Archives > February 2006
Drying up the Visitors
Pattaya Today - Pattaya, Thailand, February 28, 2006
The latest rumour doing the rounds is that the government is contemplating that hotel pubs and restaurants be stopped from serving alcohol at certain times of the day and night. It would also be punishable to serve alcohol to anyone below the age of 21.
Read more..
To Fight AIDS, Indian Ads Channel Manliness
Newsweek - USA, February 28, 2006
The HIV/AIDS awareness campaign launched by a human rights organization, Breakthrough is meant to bring attention to the high rates of HIV infection among married Indian women.
Read more..
Gay Rights Activists Attack Obscenity Law
Taipei Times - Taiwan, February 28, 2006
Gay rights activists yesterday gathered at 228 Peace Park and called for the abolition of Article 235 of the Criminal Law, which bans the sale or distribution of "indecent" materials. They said that the article was in violation of their sexual rights.
Read more..
Bring it on
Economic Times - India, February 26, 2006
Brokeback Mountain has made history with its frank treatment of gay theme in a mainstream film and its good reception by both critics and audiences.
Read more..
Pushing Rubber Use Makes City Responsible
Xinhua - China, February 25, 2006
At a conference on AIDS prevention last week, Beijing's policy-makers initiated a campaign to promote condom use. Gone are the days when abstinence was the only acceptable means of preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Read more..
Sexual Revolution Sweeps China
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam, Kerala, India, February 25, 2006
Sex is gradually losing its status as a taboo subject in China, heralding major changes in people's attitudes toward sex.
Read more..
Church Adopts Tough Stance on Birth Control
Manila Standard Today - Philippines, February 20, 2006
The influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has adopted a hard-line "shock-and-awe" policy to keep its flock away from temptation and from artificial birth control methods. Under the shock and awe policy, Catholics who support the use of birth control devices or artificial methods of family planning and defy the teachings of the Church would be denied communion, baptism, confirmation, wedding and burial rites.
Read more..
Indian Catholic Church Makes Bollywood Film on AIDS
Reuters AlertNet - London, England, UK, February 19, 2006
The Hindi-language 'Aisa Kyun Hota Hai' (Why Does This Happen?) is made with church money and it is hoped it will spread awareness about HIV/AIDS among India's 1.1 billion people of whom more than 5.1 million are living with the deadly virus.
Read more..
Salaam Bombay
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta, India, February 19, 2006
Why do women from Bengal land up in brothels in Mumbai and Pune? The women have different reasons for leaving their home towns and states for a land they have never seen before. The anonymity that a big city several hundred kilometres away from home shrouds them with is a compelling reason.
Read more..
Oledan: Power Relations
Sun Star - Philippines, February 18, 2006
The cultural biases and expectation for men to stick to a strong heterosexual male identity leads them to a high level of risk taking which not only includes drinking and smoking but also engaging in unsafe sex with multiple partners.
Read more..
The Many Faces of Marriage and Sexuality
News Today Online - Iloilo City, Philippines, February 17, 2006
Marriage and love do not always go hand in hand. In many societies of the world, love is not a requisite for marriage. But marriage and human sexuality are related in virtually all known humans societies.
Read more..
Gay People Increasingly Recognized
Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China, February 17, 2006
Many of the official statements and actions link gay men with HIV and the need to recognize gay men as a risk group in order to prevent the spread of HIV. In any event, it is undeniable that there is a gaining recognition of homosexuality, and especially gay men, throughout the major cities in China. The status of gay men has changed rapidly in a very short period of time in China.
Read more..
Why the Brush Speaks of Nudity More
Hindustan Times - India, February 17, 2006
The alluring and curvaceous poses of the woman combined with her nudity added a distinct sensual element to the work. Looking at these paintings, the viewer feels they are stealing a glance at the private moments of the lady in question.
Read more..
Legally Bound
Mid-Day Mumbai - Bombay, India, February 17, 2006
From colonial times to the present the Indian liberal has happily endorsed state intervention in such social practices as dowry, age of consent for marriage, untouchability, caste discrimination, gender discrimination, homosexuality, cohabitation and even the sporting of beards on public duty.
Read more..
Bill Against Sexual Harassment to be Finalised Soon
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam, Kerala, India, February 16, 2006
After the comprehensive Bill to protect women against domestic violence, the Government is in the process of finalising a bill on protection against sexual harassment.
Read more..
China Published First Report on Homosexuality
All Headline News - USA, February 15, 2006
China's communist government has published a report on homosexuality. The Beijing News says the report, China's first, was a survey of sex and self-identity of male homosexuals based on 400 interviews and case studies.
Read more..
Pinoy Kasi : Sexuality
INQ7.net – Philippines, February 15, 2006
"Exploring Gender and Sexuality” is a new general education course open to all undergraduates. It was the product of almost four years of planning, involving people from different fields: the social sciences, medicine, and communications.
Read more..
Eight-Year-Old Forced into 'Community Sex'
NDTV.com - New Delhi, India, February 15, 2006
In Andhra Pradesh, the parents of an eight-year-old pushed their daughter into a life condemned to sex work. A political leader in the Dharur village of Ranga Reddy district tied a mangalsutra around Anjali's neck on Sunday. The idea behind the ceremony was to make the class three student 'available' as a sexual partner for anyone in the village, once she attained puberty.
Read more..
Indian Gay Ban May be Reversed
PinkNews.co.uk - UK, February 14, 2006
Gay sex has been banned in India since colonial times. The Supreme Court told the Delhi High Court to take another look at a petition, which has pleased the sexual rights groups.
Read more..
Youths Getting ‘Hotter and Wilder'
Manila Standard Today - Philippines, February 14, 2006
Today’s teenagers are “getting hotter and going wilder,” as far as sex is concerned, according to a study. This prompted demographic experts to label the study findings as “shocking and revealing.”
Read more..
New Book Shows Different Aspects of Gay Life
CRI - Beijing, China, February 13, 2006
The research, conducted by Tong Ge, a Chinese gay writer, was put into a book offering a wide range of sexual life experiences from more than 500 homosexual males in eight major cities in the country.
Read more..
China Issues First Guidelines on HIV
Washington Post - United States, February 12, 2006
China issued its first official regulations on how to prevent and control the spread of the AIDS virus Sunday, mandating free testing and medication for the country's poor.
Read more..
Gay Culture Takes Root in China
Zee News - Noida, India, February 12, 2006
China has teamed up with Ford Foundation to publish its first-ever comprehensive report on the sexual behaviours of the nation's gay population.
Read more..
And Now a Few Words on Fidelity, Abstinence...
INQ7.net - Philippines, February 12, 2006
At the forum titled, “The Catholic Church’s response to HIV and AIDS: Action in Charity and Justice,” Church leaders spoke on the possibility of a partnership with the UN and other agencies on the issue of HIV/AIDS and sexuality at the same time remaining faithful to the Catholic teachings.
Read more..
Blurring of the Age of Consent Ignores Girls' Rights
Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China, February 11, 2006
Having sex with a girl under age 14 used to be illegal per se in China. Rule of reason was silent. So long as a man was 14 years old or above, he was a criminal the moment he had sex with such a minor girl, whether she was willing or not.
Read more..
No Birds-and-Bees Talk in SSC Schools Yet
Mumbai Newsline - Mumbai, India, February 10, 2006
The survey findings, forwarded to the department by Governor S M Krishna, continue to gather dust. And this is just the latest straw in the continuing struggle for curriculum change.
Read more..
Sexologist Calls for Proper Understanding of Sex
Webindia123 - India, February 11, 2006
Dr Kothari, who is to participate in the two-day international conference cum exhibition on sexology from tomorrow,told newsmen that sex education has to be promoted. Only then society at large would start treating the subject as part of life, and people approach sex counsellors with frankness.
Read more..
The Right Info on Sex in the City
CNN-IBN - New Delhi, India, February 10, 2006
In an age where it only takes a few minutes to send images through the Internet and mobile phones, usage of postcards as a mode of communication has lost it's relevance. However, postcards are getting a new avtaar. They are being used to spread HIV-AIDS awareness.
Read more..
Brokeback Mountain Banned in China, Middle East
Lifesite - Niagara Falls, USA, February 10, 2006
China, despite its poor record on human rights and outright ban on most non-state-run religion, still holds on to some traditional values abandoned by most western nations. These values have led censors there to ban the homosexual propaganda film, Brokeback Mountain.
Read more..
Devil's Advocate: Bigger Morality
Times of India - India, February 9, 2006
Sexual morality is very big in India. The entire establishment is sexually straitlaced. A couple kissing on the dance floor led to the police closing down a Chennai hotel. Mumbai's dance bars were shut down by legislative fiat.
Read more..
Vagina Monologues Coming to Taipei to Combat Domestic Violence
China Post - Taipei, Taiwan, February 9, 2006
It has been used as a curse word, a recreational toy, a reason for war. An excuse, a tool, and a weapon. And it has also been coveted by men for centuries. Let's be honest; it wasn't really Helen of Troy's face that launched those thousand ships.
Read more..
Section 377 is Unnatural
Hindustan Times - India, February 8, 2006
Living under the sword of Section 377, India’s archaic anti-sodomy law that has been on the books for a 150 years too many, gay people rarely think of the law as justice.
Read more..
The Bush Administration's Support to Bar Two Gay Rights Groups
NewKerala.com - Ernakulam, Kerala, India, February 8, 2006
The Bush administration's support for Iran's proposal to bar two gay rights groups from a voice at the United Nations sparked a demand from U S legislators that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice repudiate the action.
Read more..
Homosexuality Lecture Popular on Campus
Xinhua - Beijing, China, February 8, 2006
According to Oriental Morning Post, Prof. Gao Yanning with the School of Public Health of Fudan University calculated that since 2003, the postgraduate courses of Homosexuality and Sociology have attracted 1,745 students.
Read more..
Playboy Sparks Indonesia Porn Row
BBC News - UK, February 7, 2006
Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, is caught up in a growing debate about pornography.
Read more..
Think Again
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta, India, February 7, 2006
Sexual justice continues to elude Indian homosexuals. But the Supreme Court has now asked the Delhi high court to re-examine the constitutional validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code in light of the changed social scenario in India.
Read more..
Exporting Evangelism
AlterNet - San Francisco,CA,USA, February 7, 2006
As conservative Christianity spreads beyond U.S. borders, the views of the far right begin to influence politics in developing nations.
Read more..
A Ray of Hope for Gay Rights Activists
Dnaindia.com - New Delhi, India, February 6, 2006
The latest Supreme Court directive to the Delhi high court to review the ‘abnormality’ of same sex relationships has given a push of confidence to the hitherto unorganised gay movement in India.
Read more..
Sexual Revolution Indicative of Greater Individualism
Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China, February 6, 2006
This is the second and final part of the author's article on what she calls a sexual revolution in China. In the first part, which was published in Shanghai Daily on January 28, she defined the revolution in the bedroom. Now she explains how it has happened.
Read more..
Japanese Court Rejects Transsexual's Request to Change Registered ...
China Post - Taipei, Taiwan, February 6, 2006
A Japanese court rejected a male-to-female transsexual's request to change her officially registered sex because she already has two children who were born before the operation, a news report said Monday.
Read more..
Sex Awareness Myth
Hindustan Times - India, February 5, 2006
Several surveys have been conducted recently and much has been written on the topic- “Imparting sex education and sex awareness” in India.
Read more..
Sex Museum Turns First Profit
Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China, February 5, 2006
The Pudong branch of China's first sex museum has eked out 400,000 yuan (US$49,566) profit for the first time last year after it opened a year ago in the pedestrian tunnel under the Huangpu River, the Oriental Morning Post reported today.
Read more..
Adapt: Mekong Delta Alliance to Prevent Human Trafficking
Pacific News Service - San Francisco, CA, USA, February 4, 2006
According to research conducted by the Asian Migrant Centre, 85 percent of Vietnamese women crossing the border had their first sexual experience as a result of a financial transaction. According to NGOs active in this field, there are as many as 15,000 prostitutes working in Phnom Penh alone.
Read more..
Court Told to Dispose of Petition on Homosexuality
Hindu - Chennai, India, February 4, 2006
The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Delhi High Court to dispose of on merits a petition filed by a non-government organisation seeking legality to homosexuality and declare as unconstitutional Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which makes unnatural sex a criminal offence.
Read more..
Homosexuality: Government Relents
Times of India - New Delhi, India, February 3, 2006
Naz Foundation had challenged the validity of Section 377 and sought to legalise homosexuality on grounds that due to fear of police action, consenting adult males having sexual relations were not coming forward to discuss their problems though they were more prone to HIV infection.
Read more..
Gays Rights is Matter of Public Interest: SC
Rediff - India, February 3, 2006
The search for legal acceptance by the Indian gay community went one step forward when the Supreme Court Friday sent back the Special Leave Petition filed by the Naz Foundation to the Delhi High Court.
Read more..
SC Wants Rethink on Homosexuality
Indian Express - New Delhi, India, February 3, 2006
Rejecting a Delhi High Court order that homosexuality and gay relationships constituted an ‘‘unnatural offence’’ and that Indian society was not ready for it, the Supreme Court today sent the matter back to the court for reconsideration.
Read more..
Women's Group Calls for Gender Equality in Burma
Mizzima.com - New Delhi, India, February 1, 2006
At a two-day Constitution and Gender Perspective workshop in New Delhi today, the umbrella group said Burmese women were treated as subordinates by men and should be given equal rights under the law.
Read more..
China Campuses are Tolerant of Homosexuals
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow, UK, February 1, 2006
A survey shows that universities in China are becoming more liberal about homosexuals, officials news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday.
Read more..
Mobile Sex Clients Increase no. of Filipinos with HIV/AIDS
INQ7.net - Philippines, February 1, 2006
The mostly mobile clients of sex workers might have helped pump up the number of Filipinos affected with HIV/AIDS to 11,200 last year, almost double the number three years ago.
Read more..
Meet the New Woman on Screen
Indian Express - New Delhi, India, February 1, 2006
Those who reduce the feminist struggle to either/or certitudes just don’t get it. Feminism is not about pitting one woman against another, be it the professional against the domestic, or the salwar-kameez clad against the one in jeans.
Read more..
