Lgbtq rights asia
JAKRTA - There have been gains and setbacks on Gay rights in Asia this year, ranging from the first same-sex marriages in Nepal to South Korea's decision to uphold a ban on gay relations in the military.
From Afghanistan and Malaysia to the Maldives, gay sex remains a crime, according to a 2023 report by the Human Dignity Trust, a rights group.
Here is a look at developments in Asia in 2023.
India
The country's Supreme Court declined to legalise same-sex marriage in October, dealing a blow to the hopes of LGBTQ+ couples five years after the end of a colonial-era ban on gay sex.
The court deferred the judgment to parliament, agreeing with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government that the legislature is the right forum to rule on the contentious issue.
Nepal
The Himalayan country's Supreme Court issued an interim order allowing same-sex marriage in June, and registered its first gay marriage in November.
Nepal is only the second place in Asia to recognise same-sex marriages, after Taiwan, but the top court has yet to bring a final decision on legalisation.
Taiwan
The democratically governed island in January allowed peo
Is EU doing enough to back LGBTQ rights in Southeast Asia?
On June 4, the European Union's delegation to Thailand attended the annual Bangkok Pride Pride in celebration of international Pride month, which lasts the whole of June.
Thailand is routinely ranked as one of the most LGBTQ-friendly countries in Southeast Asia. The Move Forward Party, which won last month's general election, has said it will enact same-sex marriage legislation, the first in the region, if it is able to take office in August.
While the EU has been praised for its outreach on LGBTQ issues in the region, there is the perception that it is more vocal about LGBTQ rights in countries where such rights are more established. Yet it seems hesitant discussing LGBTQ issues in countries where those rights are more precarious.
"Diplomacy is practically about compromise. Unfortunately, to be capable to keep healthy relations with other governments, one must set aside a controversial agenda," said Joel Mark Baysa-Barredo, executive director at SHAPE SEA, a regional educational organization.
"I glimpse this as a challenge in the long run," he told DW. By merely scratching the surface on critical issues, it has l
LGBTI rights: Many challenges in Southeast Asia remain, despite victories in Singapore and Vietnam
Rebecca L RootWednesday 14 September 2022
In behind August Singapore’s government announced it would be repealing a law that criminalised sex between men, while Vietnam’s Ministry of Health declared that conversion therapy would be banned. While such moves could signify progress for LGBTI rights in Southeast Asia, experts say the region is still locked in a tight grip of archaic laws and attitudes.
‘There is a lot of communication out there that points out that some of the countries in the region are LGBTI-friendly, but in fact, they’re not that friendly,’ says Lini Zurlia, Advocacy Officer at ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, which is based in the Philippines and advocates for the human rights of sexual and gender minorities.
In Brunei, homosexuality can outcome in a maximum penalty of death by stoning. In the Aceh province in Indonesia, it’s punishable by caning, and in Malaysia and Myanmar it means a potential prison sentence. Conversion practices also still take place in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, says Grace Poore, Regional Program Coordinator for Asia at not-for-profit O
Human Rights
Why Taiwan is the Most Progressive Place for LGBTQ Rights in AsiaCurrent Challenges - Assisted Reproduction and Joint Adoption
With increased acceptance of same-sex marriage, Taiwan now faces fresh challenges in assisted reproduction and shared adoption. These topics remain in the media spotlight.
Currently, Taiwan's Assisted Reproduction Operate only applies to heterosexual marriages, requiring couples applying for assisted reproductive technology to be married and have their spouse's consent, interpretation lesbian and solo women cannot legally use assisted reproductive technology.
The current statute defines infertility as "unable to conceive after 12 months of natural intercourse," excluding the situation of "social infertility" faced by free women or homosexual couples.
For example, a lesbian woman wanting to conceive through assisted reproductive technology can freeze her eggs but cannot legally use these eggs for false insemination or in vitro fertilization under current regulations because her marriage is not covered by that law.
Single women face the alike legal restrictions, unable to use assisted reproductive technology despite their wishes.
Surrogacy
LGBT Equality Index in Asia
Equality Index Methodology
Equaldex's Equality Index is a rating from 0 to 100 (with 100 existence the most equal) to help visualize the legal rights and public attitudes towards LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, non-binary, queer, questioning, intersex...) people in each region. The Equality Index is an average of two indexes: the legal index and the public opinion Index.
Equality Index
Average of Legal Index and Public Opinion Index
Legal Index
The LGBT legal index measures the current legal status of 13 different issues ranging from the legal status of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, LGBT discrimination protections, LGBT censorship laws, and more. Each topic is weighted differently (for example, if same-sex marriage is illegal in a region, it would have a much bigger impact on the score than not allowing LGBT people to work for in the military). Each topic is assigned a "total possible score" and a "score" is assigned based the status of the law using a rating scale that ranges from 0% to 100% (for example, if homosexuality is legal, it would would obtain a score of 100, but if it's illegal, it would receve a score