Fridae

Openly gay former High Court justice, and international advocate for LGBT equality and people with HIV and AIDS, Michael Kirby has launched his new book A Private Life: Fragments, Memories, Friends in which he reflects on his career and life.

First started as Q!Screenings in 2002 in Jakarta, the festival now known as Q! Film Festival, is having its 10th run in the Indonesian capital and holds screenings in five other cities including Surabaya, Malang, Makassar, Bali and Yogyakarta.

The Court of Appeal will hear an appeal filed by human rights lawyer M. Ravi on behalf of his client Tan Eng Hong who is seeking to challenge the constitutionality of Section 377A of the Penal Code that prohibits sexual relations between men.

Tasmania, the last state in Australia to decriminalise sodomy in 1997, has become the first to pass a motion supporting gay marriage.

Kaohsiung and Hsinchu will hold its second annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride parade and streetside Rainbow Festival respectively on Saturday.

Former infantry officer Dan Choi, who came out as gay on a TV show in March 2009 which led to his discharge from the military a day after, tells of his journey as a closeted service member to being the most prominent anti-Don't Ask Don't Tell activist.

Following a tip-off, the police raided a gay party held in a bungalow in northern Mumbai early on Sunday and detained 133 people – including several celebrities – on the charge of indecent behaviour, two party organisers for not having the requisite liquor licence, and the DJ for not having the licence to play music beyond permissible hours.

Intersex people, who are biologically not entirely male or female, will be able to list their gender on passports as "X" while transgender people will be able to pick whether they are male or female without having to undergo surgery, if their choice is supported by a doctor's statement.

Four contestants are in the running to be Mr Gay Hong Kong 2011. Online voting is open from now till Oct 15.

Gay men and lesbians in Iran come out in a Facebook campaign despite a regime that views their sexual orientation as a crime punishable by death.