Sri Lanka categorically rules out marriage between same-sex couples

COLOMBO —  A federal government minister has categorically ruled out marriage between same-sex couples in the island nation of Sri Lanka, reports GayAsiaNews.com. The Sri Lankan government will not legalize gay marriages in Sri Lanka, said Economic Affairs Minister Basil Rajapaksa according to  colombogazette.com. Speaking to newspaper editors in Colombo April 24, the minister said…

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Ruling on transgender people may help gay rights, say Indian lawyers

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court’s ruling recognizing transgender people as the third sex might pave the way for decriminalizing same-sex relations in India, say gay-rights lawyers and activists in India, GayAsiaNews reports. In a landmark ruling on April 15, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri directed that transgender people…

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Turkey moves forward with plans for separate prisons for gay convicts

To the dismay of LGBT organizations, the Turkish government has announced it will move forward with its plan to build separate prisons for self-declared gay, bisexual and transgender inmates. The goal, officials argue, is to protect those in the sexual minority. “Convicts who stated that they are gay will not mix with other convicts in…

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Thai marriage equality bill unable to proceed due to political crisis

BANGKOK — GayAsiaNews.com reports that progress in a marriage equality law in Thailand remains stuck more because of the ongoing political crisis than any serious social opposition to same-sex couples marrying. Thailand already was in the forefront of Asian countries with a bill in parliament for acknowledging marriage equality. However, the prolonged fluid situation of…

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Marriage equality in Taiwan lacks force of law despite social acceptance

TAIWAN — Despite  growing social acceptance of marriage between same-sex couples, equality in Taiwan remains largely a dream because of a lack of legal recognition reports gayasianews.com In the past, same-sex relations were taboo but recent studies show attitudes are changing, said a taipeitimes.com report citing last year’s poll conducted by Academia Sinica showing 52 percent…

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