Fridae

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."

The Hong Kong government has established a new body to replace its predecessor the Sexual Minorities Forum (SMF) which collapsed in March this year after a mass withdrawal by LGBT groups. Fridae's Hong Kong correspondent Nigel Collett has an in-depth report of the latest developments.

Millions of ethnic Chinese around the world today honour the memory of poet Qu Yuan who is said to have sacrificed himself for his country but academics have proferred another reason for Qu Yuan's suicide than his supposed love for the nation.

Asia is becoming more LGBTI friendly. Change is not dramatic but incremental, says Douglas Sanders, a long-time activist and Professor Emeritus in Law at Canada's University of British Columbia and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

Sir Shivananda Khan, a prominent gay and AIDS activist, and founder of Naz Foundation International and the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM), passed away in his home on Monday, May 20. In recognition of Khan’s work with MSM in Asia, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2005.

Thailand's National Human Rights Commission's Dr. Taejing Siripanich explains why hate crimes and lack of anti-discrimination legislation are not being prioritised as same-sex marriage is, and that advocating for a new law to be created to legalise same-sex partnerships is "easier than changing the existing marriage law."

As public hearings are underway before the bill will be proposed to parliament for debate, the English-language local media appears to be covering the issue positively with interviews with same-sex couples who speak about the discrimination they currently face and their hopes for the future.

Following the Singapore High Court's decision to dismiss a challenge to the country's anti-gay sex laws, Tania De Rozario recaps a long list of injustice and discrimination suffered by gay people, and argues why equality is needed right away.

From 29 to 31 March, the biggest ever international conference for Asian LGBT activists was held in Bangkok. Ng Yi-Sheng reports.

Two historic appeals on marriage are being argued in the US Supreme Court this week. One is a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act. The other is about an amendment to the state constitution in California. Douglas Sanders, Professor Emeritus in Law at Canada’s University of British Columbia and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University, provides a backgrounder to the two cases.