Ah Qiang, director of PFLAG China, discusses the obstacles in registering a gay organisation as a NGO and how that plays into the wider issues facing LGBT people in China. For more, read his blog http://www.weibo.com/aqiang
Ah Qiang is head of PFLAG China in Guangzhou and a keen LGBT activist. Here, he discusses some of the issues facing LGBT people coming out in China. For more of Ah Qiang's writing visit his blog here: http://blog.sina.com.cn/aqiang
Not only does the body include two members who are firmly opposed to anti-discrimination legisation for LGBTs, much of its second meeting was dominated by Christian groups who told the panel that same-sex relationships are a sin and that they would be deprived of their right to discriminate should any anti-discrimination legislation be enacted. Nigel Collett reports.
The Hong Kong government is said to have conducted its own surveys in 2012, which found that a majority of respondents support having a law against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, though the results of the survey remain a secret. Fridae's Hong Kong correspondent Nigel Collett outlines what's stopping the government from implementing anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTs.
As gay pride parades in Asia and around the world become increasingly mainstream and attract corporate sponsorship, community members often disagree on what sort of image the events should present to the public. Aditya Bondyopadhyay, a gay rights activist and member of the Delhi Pride Committee, says recent events in the US have affirmed his group's decision to not take on corporate sponsors.
Dr Vincent Wijeysingha, Singapore's only openly gay (former) political candidate, today announced his decision to quit the Singapore Democratic Party as his coming out two months earlier had caused debate. In an exclusive column for Fridae, he reveals his "one concern in mind that cannot wait for history to take its course", and his plans to get more involved in LGBT and other human rights issues.
From 15 to 31 August, the art exhibition No Approval is on show at Grey Projects, Singapore. Held in conjunction with the annual IndigNation Pride Festival, the show challenges the idea that LGBT culture is going to fit easily into the heterosexual mainstream.
At last count, 14 countries have legalised same-sex marriage. In Asia, the issue is gaining steam in Vietnam and Thailand as its governments are considering legalising same-sex marriage and civil unions respectively. Is this a cause all gay people should get behind? Malaysian gay activist and co-founder of Seksualiti Merdeka Pang Khee Teik writes that while this right should be celebrated, it is not the most important right for LGBTs.
As part of the Coming Out Campaign by Singapore queer women's group Sayoni at the IndigNation 2013 kickoff event on Saturday, writer and visual artist Tania De Rozario shares her gritty experiences of coming out at a very young age.
Following the success of Singapore's Pink Dot rally with a record turnout of 21,000, writer Lisa Li reminds the community that as the movement grows it needs to be more accepting of diversity within its ranks, and argues that LGBTs should be accepted as equal members of society as human beings and not just because we are "law-abiding... or productive members of the economy."
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