Fridae

Fridae.com emerges as the stickiest site in Singapore with session durations more than two times the market average, based on independent auditor Nielsen//Netratings; members lead in tertiary education, occupation and household income.

The Sydney Mardi Gras organisers are accused of locking rival online groups out of the upcoming parade and Fair Day. The Australian federal government is considering a plan for a new A$10 million sexual health campaign targeting gay men. In Britain, Catholic adoption agencies will not be exempted from anti-discrimination laws.

Organised by The Necessary Stage, the Singapore Fringe offers a medley of arts events based on the theme of Art and Disability. Watch out for Fundamentally Happy, a moving drama on paedophilia; plus a host of other bizarre happenings, including male pole-dancers in underwear and an appearance by celebrated drag queen Kumar.

Hong Kong's Broadcasting Authority's found a TV programme on gay marriage to be inappropriate viewing material during peak family viewing hours has drawn intense criticism from civil rights activists. In Auckland, a bus shelter advertisement promoting safe sex was defaced with anti-gay graffiti then smashed.

Imagine a village full of lesbians, and according to Shitou, the lesbian filmmaker of a new documentary, Women 50 Minutes such a village does exist. Fridae's Dinah Gardner speaks to the filmmaker who is perhaps better known as the star of the country's first lesbian movie, Fish and Elephant (2000).

In the city-state which has a thriving gay scene despite gay sex being outlawed, half of the 800 survey respondents aged 15-29 found homosexuality acceptable.

See the art works of some 40 members of Hong Kong's LGBT community from Jan 24 to 28. In Taipei, gay rights groups rallied last Friday to support anti-discrimination job laws. At the Vatican, gay rights activists gathered to commemorate the death of a man who protested the church's treatment of homosexuals by setting himself on fire nine years ago.

Malaysia's ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad reiterates that gays cannot lead the mostly Muslim nation, in response to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's RM100 million libel suit. Disturbing details of the death of an Asian student in the US who was found dead with gay slurs was released this week. Supermodel Eve Salvail comes out as a lesbian in a TV show.

Missed a good story in 2006? From the cancellation of a party in Singapore by the authorities to bisexual women to interracial relationships, we list the top 10 articles that got readers talking and sometimes furious. We invite you to revisit the articles and issues discussed.

With a rapidly changing social landscape, China's Shanghai and Beijing are seeing more gay-friendly resources and establishments being set up. Fridae's Dinah Gardner recaps the top gay related news deadlines in China, checks out the new gay establishments/resources and talks to three people to find out their hopes for their community in 2007.