Showing posts with label lesbians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lesbians. Show all posts

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Happy National Coming Out Day!

People have been coming out for ages but in 1987, half a million people came out all at once to march in Washington DC for issues like legal recognition of our relationships, the repeal of sodomy laws, a federal ban on discrimination, passage of a gay and lesbian civil rights bill, reproductive freedom, an end to HIV/AIDS discrimination, and an end to racism. The following year October 11 became recognized and celebrated to be National Coming Out Day.  Coming out is not only a statement to the world but ultimately to yourself that you can be in the world as who you are and be okay.  Granted it is not always safe, thats real but hopefully one day as those who can, will and be visible for those of us who are in the process of joining us.  Thank you to ALL those before us that came out, were visible and made it easier for the rest of us to be who we truly are and love proudly who we love.  

In Solidarity and with Love,
LesbeAsian Pho Lyfe!


A LITANY FOR SURVIVAL
For those of us who live at the shoreline
standing upon the constant edges of decision
crucial and alone
for those of us who cannot indulge
the passing dreams of choice
who love in doorways coming and going
in the hours between dawns
looking inward and outward
at once before and after
seeking a now that can breed
futures
like bread in our children's mouths
so their dreams will not reflect
the death of ours:

For those of us
who were imprinted with fear
like a faint line in the center of our foreheads
learning to be afraid with our mother's milk
for by this weapon
this illusion of some safety to be found
the heavy-footed hoped to silence us
For all of us
this instant and this triumph
We were never meant to survive.

And when the sun rises we are afraid
it might not remain
when the sun sets we are afraid
it might not rise in the morning
when our stomachs are full we are afraid
of indigestion
when our stomachs are empty we are afraid
we may never eat again
when we are loved we are afraid
love will vanish
when we are alone we are afraid
love will never return
and when we speak we are afraid
our words will not be heard
nor welcomed
but when we are silent
we are still afraid

So it is better to speak
remembering
we were never meant to survive

- Audre Lorde, The Black Unicorn 

Monday, July 9, 2012

China lifts ban on lesbians giving blood




Hong Kong (CNN) -- The Chinese Ministry of Health has lifted a 14-year-old ban on lesbians donating blood in effect as of July 1.

The ban still applies to men who are sexually active with other men, but celibate homosexuals are permitted to give blood, according to the Ministry of Health's website.

The original ban, enacted in 1998, barred homosexuals of both genders from donating blood out of a fear of spreading HIV and AIDS.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

More news on Singaporean Lesbians


Singapore lesbians look for change despite being "criminals"
Source: Bikyamasr
SINGAPORE: Marina and Jun walk hand in hand, stealing a kiss here and there. On Saturday the couple joined some 15,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in demanding the Singapore government end the criminalization of the gay community.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Consequences of Pitting Race Against Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity

Source: Think Progress

Our guest bloggers are Melissa Dunn, an LGBT Research and Communications intern at the Center for American Progress and Aisha Moodie-Mills, advisor of LGBT Progress’ FIRE Initiativefor racial equality.
Last week’s insensitive rant by Kevin Naff of the Washington Blade which trivialized race-based hate crimes, and the recent revelations of the National Organization for Marriage’s race-baiting tactics, have shed much needed light on the fallacy of the gay versus race debate. Both of these instances, ironically from opposite sides of the ideological spectrum—NOM being a conservative anti-gay organization and the Washington Blade an LGBT publication—promote the same disparaging myth. That gay = white, and that race and sexuality are mutually exclusive and diametrically opposed.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Social networking site fills need for lesbians of color

Source: Pride Source

When Nicole Breedlove was looking to connect online with other lesbian women of color, she asked herself, "Where are they?" Out of frustration with websites like MySpace, Facebook, BlackPlanet and DowneLink, she launched OurSistaCircle http://www.oursistacircle.com in Oct. 2009. It's the first social networking site which caters to all lesbians of color - African American, Latina, Asian, Native American and Biracial - worldwide.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

California schools left to figure out gay studies mandate

Source: The Desert Sun
Photo Credit: Gabriel Ivan Orendain-Necochea

A landmark law requiring California schools to include contributions of gays and lesbians and people with disabilities in school curriculum technically went into effect in January.

But public schools have received little direction on the new law, leaving it up to individual schools and teachers to interpret how to teach it.

Right now, it's very loose and up in the air, said Demitrious Sinor, who teaches history at Desert Hot Springs High School.

(There's) no mandate of what to teach, how to teach, when to teach it.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

In Yogyakarta, Religion Meets LGBT Rights

Source: theJakartaGlobe.com


In early March, the case of Daniel Zamudio, a 24-year-old gay man from Chile who was attacked and tortured, led to a public outcry not only in Chile but around the world. Zamudio died of his injuries three weeks after the attack.

This incident was a painful reminder that prejudice and hatred against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) is still widespread in many parts of the world, and Indonesia is no exception. Indonesia’s LGBT community has gained visibility in the past decade, mostly due to the country’s transition to democracy, but it has also experienced more public disapproval as many LGBT people have stopped hiding and are now fighting for equality. Though they have made progress, they are still seen by many as “threatening,” “abnormal” or “sinful.”

To prevent this kind of prejudice and discrimination, the Yogyakarta-based Youth Interfaith Forum on Sexuality (YIFoS), a group of young men and women with different sexual orientations and religious backgrounds, has organized a youth camp in Yogyakarta to foster discussion about these issues.

Friday, April 6, 2012

When will ASEAN protect gender rights?

Source: Rappler.com
Photo Credit: AFP

MANILA, Philippines - It’s one of the promises of the leaders in Southeast Asia this year – to come up with a human rights declaration for the region’s 600 million people.

Advocates of gender rights have to ask, however: what did the authorities mean when they spoke of human rights? Were they referring only to the rights of the heterosexual citizens of the region, or did they also consider the rights of the members of the lesbian, gay and transgender community across the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations?

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Women at ‘Sisters Standing Up for Love’

LOS ANGELES – On April 22, 2012, API Equality-LA will present Sisters Standing Up for Love, a fundraising reception to celebrate and honor amazing contributions women have made to the Asian and Pacific Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer movement. The event will be hosted by actress Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club, Glee).

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

LesbeAsian on WA Gay Marriage Legislation

Couple Responds to Gay Marriage Bill Passage
By ATIA MUSAZAY
Source: International Examiner

Gay right supporters across the state of Washington celebrated the passage of the momentous bill to legalize gay marriage on Feb. 8.

For lesbian Asian Americans “Faith” Kong and “Tawny” Ha (pseudonyms to protect their identity), Gov. Gregoire’s signing of the bill meant one more step closer to equality.