Fridae

Gay civil partnerships may improve health: researchers
Same-sex partnerships and "marriages" could boost mental and physical health among homosexual couples as they do on heterosexuals, according to a new study published in a specialist journal on Tuesday.

"Marriage confers health benefits on men and women and similar benefits could arise from same-sex civil unions," said Professor Michael King, of London's Royal Free and University College Medical School.

British researchers point to evidence that, among heterosexuals, individuals who are married have generally lower rates of depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide and are in better physical shape than singles. And those in partnerships will similarly benefit from legal recognition of their relationship, they suggest.

The report, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Heath, suggests that homosexuals who enter into partnerships should gain many of the same advantages. It says: "Less discrimination against, and greater societal support for, long-term, same-sex relationships may increase self-respect in gay and lesbian people, reduce the tendency to have contact with multiple partners and lead gay people to seek help more promptly for sexual infections."

"Civil partnerships are likely to break down some of the prejudice and promote greater understanding, including among staff working in the health service. Legal civil partnerships could increase the stability of same sex relationships and minimise the social exclusion to which gay and lesbian people are often subjected." said King.

Other studies have revealed that "married" same-sex couples are more open about their sexuality and have closer relationships with their relatives than same-sex couples not in civil partnerships.

Denmark was the first country to introduce civil unions for same-sex couples in 1989. Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada now recognise same-sex marriages while then several European Union countries, some American states and Australia have civil partnership provisions.

POST/READ COMMENTS

---

Cover up in Bangkok
Go-go boys are wearing shorts and tops these days in Bangkok bars. No nudity. What happened?

On January 9, Thai Day, the local insert in the International Herald Tribune, ran a story about a street "where many dare not tread." This soi (small street in Thai), with gay bars and restaurants, was described as "for some, just as disturbing" as Patpong's female go-go bars. The entertainment on Soi Twilight was described as ending with "a full-blown sex show." The story had a full color picture of the crowded soi.

On January 20, at a suitably late hour, iTV showed footage that had been filmed in Tawan Bar, apparently with a mobile phone.

Four years earlier, a full week's expose of the show in a different gay bar had run on iTV. That triggered a local police crackdown on gay bars. Half the bars were closed for periods ranging from hours to weeks.

The present police reaction is mild. No bars have been closed however shorts and t-shirts are mandatory for performers. Closing hours for bars remain at 1 am.

POST/READ COMMENTS

---

12 jailed over "gay wedding"
Twelve men have been jailed by an United Arab Emirates (UAE) court after being discovered preparing for a gay wedding, while 14 defendants were acquitted, an official said on Sunday.

The 26 defendants, including UAE citizens, an Indian and three nationals of neighbouring Arab countries, were arrested in November when police raided a hotel in a desert resort town.

"Eleven men have confessed to practising homosexuality. They were sentenced to five years in prison (for homosexuality) and one year for obscenity," the official said.

"Another man was sentenced to one year in prison for obscenity, but was acquitted of homosexuality charges... while 14 others have been released after being found not guilty," he added. The official also said the verdict was not final and could be appealed.

Emirates Today reported the men were caught in a hotel "dressed in women's clothes and makeup in preparation for a gay wedding."

Homosexuality is illegal in the Muslim UAE and neighbouring Gulf countries, where offenders could face flogging along with imprisonment, while foreigners could also face expulsion.

Last April, a court in Saudi Arabia sentenced two Saudis, one Yemeni and a Jordanian to two years in jail and 2,000 lashes after a police raid on an alleged gay party.

In November last year, the UAE's Interior Ministry said it would be giving the arrested men hormone treatments to "cure" them of their homosexuality. International gay groups have since called on the UAE to stop reported plans for forced hormone treatment on the suspects.

POST/READ COMMENTS

---

Gay civil partnerships may improve health: researchers
Same-sex partnerships and "marriages" could boost mental and physical health among homosexual couples as they do on heterosexuals, according to an analysis published in a specialist journal on Tuesday.

"Marriage confers health benefits on men and women and similar benefits could arise from same-sex civil unions," said Professor Michael King, of London's Royal Free and University College Medical School.

British researchers point to evidence that, among heterosexuals, individuals who are married have generally lower rates of depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide and are in better physical shape than singles. And those in partnerships will similarly benefit from legal recognition of their relationship, they suggest.

The report, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Heath, suggests that homosexuals who enter into partnerships should gain many of the same advantages. It says: "Less discrimination against, and greater societal support for, long-term, same-sex relationships may increase self-respect in gay and lesbian people, reduce the tendency to have contact with multiple partners and lead gay people to seek help more promptly for sexual infections."

"Civil partnerships are likely to break down some of the prejudice and promote greater understanding, including among staff working in the health service. Legal civil partnerships could increase the stability of same sex relationships and minimise the social exclusion to which gay and lesbian people are often subjected." said King.

Other studies have revealed that "married" same-sex couples are more open about their sexuality and have closer relationships with their relatives than same-sex couples not in civil partnerships.

Denmark was the first country to introduce civil unions for same-sex couples in 1989. Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Canada now recognise same-sex marriages while then several European Union countries, some American states and Australia have civil partnership provisions.



Malaysian Police raids 3 saunas in Kuala Lumpur

Three saunas in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur were raided by Police last Friday.

According to the Malay Mail which reported the saunas to be "suspected gay haunts," the Police screened 25 men, including workers in the premises.

The men, in their 20s and 40s, were released after their urine tested negative for drugs.

The first raid took place at a massage parlour in Jalan Utara off Jalan Imbi where six workers and a customer were screened.

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Kamal Pasha Jamal told the paper that two of the men were found in a room and were believed to be about to engage in immoral activities when the police team knocked on the room door. He added that Police found three condoms and a tube of Top Gel Play in a bag belonging to one of the men.

Eighteen men, who were found nude in several rooms at another massage parlour in Jalan Bukit Bintang, were rounded up at the second raid. Police also found used condoms at the premises.

The massage parlour operators of the two establishments were also issued with a summons for operating without a licence.

In the third raid at a sauna in Jalan Sultan Ismail, police screened another nine men before they were released after their particulars were recorded.

POST/READ COMMENTS