Fridae

Fridae and LGBT Capital, the world's first and only corporate advisory and investment management firm focused on the LGBT consumer sector, today announced a strategic alliance to develop a world class LGBT operation in Asia to support this rapidly developing market and provide empowerment for the LGBT community.

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.

For National Coming Out Day on Oct 11 this year, residents in the US state of Utah are asked to come out and form a Pink Dot in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

A prominent businessman has applied to the local council to establish Australia's first gay and lesbian cultural centre and museum in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood.

The Thai military has agreed to stop labelling katoeys and male-to-female transgenders who are exempt from military conscription as suffering from a "permanent mental disorder" but instead having a gender identity disorder."

"What change can you accomplish, so that your family would welcome a son or daughter, nephew or niece, uncle or aunt who turns out to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? What change can you spark, that would inspire the leaders of your local mosque, church or temple to resolve that in face of disagreement on issues of faith, there should be at the very least - in my opinion – the agreement to do no harm. If we can get some of these things right, if we can see ourselves as part of the solution, or better yet, instigators of the solution, then we may be on the right path to disrupt the drivers of HIV in this world." – Laurindo Garcia

The former British colony became the first Pacific island nation to formally decriminalise consensual homosexuality last year.

It’s a bumper crop of events including the Mr Gay Hong Kong pageant, Flotilla, HK Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Gay Day @ Disney for Hong Kong’s first LGBT festival – an unprecedented collaboration between local LGBT groups. The pride parade will be held Nov 12 after a hiatus last year but organisers say they do not wish to be included in the line-up for now.

Tim Cook, who's ranked No.1 on Out magazine's list of America's most influential gays and lesbians this year, has been named the new CEO of Apple.

Jeanette Winterson, author of the lesbian classic, Oranges are not the only Fruit, is now captivating a new audience of readers in China with hundreds lining up to hear her speak at the Shanghai Book Fair. Fridae's Shanghai ccorrespondent J. W. Ken has more.