07.02.09
Posted in LGBT Rights at 6:19 pm by sayoni
Just today, the High Court of India ruled that s377 of the Indian Penal Code did not include consensual homosexual sex. This breakthrough comes after three years of litigation that commenced in 2006, by an interest group known as Naz Foundation sought a declaration that the law was discriminatory towards homosexuals. The decision is expected to be appealed. We will be reporting further on this development, and presenting an analysis of the judgment once it has been published.
Originally Reported by Reuters.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian court Thursday ruled gay sex was not a crime, a verdict that will bolster demands by gay and health groups that the government scrap a British colonial law which bans homosexual sex.
In a country where public hugging and kissing even among heterosexuals invites lewd remarks and sometimes beatings, gay sex has been a taboo, leaving the government unsure how conservative Indians would react if the law was repealed.
The Delhi High Court’s ruling that homosexual sex among consenting adults is not a crime is expected to boost an increasingly vocal pro-gay lobby in India that says the British-era law was a violation of human rights.
The current law bans “sex against the order of nature,” and is widely interpreted to mean homosexual sex in India.
Gay rights activists hailed the court verdict as historic and many supporters of homosexuality were seen celebrating with sweets and smearing each other with vermilion.
“We have finally entered into the 21st century,” said Anjali Gopalan, leader of Naz Foundation, a leading health and gay rights lobby.
The ruling applies to all of India, but can be appealed at the Supreme Court.
Gay rights activists also argue the law, framed in 1861, was an impediment in fighting against HIV/AIDS because many homosexuals refuse to come out in the open fearing harassment by authorities.
“Consensual sex amongst adults is legal which includes even gay sex and sex among the same sexes,” said a two-judge bench of the court. The verdict said the current law will apply in the event of sex without consent.
Petitions to change the 1861 law have so far been firmly rejected by the government but there has been some softening up on the stand in recent years, with officials saying the possibility of revoking the ban was being discussed.
Thursday’s court verdict came after nine years of legal proceedings initiated by India’s gay groups.
Under the current law, homosexual sex is punishable by up to 10 years in jail.
(Reporting by S. Venkatraman and Krittivas Mukherjee; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Valerie Lee)
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06.20.09
Posted in Lesbian Scene at 11:16 am by Guest Writers
Editor’s Foreward: For the readers of our blog, Dinah Shore is an annual one-week long party for queer women, held in Palm Springs. One of our members, pink_is_in, recently decided to spend a weekend in Dinah Shore with her girlfriend, and here’s an account of her experience being surrounded by thousands of queer women bent on partying it up. Who said gay men were the only ones who knew how to party? Also, please note the personal views expressed herein are the author’s alone, and Sayoni in no way endorses or supports her views.
Vagina Heaven
Dinah Shore 2009 (Organised by Club Skirt) or I would rather call it Vagina Heaven was held at Palm Spring, California, USA. It’s basically 5 days full of parties, concerts and babes. To tell you the truth, it sounds to good to be true. Its in the middle of nowhere (well, palm spring is 90% desert), full of hot girls, 
for almost a week. And the best part is they are lesbian, so the chances are pretty high to get lucky! *wink*wink*
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05.23.09
Posted in General at 10:01 am by Guest Writers
This article is written by a guest writer, Sharon.
It took wagonloads of faith to know nothing about the camp and yet sign up for it. I had no idea where we were headed to (friends asked, ‘how would we know where to extradite your body from then, be it if you drown during water activities or if you collapse from being at a lesbian camp.’ My friends equate lesbian camp to sex orgy thingy.), what was the exact itinerary (gawd, please don’t let them make us play school-ish telematch games nor do the ‘oh this is how much potential you have in you, however please do feel real bad about yourself so you’d move your lazy ass’ seminars), or who are the other 45 campers (45?! I barely want to get to know one new person per year in my personal life).
So why did I do it? Because it is the first ever camp for queer women after all. The advert did say ‘series of meaningful and exciting activities, and make connections with others in an ideal exclusive location’. Which queer woman wouldn’t want to make connections with others…in a series (!), in a meaningful and exciting manner (!), and at an ideal exclusive location (!!). No wonder places filled up quickly….
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05.06.09
Posted in Feminism at 9:00 pm by pleinelune
Most of the bloggosphere has been buzzing with the happenings of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) Extraordinary General Meeting (EOGM) on 2nd May. The run up to the meeting was fraught with drama, suspense and old-fashioned politicking. The stakes were high for the veterans - the 24-year old organisation they had been with for years (and in some cases, since its founding) was in danger of being lost to a group of new faces who did not exactly seem to have women’s welfare in mind. (See here and here for a review of the events after the power-grab).
The venue had been changed twice - at first from Toa Payoh Auditorium to Expo, then, upon the instigation of the police (who was concerned with law and order issues given a large-scale Christian seminar would be going on next door), to Suntec. The media were ready with cameras and microphones, and when Saturday dawned bright and early upon Suntec, the stage was more than set.
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05.02.09
Posted in Feminism, Singapore Gay News at 11:37 pm by sayoni
Today was a day to be marked down in history, as the day that Singaporeans realised they are indeed in control of their destiny, as the day they decided to take ownership in NGOs, as the day they stood up against the tide of intolerance and stood up for equal rights and inclusiveness. After a much-prolonged, 7-hour extraordinary general meeting (not counting waiting time), the old guard of Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) were returned to power, ousting the new exco who had all but taken AWARE’s leadership by force.
The meeting was stormy, emotional and inspiring. Many women and men stood up to speak up for the old aware and against the injustices perpetrated in the short term of the “new” exco. Many shocking things were revealed - such as the exco spending about S$90k since they took office (when only authorised to spend S$20k). The depth of their ignorance about what AWARE really did and stood for was revealed, as well as their inability to effectively lead. At the end of the long meeting, the no-confidence motion was passed by a margin of 2-1 - 1414 votes for yes, and 716 for no, and after an extended discussion, the exco finally decided to step down. The general meeting then proceeded to elect back the old guard into power - starting with Dana Lam as the president and Chew I-Jin as the Vice-President.
What was the most touching to us was the number of people - men, women, fathers, mothers, teachers, students, christians, muslims… who all stood up and spoke up for inclusiveness, the importance of having a queer-neutral sexuality education program, and why AWARE should help queer women in need.
Sayoni would like to join in congratulating AWARE on its historic victory. This is not just a victory for womenm or even queer women, but for civil society in years to come. For extended reports on the events and commentary, stay tuned!
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04.30.09
Posted in Feminism at 6:11 pm by Guest Writers
This article is written by a guest writer Bryan Choong.
Each time I talked to my friends and colleagues about the ongoing AWARE issue, they are puzzled why I have spoken with so much anger. There are a lot of women who are indifferent about the issues, and men who think this is a women’s problem. Some said that a new organisation can easily replace AWARE so why should we be so bothered by the new Exco and their non inclusive stand.
Being a gay person, I am sure many of my friends though that I am feeling so frustrated because the new Exco is anti gay and I felt threatened. Yes, the matter of fact is, I do. But let me explain why I am with the old guard. I should also clarify that I only joined as an associate member of AWARE recently but I have been very aware of what old AWARE represents. And it all started when I was 14 years old.
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04.28.09
Posted in Feminism at 6:32 pm by pleinelune
The past few days, after the new guard came out and declared their motivations and objectives, and revealed Dr Thio Su Mien to be their mentor, there have been a variety of responses from various sectors and individuals. We collect and republish for you, a selection of responses.
But first, we would like to remind all AWARE members that the EOGM on 2nd May will be held at SINGAPORE EXPO HALL 2. Official notices from AWARE states that Registration will begin at 12noon, EGM at 2p.m. Bring your NRIC for admission. Please check SAVE AWARE for the latest news.
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04.24.09
Posted in Feminism, Singapore Gay News at 3:25 pm by Guest Writers
Originally published on the Glass Castle - written by Jolene
The new AWARE Exco have completely lost the plot. Two events they organised last night are of note. First, they had the locks on AWARE’s office changed, summarily firing staff and disrupting the use of the centre as a space for counselling abused women (emphases mine):
Dana Lam, former AWARE president, said: “I walked in and there were three burly men sitting at the counter. It’s not something we encounter at AWARE because it’s a women’s centre and we are giving counselling sessions to women who have been abused.
“The men have apparently been instructed by the president to change the lock in the centre. There is a vote of no-confidence going on here. By right, they have no right to make any changes. I am worried for my materials – 25 years of research material, including confidential material.”
Did the new Exco make any alternative provision for abused women who might have been seeking, or relying on the services, provided at AWARE? Who knows? Did they even care?
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04.23.09
Posted in Announcements at 12:55 pm by sayoni
![[ logo ]](http://www.we-are-aware.sg/images/stories/aware/weblogo.jpg)
Save AWARE! Gender equality for all! - Petition
As Singaporeans overseas we are very concerned about the take-over of the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) on 28 March 2009 by a group of people, whose values are opposed to what AWARE stands for. For nearly 25 years, AWARE has worked to advance gender equality for all women in Singapore, regardless of race, religion, or sexuality. Through its many contributions, AWARE has significantly enhanced women’s capacity to make informed choices over their bodies and their lives.
We support the Save AWARE Campaign (http://www.we-are-aware.sg) on the following grounds:
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