Archives > July 2005
Brazil's Fight Against AIDS Loses U.S. Funding - Nation Won't Condemn Prostitution
Sfgate.com - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 31, 2005
In their baseball caps and T-shirts adorned with a rose in the shape of a heart, they are a familiar and welcome presence in the red-light district on the outskirts of downtown here. For years now, they have been distributing condoms to the prostitutes who work the streets, part of the Brazilian government's larger effort to hold AIDS in check.
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Movie 'Pick Me' Takes a New Look at Homosexuality
New Kerala.com - Ernakulam, Kerala, India, July 27, 2005: Homosexuality, is a topic that is hardly talked about openly, in Indian society. This became evident when Deepa Mehta's film 'Fire' hit the silver screen; raising hackles of conservative Indians. Pick Me, which has a Hollywood mix is based on a true story of an Indian homosexual.
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Ancient China also Cared about Female Sexual Pleasure
People's Daily - China, July 26, 2005: The ancient Chinese regarded sexual satisfaction as crucial for both men and women, revealed a Japanese researcher Tuesday.
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Chinese Play Explores Homosexuality, Breaks Taboos
IANS - New Delhi, India, July 26, 2005
The largely taboo subjects of sado-masochism, transvestitism and police violence all feature in China's first stage play to explore male homosexuality, which opened over the weekend in Beijing.
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Fudan University to Soften Punishment on Premarital Sex
Xinhua - Shanghai, China, July 24, 2005
Students caught having premarital sex in an elite university here are expected to face softened penalty if new rules are approved.
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To the Point
Cybernoon.com - Bombay, India, July 23, 2005
Varsha Kale President of Bharatiya Bar Girls Union - On the recent announcement in the Assembly about the dance bar issue.
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Dance Bar Women not Forced into Sex Work: Survey
Hindu.com - Chennai, India, July 20 2005
A survey on the working conditions and background of women working in dance bars here refutes the claim that they were trafficked in from Bangladesh, as suggested by some politicians, or that they are forced into sex work.
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Gay Singaporeans Gather to Pray in Country that Outlaws Homosexuality
The Advocate, July 19, 2005
In a country where homosexual sex is punishable by prison time and the government bans gay-themed parties, the Free Community Church stands out. It is the only place of Christian worship willing to accept gays and lesbians in Singapore.
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State of Denial
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta, India, July 18, 2005
It is not enough to introduce sex education in schools, Indians need to bring the 's' word into their homes, writes Venetia Ansell.
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Rapping out the Message - India's Radio Deejays and Veejays
Internews - USA, July 18, 2005
MEDIAIDS project will hold two 'Young Voices' workshops for young radio deejays and television veejays July 25 and August 7 in Chennai, India. The goal is to train young disc jockeys from the campus radios, the local commercial radio and TV stations to talk about HIV/AIDS in a way that the message will appeal to their young audiences.
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On Lure of Jobs
Navhind Times - Panjim, India, July 16, 2005
The arrest of a woman from Bangladesh by Goa police, who was forced into prostitution by an international gang of sex- traffickers, points only to the tip of the iceberg.
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CDC to Inform Spouses of Partners who Contracted HIV and AIDS
Channel NewsAsia - Singapore, July 14, 2005
Spouses who are unaware that their partners are HIV positive will be told of the diagnosis. The Senior Minister of State for Health, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, said this was necessary to protect the health of spouses.
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The Natural Roots of Sexuality
PeaceJournalism.com - Nepal, July 13, 2005
Recent studies in animal sexuality serve to dispel two common myths: that sex is exclusively about reproduction and that homosexuality is an unnatural sexual preference. It now appears that sex is also about recreation as it frequently occurs out of the mating season. And same-sex copulation and bonding are common in hundreds of species, from bonobo apes to gulls.
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Sexual and Reproductive Health a Must for MDGs
Kathmandu Post - Kathmandu, Nepal, July 12, 2005
Country Representative for Nepal, UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Junko Sazaki, on Tuesday stressed the need to focus on sexual and reproductive health to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) endorsed by 189 member countries of the United Nations in 2000.
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Delhi Girls Sexually More Aware than Bhopal
Central Chronicle - New Delhi, India, July 7, 2005
Young people in Delhi are more informed on the issues of sexuality and sexual health as compared to their counterparts in Bhopal and majority of them feel that pre-marital sex is okay, according to a recent survey.
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Malaysia's Human Rights Commission Seeks Women Trafficking
Mainichi Daily News - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 7, 2005
Malaysia must make new laws and work closer with countries such as Thailand, India and the Philippines to stop women from being trafficked into the country for prostitution and other illegal work.
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'Queer' Conference Attracts Big Response
The Nation - Bangkok, Thailand, July 5, 2005: Bangkok will host the first ever 'International Conference of Asian Queer Studies' from Thursday to Saturday - a huge academic gathering which is expected to shed new light on gender studies thanks to its broad spectrum of topics covering issues relating to Asian homosexual and transgender groups.
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Commercial Sex, Drug Use Biggest Drivers of HIV in Asia
Xinhuanet - Kobe, Japan, July 5, 2005
As commercial sex and unsafe injecting drug use are the biggest drivers of HIV in most Asia countries, supportive government policies that address these behaviors are urgently needed to slow the spread of AIDS, according to a series of reports by the Monitoring AIDS Pandemic (MAP) Network.
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Kerala Author, Filmmaker, Sex Worker ... Happily So
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam, Kerala, India, July 5, 2005
She has authored a bestseller, made a film, run a hotel, and 53-year-old Nalini Jameela is now happily looking forward to 10 more years in her profession - sex work.
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Barred Minds and Bar Girls
Indian Express - New Delhi, India, July 4, 2005
In a temporary reprieve, the ordinance banning dance bars in Maharashtra has been returned by the governor. However, with an all-party consensus including socialist-feminist Mrinal Gore, the ban is bound to translate into law in the forthcoming assembly session.
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Legalizing Flesh Trade can Improve Adolescent Health
Kathmandu Post - Kathmandu, Nepal, July 4, 2005
Chief specialist at the Ministry of Health, Nirakar Man Shrestha, said on Monday that since the number of adolescent commercial sex workers is on the rise, legalization of the trade could help ensure sound reproductive health of adolescents.
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Why Do Sex Workers Do What They Do? Asks AIDS Researchers
Mainichi Daily News - Kobe, Japan, July 3, 2005
A young homosexual man in Sydney may sell his body for the evening because he's short on cash and likes life on the edge. An underage Nepalese girl works in an Indian brothel because her relatives sold her to a trafficker. The reasons behind sex work in the Asia-Pacific are as diverse as the region itself.
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High-Profile Pakistani Rape Victim Launches Appeal in Supreme
China Post - Taipei, Taiwan, July 1, 2005
A Pakistani woman who was gang-raped on the orders of a village council launched an appeal Monday before Pakistan's Supreme Court against a ruling that acquitted five of her alleged attackers, her lawyer said.
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