Weekly Mix Masala

Condom ringtone, ads push sales in India! Listen to it HERE.
Yahoo! News

In Bangalore, two hijras held for abducting a 16 year old boy and forcing him to change his sex.
The Hindu

Also in Bangalore, police kick Hijras out of their homes in an act of "social cleansing"
Human Rights Watch

Dostana Reviews- what do YOU think??
Rediff India Abroad
Articles Base

“Why should homosexuals be looked down upon or singled out? It’s an individual’s take, as to how he or she would like to live their lives. That’s why I love the fashion industry. It’s the only industry that doesn’t discriminate, and encourages talent, whether you’re straight or gay!”
- Priyanka Chopra, from the film Dostana
News Network

Pakistan included in the world's top 10 countries with the most internet censorship! I guess that means no Queeristan for you guys :(
Techachino

Banning of Israeli same-sex couples from adopting or having a surrogate mother leads couples to find answers in India!
Outlook India

Open up your eyes, India! Kinsey-like report reveals Indian sexual practices
India Today

The Intervention - What's every Desi girl's secret? Gay porn, of course.

Salman embraces the queers

A couple of weeks ago, a fabulous hijra named Lakshmi was on the hit game show Dus Ka Dum, hosted by Salman Khan. Although she didn't win, she most definitely stole the show with her dazzling personality and elegance. And surprisingly, Salman Khan was quite the charmer as well. Now I see why he can get away with almost anything...

Snapshots of Hijras

Check out 0:28 for a shot of Amitabh Bachchan dressed as a woman

Weekly Mix Masala

Sholay's Desilicious Love Ball -- 5/17 at Webster Hall
a celebration of the theatrical release of A Jihad for Love
SholayEvents

A Jihad for Love reviews/interviews
Bay Windows
New England Blade

Review of The English Game -- a state-of-England play out of a cricket match; look for the gay Hindu!
The Guardian

Love, actually -- an interview with Gay Bombay author, Parmesh Shahani
Financial Express

SF's Bibi Chic benefit raises over $2K for Middle Eastern LGBT charity
IndyBay

Indian Man Killed by Wife's Female Lover -- yea it caught our attention, too
EDGEBoston

My film shows gender issues -- interview with Pankh director, Sudipto Chattopadhyay
Rediff.com

India's Transgendered: the Hijras -- a well balanced piece and a good read
The New Statesman

Weekly Mix Masala

Australia removes anti-gay discrimination from 100 laws!
Advocate.com

UN slams India on rights of gays
The Times of India

Dear Amma: I'm here, I'm queer, get used to it. An immigrant's journey from being closeted back home, to being out in the states.
The Huffington Post

"We tease them when we see eunuchs. But have we ever thought what are we actually laughing at?" A look into attitudes towards hijras.
Merinews

The government of Bihar finds a niche in society for hijras - employing them as music teachers and as security guards for womens' shelters!
IBNLive

Pakistan's first Queer-orientated publication is launched!
Chay Magazine

NGO reaches out to the hidden lesbian community of Gujarat
NDTV

Weekly Mix Masala

Snehithan: social & support group for GBTTQQ of the Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhala, Tamil, and Telegu speaking communities.
snehithan.ca

Dosti: a Toronto based site for desi men who have or want sex with men. Browse to meet others and keep abreast of the latest news with Munnibai, the safer-sex queen.
dosti.ca

Blue Diamond Society of Nepal receives international recognition for their LGBT Human Rights work
International Gay and Human Rights Commission

Pregnant Transmale! Guess men can get pregnant
Jezebel

Review of Kari, a graphic novel about a lesbian copywriter in Mumbai
Newsindpress

Candlelight vigil in Kolkata for three members of the transgender community and the community explores the connection between the hijra and transsexual community
Express India

Martin Manalansan, an anthropologist specializing in South Asian diaspora studies, belongs to growing cohort of scholars that have recently moved "queer critique" aggressively into the domain of critical race theory
Brooklyn Blues Blog

Bipasha on Begum Nawazish's fawning over John: "Compliments for John are always welcome. Whether the compliments are from a lady, a man or from a gay person"
Times of India

Namaste: Building the South Asian GLBT community locally with KhushDC
MetroWeekly

Capturing HijrArt

In recent years, hijra photography has frequently found itself within the walls of South Asian art galleries. The Hijra Photo Exhibition, showing at the Museum Auditorium of Thiruvananthapuram, is the newest to join the list. Photographer P. Abhijith attempts "to depict the secluded world of transgenders, mired in myths and taboos." He believes that the torment hijras suffer stems from society's ignorance towards this marginalized community. Abhijith hopes his work will educate the audience and bring this plight into the social spotlight.

The Hijra Photo Exhibition focuses on community members of Tamil Nadu and Bangalore; friends of Abhijith simultaneously created a documentary capturing the life of hijras on film. The film along with the photographs are part of the Kerela exhibition.



Frames of a strange, secret world

Weekly Mix Masala

Geert Wilders' anti-Islamic film causes panic and anger, prior to airing.
Reuters
BBC

An anonymous writer vents his frustration on being gay in India
Times of India

A homosexual man's guide to Karachi, Pakistan
Pakistan Paindabad

In fact, take a look around the entire blog. Pretty innnteresting
Pakistan Paindabad

Himal's entire March issue explores the state of sexuality in South Asia.
Himal Southasian

Documentary of two young girls set loose at the International AIDS Conference. Forward to 19:54 to see the interview with a hijra, Laxmi Tripathi
EZTakes

Ric Weiland, essential to the launch of Microsoft, left $65 million dollars to LGBT groups. It's reported to be the largest single gift given to the LGBT movement
Washington Blade

Good-looking + extra cash = condom optional

The Indian state of West Bengal is initiating a HIV/AIDS prevention program that is directed specifically towards hijras. Hijras, having been shunned from their communities, typically settle for jobs that require little or no skill. As many have turned to prostitution, they now constitute the highest at-risk group for contracting the virus for several reasons:

• They are frequently the receptive partners in oral and anal intercourse.
• Condom use is inconsistent, and many hijras will allow unprotected sex for good-looking clients or for extra cash (if this does not scream at the need for sex education, I don't know what does!)
• Water-based lubrication is expensive and hardly used, leading to damage of the anal tract (making it easier for transmission of the virus).
• Men that use hijras are in a hurry to get the deed done with, and sex can be rough (again, damaging the anal tract)
• Hijras do not receive as much money as their female counterparts, thus they must satisfy a greater number of clients to make as much money (and clients are easy to find, since Hijras are considered more sexually-skilled than female sex workers!)

Now that this initiative's been started, I think that it's time for the rest of South Asia to follow. It's time for the government to face the needs of this marginalized minority and acknowledge the hidden intricacies that the hijras are part of in society as a whole.

State to educate eunuchs about AIDS, sexual health

Project Parivartan