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TIME TO SHOW SOME PRIDE HK
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From the website pages of (LINK: WEBSITE ARTICLE )
CHINADAILY / Thu 15 July '10 / HK Edition Page 2
DVO / DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ORDIANCE
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From the pages of
South China Morning Post / Thu 17 Dec '09 / Hong Kong & Delta A3
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GAY PAGEANT CHINA
From the pages of
South China Morning Post / Fri 11 Dec '09 / National A7
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HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, HK
Les Peches & FinS / 6 Dec '09-Sun / Causeway Bay
Les Peches and FinS shared a booth at the annual International Human Rtights Day Carnival which took place in Causeway Bay. Our theme, 'When did you know you were STRAIGHT? FIGHT DISCRIMINATION!"
(The following taken from the pages of Amnesty International, Hong Kong website).
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." -- Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948. The rights enshrined in the UDHR since then become recognized as a universal human rights standard and the 10 December is set as the International Human Rights Day. This year is the 58th Anniversary of the UDHR. Civil groups are organizing public education activities to spread the message of human rights to the community.
Co-organizer: Amnesty International Hong Kong, Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, Hong Kong Christian Institute, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China
Participating groups: Tiananmen Mothers Campaign, Students and Scholars against Corporate Misbehavior, Ziteng, League of Social Democrats, GP Batteries Concern Group, Human Rights in China, Hong Kong Unison, Hong Kong Federation of Students, the Association for the Advancement of Feminism, Action for REACH OUT, MIDNIGHT BLUE, TCJM, LES PECHES AND FINS.
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| Human Rights Day Carnival 2009 | TCJM / FINS & LES PECHES BOOTH |
Medeleine & Eric |
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TCJM Organizers Edward, Nigel, Medeleine & Bob |
FINS & LES PECHES BOOTH |
(top) Students revealing the answers / |
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Betty & Abby of Les Peches |
HRDay Crowd |
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MR GAYHK IN THE PRESS / HONG KONG
And the Winner Is....
(from website globalbeauties)
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JUDICIAL REVIEW / HONG KONG
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Taken from the Facebook page of Vidler & Co. Solicitors
[Hong Kong, 10 November 2009]
Leave to apply for judicial review has been granted by the High Court for Ms “ W”, a post-operative male-to-female transsexual, to challenge the decision of the Registrar of Marriages (“the Registrar”) refusing to allow her to marry because of her transgender status.
The applicant, Ms “W” is a Hong Kong permanent resident of marriageable age who was classified and registered as male at birth, but who has subsequently undergone gender reassignment surgery at a public hospital.
“The applicant is now, in respect of her appearance, physical conformation, social life and psychiatric status, indistinguishable from other women. She has an identity card recording her status as female, her educational certificates record her as female and she leads the life of a woman. Her birth certificate however still records her gender as male. She is not allowed to change her birth certificate under the current law and because the Registrar of Marriages only recognizes the sex recorded on the birth certificate, even after gender reassignment surgery. Ms ‘W’ is in effect prevented from enjoying the right to marriage that is enshrined for all Hong Kong citizens in the Basic law, the Bill of Rights and the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights”, Mr. Michael Vidler, solicitor acting for the applicant, said.
“Ms “W” simply wants to marry her boyfriend whom she loves and who loves her.” Vidler said. “She is therefore challenging the Registrar’s decision and those parts of the current law which infringe her rights and are unconstitutional. In granting leave for Ms. ‘W’ to apply for Judicial Review the High Court has accepted that she has successfully crossed the first hurdle in enforcing her rights.”
Article 37 of the Basic Law protects the freedom of marriage for Hong Kong residents. Article 14 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights (“HKBOR”) and Article 17 of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (“ICCPR”) prohibit unlawful interference with a person’s privacy, family, home or correspondence, and Article 19(2) of HKBOR and Article 23(2) of ICCPR recognizes the right of men and women of marriageable age to marry.
The hearing date of the full Judicial Review hearing is due to be set down shortl
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HATE CRIMES BILL / USA
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Wyoming Bishop Bruce
Caldwell witnesses
Obama signing hate
crime legislation into law
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[Episcopal News Service] President Barack Obama signed hate crime legislation -- that for the first time includes gender and sexual orientation provisions -- into law Oct. 28 during a ceremony at the White House attended by Diocese of Wyoming Bishop Bruce Caldwell.
"To all the activists, all the organizers, all the people who helped make this day happen, thank you for your years of advocacy and activism, pushing and protesting that made this victory possible," said Obama during the ceremony. "You know, as a nation we've come far on the journey towards a more perfect union. And today, we've taken another step forward. This afternoon, I signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act."
The act, part of a defense spending bill, gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence in instances where the perpetrator has victimized a person based on his or her actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, in addition to race, color, religion, and national origin which are currently covered.
"I think God was smiling and moving with every stroke of the pen as Obama signed this legislation," Caldwell said. "I think passage of this legislation gives the country the opportunity to press the pause button to say enough is enough. No more violence."
Not long after Caldwell became bishop he was asked to preside at Shepard's funeral. Shepard had served as an acolyte in the Wyoming diocese and was a member of the University of Wyoming Canterbury Club, a Christian university group, at the time of his torture and murder in 1998.
Shepard's murder brought international attention to the limitations of U.S. hate crimes statutes at the local, state and federal levels. In 2007, Congress passed bills to reform existing hate crimes law to allow state and local governments more control and accountability over such cases. But the bill, added as an amendment to the Defense Reauthorization Bill, was dropped when former U.S. President George W. Bush said he would veto the defense bill if it included the amendment.
James Byrd, Jr., an African American, was brutally murdered in Jasper, Texas, in 1998, in what was termed a "lynching," by three white men, two of whom received the death penalty and the third was sentenced to life in prison for the crime.
In addition to including sexual and gender identity, the legislation also gives the Justice Department greater oversight of state and local criminal investigations where bias is involved, and makes grants available to fund training, prevention campaigns and to assist in investigating and prosecuting hate crimes.
The FBI reported 7,624 single-bias hate crime offenses in 2007. Of those, 51% were race-based. Ranked second and third were those based on religion (18%) and sexual orientation (17%) in its most recent report on hate crimes.
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GAY LITERATURE / HONG KONG
SOURCE: Hong Kong University Press
Visit Hong Kong University Press at:
Campus Showroom, G/F Library Annex
The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2859 7077
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:00 noon – 5:30 pm
(Closes during summer July & August, University & public holidays)
(for directions and /or map visit the website above)
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GAY LITERATURE / CHINA
SOURCE: SUNDAY MORNING POST 14 June 2009
Editied by Stephen McCarty stephen.mccarty@scmp.com
WRITTEN BY ALISTER MCMILLAN
GAY ISSUES IN THE NEWS
(CLICK LINKS ARTICLES PHOTOS TO ENLARGE OR FOR MORE INFO)
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FinS is looking for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender (GLBT) writers or story tellers; men or women who are willing to write about GLBT life in Hong Kong for FruitTalk our new column of informative, involved and insightful happenings in the Asia Pacific and Hong Kong area.
Welcome to the forum, FruitTalk, submitted articles about political, cultural, the arts, current affairs, and daily life in HK, the power and influence of the Gay Pink dollar and what it means and any other topics one chooses to discuss or write about.
When submitting your article please, you should cover stories about life as it reflects the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender community here in Hong Kong and how it is reflected and/ or compared to lifestyles around the world.
The submission is non-fee. Please submit any inquires to Eric at hkfins@yahoo.com Thank you very much. We look forward to your vital contribution.