AFP: Malaysian religious council issues ban on lesbian sex (Oct 27)

Malaysian religious council issues ban on lesbian sex

22 hours ago

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — One of Malaysia's highest Islamic bodies has
banned females from dressing or behaving like men and engaging in
lesbian sex, saying it was forbidden by the religion.

The National Fatwa Council late Thursday issued its ruling following a
two-day meeting that discussed recent cases of young women apparently
behaving like men and exhibiting homosexual tendencies, state news
agency Bernama reported.

Council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin told Bernama many young women
admired the way men dress, behave and socialise, violating human
nature and denying their femininity.

"It is unacceptable to see women who love the male lifestyle including
dressing in the clothes men wear," Abdul Shukor was quoted as saying.

"(Masculine behaviour) becomes clearer when they start to have sex
with someone of the same gender, that is woman and woman," he said.

"In view of this, the National Fatwa Council which met today have
decided and taken the stand that such acts are forbidden and banned,"
he said.

Male homosexuality, considered against the order of nature, is illegal
in Malaysia but lawyers say female homosexuality is technically
permissible as there are no provisions for it under the law.

The Fatwa Council does not have jurisdiction in civil law, but the
ruling appears to be an attempt to push female homosexuality towards
illegality.

Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, where more than 60 percent
of its 27 million people are Muslim Malays who practice a conservative
brand of the religion.

AFP: Campaigingin lesbian couple to tie knot in Los Angeles (June 15)

Campaigning lesbian couple to tie knot in Los Angeles

Jun 15, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Robin Tyler and Diane Olson's four-year battle for the right to marry will end where it began on Monday, when the women exchange vows on the steps of Beverly Hills Courthouse to become the first same-sex couple to tie the knot in Los Angeles County.

Tyler, 66, and Olson, 54, were two of the lead plaintiffs of the lawsuit that led to California's highest court overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriage last month, and will wed at 5:01 pm Monday (0001 GMT Tuesday), moments after the court ruling takes effect.

The couple will exchange vows four years after being refused a marriage license at the same courthouse on Valentine's Day 2004, a decision that prompted their ultimately historic legal action.

"We wanted to have the wedding outside the courthouse because it was where we'd been turned down so many times," Tyler told AFP. "It will be nice to be able to stand there and get married and say 'We won.'"

While opponents of same-sex marriage argued that California law already entitled gay and lesbian couples to many of the rights enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts, Tyler and Olson were never remotely inclined to settle for the glass ceiling of "domestic partnerships."

"If you deny gays and lesbians the right to marry, it's segregation," says Tyler, a producer, writer and entertainer who has campaigned relentlessly for gay and lesbian rights since the 1970s.

"If you apply the argument used against us to race, it doesn't stand up. If you each have a water fountain -- blacks and whites -- you're drinking the same water, so why do you need a fountain together? Because to do otherwise means that one is considered less than the other.

"And where marriage is concerned, 'domestic partnerships' mean that our love is considered as being worth less than heterosexual love. Equality is not giving us another name for our relationships, equality is giving us the name 'marriage'."

"We held out for the word 'marriage'," Olson added. "Because marriage is a universally understood word."

Despite the legal saga and bitter opposition from conservative groups, Olson and Tyler say they were always confident of victory.

"There was never a doubt in my mind," Olson said.

Tyler added: "If you kick the door long enough, the door is going to come down. So we just kept kicking the door."

Tyler and Olson admit, however, that planning for their wedding has been a steep learning curve. "We're kind of winging it," Tyler said.

"We were asked the other day, 'What's the budget for your wedding?' I said 'I've never had one, how would I know?'" Tyler laughed.

The happy couple, who first met in the 1970s and have been together for 15 years, will wear matching ivory linen suits that were tailor-made in Singapore last year. They have no immediate plans for a honeymoon.

Neither are children on the agenda -- the couple say they are quite happy with their two pugs, Mushu Pork and Wonton.

"They're children with fur as far as we are concerned, and they make our hearts tick," says Tyler.

"And we don't have to pay to send them to college," chimed Olson.

AFP: Singapore TV fined for gay scenes (April 25)

Singapore TV fined for gay scenes

16 hours ago

SINGAPORE (AFP) — A Singapore television channel has been fined 15,000 Singapore dollars (11,200 US) for promoting a gay lifestyle, the media regulator said.

MediaCorp TV Channel 5 was fined for an episode of a home decor series, "Find and Design", which contained several scenes of a gay couple with their baby, the Media Development Authority said in a statement issued late Thursday.

In the episode concerned MDA said the host of the show helped a gay couple transform their room into a new nursery for their adopted baby and congratulated and acknowledged them as a family unit.

The episode, which aired in January, "normalises their gay lifestyle and unconventional family setup", MDA said.

This was in breach of the code governing programmes which are available free over the air, it said. The code disallows programmes that promote, justify or glamorise gay lifestyles.

Singapore, Southeast Asia's most advanced economy, maintains strict censorship laws.

Earlier this month, MDA fined a cable television operator 10,000 dollars for broadcasting an advertisement featuring lesbian kissing.

As part of major revisions of the Penal Code approved by parliament last year, Singapore legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples but retained a law that criminalises intercourse between gay men.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong favoured the retention of the law, saying Singapore remains a conservative society -- with the traditional family as its main building block -- and homosexuals cannot set the tone for the mainstream.

Abolishing the law could "send the wrong signal" and push gay activists to ask for more concessions, such as same-sex marriage and parenting, Lee said.

AFP: Singapore censors say four films banned from film festival (April 4)

Singapore censors say four films banned from film festival

Apr 4, 2008

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Four film documentaries, including one by a gay Muslim and another about terrorism, have been banned from being shown at Singapore's film festival, the censor board said Saturday.

It said the films "exceed the Film Classification Guidelines".

Board of Film Censors chairman Amy Chua said "Arabs and Terrorism" and another film, "David the Tolhildan", were "disallowed on account of their sympathetic portrayal of organisations deemed terrorist organisations by many countries."

Since independence in 1965, Singapore has grown from an underdeveloped country to an Asian economic powerhouse. But critics say this has come at a price, in the form of restrictions on freedom of speech and political activity.

According to the film festival programme, "Arabs and Terrorism" presents a dialogue between right-wing American policymakers and Middle Eastern political factions.

"David the Tolhildan" is about a Swiss man who joins the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the festival said. The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by much of the international community, has been fighting for self-rule in southeastern Turkey.

Another rejected film, "A Jihad for Love" by gay Muslim film-maker Parvez Sharma, is about homosexual people living within Muslim communities, the festival said. In a statement, Chua said the film was disallowed because of "the sensitive nature of the subject".

Japanese documentary Bakushi, which is about bondage, also failed to get classification because it "normalises unnatural fetishes and behaviour", Chua said.

Festival officials could not be reached for comment but a notice on the its website said "A Jihad for Love" and "Arabs and Terrorism" had been "disallowed". It did not elaborate but said "Arabs and Terrorism" had been set for a sold-out screening on Saturday.

Singapore's government says the city-state has been liberalising but maintains a conservative core.

About 200 films have been classified for the festival which runs until April 14, Chua said.

AFP: Sydney bishops to boycott Anglican meet over gays (Feb 3)

SYDNEY: Bishops in Australia's largest city Sydney are pulling out of the Anglican Church's top global meeting this year in a dispute over gay bishops and same-sex marriages, a spokesman said Sunday.

The boycott is being spearheaded by Archbishop of Sydney Peter Jensen, who is a leading conservative voice in the acrimonious row over the ordination of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson in the United States.

Announcing the move after an ordination service here, he said another five bishops would also not attend the Lambeth Conference, which runs from July 20 to August 3 in Canterbury, England.

"With regret, the archbishop and bishops of the Diocese of Sydney have decided not to attend the Lambeth Conference in July," he said in a statement.

"They remain fully committed to the Anglican Communion, to which they continue to belong, but sense that attending the conference at this time will not help heal its divisions."

The US Episcopal church in 2003 consecrated Robinson as a bishop, outraging conservative colleagues in the Anglican church around the world.

Conservative Anglicans, mainly from Asia and Africa, have been threatening for some time to boycott the conference over Robinson's appointment.

The Lambeth Conference is held every 10 years and is the highest meeting of the world Anglican communion, bringing together more than 800 bishops from all over the world.

Robinson himself has not been invited, but the US bishops who consecrated him have been asked to come.

A spokesman for Jensen confirmed to AFP on Sunday that the bishop would not attend.

"For quite a while, that is certainly what a lot of people in the Anglican world expected," the spokesman said.

A number of African bishops led by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria are also expected to boycott the meeting. - AFP/ac

AFP: Singapore OKs concert by US gay couple (Nov 23)

Singapore OKs concert by US gay couple

SINGAPORE (AFP) — In a rare move, Singapore has given approval for an American gay couple to perform next month as part of a concert to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.

The Los Angeles-based Christian gay couple Jason and deMarco were barred in 2005 from performing in the city-state.

But the Media Development Authority (MDA) said it had approved a concert this time because organisers had given assurances that they aimed to highlight the HIV/AIDS issue.

"In 2005, a similar concert featuring the pop duo was disallowed because the concert was open to general members of the public," the MDA's deputy director for arts and licensing, Amy Tsang, said in a statement Thursday.

She said concert organisers have "given the assurance to MDA that the concert is targeted at the high risk groups.

"The organiser has also assured MDA that the aim of the concert is AIDS education and HIV prevention," she said.

The duo is to perform on December 13, the Today newspaper reported.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's second minister for information, communications and the arts, has said the city-state was liberalising but retained a very strong conservative core.

As part of major revisions to the Penal Code approved by parliament last month, Singapore legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples but retained a law which criminalises intercourse between gay men.

AFP: Singapore bans Xbox game over lesbian scene (Nov 15)

Singapore bans Xbox game over lesbian scene

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore has banned the sale of an Xbox video game that features an intimate scene between two female characters, a statement received Thursday said.

The "Mass Effect" game, a futuristic space adventure, contains "a scene of lesbian intimacy... as such the game has been disallowed," the deputy director of the Board of Film Censors said in the statement.

The board is part of the Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore's media watchdog.

Under local guidelines, video games sold in Singapore cannot "feature exploitative or gratuitous sex and violence, or denigrate any race or religion," the official said.

"Mass Effect" is to be launched globally next week.

US software giant Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming console, said it respected the media watchdog's action.

"We strictly adhere to the laws, regulations and norms of the markets we operate in," the company said in an e-mail reply to AFP.

MDA said a new video games classification system to be introduced next year could allow titles such as "Mass Effect" to be passed and classified appropriately.

Singapore is Southeast Asia's most advanced economy but the government maintains strict censorship laws.

Earlier this year the city-state banned two other video games, "God of War II" for nudity and "The Darkness" for excessive violence and religiously offensive expletives, the statement said.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's second minister for information, communications and the arts, has said the city-state was liberalising but retained a very strong conservative core.

As part of major revisions to the Penal Code approved by parliament last month, Singapore legalised oral and anal sex between heterosexual couples but retained a law which criminalises intercourse between gay men.

AFP: Failed AIDS vaccine may have increased infection risk (Nov 8)

Failed AIDS vaccine may have increased infection risk
AFP - Thursday, November 8

CHICAGO (AFP) - - A once-promising vaccine for AIDS may have inadvertently increased the infection risk of people participating in clinical trials, researchers said Wednesday.
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The multinational trials involving more than 3,000 HIV-negative volunteers were cancelled in September after a large-scale study found it was not effective at preventing infection.

Further analysis showed that those who received the vaccine had a higher rate of infection than those who received a placebo, said US pharmaceutical giant Merck, which helped develop the vaccine.

The study volunteers who received the vaccine are being advised of their potentially increased susceptibility, Merck said.

"We are analyzing the data to try to determine if the results are due to immune responses induced by the vaccine, differences in study populations, or some other biological phenomenon we don't yet understand, or simply due to chance," said Keith Gottesdiener, vice president of Merck's vaccine and infectious disease clinical research.

"It will take some time before we understand why the vaccine did not work and why there was a trend toward more cases of infection in volunteers who received the vaccine," he said in a statement.

The experimental vaccine cannot cause infection, Merck said.

It was a modified cold virus used to deliver three synthetically produced HIV genes in the hopes of stimulating a response from the immune system.

Unlike earlier failed vaccines which tried to get the immune system to produce antibodies, the V520 vaccine stimulated T cells, the main disease fighters of the body.

These are the cells which HIV infects and uses to replicate itself, leading to a drop in the number of T cells available to fight off other infections.

It's possible that the volunteers became more vulnerable to HIV infection because the vaccine stimulates an increase in the production of T cells, a spokeswoman told AFP.

The randomized, double-blind trials were conducted in various sites in the United States, Canada, Peru, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Australia and South Africa beginning in 2004.

Volunteers, who were already at high-risk of contracting AIDS, were given prevention counseling in addition to the vaccine or placebo. But dozens became infected anyway.

All but one of the infections among those given the vaccine were in male volunteers and the bulk of those infected were homosexual men.

Those with a higher level of pre-existing immunity to the modified cold virus used to deliver the vaccine were twice as likely to have been infected if they received the vaccine.

The initial analysis found 21 cases of HIV infection among the 392 men who received the vaccine while only nine cases were reported among the 386 men with a high level of pre-existing immunity who were given a placebo.

The results are "both disappointing and puzzling," said Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which co-sponsored the trials.

"Certainly, the failure of this HIV vaccine product was unexpected," he said in a statement.

"But this setback should not and can not diminish our commitment to developing an effective HIV vaccine."

About 12,000 people become infected with HIV every day and vaccines have historically been the most effective tool against infections diseases like polio and smallpox.

While scientists work on developing a vaccine, politicians need to implement proven prevention methods, Fauci said, adding that "Less than 20 percent of the world's population currently has access to proven HIV prevention services."

There are currently about 40 million people living with HIV infection and more than 25 million people have died since the virus was identified in 1981. The majority of the victims are in sub-Saharan Africa.

AFP: Singapore gays unfazed by sex ban (Oct 24)

Singapore gays unfazed by sex ban

Agence France-Presse
10/24/2007

SINGAPORE -- Singapore's gay community vowed Wednesday to press on with a public education campaign after parliament rejected their petition to repeal a law making sex between men a crime.

"There is no turning back," said the organizers of a campaign that failed in its bid to repeal the law.

They said they were disappointed that parliament rejected their petition to abolish section 377A of the Penal Code.

"We come away from this experience with great optimism that this is but the start of a process of public education, understanding, acceptance and respect for the gay community," they said in a statement.

The city-state's parliament on Tuesday approved the first major penal code amendments in 22 years, including legalization of oral and anal sex for heterosexuals.

But legislators retained a section that criminalizes sex between men, ditching a rare petition brought before the legislature to abolish the law, which petitioners say violates constitutional provisions for equal treatment.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, explaining his government's position, said Singapore remains a conservative society and gays will not be allowed to set the tone.

Lee said abolishing the law could "send the wrong signal" and push gay activists to ask for more concessions, such as same-sex marriage.

He said, however, that homosexuals will be given space to live their own lives as long as they do not actively advocate their lifestyle.

The tone of society, "remains straight and we want it to remain so," Lee said.

Campaigners were unfazed.

"The gay community in Singapore is here to stay. We are not going away," their statement said.

"It's not just a gay thing. It's about equality."

Proponents of a repeal and those who wanted the law retained organized rival online petitions to support their causes.

Two days of heated debate in parliament touched on moral values and the need to maintain the family as the basic building block of society.

"I think the vast majority of Singaporeans want it this way. So does the government," Lee said Tuesday.

AFP: Government does not endorse gay lifestyle: Singapore minister

SINGAPORE (AFP) — Singapore's government does not want to endorse a homosexual lifestyle, a senior cabinet minister said Monday, as parliament debated a rare petition to repeal a law that criminalises gay sex.

A member of parliament filed the petition to repeal the relevant part of the Penal Code on the grounds that it is discriminatory and violates constitutional safeguards on equal rights.

It was the first time in more than two decades that parliament had heard a petition, local radio reported, and coincided with debate on the most extensive amendments to the city-state's Penal Code in 22 years.

The MP, Siew Kum Hong, who is not gay, said the government's proposed changes would allow anal and oral sex between two consenting heterosexual adults.

However refusing to decriminalise the same acts between homosexual and bisexual men is discrimination, said Siew, who filed the petition after an online campaign to repeal the section.

Arguing for the section to be retained, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, Ho Peng Kee, said Singapore remains a largely conservative society.

"While homosexuals have a place in society... repealing section 377A will be contentious and may send a wrong signal that the government is encouraging and endorsing the homosexual lifestyle as part of our mainstream way of life," Ho said.

Public feedback on the issue had been "emotional, divided and strongly expressed," he said, but most people wanted to retain the section.

"The majority find homosexual behaviour offensive and unacceptable," Ho added," noting that police nevertheless have been lenient in implementing the law.

However, Siew said private, consensual sexual acts between adult males would "not impact on the safety and security of society."

"Now is the time, not to do the pragmatic or easy thing, but to do the right thing," he said.

Stuart Koe, chief executive of the Asian gay portal, Fridae.com, and one of the people behind the petition, said that for gays in Singapore, Section 377A has been like "a gun pointed to their heads."

Singapore celebrities joined the campaign to repeal the anti-gay sex section by appearing in a rap video posted on the YouTube website.

AFP: Singapore celebs rap to make gay sex legal

Singapore celebs rap to make gay sex legal

Agence France-Presse

SINGAPORE -- Singaporean celebrities are rapping for repeal of a law that makes gay sex a criminal offence. The celebrities appear in a video posted on the YouTube website in support of a Singaporean legislator's push to repeal a law making gay sex a criminal offence, activists said Friday. "Repeal it!" the celebrities urge in the video which ends with the words: "It's not just a gay thing. It's about equality." Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong will present a petition on October 22 to coincide with debate on the most extensive amendments to the city-state's penal code in 22 years. The petition urges abolishing part of the penal code that makes sexual acts between males a crime punishable by up to two years in jail. A bill introduced last month in parliament proposed making amendments to the code that legalize oral and anal sex in private between consenting heterosexual adults. But the legislation does not address a ban on acts of "gross indecency" between men, which dates back to British colonial rule. Activists argue in the petition that the proposed amendments discriminate against gay men, violating their constitutional rights to be treated equally. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said last month that heterosexuals should set the social tone in the island republic. But activists say the petition will raise the level of debate, said Johnson Ong, a spokesman for the campaign to repeal the law. "As to the actual repeal ... we really don't know," he said, adding he did not know how many people have signed the petition. Ong said most of the celebrities in the video are heterosexual. It is not clear how much weight the petition will carry, but dissent is rarely voiced publicly in Singapore. Singapore has in recent years eased social restrictions in a bid to shake off its reputation as a culturally sterile and ultra-conservative society. Gay rights activists say authorities have not laid criminal charges in recent years, and gay-friendly establishments are popular with both locals and foreigners.

AFP: Oral, anal sex legal in Singapore (Sept 18)

Oral, anal sex legal in Singapore
Article from: Agence France-Presse

From correspondents in Singapore

September 18, 2007 02:17am

ORAL and anal sex in private between consenting heterosexual adults would be legalised under a Bill introduced in Singapore's parliament.

Under the city-state's first major penal code amendments in 22 years, a section criminalising “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” would be repealed.

The Bill would also create new offences to tackle child prostitution and sex tourism.

Singapore has in recent years gradually eased social restrictions that have given it a straight-laced reputation.

But while the Bill takes a softer line on heterosexual sex, a ban on acts of “gross indecency” between males will remain.

Gay rights activists have said authorities have not laid charges under the section in recent years, even though it remains in force.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, said earlier this year that the city-state was undergoing liberalisation while retaining a very strong conservative core.

Although prostitution itself is not an offence in Singapore, the Bill would make it an offence to obtain commercial sex with a person under 18.

Conviction could lead to a prison term of up to seven years, while communicating for such a purpose could bring up to two years in jail, the Bill says.

Similar offences committed abroad would attract the same punishments, it said.

Local media have reported that some Singaporeans travel to the nearby Indonesian island of Batam for sex with teenage girls.

In another new provision, making travel arrangements intended to facilitate under-age commercial sex abroad would bring up to 10 years in prison, the Bill says.

The revised penal code, still to be passed into law by parliament, also broadens the scope of an offence against unlawful assembly.

An assembly of five or more people would be illegal if the group's common objective is to commit “any offence,” the Bill says, broadening the definition from mischief and trespass.

Singapore's laws against unlawful assembly gained prominence during last year's meetings in the city-state by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Pro-democracy activist Chee Soon Juan engaged in a three-day standoff with police, who stopped him and a small group of followers from marching to the meeting venue after police rejected his application for a permit.

AFP: Singapore's HIV/AIDS Cases Rise by Record Levels in 2006

New HIV/AIDS infections in Singapore rose by a record 357 cases in 2006, bringing the total number of people diagnosed with the disease to 3,060, the Ministry of Health said.

The 2006 figures released Friday on the ministry's website showed an increase of 12.6 percent from 2005 when there were 317 new cases -- then a record high number of new infections -- from a population of just above four million.

More than 90 percent of new HIV cases detected in 2006 were through sexual transmission with two-thirds of the infections from heterosexual sex, the ministry said. Of the 3,060 cases overall in Singapore, 1,048 have died, 1,307 show no signs of the illness while 705 have AIDS-related illnesses, said the ministry.

More than half of those detected with the disease in 2006 were already at a late stage of HIV/AIDS infection, it said. "This was similar to the pattern in previous years," said the ministry. "There is thus an urgent need for persons who engage in high risk behaviour such as unprotected casual sex and intravenous drug abuse to test themselves for HIV," it said.

HIV is the virus that causes deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), which is transmitted largely through unprotected sex and sharing intravenous needles. There is no cure for AIDS. It breaks down a person's immune system, rendering them vulnerable to infection and disease.

Singapore has expressed alarm over the growth of HIV infections but the government has rejected widespread promotion of condom use, preferring instead to focus on using more effective and cheaper methods such as preventing mother-to-child infections.

Source-AFP

AFP: Gay festival may be behind HIV surge in Singapore: Minister

Wed Mar 9, 7:05 AM ET

SINGAPORE (AFP) - One of Asia's most popular gay and lesbian festivals may be behind a sharp rise in the number of new HIV infections in Singapore, a government minister told parliament.

Senior Minister of State for Health, Balaji Sadasivan, cited an unnamed medical expert's opinion that the Nation festival, which attracts thousands of revellers from around the region each August, is a possible cause for the rise.

"We do not know the reasons for the sharp increase of HIV in the gay community," Balaji said, as quoted by local radio station NewsRadio 93.8.

"An epidemiologist has suggested that this may be linked to the annual predominantly gay party in Sentosa, the Nation party, which allows gays from high prevalence societies to fraternise with local gay men, seeding the infection in the local community.

"However, this is an hypothesis and more research needs to be done by the experts."

Balaji told parliament that a record 311 people in Singapore had contracted HIV last year, 28 percent more than in 2003.

He said 90 percent of the people who contracted the virus last year were men, with a third of them gay.

There are now more than 2,000 HIV or AIDS confirmed patients in Singapore.

Fridae.com, which bills itself as Asia's largest website for gays, has hosted the increasingly popular Nation festival on the Sentosa resort island since 2001. More than 8,000 people attended last year's edition.

Fridae.com chief executive Stuart Koe reacted angrily to Balaji's comments. He said they would fuel homophobia in Singapore and he blamed inaction by the government as the main driver of the increase in HIV among gays.

"The government has failed to address the issue of MSMs (men having sex with men) in any of their public health campaigns," Koe told AFP, adding that the prohibition on homosexual acts in Singapore was also a major problem.

"Because gay sex is illegal, many of the public health agencies in Singapore aren't even available to work with MSM groups."

"These statements serve to fuel homophobia and discrimination in this country."

The government's hands-off approach to the Nation festival had helped build Singapore's reputation over recent years as one of Asia's premier gay tourism hubs, despite gay acts being illegal.

However, the government late last year signalled it was rethinking its stance on gay parties when it banned Fridae.com's planned all-night "Snowball.04" party that was scheduled to start on Christmas Day.

It cited incidents at the Nation parties for its banning of the Christmas event, which it said would be "against the moral values" of most Singaporeans.

Among measures to fight AIDS, Balaji said over-the-counter test kits that require only saliva samples may be made available, while the government was also considering making HIV testing for pregnant mothers compulsory.

AFP: Singapore's first transsexual beauty pageant a sell-out success (Sep 26)

Singapore's first transsexual beauty pageant a sell-out success

Posted Sun Sep 26, 2004 6:17pm AEST

Singapore's first major transsexual beauty pageant was held over the weekend to raise money for the poor, with the event's organisers hailing it as a ground-breaking, sell-out success.

An audience of 1,350 people watched 13 finalists compete for the title of Miss Tiffany Singapore, based on the famous Thai contest of the same name, at the city-state's biggest in-house restaurant.

Thirty-three Singaporean transsexuals originally entered the contest, including one national serviceman, according to the organiser, Mogan Aruban.

Mogan, who is the chairman of non-profit charity organisation Singapore Amalgamated Services Cooperative, told AFP the contest reflected an increasing tolerance in famously conservative Singapore.

"This was a ground-breaking event considering the whole family values thing (of Singaporean society)," Mogan said.

"I think it's acceptable now because the Prime Minister has said we have to liberalise and among the younger generation there are so many gays."

Former prime minister Goh Chok Tong said last year that gays would be allowed to work in the civil service as part of the Government's loosening of social controls, however homosexual acts are still illegal.

Mogan said he had been staging more traditional fund-raising events, such as dance competitions and functions featuring international celebrities, over the past 15 years but Miss Tiffany was the most successful.

AFP: Thai group launches bid to stop Singapore from snatching its pink dollars

Thai group launches bid to stop Singapore from snatching its pink dollars

Bangkok– Thailand's gay community has launched a political lobby group to try and stop the kingdom's title as Asia's pink tourism capital being snatched by Singapore. Thailand boasts Asia's largest annual Mardi-Gras festival, as well as the most vibrant and open gay club scene and annual gay beauty pageant.

However, wedged between conservative Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore has been forging a reputation as the new Asian hot spot for gay holiday-makers. The island state has experienced a boom in gay clubs following a change in attitude towards the pink dollar in the late 1990s.

Ms Munthana Adisayathepkul, the head of Thailand's leading lesbian group and a key member of the Homosexual Political Group of Thailand (HPGT), said Singapore had become a dangerous competitor to Thailand. "Singapore is trying to make itself the centre of gays and lesbians in Asia … and we are trying to get the government to support us fight this shift," she said.
Prominent Thai gay activist, Mr Natee Teerarojjanapongs – the first openly gay Thai to run for a senate seat – said government support would be crucial if Thailand is to remain as Asia's key holiday destination for homosexuals.

"If we want to be a gay paradise, the government has to support gay groups as it will draw a lot of tourists and income to the country," he said. Mr Natee also said it is the kingdom's fundamental atmosphere of tolerance, not just mega-events, which still sets it apart from other Asian destinations. "Even though they (Singapore) have strong laws they want to trade on the success that comes with staging a famous gay parade," he said.

The bars and cafes in Bangkok's bustling and neon-lit gay entertainment area are packed with tourists enjoying the city's unbridled gay night life, but operators say they are far from complacent."It is possible that Singapore will be the next gay capital as it is more open to gays," said Mr Panuwat Jaykong, the manager of Telephone, one of Bangkok's best known bars.
"The number of Singaporean and Hong Kong visitors has fallen by 20 to 30 per cent over the past few months after the Thai government said it did not support gays' activities," he said.

A spokesman for Asia's largest and oldest gay holiday firm, Utopia Tours, also said it was the lack of government support rather than the allure of Singapore that is the main threat to the industry. But the head of Bangkok's gay festival, Mr Pakorn Pimton, rejected the need for official support. "They do not have to support us – just don't ban us," he said. "Singapore as Asia's gay capital? Forget it. Their parade and other activities are still far behind Thailand," he said.

AFP: Singapore firm claims cure for HIV, but told to hold tests

Singapore firm claims cure for HIV, but told to hold tests

January 21 2003

A Singaporean pharmaceutical firm specialising in traditional Chinese medicine said today that it was ready to test and market pills that can cure the virus that causes AIDS.

Richard Ong, managing director of Herose Pharma International, said trials conducted on AIDS patients in Cambodia five years ago using pills originally designed for skin disorders yielded positive results.

"We did some testing on AIDS patients in Cambodia in 1998," Ong told AFP.

"We found that it is positive ... the patients experienced recovery in their conditions," he said.

But health officials in the city-state have warned the company to hold off on planned human trials until it gets official permission.

The AIDS sufferers in Cambodia who took part in the testing experienced healthier appetites and became stronger after taking the pills used in treating psoriasis, a skin disorder that causes red scaly patches, Ong said.

The medication was developed by Tang Jianhua, a Chinese doctor, he said.

"It is his heart's desire to cure HIV," Ong said, referring to Human Immuno-deficiency Virus which leads to the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

But the company's attempt to carry out similar trials in Singapore has hit a glitch as it does not yet have approval from health authorities.

The company, which placed advertisements earlier this month asking HIV-positive volunteers to participate in a trial, has been ordered by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to stop doing so, Ong said.

"We really do not know (it was against the law) as it was just a clinical study," he said.

HSA officials could not be reached for comment but a spokesman was quoted in the Straits Times newspaper today as saying that "the company has not commenced the trial and was only starting to recruit volunteers".

"HSA has ordered the company to stop its advertisement as well as any other recruitment," the spokesman said.

The HSA last year ordered a Chinese-made diet pill to be taken off the market after it was linked to one death and several cases of serious illness.

The Straits Times said local AIDS activists were sceptical of the company's claims.

AFP

AFP: Gay and lesbian community parties into Singapore's National Day (Aug 6)

SINGAPORE, Aug 6 (AFP) - Singapore's usually low-profile gay and lesbian community is planning a "coming out" party this week to coincide with the republic's National Day.

It will be Asia's answer to Sydney's renowned Mardi Gras and Sleaze Ball parties, said William Koh, a 23-year-old hairstylist.

"It's about time we had something like that. If other countries can have such parties, why can't we?"

Organisers Fridae, an online Asian gay and lesbian Internet community based in Hong Kong, declined to be interviewed but said on their website: "This is the time to come out and celebrate our strength, individuality ... in Singapore's first ever national pride party."

Homosexual acts among males are illegal in Singapore, but the law makes no mention of same-sex activities between females.

Flyers for the August 8 party to be held at Sentosa's Fantasy Island, an offshore water funpark, encourage people to wear red and white, Singapore's national colours.

"You're proud. Of your country. Of your community. Of who you are," they state.

People are flying to Singapore from Hong Kong, Sydney and the United States for the party, according to messages posted on Fridae.com's public forum.

The party attractions are said to include body painting and a foam party, and a "Miss Divastating 2001" beauty pageant.

"Singaporeans, especially the younger ones, are growing more comfortable with the gay lesbian community. Some even prefer to party with us because straight clubs can be so boring," said Koh whose Ritz salon is one of eight retailers selling tickets to the party.

Ten percent of of money raised at the party will go to Singapore's Action for Aids (AFA) organisation which assists with payment of the expensive medical bills faced by Singaporeans diagnosed with AIDS.

AIDS patients can spend 1,500-2,000 Singapore dollars (830-1,100 US) dollars a month on medication, but can only draw up to 500 dollars a month from the state-managed medical health fund.

The ministry said 1,362 Singaporeans were infected with HIV or AIDS at the end of last year, but AFA puts the figure at nearer 4,000.