venues will only be made known days before each event.

The LGBT festival will coincide with Gai Jatra, an age-old festival which commemorates those who have died in the past year and where participants dress up in outlandish costumes during a street possession.

Officially the world’s largest gay pride celebration, the 14th Sao Paulo Brazil Gay Pride Parade calls on the public to "pay attention to the political debate on gay issues in an year where Brazilians are voting to elect the next President as well as the Senate and Congressmen."

The series presents 10 movers and shakers in Asia who are set to bring about positive change in their local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

Produced at a cost of over HK$110,000 (US$14,000) without government or charity funding, organisers say they are HK$77,000 (US$10,000) short and are appealing for funds. 

Fridae.com’s Hong Kong correspondent Nigel Collett meets Connie Chan Man-wai, pre-eminent local activist and Chief Director of Hong Kong Pride 2009.