Hong Kong LGBT groups withdraw from government-sponsored Sexual Minorities Forum

Last week, over 15 LGBT groups in Hong Kong announced their withdrawal from the Sexual Minorities Forum, a government consultative body to address LGBT-related issues, and accused the government of using the body as a cover for its failure to introduce measures to prevent discrimination.

Genital surgery no longer required for transgenders to change legal gender status: Korean court

Transgender people in Korea can now change their legal gender status without undergoing genital surgery, a court in Seoul ruled last Friday.

Appointment of Pope Francis "a bad sign for LGBTI rights": Argentina LGBT Federation

The Argentina LGBT Federation has issued a media statement saying the election of the former archbishop of Buenos Aires as the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide is a "bad sign for LGBTI rights" as he had obstructed the legislative advances of LGBT rights in Argentina.

New Pope: Opposes gay marriage, washed and kissed the feet of AIDS patients

Meet Pope Francis who as the former archbishop of Buenos Aires opposed gay marriage and the promotion of free contraceptives, but is also held in high regard for his compassion for the poor and disenfranchised.

Parents of LGBTs in China call on government to legalise same-sex marriage

A group of parents associated with PFLAG China wrote in an open letter to the delegates of the National People's Congress urging them to legalise same-sex marriage. A recent poll on Chinese Internet portal Sina.com shows 52% of over 72,000 respondents say they support same-sex marriage.