Archives > May 2006
Vietnam to Legalize Sex-Change Surgeries for Androgynous People
Thanh Nien Daily - Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam, May 31, 2006
The Vietnamese health ministry is planning to legalize sex reassignment surgeries for androgynes while continuing the ban on other kinds of sex-change surgeries.
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Ex-Cambodia King Demands Better Life for Beer Girls
Reuters India - Mumbai, India, May 31, 2006
Cambodia's retired king, Norodom Sihanouk, backed a campaign on Wednesday demanding better pay and working conditions for "beer girls" often abused and exploited as they peddle foreign brands.
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Women's Fidelity Slows HIV in India
Miami Herald - FL, USA, May 31, 2006
Indian researchers believe sexual habits had much to do with why HIV hasn't spread in India as widely as once feared.
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Crackdown on Gender Selection
Shanghai Daily - Shanghai, China, May 31, 2006
Authorities in Hebei Province said they had closed more than 200 medical facilities following a crackdown on unauthorized abortions and services to tell the gender of a fetus.
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When Being Female is Fatal
Daily News - KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, May 31, 2006
Of the more that 38 million people with HIV, 17 million are women and 13.5 million of them live in Africa, writes Evelyn Leopold. According to Peter Piot, “The irony is that marriage is becoming a risk factor for HIV, and the majority of women, in Thailand, in East Africa, are now only infected by their only sex partner, their husbands."
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Report: India Ranks Highest in Number of AIDS Cases
TechNewsWorld - CA, USA, May 31, 2006
At a news conference in New York on Tuesday, UNAIDS head Dr. Peter Piot said that while four Indian states had been investing in HIV prevention, "the rest of the country is a totally different situation. There is an increase in new infections.
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Pedophiles to Launch Political Party
China Daily – China, May 31, 2006
Dutch pedophiles are launching a political party to push for a cut in the legal age for sexual relations to 12 from 16 and the legalization of child pornography and sex with animals, sparking widespread outrage.
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Love, Dating Philippine Style
Philippine News Online – Philippines, May 31, 2006
A Philippine News survey conducted recently showed that first-time dating often leads to sex, and that neither man nor woman finds anything wrong with bedding a friend or acquaintance.
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Sri Lankan Government Bans Local Film Aksharaya (Letter of Fire)
Asian Tribune - Bangkok, Thailand, May 30, 2006
In a serious attack on freedom of speech, Sri Lanka’s United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government has banned screenings of Aksharaya (Letter of Fire) and threatened legal action against the film’s producers.
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Study: Sexual Desire is in Your Genes
China Daily – China, May 30, 2006
The researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that individual differences in human sexual desire can be attributed to genetic variations. The study is the first to provide data to show that common variations in the sequence of DNA impact on sexual desire, arousal and function.
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Modelling? That’s How She Nearly Posed Nude
Electric New Paper – Singapore, May 29, 2006
A joint investigation by The New Zealand Herald and English-language Asian newspaper iball revealed that the number of foreign prostitutes in Auckland has gone up in the past three years. According to nurse specialist Bronwyn Schofield 'probably two-thirds' of the 38 foreign sex workers she had interviewed were Chinese women.
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One Lakh Sex Workers Suffer from HIV/AIDS in India
Zee News - Noida, India, May 29, 2006
The statistics as per the HIV sentinel surveillance (HSS) conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Minister of State for Women and Child Development says that nearly one lakh women sex workers in the country suffer from HIV/AIDS.
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Kashmir: Another View
The Hindu - Chennai, India, May 28, 2006
In the divisive politics of Kashmir, local voices, providing a different perspective, usually go unheard. "She" is a welcome change.
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Raising Awareness of Gender Equality
Malaysia Star – Malaysia, May 28, 2006
The aim of the Think Pink campaign organised by lecturers and students of KDU's Mass Communication Department was to raise awareness of gender equality.
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Thailand Recognises Transsexual Beauty
PinkNews.co.uk – UK, May 26, 2006
Thailand’s annual Miss Tiffany’s Universe pageant took place this week allowing 30 transsexuals to compete for the crown.
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Russian Gays Fear What Awaits Outside the Closet
Reuters India - Mumbai, India, May 25, 2006
Gay rights activists will ignore an official ban on a march through Moscow this week despite warnings from some within their community that it will only serve to whip up prejudice in widely homophobic Russia.
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MF Husain's Durga Draws Controversy
CNN-IBN - New Delhi, India, May 25, 2006
Maqbool Fida Husain is yet again courting controversy with his paintings of Hindu gods and goddesses. This time a naked image of Durga had the Hindu Forum of Britain pullout the exhibition from Asia House in London.
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Tough Brothel Law Threatens India HIV Programme
Reuters AlertNet - London, UK, May 25, 2006
Plans to toughen India's laws to prevent human trafficking could drive prostitutes underground and jeopardise HIV-prevention in a country suffering the world's second-highest caseload, health officials said on Thursday.
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Bohol Grade School Kids Get AIDS Education
INQ7.net – Philippines, May 25, 2006
A GROWING number of elementary pupils in Bohol are getting acquainted with Paulo, a bubbly kid whose father, a seaman, is afflicted with AIDS whose story is the central theme of “Ang Bangkang Papel ni Paulo” (Paulo’s Paper Boat), a 23-page storybook that’s becoming a favorite reading companion in some of the province’s private and public elementary schools.
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Banned in India: The 1930s-1960s
Business Standard – India, May 23, 2006
For a state often accused of knee-jerk censorship, the number of books banned in India is surprisingly small. In the first of this two-part series, we take a brief look at the history of banned books in India.
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Distribute Condoms in Jails to Prevent AIDS
Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai, India, May 23, 2006
According to Anand Grover, project director of Lawyers’ Collective (HIV/AIDS unit), Homosexuality and HIV-positive inmates are ground realities in jails, and the administration would do well to distribute condoms to prisoners.
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Youth Targeted in National Condom Week
China Daily – China, May 22, 2006
Durex has launched New Zealand's first ever National Condom Week in conjunction with Family Planning, to celebrate the condom - the most reliable source of protection against STIs, HIV/AIDs and unwanted pregnancies.
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London to Get 'Sex Theme Park'
Dominican Today - Dominican Republic, May 22, 2006
The world's first "theme park" dedicated to sex and relationships is set to open in London's bustling West End later this summer, its promoters announced.
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Minority as Moral Majority
Daily Pioneer - India, May 22, 2006
In his compelling critique of majoritarianism and the impending "clash of civilisations", Amartya Sen has argued that each individual embraces a multiplicity of identities and not merely a religious one.
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Slum Children Shun Safe Sex: Survey
Times of India – India, May 21, 2006
Conducted by the Pune-based Centre for Youth Development and Activities (CYDA), the survey on sex and sexuality among slum adolescents revealed a high degree of unprotected sex and disturbing statistics on the spread of HIV infection.
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The Willing Who Want It Legalised
Tehelka – India, May 20, 2006
The proposed amendment to the Immoral Trafficking Act not only jeopardises sex workers’ lives but could also pose a serious threat to society by driving the sex trade underground.
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Legal Framework to be Formed to Protect HIV/AIDS Patients' Rights
Viet Nam News Agency - Hanoi, Vietnam, May 20, 2006
All opinions given to the draft Law on HIV/AID Control by NA deputies at the ongoing NA meeting in Ha Noi agreed to create a legal framework to protect the equal rights of HIV/AIDS infected people, particularly women and child patients, in health care, employment, education and society.
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Prison for Organizing Gay Parties in China
365Gay.com – USA, May 19, 2006
A man who used the internet to organize parties for gay men to meet for sex in highly closeted China has been sentenced to a year behind bars the official China News Service reported on Friday.
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Gay Group Urges Other Gays to Help Stop AIDS
Sun.Star – Philippines, May 19, 2006
A Non-government organization of gay men is urging the gay communities in Davao City to help prevent and stop the spread in the city of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
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Homosexuals Stress to Safeguard Their Rights
Gorkhapatra - Kathmandu, Nepal, May 19, 2006
A broad range of homosexual networks across Nepal assembled on Friday to sort out the issues impeding their sexual health rights. The participants held a roundtable and discussed ways of safeguarding their rights.
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School Accepts Lad with Gender Identity Disorder as Girl
The Japan Times – Japan, May 19, 2006
An elementary school in Hyogo Prefecture has accepted a 7-year-old boy with gender identity disorder as a girl, a local board of education said Thursday.
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Marriage Is Still Causing Discrimination to Women
Los Angeles Chronicle - CA, USA, May 19, 2006
While marriage is almost universal for both men and women, men retain much greater power while searching for a spouse. A recognition of women's lack of power in marriage decisions is important from another perspective.
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Salt Sex City
Salt Lake City Weekly - USA, May 18, 2006
Among the top 10 nations searching for sex on the Internet, Pakistan ranked first, Egypt second, Vietnam third and Iran fourth. Trailing out the list were other predominantly Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
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Consultation Meet on Rights of Sexual Minorities Held
Gorkhapatra - Kathmandu, Nepal, May 18, 2006
The third national consultation meeting of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS) started in the capital Thursday to discuss rights of sexual minorities in the country.
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Boy Suffering Gender Disorder Enrolled in Elementary School as Girl
Mainichi Daily News – Japan, May 18, 2006
In a rare move, a 7-year-old boy diagnosed as suffering a gender identity disorder has been enrolled in a public elementary school as a girl, the local board of Education said on Thursday.
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Toronto will Play Host to Largest AIDS Meet
Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai, India, May 17, 2006
Toronto will be hosting the 16th International AIDS Conference, which incidentally marks the world’s largest professional meeting on AIDS so far.
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Talk to Your Teen About Sex
Afternoon Dispatch & Courier - Bombay, India, May 17, 2006
Talking to your teen openly and honestly about sex requires you to do some homework. Keep these 10 points in mind before the big talk.
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Hall of Shame Shows Reach of Homophobia
UK Gay News (press release) – UK, May 17, 2006
As people mark the International Day against Homophobia, Human Rights Watch named to a “hall of shame” five public officials who have actively promoted prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in their countries.
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Gender Bender
Kolkata Newsline - New Delhi, India, May 15, 2006
Himanshu Verma explores metrosexuality. With Metrospective, a fest on art and films, he wants people to join in…
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Gender-Based Violence And The Culture of Silence
Gorkhapatra - Kathmandu, Nepal, May 15, 2006
Domestic violence exists in a "culture of silence" and denial, and of denial of the seriousness of the health consequences of abuse at every level of society.
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Not a Child's Play!
Times of India – India, May 15, 2006
Halter tops, spaghetti tees and mini-skirts - kids' wardrobes are now over-stuffed. Are they growing up too soon - even before they grow out of these skimpy nothings?
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Transsexual is Not Legal Parent
Times Online – UK, May 15, 2006
A transsexual whose 17-year marriage was nullified when his wife discovered her husband was a woman is not the legal parent of their 14-year-old daughter, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
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Playboy Falls Flat in Indonesia Try
San Francisco Chronicle – USA, May 14, 2006
Despite the deft navigation of the strict obscenity and nudity clauses in Indonesia's pornography legislation, it is unlikely that a second edition of Playboy Indonesia will ever reach newsstands in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
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Chinese Sex Toy Maker Eyeing Indian Market
Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai, India, May 13, 2006
As a trained sexologist who argues persuasively that the adult toy business promotes sexual health, not perversion, Simon Nan was aware that societal conservatism was to blame for such responses.
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Drag Queen and Rally Driving Brother Push Boundaries on Pakistani TV
Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan, May 13, 2006
According to Ali Saleem, the purpose of his weekly chat show in Karachi is to break barriers and to show that there is no man or woman, no Pakistan or India, no gay and no straight.
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Will Shows the Way to Talk About Sex
Financial Express - Bombay, India, May 12, 2006
As far back as 1993, a survey of 35 sex education projects undertaken by WHO revealed that early sex education actually delays the start of sexual activity among young people.
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Desire, Cruelty and Work
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta, India, May 12, 2006
Through his book, Sex Workers of India: Diversity in Practice of Prostitution and Ways of Life, Moni Nag has sifted through a large number of reports and surveys on Indian sex workers by various organizations, especially since the Nineties.
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New Hotline to Offer Help to Gay People
China Daily – China, May 11, 2006
The first national free hotline offering advice to gay people on a range of subjects has been launched in Guangzhou.
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Sex Education Fails Nation’s Youth
Viet Nam News - Hanoi, Vietnam, May 11, 2006
At a workshop in Hanoi, it was discussed that although there has been a significant improvement in the reproductive health of young people and adolescents, many challenges that require further efforts remain.
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Up Against AIDS at Festival of Transsexuals
Sify – Chennai, India, May 10, 2006
There was more to the ancient temple festival of Koothandavar at Koovaham this year than the ritualistic "wedding" of transsexuals and their subsequent "widowhood" as the community used it as a platform to strike a chord with the mainstream society and most significantly spread awareness on HIV/AIDS.
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Wives of Gay Men Learn to Cope With Life
Times of India – India, May 10, 2006
In a renewed strategy, counsellors at Lakshya Trust are now making an effort to reach out and counsel women married to gay men in order to help them understand the sexual orientation of their husbands.
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Call Shanghai's 'Homosexual Hotline' at 800-988-1929
Shanghaiist - Shanghai, China, May 10, 2006
An anonymous phone service, with offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou, offering help to homosexuals regarding health, legal and psychological matters opens.
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Complex Issue of Pre-Marital HIV Testing
Navhind Times - Panjim, India, May 8, 2006
The Goa AIDS Control Society (GACS) has organised a public hearing on the issue of drafting a legislation for compulsory/voluntary pre-marital HIV testing on May 11. This is consistent with the assurance given by the Health Minister, Mr Dayanand Narvekar in the Goa Assembly.
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Workshop on Sexuality Looks into Alternatives
Viet Nam News - Hanoi, Vietnam, May 8, 2006
An eight-day workshop was organised jointly by the South and Southeast Asia Resource Centre on Sexuality of TARSHI and The Institute of Social Development Studies (ISDS) in Ha Noi.
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And now a condom for women!
Economic Times – India, May 7, 2006
Hindustan Latex Ltd (HLL) has launched a new contraceptive, the Confidom Passion Rings - a women initiated barrier method. HLL has entered into an agreement with The Female Health Company (FHC), a US public company, to market their product, FC female condom in India.
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The Ages of Sin
Sunday Herald - Glasgow, UK, May 7, 2006
Jean Rafferty examines the changing nature of sexual attitudes, and uncovers a few surprises.
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Boys Flocking to Be 'Ducks' for China's Bored Housewives
Guardian Unlimited – UK, May 7, 2006
For many Chinese women, male prostitutes - yazi, or 'ducks', after their female equivalents ji, or chicken - are an increasingly essential part of a girls' night out.
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What Does Science Say About Homosexuality?
Daily Press - Newport News, USA, May 7, 2006
To date, science can only respond that the causes of homosexuality and heterosexuality are unknown. It may not be the answer sought by those who feel heterosexuality represents the natural order and that homosexuality can only be explained as sin, illness or both.
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Camp Teaches 'Sex Energy' Sans Religion
INQ7.net - Philippines, May 6, 2006
The North Luzon Center for Pranic Healing this week taught children, the concepts of sexual energies in a two-day pilot camp sponsored by a medical drug firm. The lectures sought to help them understand sexuality and to learn to respect the process of reproduction.
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The Greatest Glue
Malaysia Star – Malaysia, May 5, 2006
The Alchemy of Desire is the story of a young couple, penniless but gloriously in love.... and brilliantly original novel from India.
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Kama Sutra: Old Wine in New Bottle
Times of India – India, May 5, 2006
Kama Sutra, Vatsyayana’s conclusive guide to sex, has been presented in an exciting new version by India's most famous export to the US — spiritual guru Deepak Chopra.
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Germany Looks to Its History
Gay City News – USA, May 4, 2006
The growing level of interest in Hirschfeld’s life in Germany and the effort to commemorate the gay victims of the National Socialists have culminated in a campaign, called Initiative Queer Nations to rebuild the world’s first research center devoted to sexology which Hirschfeld founded in Berlin, 14 years before the Nazi backlash, in 1919.
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Maximum Impact
Sydney Star Observer - Sydney, Australia, May 4, 2006
The new movie The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros tells of a pre-teen boy who discovers desire for an older man. Filipino Director Kanakan Balintagos says that he doesn’t consider the topic taboo.
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McKellen Attacks Gay Civil Unions
India eNews.com - Gurgaon, India, May 4, 2006
Actor Sir Ian McKellen has attacked new British laws allowing gay couples to form civil unions as absurd, saying they discriminate against both homosexual and heterosexual couples.
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More than Meets the Eye: Lady Boys in Thailand
Chiang Mai City Life - Chiang Mai, Thailand
Neung is a kathoey or 'Lady Boy' as she prefers to be called. The word ‘kathoey’ refers to a biological male who exhibits transgendered behaviour, everything from effeminacy to complete sex reassignment.
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Plumbing the Depths of Indian Widowhood
Washington Post - United States, May 3, 2006
Deepa Mehta's film "Water" explores "politics of religion as it affects women. Her film, "Water," was screened recently at Filmfest DC ahead of its commercial distribution.
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On a Gender Road Trip in Transamerica
Thread - New Zealand
Written and directed by Duncan Tucker and starring Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers as her son, Transamerica is a compelling story about a transsexual wanting gender surgery meeting his son and embarking on a road trip.
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Sex Workers Call for Repeal of Sec 377 of IPC
Deccan Herald - Bangalore, India, May 2, 2006
Demanding the right to livelihood, social security, dignity and not to treat sex work as a criminal offence, over 200 sex workers from different parts of the State took out a procession under the banner of Karnataka Sex Workers’ Union on Monday.
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Sexual Assault Touches All Walks of Life
The Citizen.com – USA, May 2, 2006
Sexual assault touches all walks of life. And many times it is women who become the specific targets, women who suffer the consequences of a crime perpetrated on them.
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Five Women, a Movie And Corporate Funding
Business Standard – India, May 2, 2006
Actor director Amol Palekar is experimenting with corporate funding for his upcoming English/Marathi bilingual movie — Quest or Thaang — which explores sexuality and men-women relationships.
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Thousands Protest Porn Bill as Diversity Threat
Catholic Online – USA, May 2, 2006
More than 6,000 people took part in a cultural carnival in Jakarta to protest an anti-pornography bill that they say will make Indonesia's diverse cultures and traditions disappear.
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Sri Lankan Rights Group Fears Ban on Film About Incest
Lanka Business Online - Sri Lanka, May 1, 2006
Censors could ban the screening of a sexually charged art film exploring the incestuous relationship between a Sri Lankan mother and child, a media rights group said on Friday.
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Coming Out in China Like an 'Earthquake'
Philadelphia Daily News - Philadelphia, USA, May 1, 2006
Zhou, who is openly gay, came out publicly three years ago, and has been outspoken ever since about gay and lesbian rights, as well as HIV/AIDS awareness.
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