Fridae

Some 40 police officers of Inspector and Senior Inspector rank from the Caloocan Police Station of Caloocan City in Manila, and about 10 criminology students were the first to attend the first-ever LGBT and gender sensitivity training seminar held earlier this month by LGBT activists in the Philippines.

Hong Kong action superstar Jackie Chan has come out as an ally of LGBTs and is urging others to do the same.

From 10 April to 4 May, Singaporean theatre company Wild Rice is restaging their all-male version of The Importance of Being Earnest, a sparkling comedy by 19th century gay icon Oscar Wilde. We talk to director Glen Goei and 'leading lady' Ivan Heng – both of them local gay icons themselves.

Gary Lim and Kenneth Chee, plaintiffs in the recent S 377A constitutional challenge, will appeal the recent High Court judgment. Friends and supporters have launched a fundraising appeal to raise S$50,000 to help meet court costs.

New Zealand has become the first country in the Asia Pacific region and the 13th worldwide to legalise same-sex marriage after its parliament voted 77 to 44 on Wednesday night.

As lawmakers in Vietnam consider legalising same-sex marriage, the country's health ministry has reportedly said that it believes same-sex marriage to be a human right and should be allowed by the state.

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."

Pink Alliance, a coalition of Hong Kong's LGBT groups, has launched the I am ME (我係我) video advocacy project to generate public awareness about anti-LGBT bullying of school students because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.

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.

Lawmakers in Uruguay on Wednesday voted 71-21 to legalise same-sex marriage, making the South American country the 12th in the world and third in the Americas to do so.