Fridae

A lesbian couple has become the first to wed in a same-sex Buddhist wedding ceremony in Taiwan; gay rights groups say they hope the island will become the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage.

HIV expert and author Elizabeth Pisani has been on a mission for over a decade to get policymakers to understand how real-world behaviours influence HIV transmission and to overhaul antiquated, ineffective prevention strategies. She speaks to Fridae about her work in Indonesia, trends in gay Asia, and more.

Can the recent LGBT pride parade and announcement by Vietnam's Justice Minister that the communist country may consider same-sex marriage be taken as signs of social liberalisation and/or progress on gay rights? Scott Long, a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School's Human Rights Program has more.

More than 100 people displaying rainbow flags walked, cycled or rode their motorcycles down Hanoi’s busy streets on Sunday morning.

Openly gay author and pastor Rev. Oyoung Wen Feng, who legally married his partner Phineas Newborn III on Aug 31 last year in New York, hosted a wedding banquet in downtown Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

Of the 12,000 athletes at London 2012, only 23 are openly gay or bisexual, an increase from 11 at the Beijing Games in 2008.

From Aug 2-18, Toy Factory Productions presents Purple, a gritty drama based on the life of a Singaporean transgender woman. Fridae interviews the company director and playwright Goh Boon Teck.

Last month, Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong announced that his ministry is considering legalising same-sex marriage. Fridae speaks with Le Quang Binh, head of iSEE, a not-for-profit research organisation that promotes understanding of LGBTs in society, about recent developments and societal acceptance of LGBTs.

Following an announcement that Vietnam's Justice Ministry is looking into legalising same-sex marriage, the country will see its first LGBT pride festival and "Cycle with Pride" parade on Sunday morning.

For its eighth edition, Singapore's LGBT pride season will throw the spotlight on things, situations and places that are special to Singapore's LGBT community.