Indian clothing label Anouk Ethnic has released a television commercial featuring a lesbian couple preparing to meet one another’s parents. Within 10 days of its initial screening, the short film titled The Visit had tabulated over 3 million views across the globe. It is the first advertisement in India to feature a lesbian couple. India […]
In India, 57 year old Padma Iyer made headlines when she placed an advertisement in the Mumbai publication Mid-Day seeking a groom for her son Harish. “Seeking 25-40, Well-Placed, Animal-Loving, Vegetarian GROOM for my SON (36, 5’11”) who works with an NGO, Caste No Bar (Though Iyer Preferred)” the advertisement read. The advertisement has caused […]
In India, the government has proposed a benefits system with the aim of helping families support transgender children. The schemes, due to begin next year, would include a benefit of 1000 rupees (around 20 Australian dollars) a month to the parents of transgender and gender non-binary children. Families whose income is below a set amount […]
In the interest of staying internationally aware, here are some LGBT news stories from around the globe. RUSSIA Steve Jobs Memorial Torn Down After New Apple CEO Came Out In Saint Petersburg, a memorial for Steve Jobs has been torn down after his successor, current Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly stated he is proud to […]
The data from India’s first census including a third gender option found that 490,000 people identified as ‘third gender’. The census was conducted last year, and the ‘third gender’ category was used to refer to transgender and intersex people. India has a vibrant community of ‘hijras’ (who in western terms would likely be understood as […]
Bharathi Kannamma has become the first transgender woman to run for parliament in India. She is running as an independent candidate. She is running in the city of Madurai, in Tamil Nadu state, with polling day this Thursday. Kannamma, 53, has said that she hopes to build on the progress of the recent ruling recognizing […]
India’s Supreme Court has issued a verdict allowing transgender and non-gender binary people to identify themselves as such on government documents. Before Tuesday’s ruling, Indian citizens were required to identify themselves as either male or female on official documents. The court noted that it was the right of all human beings to choose their gender, […]
An estimated 5000 people hit the streets for the gay pride parade in Mumbai on Saturday the 1st of February. The parade was the city’s first since homosexuality was recriminalised in India under section 377 of India’s Penal Code. The city’s seventh annual pride parade, the parade was entitled the Queer Azaadi March, (“Azaadi” being […]
Here’s some of the latest stories from around the globe. India Gay Relationships Recriminalised India’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of reversing a 2009 Delhi High Court order which decriminalised homosexual acts. Prior to 2009, a law more than 140 years old decreed that homosexual relationships were punishable by a ten year jail sentence. […]
New laws in India now mean that it is illegal for gay couples to use a surrogate, with a man and a woman having to have been married for a minimum of two years to be applicable. The new restrictions also exclude single women, with the country clamping down on the industry that has been […]