Fridae

Malaysia's top private radio operator says the words "gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered" from Lady Gaga's latest track "Born this way" might violate "good taste or decency or (are) offensive to public feeling." Activist and writer Pang Khee Teik explains why gay anthems are important and why Malaysian radios are cowardly and hypocritical for censoring them.

Although the Singapore High Court last week affirmed an earlier decision to dismiss the case, it also found that while the original 377A charge had been withdrawn against Tan Eng Hong who filed the constitutional challenge, he has indeed a legitimate interest in pursuing the case.

Attitude is the best selling British gay magazine. Now we have a Thai language version. Is there really a market for a Thai gay ‘lifestyle’ magazine? Doug Sanders ponders the issues from his home in Bangkok, near a friendly Smile Book Store.

Beacon of tolerance or 'parade of live porn', the 34th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras 2011 theme of 'say something' got the message across on same-sex marriage. But were politicians listening? Justin Ellis reports from Sydney. Photos by Nat Cagilaba.

With the 34th annual Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras upon the city this Saturday, Senthorun Raj, a policy and development co-ordinator at the Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby, asks if the event is still relevant.

Film Censors last week announced its decision to not only rate The Kids Are All Right R21, but also confined it to one print for the whole of Singapore, effectively making it impossible to screen the movie at more than one cinema at a time. Alex Au takes a closer look at the censors' claim that the film “normalises” the “homosexual lifestyle”.

Fridae.com’s Hong Kong correspondent, Nigel Collett, discusses a disturbing survey report by the Hong Kong Women’s Commission.

Fridae's Bangkok correspondent Douglas Sanders notices that the country's two major English language newspapers, which are widely read by locals and not just expats, are devoting more space to LGBT-related news and lifestyle stories.

While it is easy, and often necessary, to express our anger and abhorrence at laws motivated by homophobia, we have to ask where does this bigotry come from...

The US media watchdog Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has on Thursday started a petition to urge CNN to stop inviting 'experts' whose "only qualification is that they are anti-gay" to provide 'balance' to LGBT-related news topics.