Fridae

Over 80 academics from universities across India and elsewhere have signed an open letter in support of Dr. S R Siras, who was suspended from his university job, after being the victim of an alleged 'sting' operation in which he was filmed without his consent.

Most of the medications used in first and second line therapy of HIV in Singapore are not subsidised by the government and can cost up to US$1,000 per month; while many new life-saving, life-changing treatments are not available in Singapore. HIV/AIDS needs to be treated like any other disease with regards to treatment, says Dr Stuart Koe, CEO of Fridae and long-time AIDS activist.

The cover of Newsweek magazine, March 1, 2010, proclaims “The death of human rights.” Do we send flowers? Douglas Sanders has a non-eulogy.

The Singapore pastor who was called up by the Internal Security Department for his offensive remarks has apologised personally to the Buddhist and Taoist federations but he shouldn't stop there, says blogger Kenneth Tan who noted that he had preached falsehoods about gays linking them with paedophilia and bestiality in a video which was online as early as July 2009.

Is homophobia a real problem in the African Commonwealth, thus contradicting the high human-rights standards the association is supposed to uphold?

'Family values' is a term much bandied about by anti-gay 'pro-family' groups who accuse gays of being anti-family, Aniruddh Vasudevan, director of the Shakti Resource Center, Chennai shares a conversation he recently had with his parents in a local newspaper.

Does international refugee law give some protection to LGBT individuals? Douglas Sanders gives an overview.

Ahead of the biennial 2009 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit to be held Nov 27-29, representatives of gay groups from ten countries including Singapore, Malaysia and India are attending a parallel conference called the Commonwealth People's Forum with the aim of campaigning for the repeal of sodomy laws - a very common feature of ex-British colonies. Alex Au writes from Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.

Bored or tired of the same old 'scene'? You could just be entering 'post-gay' territory... as Nicholas Deroose, a Singaporean student in the US, has come to feel as a totally out person who "no longer wants to identify with mainstream gay culture."

Impressions from the 2009 Out & Equal Workplace Summit held in Orlando, 6-9 October 2009.