Cambodian PM Reverses On Anti-Gay Bias

Joe.My.God. reports:

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who five years agopublicly disowned his daughter when she married a woman, has issued a denouncement of anti-gay discrimination. 

Gay rights is not a major issue in Cambodia, and Hun Sen seemed to have been inspired by discussions of the subject on International Human Rights Day on Monday, including on local television. Cambodian society, as in neighboring Thailand, is generally tolerant of homosexuality.  He said he had heard requests from gay Cambodians that they be able to enjoy the same rights and freedoms as others. “There are gays and lesbians in every country, so there should be no discrimination against them just because of their destiny,” he said. “Most of them are good people and are not doing alcohol, drugs or racing vehicles.”

Homosexuality is legal in Cambodia but no other protections currently exist.

India: New Delhi Gay Pride Parade 2012

Hong Kong: Gay Pride Parade 2012

Taiwan: Marriage Equality - Love All The Same, Same Kind Of Love)

Hong Kong: AIDS Group Blames Grindr

Joe.My.God. reports:

A Hong Kong AIDS group is blaming Grindr for a local rise in STDs and HIV infections. Gay Star Newsreports:

Spokesperson for AIDS Concern, Panda Cheung Yin-mei, told China Daily that Grindr ‘is one of the factors that are contributing to the record high levels of infections’. More worryingly, Cheung says attempts to engage with Grindr in order to work together to send a safe-sex message through the app have been obstructed by the American company. “Grindr is a money-making software,” says Cheung. “They have tightened monitoring of users and they don’t welcome NGOs doing outreach on the Grindr networks. Once they find a phone number is an NGO number, they block the number so the NGO cannot do it again.” Cheung added that the problem in Hong Kong is more serious than in other parts of the world where Grindr is popular because of the absence of sex education in schools. 

A Grindr spokeman told a local Chinese newspaper: “Grindr strongly encourages our users to engage in safe sex practices, get tested and know their HIV status.”

Vietnam To Hold First Gay Pride Event With The Sponsorship Of Canada & Sweden 

Joe.My.God. reports:

The first gay pride event in Vietnam’s history will take place this weekend in Hanoi.

Viet Pride will run from Aug 3-5 and will feature film screenings, research presentations, music live performances, and a cycle parade through the city center on Sunday morning beginning at My Dinh Stadium and ending at Ly Tu Trong Park. Organised by Nguyen Thanh Tam and a group of volunteers, the event is supported by the Center for Studies and Applied Sciences in Gender, Family, Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) where Tam is casually employed. The 25-year-old self-described “freelance activist”, who has lived in Singapore for the last six years, was inspired to organise Viet Pride after she and other activists were sponsored to attend Stockholm Pride last year. The event is also supported by the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment (iSEE), and Information Connecting and Sharing (ICS); venue and in-kind sponsors Goethe Institute, Lebox Produktion (Sweden) and Hearst Entertainment (US); and in-cash sponsors Embassy of Sweden and Embassy of Canada.

Props to Sweden and Canada for their support!

RELATED: Earlier this week the Vietnamese government indicated that it was in the early stages of putting forward a marriage equality bill.

Vietnam: Government Considers Allowing Gay Marriage

The Seattle Times reports:

Dinh Thi Hong Loan grasps her girlfriend’s hand, and the two gaze into each other’s love-struck eyes. Smiling, they talk about their upcoming wedding — how they’ll exchange rings and toast the beginning of their lives together.
The lesbians’ marriage ceremony in the Vietnamese capital won’t be officially recognized, but that could soon change. Vietnam’s Communist government is now considering whether to allow same-sex couples to marry or legally register and receive rights — positioning the country to be the first in Asia to do so.
“Our love for each other is real and nothing changes regardless of whether the law is passed or not,” said Loan, 31. “But when it is passed, we will definitely go get registered. I can’t wait!”
Even longtime gay-rights activists are stunned by the Justice Ministry’s proposal to include same-sex couples in its overhaul of the country’s marriage law. No one knows what form it will take or whether it will survive long enough to be debated before the National Assembly next year, but supporters say the fact that it’s even being considered is a victory in a region where simply being gay can result in jail sentences or whippings with a rattan cane.
“I think everyone is surprised,” said Vien Tanjung, an Indonesian gay-rights activist. “Even if it’s not successful, it’s already making history. For me personally, I think it’s going to go through.”
Vietnam seems an unlikely champion of gay-rights issues. It is routinely lambasted by the international community over its dismal human-rights record, often locking up political dissidents who call for democracy or religious freedom. Up until just a few years ago, homosexuality was labeled as a “social evil” alongside drug addiction and prostitution.
And Vietnam’s gay community itself was once so underground that few groups or meeting places existed. It was taboo to even talk about the issue.
But over the past five years, that’s slowly started to change. Vietnam’s state-run media, unable to write about politically sensitive topics or openly criticize the one-party government, have embraced the chance to explore gay issues. They have run lengthy newspaper stories and television broadcasts, including one live special that won a top award.
Video of Vietnam’s first publicized gay wedding went viral online in 2010, and a few other ceremonies followed, capturing widespread public attention. The Justice Ministry now says a legal framework is necessary because the courts do not know how to handle disputes between same-sex couples living together. The new law could provide rights such as owning property, inheriting assets and adopting children.
“I think, as far as human rights are concerned, it’s time for us to look at the reality,” Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong said Tuesday in an online chat broadcast on national TV and radio. “The number of homosexuals has mounted to hundreds of thousands. It’s not a small figure. They live together without registering marriage. They may own property. We, of course, have to handle these issues legally.”
Globally, 11 countries have legalized same-sex marriage since the Netherlands became the first to do so in 2001. Only a few U.S. states allow it, but President Obama provided hope for many couples worldwide after announcing his support earlier this year.
The issue has remained largely off the table across Asia. In Thailand, many tourists see a vibrant gay, lesbian and transgender community, but it exists largely as part of the country’s lucrative entertainment industry, separated from politics and conservative Thai society.
Muslim-dominated nations such as Indonesia have strict laws against homosexuality. Sodomy can result in up to 20 years in jail and caning in Malaysia. But that hasn’t stopped some from continuing to fight for more rights and visibility.
In Singapore, more than 15,000 people — double last year’s turnout — recently held up pink lights in a park at night to support acceptance of the community in a modern city-state where gay sex remains illegal, even though the law is not enforced.
In Taiwan, a 2003 bill to recognize same-sex marriage failed to receive enough support to make it law, though a lesbian couple is expected to tie the knot in August at a Buddhist monastery.
Vietnam will also hold its first public gay-pride parade Aug. 5 in Hanoi. The country is socially conservative, but the government restricts the kind of politicized religious movements that typically push back against same-sex marriage in other countries. Gay-pride events also seem to pose little threat to the Communist Party’s dominance.
The same-sex marriage proposal still has several hurdles before it could become law. The Justice Ministry will consider opinions from the public along with government agencies before submitting its draft proposal to the National Assembly next May on whether to recommend same-sex marriage or some other type of legal recognition with rights. Then, it must be approved by a majority of parliament.
“Some people told me if Vietnam could legalize it, it would be very good example for other counties to follow,” said Le Quang Binh, head of the nonprofit Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment, which is consulting on the marriage law. “People think that talking about it is a big step forward already … I hope it will lead to more openness or tolerance for gays and lesbians in Vietnam.”
As for Vietnamese partners Loan and Nguyen Thi Chi, who share a one-room apartment down a narrow alley in Hanoi, they say their love and commitment is real, regardless of whether a law exists to recognize them when they marry next month. But they hope the new proposal will ease stigma that lingers around same-sex couples.
Chi, 20, knows the pain of discrimination all too well. She recently dropped out of college after being publicly outed by a note taped to one of her classroom doors saying she was “diseased.” She was harassed and bullied for a year and a half on campus until finally deciding she’d had enough.
“Things must change,” she said. “Even though it was not a nice experience, more and more people are interested in knowing about the community. And the more people that know about it, the more people will have a different view on it.”

China: Lesbian Blood Ban Lifted

Global Times reports:

Lesbians, banned from giving blood since 1998, are now legally allowed to donate, according to a new national policy which took effect Sunday. 
While applauding the move, those in the gay community believe there is still room for improvement, as gay men will still find it difficult to donate.
The Whole Blood and Component Donor Selection Requirements, released by the Ministry of Health last year, amended the provision which had forbidden homosexuals from giving blood. The previous requirements dated from 1998. It now does not mention homosexual identity, only stating that men who are sexually active with other men are still barred from donating. 
An anonymous staff member from Beijing Red Cross Blood Center confirmed Monday that the center and the city’s mobile blood centers had received the notice. 
“According to the new policy, mobile blood centers should have started accepting lesbian donors from Sunday,” she said.
The director of Common Language, an NGO dedicated to supporting lesbians and bisexuals, nicknamed Xian, said that she applauded the amendment and is planning to coordinate members of the NGO to donate blood. 
Xian did not know lesbians were barred from giving blood until after the earthquake in Sichuan Province in 2008, when she was told she could not donate blood.  
“It’s scientific that the policy doesn’t mention homosexual identity but only fences off some who have certain sex behaviors, because AIDS is not caused by one’s homosexual identity but improper sexual behavior,” said Xian.
She added that in the past, although a lesbian was able to donate by concealing her homosexual identity, the new policy is still meaningful for them.
“It is also about our dignity and the elimination of blood donation discrimination,” she said.
An employee at the mobile blood center in Xidan, Xicheng district, who refused to give her name, said Monday that she has not heard of the amendment, and so far, no one who came to donate had claimed to be a lesbian.
“But there is a training course tomorrow from the Beijing Red Cross Blood Center; that’s possibly about the amendment,” she said.
Well-known sexologist Li Yinhe said that as China learnt about AIDS and homosexuality at roughly the same time, in the 1980s, “the nation easily believed that being a homosexual equates to AIDS.” 
“Inadequate understanding of the two things is the main reason why ‘homosexuals’ was listed as a group not allowed to donate blood, as a way to prevent the spread of AIDS,” said Li. 
The first account of people contracting AIDS came in a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June, 1981. It mentioned five men, presumed to be homosexual, had contracted a disease thought to be caused by sexual contact. 
The first case of AIDS in China occurred in 1985 when an Argentine visitor, also an AIDs patient, died during a trip to the country, according to Li.
“Judging from the amendment, the country’s views on homosexuals and AIDS has progressed,” Li said, noting that gay men were still thought of as a high-risk group for AIDS transmission, but lesbians are a low-risk group.
Huijin, 27, a lesbian in Beijing, said that she is happy to know about the amendment as it has restored lesbians’ rights to donate blood. 
“But the amendment is still not complete,” she said, adding that gay  men should also have the same rights.
“In Western countries, gay men can donate if they haven’t had sex for a period of time,” Huijin said.
USA Today reported in December, 2011 that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits men who have had sex with other men at any time since 1977 from donating blood. 
In 2010, the FDA reviewed the policy but upheld it, while in the UK, since November, 2011, gay men can donate blood, but only if they have abstained from sex for 12 months, according to a report in the Guardian on June 14.

Vietnam: Ministry Mulls Legalizing Marriage Equality

Thanhnein News reports:

The Ministry of Justice is collecting opinions from agencies and organizations about the legalization of same-sex marriage as it drafts modifications to the current marriage laws, VnExpress reported Friday.
In its latest letters to social organizations and related agencies, the ministry said it is considering legalizing same-sex marriage because increasing numbers of homosexual, bisexual and transgender people were coming out and declaring their sexual orientations.
Their need to get married and live together is also increasing, while the Law on Marriage and Family issued in 2000 outlaws same-sex marriage, the ministry said.
“To guarantee personal freedom, the marriage between same sex people needs to be recognized.”
However, on the other hand, the ministry stressed that it is too early to legalize same-sex marriage in Vietnam, considering traditional customs. Moreover, the sensitive nature of the issue and its consequences have yet to be fully grasped, it said.
Meanwhile, a representative of the Information Connecting and Sharing (ICS), a non-governmental organization working for the benefits of homosexual, bisexual and transgender people in Vietnam, said they support the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Marriage needs to be considered as the right of every person whatever their sexuality, the representative was cited as saying.
With legalization, homosexual people’s personal rights, especially during the time of living together, like those regarding children’s custody and property inheritance, will be protected by laws.
Married homosexual people then would be bound by legal frames, which could help decrease social evils like male prostitution that carries high risks of HIV transmission, the ICS representative said.
According to ICS, a survey in June found that 71.1 percent of 5,000 homosexual respondents want to get married with their same-sex partners, while 24.7 percent want to register their living together arrangements with local authorities.
The rest accept living together without registration.
The association of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays in Vietnam recently also organized a seminar with the participation of experts to call for the legalization of same-sex marriage, VnExpress reported.
Currently no official statistics on homosexual people in Vietnam are available, it said.
In May, authorities in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang fined a family for organizing a public celebration of their son’s marriage to another man.

A few years ago, a lesbian couple in the southern province of Ca Mau was also fined for organizing a similar wedding ceremony. 

Singapore: Pink Dot 2012

LAOS: US Embassy Supports Nation’s First-Ever LGBT Pride Celebration

Joe.My.God. reports:

Laos has held its first-ever LGBT Pride event with the support of the U.S. Embassy.

More than 100 people attended the event, which took place on the sports field of the U.S. Embassy. The guests of honor were U.S. Ambassador Karen Stewart and Dr. Bounpheng Philavong, Director of the Center for HIV/AIDS/STI (CHAS) at the Lao Ministry of Health. During their remarks, both Dr. Bounpheng and Ambassador Stewart congratulated the event organizers for taking an important first step to achieving full acceptance of LGBT people in Lao society.

“The message we want to send is that no matter what you look like or where you come from or what your sexual orientation is, every single one of you is a person with value and should be treated with dignity and respect,” Ambassador Stewart told the crowd to loud applause. The event drew performers and participation from a number of organizatons that provide outreach and services to Laos’ LGBT community, including the Purple Sky Network, Lao Positive Health Association (Lao PHA), Population Services International (PSI), the Burnet Institute, Family Health International (FHI), the Vientiane Youth Center for Health and Development, and UNFPA. 

The theme was “Proud To Be Us.”

Song Of The Day: Sharon Cuneta & Martin Nievera - Once In A Lifetime 

Indonesia: Security Concerns Prompt Lady Gaga To Cancel Jakarta Concert

CNN reports: 

Lady Gaga has canceled her concert in Indonesia, her management said Sunday, citing security concerns after Islamic hardliners denounced her costumes and dance moves as too risqué.

If the concert were held, there would be concerns the singer, her crew and attendees may be in harm’s way, said Minola Sebayang, the lawyer for the promoters.

“This is an advice from her security team. So the cancellation is purely based on the decision made by her management,” Sebayang said.

Earlier this month, Jakarta police recommended that Lady Gaga’s sold-out June 3 show not be issued a permit because of security concerns.

The pop diva appeared to acknowledge the incident in a post on Twitter on Saturday:

There is nothing Holy about hatred.

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) May 26, 2012

On Sunday, she tweeted confirmation of the cancelation: “We had to cancel the concert in Indonesia. I’m so very sorry and the fans & just as devastated as you if not more. You are everything to me,” she wrote.

“I will try to put together something special for you. My love for Indonesia has only grown,” the performer said.

Islamists and conservative Muslims have decried Lady Gaga’s upcoming concert, saying her revealing costumes and sensual dance moves are forbidden by Islamic law.

The chairman of the Islamic Defenders Front, Habib Rizieq, said his group could not guarantee security if the concert were held.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world.

In March, the pop star got a thumbs-down by the country’s highest Islamic authority, according to The Jakarta Globe.

Indonesian Council of Ulema chairman Cholil Ridwan was urging Muslims not to attend the controversial singer’s upcoming concert in Jakarta, the newspaper reported.

“(The concert is) intended to destroy the nation’s morality,” Ridwan told the Globe.

Ridwan is concerned that the singer’s revealing outfits and sexy dance moves will set a bad example for Muslim youths.

Newspaper reports said more than 25,000 tickets were sold in the first two hours after the concert went on sale in March. Police said the promoter should not have started selling tickets before getting a permit.

This is not the first controversy surrounding the singer’s “Born This Way” tour. Gaga also ran afoul of Christian groups in South Korea, prompting the government to ban people under the age of 18 from attending her show.

Last week, Christian groups in the Philippines protested Lady Gaga’s performances there Monday and Tuesday.

India: War Erupts Between Cricket Chief & his Gay Son

Pink News UK reports: 

The gay son of India’s cricket chief tells Indian newspapers that his father is using his political influence to torture him and his partner, and that this was now ‘a fight to the finish.’

Ashwin Srinivasan is the son of N Srinivasan [left], the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Ashwin, who is openly gay, has been all but disowned by his father, which he has made public through interviews to the Indian media.

Ashwin, 43, said that his father was vehemently anti-gay, and has been trying to ‘convert’ him since 1998. Things worsened, he said, when he fell in love with his partner of 13 years, Avi Mukherjee.

Now, Ashwin has stepped up his campaign, saying this was now a fight to the finish. He alleges that his father was using his political clout to torture him and his partner. On April 30, local police picked up the couple from an upmarket restaurant-pub, and allegedly tortured them by beating them with iron rods. Although the police deny these charges, the couple have released photographs to show how brutally they were beaten up in police custody.

This was not the first time they were arrested, the couple say. In 2002, a similar thing happened, when police kept them in solitary confinement for weeks, and had to seek the help of Ashok Row Kavi, a prominent gay rights activist in India.

Speaking to DNA, an Indian news service, Ashwin said: ““I have been told that all my money is being cut off. I am now left with nothing for the rent, transport and healthcare,” adding: “It is not that I wanted to live off my father… After years of violence, persecution and administering of drugs, we’ve become totally professionally and socially isolated and dependent on the very man we want to get away from.”

However, Ashwin now says he wants to take the fight all the way to its finish. “I am not going to give up without fighting,” he told DNA, “I’ve lost the best years of my life in my 20s and 30s and I will make sure my father pays for it.”

Mr Srinivasan has refused to comment on the matter, saying it was a private matter.

Armenia: Bar Bombed Over Owner’s Participation In A Gay Pride Parade

Joe.My.God. reports:

Last week a gay-friendly bar in Armenia was fire-bombed, reportedly because the owner is an LGBT rights activist who once marched in a gay pride parade. The suspects have been bailed out by members of parliament.

A homemade bomb this month targeted a bar, called “DIY,” which is seen as a haven for “free thinkers” and welcomes the often-shunned gay community of Yerevan. The hate crime, which happened just two days after the parliamentary elections, has given way to controversy, as ARF MPs Artsvik Minasyan and Hrayr Karapetyan reportedly posted the one million dram (approximately USD 2,500) bail to free the assailants. The attackers, Iranian-Armenian brothers Hampig and Mgrdich (also referred to as Arame) Khapazian, are said to have targeted bar owner Tsomak Oganesova for her activism in the LGBT community, and her participation in a Gay Pride Parade in Turkey. No one happened to be at the bar at the time of the attack, which happened during the early morning hours on May 8. However, substantial damage was reported to the walls and furniture, which were burned from the bomb.

Other attackers returned to the bar yesterday to paint swastikas on its walls. Two more men were arrested.