Foreign / Overseas LGBT News - Gay News Outside Singapore (Compiled)

[Guest Tyler nipples]

On 4/20/2022 at 9:10 AM, LoveCum said:

Priest Arrested For Stealing Nearly $100,000 In Church Donations To Spend On Grindr Dates (truththeory.com)

Disgraced Christianity!

[LoveCum]

its about a human.

[gstringuy26]

So pretentious...I don't believe in all these shits although I respect the general public as religion are very sensitive!

It can be use as a tool to manipulate hatred. 

[fetish69]

This is very taboo topic well what i see now the people from high top religion regardlees of belief fall in mist of devil incitement they change to someone that is full of greed. What they do is not like what preach for. Is common now yet is very sad he took the money from donors which is from their hard earn money.

[fab]

Reminds me of cases where local religious heads get extravagant pay and indulge in luxurious lifestyle.

 

Not the first. Won't be the last. 

[singalion]

I wonder why people need to pin such stories to a certain religion.

 

as if people from other religions are innocent...

 

We don't even need to look at overseas... but have sufficient cases on theft, fraud and other doubtful  behaviour from religious groups... at red dot

 

And what the thieves do with the money... Is there a difference if they pay loansharks, go gambling or pay for sex parties?

 

 

Woman jailed for embezzling nearly S$38,000 from her employer Darul Aman Mosque over 2 years

January 8, 2020

 

SINGAPORE – Marlina Abdul Rahman was an employee of Darul Aman Mosque who was entrusted to safekeep payments made to the Eunos mosque.

But rather than ensuring that the funds went into the mosque’s coffers, Marlina squirreled away close to S$38,000 over more than two years, which she used on herself and her family instead.

Her dishonesty was eventually uncovered by a fellow mosque employee.

 

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/woman-jailed-embezzling-nearly-s38000-her-employer-darul-aman-mosque-over-2-years

 

 

Ex-chief priest of Sri Mariamman Temple charged with misappropriating jewellery, pawning them for S$2.3 million, wiring S$140,000 overseas

February 16, 2021

SINGAPORE — Over four years, he allegedly misappropriated 172 pieces of jewellery from Singapore’s oldest Hindu temple, later pawning them for more than S$2 million.

Kandasamy Senapathi, the former chief priest of the 149-year-old Sri Mariamman Temple, was charged on Tuesday (Feb 16) over these acts. 

The 37-year-old Indian national faces five counts each of criminal breach of trust as a servant and of transferring some of the cash out of Singapore to India.

The gold ornaments, frequently used for prayers and kept by Kandasamy in the temple’s inner sanctum, had gone missing, TODAY reported in August last year. 

 

 

Jail for former mosque officer who misappropriated $21k from donations

Published

7 Aug 2020, 1:24 pm SGT

 

SINGAPORE - A social development officer of Assyakirin Mosque, who was entrusted with cash donations collected from worshippers during Friday prayers, abused the trust placed in her and misappropriated $21,000.

Nurul Jannah Md Latiff then used her ill-gotten gains to repay her home renovation and bank loans.

The 28-year-old Singaporean, who worked at the mosque in Yung An Road in Taman Jurong, was sentenced on Friday (Aug 7) to eight weeks' jail after pleading guilty to one count of criminal breach of trust.

 

Buddhist temple denies abbot's alleged sex acts with men

November 16, 2019

SINGAPORE - A century-old Buddhist temple in Race Course Road on Friday (Nov 15) denied allegations that its abbot had been having sex with multiple men on its premises.

The 102-year-old Leong San See temple has lodged a police report against a Facebook user who on Thursday posted photos and descriptions allegedly of the Venerable Tuan Boon engaging in sex acts with men.

 

Senior Thai monk nabbed for embezzling temple funds

February 21, 2022

Abbot of Buddhist temple charged with pocketing $3.4 million in latest monastic scandal

The abbot of a Buddhist monastery in Thailand has been charged with embezzling 110 million baht (US$3.4 million) from temple funds in the latest scandal to rock the country’s sangha, or community of monks.

 

Phra Sitthi Woranayok, the abbot of Wat Khao Durian in Nakhon Nayok, a province near Bangkok, was arrested late last week by police over suspicions that he had colluded with a former director of the National Office of Buddhism to siphon off large sums of money over nine years.

 

 

 

• Singaporean celebrity monk sent to jail for fraud

  • DPA Sun, Nov 22, 2009
  •  

  A Singaporean court yesterday sentenced a celebrity Buddhist monk who ran one of the city-state’s most popular charities to 10 months in jail for fraud, a media report said.

  Shi Ming Yi (釋明義), 47, and his former personal assistant Raymond Yeung (楊志恆), 34, were convicted last month of conspiring to take an unauthorized loan of S$50,000 (US$36,000) from the Ren Ci charity in May 2004.

  Yeung was sentenced to nine months in jail, the online edition of the Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday.

  He used the money to pay for renovations at a friend’s home in Hong Kong. Both Shi Ming Yi and Yeung had testified that the money was loaned to a Buddhist shop affiliated with the charity that sold religious artifacts, the report said.

  External auditors found that to be untrue, as the loan was not mentioned in the shop’s accounts.

  The high-living Shi Ming Yi, founder of the charity Ren Ci ­Hospital, which provides medical care for the elderly, had been described by local media as “the monk with the five C’s” — cash, credit card, car, condominium units and ­country club membership.

  “Buddhist monks, we are no longer living in the mountains, we are not living in the forest. We are in the city now,” the Straits Times quoted Shi Ming Yi as saying.

   
   

 

Let's not pin such behaviour to one religion...

Such deeds happen at all congregations...

 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by singalion

[Guest Hi I'm Bi]

On 4/20/2022 at 10:07 AM, gstringuy26 said:

So pretentious...I don't believe in all these shits although I respect the general public as religion are very sensitive!

It can be use as a tool to manipulate hatred. 

Very sexy string.

[Guest 滥贱 冰冰]

On 4/20/2022 at 10:07 AM, gstringuy26 said:

So pretentious...I don't believe in all these shits although I respect the general public as religion are very sensitive!

It can be use as a tool to manipulate hatred. 

 

Sensitive ? 

 

I am sensitive to stupidity and religious bulllshitting. 

 

All who claim sensitive lah , taboo lah , please grow up. 

 

 

[fab]

Tokyo just made history by being the largest city in Japan to recognise same-sex partnerships!

The Tokyo metropolitan government announced that it intends to launch a system to recognise same-sex partnerships from November onwards.

While Japan does not yet legally recognise same-sex marriage, many local governments provide certifications recognising LGBTQ+ couples.

Tokyo will be the 9th prefecture to implement a partnership system, after Aomori, Akita, Ibaraki, Gunma, Mie, Osaka, Fukuoka and Saga.

Follow us on IG too for more LGBT+ news: https://www.instagram.com/dearstraightpeopleig/

Edited May 11, 2022 by fab

[StockBottom]

The title said Japan ...

[Guest Envious]

I believe the government starts recognising the fact that many singles are living and dying alone.  This is a good move to recognise the benefit that it has on Japanese society.  I hope they also recognise child adoption for Gay couple while Singapore is 100 steps backwards in being a gay friendly country. 

 

[InBangkok]

A number of Tokyo's wards have been recognising same-sex partnerships for some years. Shibuya was the first in 2017. A poll conducted by Dentsu in 2018 showed that 78.4% of Japanese aged between 20 and 50 were in favour of same-sex marriage. So, in a country where the views of elders are usually given prominence, on this issue the younger generation was finally being heard. In 2021 the argument in favour was boosted when a district court in Sapporo ruled that the law banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

[Guest O.L.]

The argument that Asian values are being eroded used by some countries become weaker and weaker , 

 

The hope is that China , the biggest country move in tandem.

[LoveCum]

South China Morning Post

China’s gay youth wanting to expand rights at home seek a different path to LGBT campaigners in the West

 

 

Cyril Ip

01 June 2022

 

 

The first time Eugene Wu observed a pride parade in Manchester after arriving in Britain to study architecture in 2017, it was a bit of a culture shock.

“I saw many people dressed in eccentric and flamboyant clothes,” the London-based architectural assistant said. “In a Western environment, this would not be an issue, however if it took place in East Asia, which is comparatively more conservative, it would likely invoke confusion, or even hostility.”

There were pride events in China too, notably the Shanghai parade that was an annual affair until 2020, but Wu had never attended one in his home country.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

“Gay pride is a sort of carnival crafted through the lens of Westerners, but our people are more conservative about sexual expression,” the 24-year-old said. “It could result in more criticism and misunderstandings, even if that wasn’t our intention.”

 

The annual Pride Parade in London on July 7, 2018. Photo: AFP

Wu is among a growing group of young Chinese gay men who recognise the limitations of LGBT rights in their country but argue that applying Western models of activism to the local context wholesale are at best ineffective and at worst detrimental to their path towards acceptance and protection.

 

There are an estimated 70 million people in mainland China who identify as LGBT.

 

Homosexuality was decriminalised in the country in 1997 and removed from the list of mental disorders in 2001.

But discrimination against LGBT people is still commonplace, and gay men in particular have been targeted in a widening crackdown against depictions of masculinity that do not conform to gender norms.

 

“Men shoulder an intense burden from their family, especially their parents, if they are not married to women and have no children to continue the family line,” according to a 2019 study by Wei Chongzheng and Liu Wenli.

 

The priorities of gay men in China, therefore, may differ from those of their Western counterparts.

Chinese LGBT group shuts down operations

“For most Chinese gay men, personal factors such as acceptance from family and their community will be more important than structural factors like the right to marry, to the extent that it does not impinge on their daily lives,” said Professor Dominic Yeo from Hong Kong Baptist University, whose research focuses on LGBT youth.

 

“The Westernised style of expression that is in your face, is not necessarily the default or most preferred option for China’s LGBT community. It is also not the only metric of progress.”

Collateral damage

In July 2020, the organisers of Shanghai Pride published a series about the success of their 12th annual festival, addressing a wide range of issues, such as how to make companies in China more diverse and inclusive, queer and drag parties and personal stories from individuals.

 

“We hope to see everyone at Shanghai Pride 2021!” they wrote.

 

A month later, in a move that many saw as reflective of the shrinking space for LGBT activism in the country, the organisers announced they were “taking a break from scheduling any future events”.

Professor Chan Lik-sam, who teaches communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the event had served as a “symbol for potential progress”.

“It’s about the atmosphere and environment,” he said. “Even as some people [in China] are unaware or do not enjoy these events, it is bigger than the individuals themselves.”

In the early years of the event, it was primarily attended by Western expatriates who were also the organisers. They later began publicising the event in both Chinese and English, attracting some local participation.

As more crackdowns followed – in the past year, there has been an official boycott of “sissy idols” and WeChat accounts run by LGBT groups were deleted – some in China’s LGBT community worry they are becoming collateral damage in rising tensions with the West, with homosexuality increasingly seen as a Western ideology.

In response, some have suggested developing more “culturally appropriate” methods to further domestic progress.

China’s censorship of Carol, LGBT references in sitcom Friends sparks debate

Instead of organising Western-style protests, a 21-year-old economics student at Shanghai’s Fudan University who wanted to be referred to by the pseudonym Parker Wang suggested going through “stable” and legal channels in China to pursue equal rights, such as submitting proposals and suggestions to the National People’s Congress (NPC).

 

While same-sex marriage is unlikely to be introduced soon, the legislature in 2020 acknowledged petitions for the cause and later sought public opinion about the topic, a development viewed by domestic activists as a glimmer of hope.

 

“We don’t have to achieve equality by imitating the West,” Wang said. “LGBT culture is not exclusive to Western societies, and we don’t have to emphasise how the West is supposedly more tolerant of sexual minorities.”

 

Yeo argued that authorities had more of an issue with the pursuit of individualism rather than homosexuality itself, given that China had traditionally valued collectivism.

 

“The emphasis of individualism, which purports that one’s LGBT identity is more salient than anything else, is the issue that China has,” he said. “Rather than emphasising the exclusiveness of a sexual identity or orientation, it would be more practical [for the Chinese LGBT community] to acknowledge that they are also Chinese and part of the family.”

 

This opinion was echoed by a 23-year-old who asked to remain anonymous and used the pseudonym Leon Li.

 

“Western countries focus on individualism and self-display, which are things that may be good in nature, but an excessive amount would draw backlash,” said the Guangdong native, who came out as bisexual to close friends and family in late 2019. “In the Chinese context, a balance is necessary.”

Human first

While he does not intentionally hide his sexuality, UK-based Wu said he did not feel the need to proclaim or highlight his sexuality publicly either, despite a globally changing landscape that made it easier to do so than before.

 

“I’m human first before I am gay,” he said, “I focus on the commonalities of us as human beings because other than sexual preference nothing makes me different.”

 

Wang feels that even as he might be more open with his sexuality abroad, it will not harm his sense of national identity and belonging. In fact, he said they were strengthened after he witnessed how his country successfully handled the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

“I’m yet to see anyone around me want to leave the country just for a more sexually progressive environment,” he said.

 

Similarly, Wu said he felt that while Britain was generally more accepting of sexual minorities, it was not a factor that would influence where he chose to live. Crucially, he did not feel “unsafe” or “uncomfortable” being a gay man in China.

 

“My sexuality and nationality are equal parts of my identity, the two facets are not in conflict and they both make a person attractive,” he said.

 

The lack of safety or comfort that some experienced was less dependent on political factors and more on their immediate environment, such as their occupation, geographical location and their family’s open-mindedness, both Wu and Li said.

 

“If one day we are legally and officially listed as an entity that has to be suppressed, then I’ll feel more concerned,” Wang said, while also noting that some LGBT-themed activities on the campus faced “covert” restrictions from universities: “events and meetings are still taking place, but in private rather than public spheres”.

 

Wang suggested domestic activism should now focus on the fact that the spectrum of sexual preferences was scientifically normal and how homosexuality was welcomed in ancient China.

 

“Society is not just about politics, there’s also the consideration of general social acceptance,” Chan said. “I’m hopeful that when the more inclusive younger generation has more social influence in a decade’s time, things will look a lot different.”

Ordinary lives

Many men who spoke to the South China Morning Post said they would like to see more progress domestically on having more diverse representations of gay men in the media.

 

While there have been increased representations of gay men in domestic media in recent years, they said these productions often missed the mark in portraying “average” gay men in China.

 

“The gay men magnified in media are those who are wealthy and attractive – the elite – but that is an inaccurate picture,”

 

Wu said. “Most of us live ordinary lives and do ordinary things, so we do not have the time nor power to occupy space in the mainstream.”

 

 

Li concurred: “The images of gay men in popular media are those who are the most outstanding, that’s the only way we are shown, which creates even more invisible pressure”.

 

Chan said the version of masculinity in gay-themed productions – such as in popular “boys love” dramas and pride parades – was often characterised by gay men who were young, sporty, light-skinned and muscular.

 

“The more we consume a certain form of media, the more we adopt its world view, and this may influence the youth who have just started exploring their sexuality to believe that … is what being ‘gay’ means,” the professor said.

 

Popular standards of attractiveness are also described in sociology as “sexual capital”, meaning the social power one accrues as a result of their sexual charm.

 

“Sexual capital itself is an urban, middle- or upper-class concept,” Yeo said.

 

“Even in the movement for LGBT rights in China, we don’t often hear the voices of the rural, working-class gay men.”

 

Wu is hopeful, however, that over time things will change. “As Generation Z matures, East Asian societies will become increasingly accepting of such subcultures,” he said.

 

More from South China Morning Post:

• 7 years after Japanese student’s death, has anything changed for LGBT community?

• After abortion, gay marriage? Fears US Supreme Court may target other rights

• Has China’s push to ban ‘effeminate’ and ‘sissy’ men claimed its first victim? The tragic case of Zhou Peng

• How online games like The Sims and Coral Island are empowering Asia’s LGBT and queer folk

• Chinese LGBT athlete comes out as gay on social media and receives huge support despite government repression and censorship

This article China’s gay youth wanting to expand rights at home seek a different path to LGBT campaigners in the West first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2022.

Edited June 3, 2022 by LoveCum

[InBangkok]

There is much in that article that is very perceptive and of value to those who pressure China for change in the acceptance of the LGBT community. As Eugene Wu points out, a Gay Pride Parade similar to those in the West would have a negative effect in China, only resulting in the reinforcement of negative impressions of a gay lifestyle. As Professor Yeo stresses, collectivism in Chinese society is much more important than individualism. In that sense, China is very similar to Japan where the interests of the group are always greater than that of any individual. Although Japan has slowly become more open in recent years, attendance at this year's annual Gay Pride Parade in Tokyo a few weeks ago was just 2,000. Admittedly covid resulted in far fewer participants than usual, but in the largest city in the world, attendance is rarely more than about 10,000.

 

Interestingly, though, and contrary to what many in the west believe, those interviewed for the article make clear that they have no desire to leave China for another country where being gay may be more accepted. As Wu says, he never feels “unsafe” or “uncomfortable” when in China. This bears out what my gay friends in Beijing and Shanghai constantly tell me. Despite what we hear about police raids on gay venues and other restrictions, in the cities it is not so complicated being gay. Family acceptance is probably the most difficult issue. In the countryside, though, life for gay people is certainly more difficult.

 

It is interesting the compare the success of the Taiwan Gay Pride Parade and its eventual result of a greater acceptance of the LGBT community and the legalisation of gay marriage. It was thanks to a group of committed individuals that the first small Parade took place in 2003. At that time there was a considerable anti-gay feeling in Taiwan society. The group decided at the outset that they would not copy western models. The Parade would be held in conjunction with the authorities and outrageous costumes and all the paraphernalia of Parades in London, Sydney and other cities would be avoided. The aim was to slowly persuade society that there was a sizeable gay community and they posed no threat to anyone. Each Taipei Parade has a social message. Over the years, it came to be accepted and eventually even families with young children joined the March. With 160,000 participants at the last March I was able to attend in 2018, my 7th, there was a great deal more openness and the Parade had adopted more of the fancy costuming and floats from Parades in the West. It became a really fun day which hardly any in the community, there than religious bigots, failed to enjoy.

 

But mainland China has to take a different route.

[Steve5380]

Last week "60 minutes"  interviewed again the secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg.  

 

He is one of my role models, and not only because he is gay and married to his husband and with two adopted children.  He is really SMART  ( first class evidence of smartness in gays ) and he has plenty of good will.

 

I didn't find this interview on YouTube,  but it is here on the 60 minutes website:

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pete-buttigieg-60-minutes-2022-06-19/?intcid=CNM-00-10abd1h

 

It is worth watching.  What caught my attention is how happy he feels about his family.  This is some indication that, whenever possible,  we gays should not shy away from tying the knot with our beloved,  man or woman.  It is also interesting how little he is affected by his status of being gay in this country that accepts same-sex marriage.

 

In other news, some clouds on the American horizon are building up fast about the future of same-sex marriage.  The abomination of this conservative Supreme Court has given hints that it may not hesitate to abolish it,  like it did abolish the federal woman's right-of-choice.  Conservatives should give a look at Buttigieg's happy, successful life, and think twice about what they want to destroy.  

 

Big demonstrations have surged in the US about this abominable abolition of the right to abortion.  Protests by irate citizens with big signs can be seen everywhere.   But I think that this anger is badly addressed.  The Republican politicians of today don't care a bit about what The People want.  They do what THEY want.  So the solution to this situation and the action all the irate voters should take is VERY SIMPLE:   stay calm and never again vote for any GOP (Republican) individual of today for any position in government.  It is SO SIMPLE,  and all it takes is to go to the voting sites on election days.  

 

They should think of the Spanish saying:  "muerto  el perro, se acabó la rabia"  ( with the dog dead, the rabies is gone ).

[Steve5380]

The "60 minute"  interview of Pete Buttigieg has finally appeared on YouTube.  

 

You should watch it and see what the family life of a gay man should be,  in a progressive country:

 

 

[Guest Lok]

If a gay couple is legally married outside of SG, the marriage won’t be recognised in SG?

[mate69]

On 8/1/2022 at 4:46 AM, Guest Lok said:

If a gay couple is legally married outside of SG, the marriage won’t be recognised in SG?

 

of course it won't be recognized in sg

 

[singalion]

On 8/1/2022 at 1:14 PM, mate69 said:

 

of course it won't be recognized in sg

 

 

Probably not if one party is a Singaporean (or a country that does not recognise gay marriage).

 

However, if you have two male expats residing in Singapore, who are legally married in their home countries, what then?

 

Would need to ask MOM or your MP on this.

 

There was a case some years back from a French banker with a big Bank, ... not sure how it was resolved.

 

[singalion]

BKK a new destination for China boy lovers...

 

Thailand’s LGBTQ+ community draws tourists from China looking to be themselves

September 11, 2023

 

BANGKOK (AP) — Xinyu Wen traveled to Thailand in June, planning a two-week vacation around Bangkok’s Pride parade.

Instead, the 28-year-old stayed a month and a half, as her experience at the parade gave rise to discussions and discoveries in the Thai capital’s thriving LBGTQ+ community.

 

LGBTQ+ people from China, frequently scorned and ostracized at home, are coming to Thailand in droves, drawn by the freedom to be themselves. When Wen walked along the parade on the streets in Bangkok, “I felt like I was in a big party or a huge amusement park. We could forget all upsetting things and feel fun-filled,” she said.

 

Bangkok is only a 5-hour flight from Beijing, and Thailand’s tourism authorities actively promote its status as among the most open to LGBTQ+ people in the region.

 

 

Wen got interested in Thailand when her friend sent her a photo of rainbow-colored, Pride-themed ice cream being sold on the streets.

 

“I wanted to go to Thailand to take a look,” she said.

 

Wen describes herself as queer, which she says means that her partners can be any gender and she can be any gender. At home, Wen said she regularly gets judgmental stares on the street for wearing her hair short like a man’s, and was once asked by her barber: “What happened to your life?”

 

But at the Bangkok Pride parade in June, Wen noticed people confidently wore what they wanted. She was excited to be able to express herself publicly and finally drop her guard. More than that, she said she was also impressed by the protest element to the event, in which people carried signs written in traditional Chinese with slogans like “China has no LGBTQ” and “Freedom is what we deserve.”

 

“I felt a mixed feeling, touched but sad,” she said.

 

Ahead of her trip, she read up on the situation in Thailand, finding reports that showed there is still widespread discrimination, especially in the workplace. Thailand does not recognize same-sex unions or marriages, which also means they’re barred from adopting children, and other legal processes that straight couples have access to.

Wen arrived at the parade somewhat skeptical. But she ended up finding it empowering.

 

“Although I initially had a critical attitude toward the parade in Bangkok because discrimination against LGBTQ individuals hasn’t disappeared, I still felt inspired because the neglected groups and the suppressed feelings matter here.”

 

Thailand Tourism Authority official Apichai Chatchalermkit said in an Aug. 9 article in The Nation newspaper that LGBTQ+ tourists are considered “high-potential” as they tend to spend more and travel more frequently than other visitors.

 

“Using a photo of LGBTQ+ individuals in tourism advertisements is considered as offering a warm welcome without discrimination,” he said.

 

Thailand doesn’t keep figures on LGBTQ+ tourists. But through mid-August, it has counted 2.2 million Chinese tourists out of an overall 16 million.

 

Owen Zhu, a gay real estate agent in Bangkok who sells houses to Chinese clients, said many are also coming to stay. He estimated some 2/3 of his clients are LGBTQ+, many of whom buy apartments to live in part- or full-time.

 

“Among Chinese gay people, Thailand is called gay’s heaven,” he said, noting that there are many chat groups where gay men from China coordinate trips to Thailand and share information about parties and tickets to events.

 

Being gay is not illegal in China, though other Asian countries have strict laws around homosexuality — such as Malaysia, which announced in August that anyone in possession of an LGBTQ+-themed watch could be jailed for 3 years. But LGBTQ+ people in China face other pressures to conform that can make the free expression of their identities difficult.

 

As a lesbian in her conservative province in central China, Jade Yang was talked into marrying a gay man at her parents’ request so that both of them could keep up appearances.

 

The 28-year-old, who works in the television industry, first visited Thailand four years ago and remembers being shocked to hear people talk casually about their same-sex partners. Yang disliked lying to her cousins and friends about the marriage and moved to Thailand in February, saying she wanted to distance herself from her hometown.

 

Now, she said, she can date the women she likes and focus on her studies and career without worrying about how to act as a straight woman.

 

“I wasted a lot of time over the past three years,” she said. “After coming here, I feel the world is so big for me to explore. I have also learned I should not deny the way I am so easily, and love myself better.”

 

At the Silver Sand gay bar in Bangkok, owner Adisak Wongwaikankha said about 30% of his customers are LGBTQ+ people from China, and that number has been growing.

 

He operates a bar on the ground floor and a drag show on the second floor.

 

“Most of our Chinese customers come with excitement and curiosity,” he said.

 

Another draw for tourists, inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community, is Thailand’s loose enforcement of prostitution laws and renowned nightclub shows.

 

Eros Li first came to Thailand in February to check out the nightlife and the massage parlors, many of which offer sex services. The 42-year-old returned two months later, saying that, while there are some spas in China where similar sex services are on offer, they are less accessible and there is a risk of being arrested.

 

“The LGBTQ community in Thailand is lively and open. I received many messages on gay dating apps every day, which made me happy,” Li said.

 

 

https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-tourism-china-thailand-64aa8fa85e11ff92ce0adad810af58a7

 

 

 

[singalion]

 

 

 

Kim Davis must pay $100,000 to US same-sex couple she denied marriage license

Jury awards damages to David Ermold and David Moore, who sued former Kentucky county clerk over 2015 incident

 

Thu 14 Sep 2023

 

 

 

A former Kentucky county clerk is being ordered to pay $100,000 to a local couple who sued the clerk after she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

 

Kim Davis, the former clerk of Rowan county in eastern Kentucky, rose to national prominence for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 2015, arguing that such actions violated her religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman.

 

 

Davis was briefly jailed on contempt of court charges for refusing to issue the licenses. She was later released when her staff issued the marriage certificates, but without her name on the form.

 

Last year, a federal judge ruled that Davis violated the constitutional rights of the two gay couples who sued her.

 

US district judge David Bunning said that Davis “cannot use her own constitutional rights as a shield to violate the constitutional rights of others while performing her duties as an elected official”.

 

This week, in a trial to determine damages Davis must pay, a federal jury ordered Davis to pay $50,000 each to David Ermold and David Moore, according to lawyers of Davis, the Associated Press reported.

 

The second couple who sued, James Yates and Will Smith, were awarded no damages.

 

During this week’s trial, Davis argued that she was protected from litigation due to qualified immunity, a doctrine that protects government officials from lawsuits accusing them of violating someone’s constitutional rights.

 

Davis’s defense team said in a Wednesday press release that they “look forward to appealing this decision and taking this case to the US supreme court”.

 

But the US supreme court already declined to hear an appeal from Davis’s lawyers on the matter in 2020, AP reported.

 

Chris Hartman, executive director of the Kentucky-based LGBTQ+ organization Fairness campaign, applauded Wednesday’s ruling in an interview with the Guardian.

 

“Discriminatory actions have consequences,” said Hartman.

 

“When you are a representative of the government, you must follow the law and treat everyone with dignity and respect, including LGBTQ Americans,” Hartman added.

 

 

 

 

 

[singalion]

 

 

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO accused of exploiting young men for sex

Eight men tell BBC Panorama they attended events involving sex acts run for Mike Jeffries and his partner, some after sexual ‘auditions’

 

Mon 2 Oct 2023

 

 

 

The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch has been accused of exploiting young men for sex at events he and his partner hosted in the US and around the world, according to a BBC investigation.

 

Most of the men also allege that a middleman, who was hired by the fashion brand’s former boss Mike Jeffries, sexually “auditioned” them by requesting or offering to perform oral sex on them, before the young men were introduced to him and his partner, Matthew Smith.

 

As part of a two-year investigation for Panorama, the BBC reporter Rianna Croxford spoke to eight men who described attending events between 2009 and 2015 that involved sex acts and were run for Jeffries, 79, and Smith, 60.

 

Jeffries, who was once one of America’s highest-paid CEOs, stepped down from A&F in 2014. Half the men recruited have alleged that they were initially misled about the nature of the events or were not told sex was expected. Others said they understood the events would involve sex, but not exactly what was expected of them.

 

Some of the men alleged they were exploited or abused and several told the BBC the possibility of modelling contracts with A&F was raised before they met Jeffries and Smith.

 

They also told the BBC that, at the events, Jeffries and Smith would engage in sexual activity with about four men or “direct” them to have sex with each other. Afterwards, the men said staff at the event handed them envelopes filled with thousands of dollars in cash. All except one said they felt harmed by the experience.

 

Full link here:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/02/former-abercrombie-fitch-ceo-accused-of-exploiting-young-men-for-sex

 

 

Looks like gay guys in powerful positions aren't better than their straight peers?

 

But before we judge let's see if the accusations are true or whether it ends like with Kevin Spacey...

 

[Steve5380]

On 9/15/2023 at 3:02 AM, singalion said:

 

 

 

Kim Davis must pay $100,000 to US same-sex couple she denied marriage license

Jury awards damages to David Ermold and David Moore, who sued former Kentucky county clerk over 2015 incident

 

Thu 14 Sep 2023

 

 

 

A former Kentucky county clerk is being ordered to pay $100,000 to a local couple who sued the clerk after she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

 

Kim Davis, the former clerk of Rowan county in eastern Kentucky, rose to national prominence for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses in 2015, arguing that such actions violated her religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman.

 

 

 

Davis was briefly jailed on contempt of court charges for refusing to issue the licenses. She was later released when her staff issued the marriage certificates, but without her name on the form.

 

Last year, a federal judge ruled that Davis violated the constitutional rights of the two gay couples who sued her.

 

US district judge David Bunning said that Davis “cannot use her own constitutional rights as a shield to violate the constitutional rights of others while performing her duties as an elected official”.

 

This week, in a trial to determine damages Davis must pay, a federal jury ordered Davis to pay $50,000 each to David Ermold and David Moore, according to lawyers of Davis, the Associated Press reported.

 

The second couple who sued, James Yates and Will Smith, were awarded no damages.

 

During this week’s trial, Davis argued that she was protected from litigation due to qualified immunity, a doctrine that protects government officials from lawsuits accusing them of violating someone’s constitutional rights.

 

Davis’s defense team said in a Wednesday press release that they “look forward to appealing this decision and taking this case to the US supreme court”.

 

But the US supreme court already declined to hear an appeal from Davis’s lawyers on the matter in 2020, AP reported.

 

Chris Hartman, executive director of the Kentucky-based LGBTQ+ organization Fairness campaign, applauded Wednesday’s ruling in an interview with the Guardian.

 

“Discriminatory actions have consequences,” said Hartman.

 

“When you are a representative of the government, you must follow the law and treat everyone with dignity and respect, including LGBTQ Americans,” Hartman added.

 

 

HURRAH!!!  This brightens my day even more.   This BITCH who refused to marry the two gays in 2015 now has to pay $100,000 to her victims.  Hopefully the two gays get to pat and smell every $100 bill they get from the bitch.  

 

She justified herself with her "religious belief".  This not only puts down her miserable persona full of homophobia, but also THE RELIGION which gives her an alleged justification to do such a vile act.   If a God exists, he must feel as satisfied as I do with the decision of that jury.  

[Guest Director v Writer]

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231107-1448404?fbclid=IwAR02cwrSgZNE4yzzlG8_Sr9456ROVWVZZgUTUI6sXhdX4C4zwhU2MlyHpAc

it is real cos all knew Guo JingMing

[Steve5380]

11 hours ago, Guest Director v Writer said:

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231107-1448404?fbclid=IwAR02cwrSgZNE4yzzlG8_Sr9456ROVWVZZgUTUI6sXhdX4C4zwhU2MlyHpAc

it is real cos all knew Guo JingMing

 

Why is it "news" that one guy attempted an "intimate contact" with another guy?   This happens daily dozens of times in gay saunas everywhere.  It is not a big deal,  not worth the ink that article is printed in.

[singalion]

On 11/8/2023 at 12:40 AM, Steve5380 said:

 

Why is it "news" that one guy attempted an "intimate contact" with another guy?   This happens daily dozens of times in gay saunas everywhere.  It is not a big deal,  not worth the ink that article is printed in.

 

But the incident in the article

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231107-1448404

did not happen in a sauna. It is not about any incident in a gay related environment. (at least at the surface)

 

It happened in a hotel room that both shared.

 

To me it is already funny that both shared the hotel room. Had they been so famous as the articles claim, would they have shared the room? Ok, the Li Feng (李枫) guy seemed not to have so much success on that time.

 

 

I think this Li Feng  (李枫) is trying to defend his innocence. He might not be gay. But I am not sure on this. He might be gay but just taking revenge or trying to spoil the image of this more successful Guo Jingming (郭敬明).

 

Are they openly out as gay?

 

This is one of the typical stories that happen in China daily on the news platforms and they just serve as distraction by the government to entertain the people with some outdated stories and brew old incidents up in new cups 6 years or more later on.

 

It happens to be something the sort of the Men to Men Me Too, just remember this Kevin Spacey.

 

Psychologically, I would say that Li Feng (李枫) is just a bit jealous on the career of that Guo Jingming (郭敬明) and then intends to portray him as a sexual predator to the public to tarnish his image. There might be some other acrimony between both...

 

I agree that the article is not worth for being published but due to differing reasons. (read above)

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by singalion

[singalion]

This story here is more interesting...

 

Looks like in China now they are delving into all these gay people life styles and stories...

 

Divorce case loss for China husband who had string of gay affairs then claimed US$2 million home was betrothal gift from wife’s wealthy parents

 

• Woman meets future husband, a handsome 1.8-metre-tall student from prestigious university in Shanghai

 

• Just 6 months after son's birth, wife discovers husband having an affair

 

7 Nov, 2023

 

Mainland social media has been shocked by a man in China who had multiple gay affairs following the breakdown of his marriage, then claimed their luxury 15-million-yuan (US$2 million) house was the bride price paid by his wife's wealthy family.

 

 

 

 

 

The wife, identified as Xiaojuan, from the southeastern province of Zhejiang, met her husband, Xiaochen, a handsome 1.8-metre-tall student from a prestigious university in Shanghai.

 

With his charm, Xiaochen quickly won the hearts of Xiaojuan and her parents.

 

After dating for just two months, the couple got engaged, started living together, and not long after, Xiaojuan fell pregnant.

 

 

Her delighted parents chose a luxurious 15-million-yuan property in downtown Shanghai for the couple to live in.

 

The property had to be registered under the husband's name since Xiaojuan had neither a Shanghai household registration, known as hukou in Chinese, nor a record of social insurance in the city.

 

All associated costs, from the initial down payment to the monthly mortgage, were borne by Xiaojuan's parents. They also paid for a further one- million-yuan renovation.

 

However, just six months after their son's birth, Xiaojuan discovered her husband was having an affair.

 

The couple had been sleeping separately since her pregnancy, and she later discovered explicit conversations on her husband's phone, revealing his affairs with multiple men.

 

After an attempt at reconciliation failed, Xiaojuan filed for divorce in the hope of reclaiming the property.

 

During the resultant court proceedings, Xiaochen not only denied being a gay but claimed the luxury home was the bride price from Xiaojuan's parents, and was intended to compensate for the disparity between Xiaojuan and his elite background.

 

This claim even surprised the judge, as traditionally, it is the groom's family that provides the betrothal gift, or bride price.

 

Xiaojuan eventually won the legal case by producing decisive evidence in the form of note written and signed by Xiaochen declaring that the property belonged to her.

 

Given this and the actual payment coming from her family, the court awarded the property to her. However, custody of their son went to Xiaochen.

 

The case, reported by the Shanghai Law Journal, has ignited a heated discussion on mainland social media.

 

One person said: "In summary, this man is gay. Getting married was just a scam for money."

 

 

"It's astonishing that someone who faked a marriage and child can still win custody!" said another.

 

 

A third expressed concern about their child, saying: "Their son should have been awarded to the mother, his future doesn't look promising."

 

 

 

The photo on the original article was interesting:

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3239400/divorce-case-loss-china-husband-who-had-string-gay-affairs-then-claimed-us2-million-home-was

 

 

 

 

Comment:

As the husband signed a note that the property belonged to his wife, the case was actually clear from the onset.

 

Quite surprising that the custody of the Child went to the husband. Is China still that old fashioned? The prospects of the child were better with the father (maybe due to his social background...)

 

 

Lesson to learn:

 

Be honest to yourself, if you are gay, just don't marry a woman due to social pressure, financial interests or other reasons. It may safe you from a lot of trouble later on...  just accept who you are and your sexual preferences.

 

 

 

 

[Steve5380]

14 hours ago, singalion said:

 

But the incident in the article

https://www.zaobao.com.sg/entertainment/story20231107-1448404

did not happen in a sauna. It is not about any incident in a gay related environment. (at least at the surface)

 

It happened in a hotel room that both shared.

 

 

There is not much difference.  Hotel room or gay sauna room,  there is sufficient privacy to take away the scandalous. 

 

 

[singalion]

On 11/10/2023 at 4:58 AM, Steve5380 said:

 

There is not much difference.  Hotel room or gay sauna room,  there is sufficient privacy to take away the scandalous. 

 

 

 

But a straight guy doesn't go to a gay sauna. 

 

You are also missing the point. 

 

 

Maybe you aren't aware that sharing hotel rooms by straight guys is quite common in Asia. 

 

Sharing a hotel room doesn't mean that you want to get intimate with the other.

 

I m not sure if you have heard of sexual assault.

 

 

[singalion]

 

Found this discussion quite interesting.

 

Most gays at a certain age or juncture will be confronted with the same issue: Casual Sex vs relationship.

Or readiness in letting flow something into a more intimate relationship:

 

Such situations may open insecurities in ourselves on how to act and react. Therefore, it might be helpful to browse the discussion and take something from it.

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/dec/05/i-love-casual-fun-but-seize-up-sexually-in-a-serious-relationship

I love casual fun – but seize up sexually in a serious relationship

Now that I want to start something deeper with a new partner, I feel that telling him what I really want will spoil everything

 

Please help me before I mess up another relationship! I’m a gay man who is very comfortable having no-strings fun. I have recently met someone who has the potential to be more than that and we had a few dates before getting down to it. My issue is that I seem to be more free sexually when there are no strings. I almost wish we hooked up first, because now that I know him I feel too shy to be my full sexual self in front of him – or expressing what I like kills the fun of it in some way. What is going on? What’s stopping me? It’s a pattern I want to break. My last relationship was the same; I didn’t/couldn’t communicate what I wanted for whatever reason and never really opened up. I don’t want to do this again.

 

Pamela Stephenson Connolly: Your issue seems to be that you have a fear of becoming truly intimate with someone you care about. True intimacy involves sharing exactly who you really are with your partner – and that includes letting them know what your sexual preferences are and even the things you might be ashamed of in yourself. It may seem risky but, in letting someone in and asking for what you truly want, you are trusting another person with knowledge that may increase the bond between you. Perhaps you have never let anyone know you well before. Perhaps you are afraid you will not be acceptable or lovable to a person who knows certain things about you or who sees you as a sexually creative and potent human being. You have internalised shame about this; try to let it go and just be yourself.

 

• Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/dec/05/i-love-casual-fun-but-seize-up-sexually-in-a-serious-relationship

 

 

Read the comments section also:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/dec/05/i-love-casual-fun-but-seize-up-sexually-in-a-serious-relationship#comment-165612845

To follow the discussion in the proper sequence, go back to page 3 of the comments first...

 

This comment garnered most attention, but also caused most of replies, disputes or discussions:

 

europhoric 22 hours ago

179

This is an epidemic in the gay community and one I have personally encountered many times - right down to being told, "sorry, I can't really do this with people I care about." Luckily Pamela hits the nail on the head: this is all about shame. Casual sex is purely about validation, where we present the façades we carefully cultivate for the superficial approval of other people. Think about the façade which you might have created for yourself. Daddy? Twink? Gym bunny? Power bottom? Or perhaps it's something more subtle. It can be a physical façade (your body) or a façade of personality. Regardless, the point is that you're not revealing your real self - but this is a vital prerequisite for a real connection.

We create these façades because part of us believes that the "real us" is somehow insufficient, or unloveable. Much of this stems from lingering internalised homophobia, which we then reinforce as a community through our sexual behaviours and constructed identities. The consequence is that sex eventually becomes something reserved for meaningless encounters - or worse, that a small part of us even considers "dirty". There's no shortage of gay men who refer to themselves and eachother as "sluts" or even "pigs" in a sexual context, which I've always read as a way of attempting to reframe shame about our desires into something positive. (Of course it isn't, which is why so much casual sex has a vaguely self-destructive aura - nothing says "obliteration of the self" better than a chemsex bender between anonymous strangers.)

The end result is what's referred to as a "Madonna/Whore Complex" - a mindset in which sexual partners must be kept at an emotional distance so as to better degrade them, and in which we can no longer conceive of "dirty" physical intimacy with people we truly care about. Luckily, there are solutions: stop comparing yourself to others and learn to love yourself more, so as to slowly demolish your façade, and start to conceive of sex as a way to connect with others rather than simply validate yourself. In practice, this typically means having fewer partners but better sex.

I'd like to finish by recommending "The Velvet Rage" by Alan Downs and "Out of the Shadows" by Walt Odets - two books on gay psychology and sexuality which greatly helped myself and many other gay men I know. Best of luck!

 

This is just one, read the rest of the comments.

 

 

While I find the answer from the psychotherapist Pamela Connolly hitting on the subjects but a bit weak in the advice part.

Some commentators at the comments section are more sharp than her advice.

 

It is an interesting discussion, which probably applies to plenty of us at a certain point.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by singalion

[sphere]

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman marries partner in seaside ceremony (source)

Altman confirmed the wedding to NBC News after photos of the ceremony began circulating online Thursday. 

 

Sam Altman (left) with Oliver Mulherin at the White House on June 22, 2023. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden hosted a state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of his official state visit. Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images file

Jan. 12, 2024, 3:28 AM +08

By David Ingram

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has married his partner, Oliver Mulherin, in a seaside ceremony. 

Altman, 38, confirmed the news in a text to NBC News after photos of the wedding began circulating on social media Thursday. The photos show the San Francisco couple surrounded by palm trees and about a dozen guests at an undisclosed tropical beach location.

 

Sam Altman and Oliver Mulherin at "A Year in TIME" on Dec. 12.Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for TIME

Altman, a native of the St. Louis area, for years avoided the public spotlight as he accumulated influence in the tech industry as the CEO of Y Combinator, a storied tech startup incubator and investment firm. But as CEO of OpenAI, he has ramped up his public appearances and media profile, including testifying before Congress. Time magazine named him “CEO of the Year” in 2023.

 

Mulherin is an Australian software engineer who, with Altman, splits his time between San Francisco and a ranch in Napa, California, according to The New York Times.

Last year, Altman and Mulherin attended a state dinner at the White House that President Joe Biden hosted for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

Altman has rapidly gained prominence as CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind ChatGPT, the advanced chatbot that upended Silicon Valley a year ago and inspired tech companies big and small to shift their resources into competing AI projects. On Wednesday, OpenAI opened the GPT Store — essentially an app store for AI apps.

Altman co-founded the firm as a nonprofit organization in 2015 with several tech billionaires, including Elon Musk, and as CEO he has steered OpenAI into becoming one of the world’s hottest startups. OpenAI’s board briefly ousted him in November in a fight for control of the company, but he returned as CEO four days later after a dramatic boardroom battle

 

 

 

[Steve5380]

On 11/15/2023 at 7:04 PM, singalion said:

 

Maybe you aren't aware that sharing hotel rooms by straight guys is quite common in Asia. 

 

Sharing a hotel room doesn't mean that you want to get intimate with the other.

 

I m not sure if you have heard of sexual assault.

 

 

Thanks for the chuckle I got reading your post to me.  It is so nicely ridiculous!   

 

Maybe you aren't aware that people of your age and older can have more experience with hotel room sharing with unattached persons than you have.  And you must not know any adult man,  since you think that adult men may not have heard of sexual assault.  

 

Maybe your membership here is just a reflection of your life in a different dimension, as a different species?

[singalion]

Often I ask myself whether the focus on such minorities are relevant to society.

In particular these people claim others, the main stream media are curtailing free speech, but then... is this not doing exactly the same?

Don't the lawmakers seriously  have any more burning issues to solve? Poverty? Crime? Housing? Infrastructure?

 

Florida’s new anti-gay bill aims to limit and punish protected free speech

SB 1780 would make it defamation to accuse someone of homophobia, transphobia, racism or sexism and punishable by fine

 

Thu 1 Feb 2024

 

 

By day two of Florida’s legislative session, which started last month, lawmakers had introduced nearly 20 anti-gay or anti-trans bills. One such bill, SB 1780, would make accusing someone of being homophobic, transphobic, racist or sexist, even if the accusation is true, equivalent to defamation, and punishable by a fine of at least $35,000. If passed, the bill would severely limit and punish constitutionally protected free speech in the state.

 

 

Though SB 1780 is not likely to survive past higher courts, its introduction is indicative of a wider conservative strategy to stifle criticism of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior. The bill, critics argue, is being introduced to test the waters and see how far, legally, lawmakers can go until they are able to silence detractors.

 

“That’s the pattern here in Florida,” said Sharon Austin, a professor of political science at the University of Florida. “They introduce a bill that many of us find to be really extreme. When we start to protest, eventually they take out some of the provisions and sort of water it down a little bit, but in the end it ends up getting passed.”

 

Austin notes that similar bills, such as SB 266, which severely limits diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and HB7, “the stop woke act”, which regulates how race and race issues can be taught in schools, were ultimately passed after lawmakers made the bills slightly less extreme.

 

Understanding the landscape that legislators in the state are attempting to construct is crucial, said Howard Simon, the executive director of the ACLU of Florida. “This session is probably going to be known as the ‘gay bigotry legislative session’,” he said. “They’re on track to spend the [two-month legislative session] exercising their bigotry and hostility to the gay community in Florida.”

 

During last year’s legislative session, multiple anti-gay bills were introduced, including the infamous “don’t say gay” bill, which has been challenged multiple times since it was signed into law. Florida taxpayers have footed the costs for a number of lawsuits in the last several years, totaling well into the millions.

 

Simon and Austin both argue that by crafting bills that specifically target LGBTQ+ people, DEI efforts and free speech, conservative legislators are trying to push those who do not fit the mold of what they believe Florida should look like out of the state.

 

“Whether you like it or not, if someone wants to accuse you of being racist or sexist or homophobic, they have a right to do that,” said Austin. “It’s protected speech. There are attempts to intimidate and bully educators and individuals by letting them know that if you say something that’s unpopular, that offends conservatives, then we will come after you, then we will punish you.”

 

‘It’s a frightening time’

The passage of SB 1780 would have sweeping implications for free speech, as the bill’s restrictions apply to everything from print and television to online social media posts. The bill would not only make it virtually impossible to prove accusations of racism, sexism, homophobia or transphobia, but it would also make it so that the victim of discriminatory statements is responsible for damages to the offender. If enough people were charged under the bill, Simon said, it would likely intimidate others from coming forward about discrimination, effectively silencing victims of hate crimes or other forms of bigotry. Austin likens the bill and others like it to McCarthyism.

 

“That’s the level of paranoia we’re coming to. It’s a frightening time,” she said. “It makes you wonder if we’re going back to … that type of society in which you’re almost afraid to say anything for fear of offending conservatives who are really trying to destroy you if you say something that they don’t like.”

 

SB 1780 also would have implications for journalists: if passed, the bill would remove the ability for reporters to keep sources anonymous. Journalists who report on discrimination would be particularly vulnerable to lawsuits, as the bill stipulates that “a statement by an anonymous source is presumptively false for purposes of a defamation action”. Austin believes that this is a further attempt to control the media.

 

A similar, more sweeping bill, HB 991, explicitly made it easier to sue journalists and passed the civil justice subcommittee last year. Though it died in the judiciary committee, SB 1780 is a second attempt to get the law through.

 

“I have to hope that members of the Florida legislature will have enough sense not to pass this,” Simon said. “But, if it does, I don’t think the courts will have a hard time seeing the unconstitutional restrictions on free speech that are throughout.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve5380]

Another welcomed first:  Greece, an Orthodox Christian country, has recognized gay marriage in equality with straight marriage:

 

 

 

[QinWei]

doc and patient again 

 

[sphere]

Thailand moves closer to legalising same-sex unions as parliament passes landmark Bill

Thai LGBT community participates in Gay Freedom Day Parade in Bangkok, Thailand on Nov 29, 2018. (File Photo: REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun)

27 Mar 2024 03:58PM(Updated: 27 Mar 2024 03:59PM)

 

BANGKOK: Thailand's lower house of parliament on Wednesday (Mar 27) passed a marriage equality Bill at the final reading, in a landmark step that moves the country closer to becoming the third territory in Asia to legalise same-sex unions.
 

The Bill now requires approval from the Senate and endorsement from the king before it becomes law. It had the support of all of Thailand's major parties and was passed by 400 of the 415 lawmakers present, with 10 voting against it.
 

"We did this for all Thai people to reduce disparity in society and start creating equality," Danuphorn Punnakanta, chairman of the parliamentary committee on the draft Bill, told lawmakers ahead of the reading.
 

"I want to invite you all to make history."
 

The passing of the Bill marks a significant step towards cementing Thailand's position as one of Asia's most liberal societies on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, with openness and free-wheeling attitudes coexisting with traditional, conservative Buddhist values.
 

Thailand has long been a draw for same-sex couples, with a vibrant LGBT social scene for locals and expatriates, and targeted campaigns to attract LGBT travellers.
 

The Bill could take effect within 120 days of royal approval. Thailand would follow Taiwan and Nepal in becoming the first places in Asia to legalise same-sex unions.
 

The legislation has been more than a decade in the making, with delays due to political upheaval and disagreement on what approaches to take and what should be included in the Bill.
 

The Constitutional Court had in 2020 ruled Thailand's current marriage law, which only recognises heterosexual couples, was constitutional, recommending legislation be expanded to ensure the rights of other genders.
 

Parliament in December approved four different draft Bills on same-sex marriage in the first reading and tasked a committee to consolidate those into a single draft.

 

 

 

 

Other links:

Bangkok Post

Mothership

 

[Guest Guess]

https://mothership.sg/2024/05/singapore-embassy-staff-voyeurism/

[GachiMuchi]

 

中国犯罪史上最离谱性侵案！小伙染指五十岁大爷，一夜竟连整两次

大又元

2023-09-26 11:07发布于陕西国际领域创作者

 

 

在中国的犯罪史上，有这么一桩离谱的性侵案，其手段用令人发指来形容都显得过于苍白~

二十岁小伙蹂躏五十岁大爷，事实证明男孩子无论再老，出门在外都一定一定要保护好自己！

 

江西九江庐山区海会镇的陈大爷远远低估了这个世界的险恶，和自己的性魅力~

一开始他以为鬼鬼祟祟的嫌疑人是劫财，后来被五花大绑在床上以为人家是绑架，可万万没想到这货的真实目的竟是来劫色！

 

2015年7月，当地一家果园的老板发现，附近总有一名青年男子无论白天黑夜，都会在园子附近出没，当时正值葡萄成熟上市，周边总会有小偷小摸的人前来，为了加强对农产品的管理，老板专门在早晨、夜晚这样的高危时间段，派上了自己的安保心腹：亲戚陈大爷镇守。

 

 

这是老人当时的阵地，果园临时看守棚，可谁也不会想到，这里竟会成为自己被脱光衣服凌辱的伤心地。

 

陈大爷当班后，男子依然不时出现，曾上前试探性的询问是否要买水果，对方却根本不接话茬，只是用眼睛一个劲的上下盯着自己看，就这样过去了好多天。

 

大爷一看这个人衣帽整齐不像小偷惯犯，就逐渐放松了警惕，对其每天的到此一游也就见怪不怪，毕竟只要不偷葡萄，那就不算触及自己的核心利益。

 

大爷的天是在29日这天晚上塌的，葡萄园在这个漫长的夜晚彻底变成了老陈一生都难以忘却的失乐园。

 

那天傍晚7点，男子照例又来到果园，令人意外的是，这回他竟然主动与陈大爷攀谈了起来，说自己是本地人，不偷水果，只是觉得这里环境宜人，每天来只是图个心情愉悦，说完就又开始绕着果园转悠。

 

大爷没多想，回去就睡下，可没想到晚上23时左右，男子又骑着摩托来了，与以往不同的是，这次似乎目标很明确，直奔大爷的看守棚，下了车就开始抽烟，一根接一根，大爷虽不理解但也觉得烦，就不去理会这个神经病。

 

可接下来发生的事，让陈大爷彻底懵了，活了几十年从来没想过这种事，还会发生在自己身上？！

当时钟指向零点，男子已经连着抽了几根烟，突然跑到陈大爷的住棚里，一把就将其脖子掐住，并用衣带将其捆绑起来，脱光衣服后，在陈大爷身上不断乱摸，嘴也趁乱在大爷身上乱亲了起来。

 

后来记者采访，回忆起当晚的经历时，大爷的声音仍隐隐发颤。

 

而更要命的是，这个禽兽般的小伙经过一个多小时的发泄后，竟然还意犹未尽，扬言等身体恢复好了，待会还要再来一下！

 

 

陈大爷活了大半辈子，连同性恋是什么都没太搞清楚，就稀里糊涂地成了同性性侵案的受害人。

 

在陌生男子冲向自己的那一刻，陈大爷的脑海里瞬间推演出了一个完整的暴力剧情，对方一定是要来杀掉自己，然后去偷果园里的葡萄，然而事实却比想象更加令人绝望。

 

陈大爷的遭遇比死亡更加屈辱，对方的目的也根本不是地里的葡萄，而是他身上的葡萄。

 

在果园里被捆绑、脱光衣服后，男子对陈大爷实施了长达一个小时的疯狂折磨，完事儿后男子冷静下来，和大爷谈心，这时关于这场离奇性侵案的作案动机才逐渐浮出水面。

 

男子直言自己的性取向确实异于常人，之前在外打工，有男伴侣，现在回来了没人陪自己，其实盯上陈大爷已经不是一天两天。每次他来果园转悠都会被这个充满中老年荷尔蒙的身影所吸引。

 

直到事发的当天下午陈大爷和他聊天，更是直接激发了他的作案激情，加之晚上陈大爷又是独自一人看守果园，此人便丧心病狂的将自己的罪恶想法付诸于现实。

 

总而言之一句话：爷太美！尽管再危险，也想尝尝粉身碎骨的滋味。

 

经过贤者时间的短暂交流，两个赤身裸体的男人同时陷入了尴尬的沉默。

 

听闻这些的陈大爷心中有喜有悲，好消息，葡萄没事儿，坏消息，自己这辈子算是毁了。

 

但现实容不得受害人有一丝一毫的喘息，不等悲伤的情绪平复，陈大爷就不得不赶紧想办法应对即将出现的二次伤害，因为发泄完兽欲之后，对方并没有立即离开，而是一边穿衣服一边表示，这只是中场休息，等下身体恢复好了还要再来一次。

 

这注定是个不眠之夜，此时已经凌晨一点多，陈大爷依然光着身体被捆绑在床上，但强烈的自救意识，让他开始冷静下来，为了避免再次遭到强奸，大爷想到了调虎离山，他骗男子说自己白天捉到了一只野兔，放在了对面的沟渠里，可以拿回去烧着吃。

 

男子看眼前这娇柔孱弱的大爷被绑着也一时跑不掉，就放心地出去拿兔子，趁这个机会，大爷成功挣脱束缚，来不及穿衣就趁着夜色扑在草丛中，一动不动的一直匍匐到了凌晨四点半。

 

男子回来后发现大爷不见了，就赶紧掏出随身携带的手电筒，在果园寻找了起来。这一找就是几个小时，直到凌晨五点实在找不到，便骑着摩托带着遗憾，离开了果园，还顺手拿走了陈大爷的一些财物。

 

次日，逃出魔掌的陈大爷，将自己昨天夜里的遭遇告诉了老板俞先生，得知自己的护园人遭遇了如此奇耻大辱，老板随即带着陈大爷报了警。

 

警方也很快立案，并全力追凶，然而陌生男子那边也依然不按套路出牌，不等警方找到自己，就主动选择了投案自首，并交代自己是海会镇的当地人，23岁。

 

并对自己在大爷身上犯下的所有罪行，供认不讳。

 

悲催的陈大爷此时怎么也不会想到，自己这段难以启齿、不堪回首的经历，竟会成为中国法治史上的一个里程碑式的重要转折点，在后来还要被人帮着回忆，常常提起。

 

因为他就是，中国历史上被强暴后却无法伸冤的最后一个男人。

 

年轻小伙性侵老大爷这个事件，一经发生在当年就引起了巨大轰动！

 

不仅因为全程高能令人发指的犯罪过程，还因为这件事情发生后，男性能否成为性侵案的受害人，也成了大家讨论的焦点。

 

据男子供述，自己当天下午在家看了不良影片后，就按耐不住内心的骚动，首先想到了早就锁定的幻想对象，那个五十多岁果园大爷，之后一切就发生了。

 

而当奸人落网，在给歹徒定罪时，陈大爷才发现，自己所遭遇的一切，在法律上并不被承认为性侵。

因为在当时，法律所定义的无论是强制猥亵罪还是强奸罪，受害者都只能为女性。

 

最终犯罪嫌疑人因临走时拿走了陈大爷的财物，并被发现此前在家中容留他人吸过毒，被法院以抢劫罪和容留他人吸毒罪两罪并罚，判处有期徒刑两年八个月，并处罚金两千元。

 

陈大爷的遭遇发生在2015年7月末，而这正是中国司法改革进程中的一个关键转折，因为仅仅三个月之后，2015年11月1日，新的刑法修正案（九）便开始正式实施，这次修改后的法律有了一个非常重要的新定义。那就是“强制猥亵罪”的受害者不再只局限于妇女儿童，而是扩大到了包括男性在内的所有人。

 

也就是说，陈大爷距离成为一个名正言顺的猥亵事件受害者，仅仅只有90天的距离，但现实没有假设，这起案件发生的时间刚好处于法律对男侵男事件的空白，受限于刑法溯及力，只能对罪犯采取“变通执法”的方式，以抢劫罪和容留他人吸毒罪进行惩罚。

 

但即便如此，在刑法上“男性被强奸”的说法依然不成立，因为强奸罪的定义是这样的：以暴力、胁迫或者其他手段强奸妇女的，处三年以上十年以下有期徒刑。

 

对于男性而言，虽然在刑法第九修正案实施后，可以成为猥亵罪的保护对象，但强奸是不存在的。

女性被强奸，起刑点是三年，而男性被“强奸”，只能以猥亵罪惩处，起刑点是拘役。

 

似乎从文本以及惩处方式上看，男生被性侵害所造成的后果和影响都要小得多，但现实却并不是这样。

 

因为强奸这个行为的本质，并不一定和性别以及性欲望直接关联，而是典型的展示权力的暴力形式，有时候为的仅仅是羞辱和霸凌对方，比如这两天官方通报了一则山西大同小学生遭同学极端霸凌的事件，十岁的年纪，对待同性同学的性暴力令人触目惊心。

 

虽然在法律上目前男性无法成为强奸罪的客体，但真实生活中，男同胞切勿心存侥幸，出门在外都要好好保护好自己。

免责声明：本内容来自腾讯平台创作者，不代表腾讯新闻或腾讯网的观点和立场。

 

 

 

[singalion]

9 hours ago, GachiMuchi said:

 

中国犯罪史上最离谱性侵案！小伙染指五十岁大爷，一夜竟连整两次

大又元

2023-09-26 11:07发布于陕西国际领域创作者

 

 

 

 

Interesting.

In many countries criminal codes did not or still don't include male to male rape.

 

Even in Singapore Penal Code had been amendments to the fact that now a man can be sexually harassed by a woman, which earlier was not provided by the law.

 

The thing that amazed me the most was that the PRC did not twist around by the law. In other cases (in particular when it involves foreigners) they are able to do this. But maybe the espionage and bribery sections are covered in a different law to the Criminal Code...

 

That analogy with the fruits was funny though.

 

 

[singalion]

So far nobody covered this news here:

 

=> Watch out if in Malaysia, better don't drag in public or social events. (even if it is called Pan Asia run)

 

 

Three arrested for indecent behaviour at controversial running event in Johor

 

The Star Sunday, 06 Oct 2024

 

 

JOHOR BARU: Police have arrested three men, including two foreigners, for allegedly committing indecent behaviour during a controversial running event in Kota Tinggi.

 

Johor police chief Comm Datuk M. Kumar said the three suspects, including a local aged 39 to 70, were arrested at a hotel in Kota Tinggi at around 10pm on Saturday night (Oct 5).

 

“Their arrest is to help with the investigation over their involvement in carrying out indecent behaviour, including public exposure during the running event.

 

“Police also seized several accessories from the suspects including a red sari, a red skirt, three silver coloured cardboards with a fake spear shaft,” he said in a statement here on Sunday (Oct 6).

 

Comm Kumar added that the three suspects tested negative for drugs. Further background checks found they have no prior criminal records between them.

 

“Initial police investigation found their action to be their own and did not represent the organiser or the running event that was organised,” he said.

 

Comm Kumar also added that the case was classified under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 and Section 294 of the Penal Code.

 

 

He said the investigation was still ongoing, and the public should not speculate, as it could affect the investigation and threaten public order.

 

 

On Saturday, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the state government would investigate the controversial running event after concerns were raised over participants’ allegedly inappropriate clothing.

 

He stressed that the event, which has sparked outrage on social media, was not organised by the state government or any of its agencies.

 

“The Johor government wishes to clarify that it was not involved in organising this event. Neither the government nor any state agency granted permission or leniency for any activity that disrespects the sensitivities of Islam in Johor,” he said.

 

Onn Hafiz confirmed that the authorities are taking the matter seriously and have requested a full police investigation.

Discussions with the police and the event organisers revealed that the situation had escalated beyond the organisers' control.

 

“The organiser clarified that the incident did not reflect the intended objective of the event and was beyond their control,” he added.

 

The state government, he said, would take firm action against any party that organises events threatening the harmony and sovereignty of Islam or tarnishing Johor’s image.

 

“We will not tolerate any activities that disrupt the state’s harmony or undermine the sanctity of Islam. This issue should not be prolonged as it could jeopardise the peace and unity of Johor,” he said.

 

The controversy arose from an international running event held in Bandar Penawar, which attracted backlash on social media due to participants allegedly dressing inappropriately.

 

 

 

 

JOHOR BAHRU: Two foreigners were sentenced to a fine of RM5,000 (US$1,168) each after they pleaded guilty to dressing inappropriately at a Johor charity run which sparked controversy over reports of “indecent” behaviour.

 

Their actions drew a rebuke from the Johor Regent, while the run also came under fire for taking place without official sign-off. 

 

Arthur Wang and Satyanarayana Prasad Papoli, aged 66 and 70, pleaded guilty on Monday (Oct 7) to committing the offence between 4pm and 6pm in Jalan Utama Jalan Desaru, Pengerang.

 

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/10/06/three-arrested-for-indecent-behaviour-at-controversial-running-event-in-johor

 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/foreign-men-fined-apologise-indecent-behaviour-johor-fun-run-4662861

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3281366/foreign-men-fined-wearing-womens-clothing-malaysia

 

Lucky the rainbow coloured socks weren't found offensive...

 

ha ha: Just found this article covers the rainbow coloured socks:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/crime-courts/2024/10/1115547/3-pan-asia-international-run-participants-detained-saree-and-skirt

 

 

In total by now 5 persons were charged:

 

[UPDATED] Two more nabbed for lewd behaviour during Pan Asia Run

October 7, 2024

 

KOTA TINGGI: Police arrested two more participants of the Pan Asia Run 2024, for allegedly engaging in indecent and lewd behaviour during the fun run held in Desaru, Bandar Penawar, here recently.

 

The arrested was a local 70-year-old man and a foreigner aged 49.

 

Police seized several items believed to have been worn during the event, including a red skirt, a red cloth, and a red wig.

 

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/10/1115952/updated-two-more-nabbed-lewd-behaviour-during-pan-asia-run

 

 

 

 

Edited October 23 by singalion

[Steve5380]

On 6/18/2024 at 10:37 PM, GachiMuchi said:

 

The most outrageous sexual assault case in Chinese criminal history! A young man raped a 50-year-old man twice in one night

 

 

 

I wonder why this is called "the most outrageous sexual assault case in Chinese criminal history".  With over a billion habitants, aren't there thousands of cases of women being horribly raped?   Or... is it "outrageous" because a MAN was molested  ( was he really raped? ).   Or was the evil in that such an OLD MAN was sexually assaulted?  

 

To call a 50 year old an "old man", a poor vulnerable "Uncle Chen",  is completely old-fashioned today.  A 50 y.o. should be still in the plenitude of his life,  maybe a little less plenary, but still not middle-aged.   I was about 60 y.o. when I first visited Singapore,  and the young gays at Towel Club did not treat me as " a poor old man", ha ha!  Some may even have fantasized with sexually assaulting me,  but I was no poor weakling!