Fridae

Last month, Justice Minister Ha Hung Cuong announced that his ministry is considering legalising same-sex marriage. Fridae speaks with Le Quang Binh, head of iSEE, a not-for-profit research organisation that promotes understanding of LGBTs in society, about recent developments and societal acceptance of LGBTs.

Following an announcement that Vietnam's Justice Ministry is looking into legalising same-sex marriage, the country will see its first LGBT pride festival and "Cycle with Pride" parade on Sunday morning.

The Internet was abuzz over the weekend with reports that Google has launched a worldwide push to legalise same-sex marriage but it has since clarified that it is not the case, a Google spokesperson told Fridae on Monday.

It is a record turnout for Pink Dot, the only public rally to advocate LGBT acceptance in Singapore, and which has even inspired similar events around the world. Watch the video here.

LGBT diversity in the workplace is not only good for individuals and have a positive impact on the community but also spurs business growth at the same time, say speakers at the recent 'The Power of LGBT Diversity in the Workplace and Marketplace' conference in Bangkok that was organised by Fridae and sponsored by IBM.

For My Colours, a coalition which organised the IDAHO rallies from 2005-2008, has clashed with the Pink Alliance – organisers of this year's rally on May 12 – over an invited politican known for her anti-mainland immigration and anti-democratic views in an all-out spat.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) has compiled 15 documented cases of killings and rapes of lesbians; and demands an immediate police investigation into the pattern of the violent murders.

The creators of the popular 2010 Asian Pacific Male Calendar has teamed up with Filipino-American director RD Alba to create a new reality show based on their behind-the-scenes experiences of creating the calendar that featured 12 sexy Asian American men to raise funds for charity and have just completed filming a reality TV pilot.

Having had its world premiere at the recent Berlin Film Festival, Children of Srikandi – the first film to document the lives of queer women in Indonesia – will likely be screened at a LGBT film festival near you this year. Fridae speaks with co-producers Laura Coppens and Angelika Levi, and co-director Yulia Dwi Andriyanti about crowdfunding and the challenges facing queer women in Indonesia today.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will hear the judicial review application filed by committee members of Malaysia's only sexuality rights festival, which was forcibly cancelled by the police last November, on Feb 21.