TAG: asia

Feminist Studies’s call for paper: Decolonial and Postcolonial Approaches: A Conversation

Deadline: March 1, 2016 Decolonial and postcolonial approaches have long informed and animated feminist scholarship and activism, but often not at once nor in the same spaces. They each bear the markings of the regional and historical affiliations of their respective scholars. The decolonial turn is often (though sometimes inaccurately) associated with indigenous scholars and […]

New issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender

The second issue of Kohl: a Journal for Body and Gender Research is out. Kohl serves as an alternative platform of knowledge production. It tackles feminisms, bodies, and sexualities, as they intersect with other identities and struggles in the Middle East, South West Asia, and North Africa region. The current issue’s theme is The Non-Exotic Erotic: […]

Dispatches: Japan’s Evolving Public Debate on LGBT Rights

When a local politician from Tokyo’s Ebisu district last week condemned media coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights issues and called gay people “abnormal” on Twitter, it came as a reminder of times past. It was just five years ago when Tokyo’s governor publicly called gay people “deficient.”

Myanmar: women’s fight against verbal taboo symbolises wider rights battle

Lack of sex education for women perpetuates gender inequality in Myanmar but activists addressing such issues are falling foul of Buddhist extremists A woman showering outside her shack in Yangon. Women in Myanmar are struggling to gain control of their lives. Photograph: Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images In Myanmar there are no vaginas. Linguistically, at least, that […]

The Sexual Politics Landscape in October 2015

Check the main facts in October 2015. We highlight the Stop Trans Pathologization Campaign 2015; the Synod on the Family’s final statement; Brazilian feminists protests against partially approved legislation that criminalizes providing information and assistance in regard to abortion; and the Indonesian regressive law against sexual freedom.

Dispatches: The Courage to Combat Indonesia’s Homophobia

Draconian new by-laws came into effect in Indonesia’s Aceh province last week, mandating harsh punishments for gambling and adultery, and the option of 100 lashes for gay people “caught” having sex.

Gay couple seeks help from U.S. officials in surrogacy case

Gordon “Bud” Lake and his husband are unable to take their daughter, Carmen Santos Lake, third from left, out of Thailand because her surrogate mother objects to the fact she will be raised by a same-sex couple. (Photo courtesy of Gordon Lake) A Florida man and his husband continue to urge U.S. officials to support […]

Being transgender in the workplace is difficult in Vietnam or anywhere

The White House’s naming of a transgender person as the new outreach and recruitment director at the Office of Personnel, the first openly transgender person to occupy a senior position in the White House, is ground-breaking. The appointment of Raffi Freedman-Gurspan is a sign of the inclusive leadership of the Obama administration. The fact that […]

Gender and sexuality at the June 2015 Turkish Elections

One political event to be noted as relevant from a gender and sexuality perspective was the electoral defeat of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on June 7th 2015. His party suffered a significant setback by losing its 13-year-old majority in this recent general election and the result prompted several analyses across the worldwide media. Two […]

Li Yinhe: Chinese Sexologist Opens Up About the Future for China’s LGBT Community

After rounding up the interview, I turned off my voice recorder, thanked Li Yinhe, and asked her what she has been up to since retiring in 2012. She smiles, and without hesitation tells me she is working on some S&M novels. “Do you know what that is?” she asks.

Sexual politics in May 2015

In early May, SPW re-launched its website. Its new architecture allows an easier access to our products, publications and other contents. In particular, we call your attention to new SPW products, the good news of observer’s status granted by the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights to the Coalition of African Lesbians (CAL) and […]

DISRUPTION OF THE LGBT HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVITIES IN BISHKEK: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS

[VIDEO]: https://www.facebook.com/LabrysKG/videos/vb.45614646315/10152771652191316/?type=1&theater May 17, 2015 in Bishkek, representative of the movement “Kalys” and “Kyrk Choro” illegally broke into the event of the LGBT organization “Labrys”, dedicated to the celebration of the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The crowd of aggressive men threatened and insulted the activists, one of the participants of the event received injuries. […]