Fridae

British singer-songwriter Elton John appeared with husband David Furnish and baby Zachary at the 20th World Orchid Conference in Singapore last weekend where he had an orchid named after him.

The decision to rebrand the iconic gay parade as the 'Sydney Mardi Gras' as part of the festival’s new strategy to attract broader local, national and international audiences has got Sydneysiders debating the removal of the two words.

The Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival kicks off today with more than 30 full-length and short films to be screened over two weeks, and will feature more Asian content than in previous years.

The dress code this year is "Sexy and Act Out". Despite this, only a handful of drag queens and a few topless "cowboy-bears" in leather tights were spotted. Although Fridae's reporter Tony Ed Lo overheard negative comments from the bystanders about inappropriate outfits, others complained that there weren’t enough hot shirtless men on display.

Some 2,000 people marched in Hong Kong's gay pride parade on Saturday under the theme, "For queer, for love, for equality."

A 22-year-old man, who pleaded guilty to killing gay rights activist David Kato this year, has been sentenced to 30 years jail.

At least five gay men have reported being attacked by several men – although it's too early to know if it's the same attackers involved – last week in the South Korean capital city of Seoul.

Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam wants to amend Syariah laws to deal with gay men and lesbians although Malacca's Syariah laws already criminalise "intentional anal sex", "attempted intentional anal sex" and “sexual relations... against the order of nature”.

Pioneering gay Singaporean writer Andrew Koh is back in town. On Wed, Nov 9, he’ll be giving a reading from his award-winning novel Glass Cathedral. Ng Yi-Sheng chats with the Sydney-based nurse and writer about the "non-reception" he received despite winning a Commendation Award in the Singapore Literature Prize in 1994 and his new career in Chinese medicine.

The week-old Bali Medika Clinic will provide confidential medical check-ups, screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, CD4 testing and antiretroviral treatment, and a range of other services specifically targeted at men who have sex with men and other at-risk groups.