Fridae

Reports suggest Chinese in Australia are uncharacteristically engaging in the nation's politics, with older Chinese especially campaigning for a 'no' vote in marriage poll.

Ordained as a pastor at the Metropolitan Community Church in New York in May, Oyoung Wenfeng, an award-winning Malaysian journalist and columnist, tells Fridae about coming out as a gay man and his plans to set up an all-inclusive church in Malaysia in 2010.

Inspired by Singapore's MM Lee Kuan Yew's recent reference to a magazine article about the English university having openly acknowledged gay love for almost 400 years which influenced the statesman's views that Singapore has "no option" but to decriminalise gay sex, columnist Dr Tan Chong Kee finds proof of same sex love being recorded throughout 2,000 years of Chinese history. Part 1 of 2.

Fridae speaks to Dr Tan Chong Kee, Singapore's best-known figure in civil society activism, about his upcoming talk on Aug 2 which challenges the notion that same-sex love is contrary to Asian values.