Weekly Mix Masala

StarAsia Censors the Homos out of the Oscars
Queerty

Check out a free copy of Pukaar, the journal of Naz Foundation International! Includes such topics as the Evolution of Homosexuality, MSM's, eunuchs, Nepal's courts, HIV, prostitution, virgins, and much much more...
Naz Foundation International

"I can be a good Muslim and be gay"
Muslims against Sharia Blog

Bobby Jindal declares gay marriage for everyone! (yeah right..)
Queerty

Oh no they didn't - Pussycat Dolls put the "Ho" in Jai-Ho. Listen to it here...
zSHARE

Anyone into water sports? India launches new cow urine soft drink.
Times Online

When Pink turns to Red.. A slightly annoying article that makes homosexuals look like sex-craved murders.
Mumbai Mirror

Weekly Mix Masala

What's the story on HIV/AIDS and Indian youth?
The Viewspaper

Did Vanity Fair whitewash Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto in the March issue?
Jezebel

A touching story by a previously homophobic Pakistani woman..."Learning from Harvey Milk: A Pakistani view!"
Pak Tea House

The teen soap Hollyoaks recently introduced its first Asian family-the Roys. Hunky Ravi Roy, played by Stephen Uppal, is bisexual in the soap, but his family is unaware of his sexuality.
Channel 4

Want a baby? Gay or straight, come to India, doc says.
IndiaWest

Phone companies give transgendered task of repairing phones. Because everyone knows transpeople are good with their hands..?
Times of India

It only took a UK reality show and Oprah for gay Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil to start gaining respect his own townsfolk.
Times of India

Aware that they may be the next targets of Ram Sene, homosexuals join women in the fight to resist being bullied by straight men with narrow minds.
Hindustan Times

Funny Indian man turns gay for advertising! Definitely the WTF moment of the week..

Weekly Mix Masala

Sunil Babu Pant, from Nepal, addresses the UN on LGBT issues.
Gays Without Borders

This guy is on fire! Pant also received a "People of the Year Award" from The Advocate magazine!
Advocate.com

Nepal - one step forward, two steps back. Journalist Uma Singh, one of many journalists targeted in Nepal, is hacked to death by 12 to 20 men. One issue Uma covered was women's rights.
SAJA Forum

The Star Screen Awards were very... pseudo-gay this year! Priyanka Chopra wins the Best Actress award for Fashion and Jon Abraham and Abishek Bachchan win the best couple award for Dostana.
Screen India

Which Bollywood stars have Hollywood look-a-likes? These pairings are amazing!!
Ultrabrown

Queer Masti: Bi-sexual Prejudice - Bi Ladki talks about the lack of understanding towards bi-sexuals.
Desiclub.com

Court rules that Bangladeshi trans-persons are full-fledged citizen and are allowed to vote for the first time ever!
Globalgayz.com

What are the HIV related needs of sexual minorities in India? Download the document here:
msmasia.org

Cop torches wife to death in Nagpur, India
Times of India

Weekly Mix Masala

An HIV-positive woman from Pakistan has been shunned by her in-laws who have taken away her children. She contracted HIV from her husband, now deceased, who was a drug addict.
The News

Gay Penguins! Need I say more?
Telegraph

Over 200 condom vending machines to be installed in Lucknow, India
The Times of India

Across the border love - a Pakistani student created a website to find more gay men has fallen in love with a man in India he met through the internet. Frustratingly, the article doesn't link to his website, but I think we found it. Hit us up - we're "Queer Desi." The site ripped off facebook (hey, all's fair in love...), and the only statement in it's Terms & Services is "Be decent and nice."
NDTV.com

Despite Prop 8, GLAAD has released a poll that shows a majority of US Adults favor legal protections the LGBT community. Unsuprisingly, the poll shows that those under 65, and especially people 18-34, are more supportive of LGBT rights.
GLAAD

Everybody and their mother is in this skit against Prop 8, but all I see is Margaret Cho
Funny or Die

The Maldives is, uhh, sinking...
CNN

Cyprus grants resident status to gay Iranian asylum seeker
Pink News

Weekly Mix Masala

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Terrorist Attacks on Mumbai
||26.11.08 - 29.11.08||
Summary of Attacks -- Wikipedia
Sequence of Events -- BBC News
Recent Developments -- NYTimes
Wear White on 12/1 in Solidarity -- Facebook Event
================================================


Gays in India fear rules, blackmailers
The Washington Post

AIDS Sutra released this week, watch readings via webcast
SAJAforum

Dostana is (still) shaking up Bollywood
Bollywood films enter brave, gay world
Straight.com

Dostana in Pakistan
Pakistan Paindabad

John Abraham asks men to step it up
XPress


More Bollywood Gay News
Amisha Patel defends boyfriend's sexuality -- and no one cares
Bollywood News Blog

Konkona Sen Sharma jumps on the rainbow bandwagon
India Forums


Prop 8 News
Minorities fear trend from CA gay marriage ban
Reuters

A queer desi reaches out to LGBT Mormons
2015Place.com


Something Inspiring
All-girl rock band shakes Saudi Arabian establishment
NYTimes
Accolade's MySpace

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.

Weekly Mix Masala

The Kinsey Institute's International Encylopedia of Sexuality is all available online. Articles about India: 516; Nepal: 714; Sri Lanka: 972. For those of you virgins to the Kinsey name - Kinsey is considered the father of sexology. Go watch Kinsey, the movie, for a better idea.

The Kinsey Institute

Check out the website of famous Indian photographer Farrokh Chotia - he's photographed the likes of Aishwariya and Lakshmi Menon. Note the, ahem, color differences between the "ideal" beauty of the Bollywood stars and the more varied features of the legitimate models.

farrokchothia.com

Can't swallow the idea of real live Indian porn? Well there's a comic alternative for you, Savita Bhabhi. Unfortch, no queer scenes as of yet, but it's delightfully ironic.

Savita Bhabhi

Apple donates $100,000 to fight against Proposition 8, which is on the California ballot to eliminate the right of gay marriage from the state constitution. You know, I never would have guessed...

The Tech Chronicles

Turns out that Indians in the US aren't as conservative as we sometimes think. Indians are strong supporters of Obama, and additionally *drumroll* - A majority of Indians in California are against a constitutional amendment banning gay-marriage (aka Prop 8).

SAJA Forum

Weekly Masala Mix

MUMBAI PRIDE 2008 -- pictures and reviews

The Times of India

Ottawa Citizen

365 Gay

DNA

Boston's MASALA garners attention at their booth during the Independence Day festival!
New England Blade

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds the world's first condom ringtone in India to promote safer sex
Softpedia
Listen to the ringtone here!

Delhi study finds abused wives at heightened risk for HIV
The Telegraph

NGO launches project Sankalp, an HIV prevention program in Karnataka
Mangalorean.com

Director, Madhur Bhandarkar, tosses around idea of a "Bollywood Brokeback Mountian"
Times of India

India's second candidate for an HIV vaccine reaches a milestone
The Telegraph

My Big Fat Straight Wedding - Andrew Sullivan explains why gay marriage is not really "gay" marriage
The Atlantic

An HIV-positive woman who has never shown symptoms of the virus might provide insights into HIV/AIDS vaccine development!
KaiserNetwork.org

Daivd Gere, brother of Richard Gere, subject of documentary on being a gay family in India
Out In India—A Family's Journey
The Times of India

India launches first HIV health insurance
Only Insurance

Health minister stressed need to scrap Section 377
Indian Express

UK study shows that ethnic minorities with similar sexual behavior show different rates of HIV infection
AIDSmap

Manipur's work to eradicate TB is threatened by the state's rising HIV infections
Panos London

Weekly Mix Masala

Trikone Australia puts on its first South Asian Queer film festival! Aug 15-17th!
MCA

Inborn homosexuality or media hype? Islam Online discusses the issue...
Islam Online

Openly gay Ayush Maheshwari sells his 150 kilos to become the next 'big' reality show host
Times of India

Indian Health Minister wants to "give gays a break"
Hindustan Times

Muslim women in India design new marriage contract
Women's eNews

Ahh! Castration law for transgendered triggers outrage in Sweden!
The Local

More News from Sweden - Apparantly they love our prince
NDTV

Queer, South Asian sex advice column!
(Queer)ies: Your Personal Sex Advice Kiosk

The playwright and director, Chetan Datar, has passed away. Chetan used themes of homosexuality and gender bending in many of his plays.

Weekly Mix Masala

Just like always, taboos about sex prevent HIV prevention. This time, in Pakistan.
New York Times

Bombay High Court aquits two Britons of charges on pedophilia
Times of India

In Australia, a lesbian couple tries to sue their doctor when their in vitro results in two babies instead of one...
Times of India

When Kiren Met Karen review. After all the hype before the movie, this reviewer finds the movie disappointing
AfterEllen.com

New book sheds light on gay life in the Muslim world.
PRWeb

Weekly Mix Masala

Interview with Onir, director of My Brother...Nikhil
DesiCritics.org

Protests urge US and Europe to stop aid to homophobic countries
Pink News

Gay honor killing, a first in Turkey
The Independent

What's wrong when men come together?
Business Standard

Trans tourists detained in Dubai
Gulf News

Profile of The Wire's Omar Little, "the gay stick up man who robs drug dealer for a living"
The Guardian

Pakistan at risk for HIV/AIDS epidemic
Daily Times of Pakistan

South Asian gays silent no longer
The Province

Weekly Mix Masala

A British Columbian newspaper publishes article online regarding South Asian queers and their struggles.
The Province

Banker launches blog to give voice to Pakistani gays!
Economic Times

After its historic elections, Nepal still sees no improvement in attitudes towards queers
UK Gay News

Sydney, Australia's first ever GLBT South Asian film festival to take place Aug 15-17!
SX News

160 Organizations Rally to end HIV/AIDS travel ban to the US
The Daily Dish

Archives of Sexual Behavior: A new study on coming out by South Asian gay men in the UK
Ingenta Connect

Indian Council of Medical Research allows gays to use in vitro. How is India so outdated on one hand, and then so progressive on the other?
Times of India

The Gay Wedding Industrial Complex
Jezebel

Meet filmmaker Sonali Gulati - one of the organizers of Delhi's pride parade
Thaindian News

Gurinder Chadha, my feminist hero
Jezebel

Weekly Mix Masala

A Mumbai Pride march is being planned for August 16th! More information at Queer Azaadi

Following the example of India's 18th-century Mughal rulers, who used castrated men or hermaphrodites to guard their harems, the government of Bihar plans to post eunuchs as guards in girls dormitories, colleges and hospitals.
Globeandmail.com

Glad to be gay (but a bit shy about it) - Indians are more afraid of their relatives and friends finding out than they are about the law
Economist

Indian Penal Code Section 377 FAQ - all nicely summed up
Nonstop Goli Blog

Nepalese army 'sacks' lesbian for misconduct.
BBC News

But hey, Nepal is also hosting the first South Asian LGBT workshop! Two steps forward, one step back.
The Advocate

Uh oh. Actor-director Sajid Khan, from the show Sajid's Superstars annoyed actor Ritesh Deshmukh by asking if he is gay.
Yahoo India

More Deportation Dilemmas: Azerbaijani Muslim poet's request for asylum in Britain has been rejected
Therion

Irshad Manji on honor killings
Huffington Post

Muslim woman implements her innovative concept of an all-woman jamaat (a court-like assembly)
Times of India

It appears that British marriage registrar Lillian Ladele has won her religious discrimination claim following her refusal to perform civil partnership for a gay marriage
Usefully Employed

Okay guys, let's drown out this crowd with our own people - Anti-gay pride parade in Brooklyn, August 31
Gay City News

Choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan exposes Bollywood-style dancing to the world on the hit show So You Think You Can Dance. This guy is going to go far!

Weekly Mix Masala

Deepa Mehta lends her support for India's pride parades
NDTV Movies

Sex and the Indian City- taking a look at what the show would look like set in India.
Times of India

Interview with Manil Suri, queer author of "The Death of Vishnu"
New York Times

Although the total number of HIV infections in Asian and Pacific Island men in the US remains low, the annual increase is estimated to be 12.1%.
Aidsmap News

Do progressive/activist minorities care about transpeople or is this an issue they want to avoid? Read about black civil rights group's treatment of the policy brutality towards transperson Duane Johnson.

The F Word

How sad! Queer flick When Kiren Met Karen isn't finding any love in India
NDTV Movies

Coming out isn't easy for gay kids. And what if you have traditional Indian parents?
Toronto Sun

Historical records suggest that the first women's shelter was started in Istanbul

The F Word

Watch out! A gang of criminals in Mumbai is targeting young gay men looking for one-night stands. And the modus operandi? They pick them up and dupe them into taking them home. Once there, they pretend to be policemen and extort their money and valuables
Times of India

Weekly Mix Masala

List of religions & their positions on homosexuality (doesn't include Sikhism though!)
SignOnSanDiego.com

Another list - this one an English language South Asian LGBT bibliography
Columbia University

"Homosexuals seek social networking sites support"...whoa oh oh! We were totally the first on this trend - check us out on facebook
Zee News

Tale of an Indian Lesbian (fiction)
SAMAR Magazine

There are 9 countries that have the maximum death sentence for same-sex relations; Pakistan and Iran are 2 of them. There are 10 countries that have the maximum sentence for life imprisonment for same-sex relations; India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Nepal (hopefully that will change soon) are 4 of them - the other 6 have large South Asian populations.
Pink News

Scroll down to watch the documentary Voices from Nepal, where Scott Long of HRC records stories of LGBT people working for change in Nepal
In The Life

Kinda like the pharmacists who refuse to give birth control, a registrar in UK refuses to conduct civil partnerships
Islington Tribune

Weekly Mix Masala

The eighth lesbian suicide in Tamil Nadu as of 2008
merinews

Hey fellow Canadians - we should have covered this earlier for you guys: Sher Vancouver, a Sikh LGBT group
BCLocalNews

In the UK, women win the right to children without fathers
UK Times Online

South Asian parents speak up: "We'd rather you were gay with kids."
Salon.com

And the gay pick for the hottest IPL player is...
Mid-Day

Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival starting...yesterday! Screening The World Unseen with Lisa Ray & Sheetal Sheth
courant.com

Another gay film festival, this one in Florida and in early June.
TampaBay

The murder trial of Satender Singh, the gay Fijian killed last year in California, wraps up
Hate Crimes Bill

Sigh. Is this just a conservative attack on British Indians or a real case of sex-selection spreading to the UK?
TimesOnline

The Red Ribbon Express, touted as the world’s biggest mass blitz for HIV prevention, enters Tamil Nadu.
The Hindu

Who knew Bhutan was so... penis friendly?

Weekly Mix Masala

Its hard our there for a prince -- an interview with Manvendra Singh Gohil
Out.com

New York Times review of A Jihad for Love
NYTimes

Online Survey: Who's the gay pick for the hottest in the IPL?
Questionnaire

Sizzling Pakistani model, Emmad Irfani, featured on Queerty's 'Morning Goods'
Queerty

Gov't divided over law governing gays -- Naz Foundation's case garners press attention
NDTV

Tragic end for lesbian couple tormented by family pressure
PinkNews
EDGE Boston

UK grants Mehdi Kazemi asylum
CNN
Queerty

South Asian Bar Associaton of Northern California lauds California judgement on marriage
IndiaPost.com

Indian men may claim to have a healthy sex-life, but a new international survey claims that orgasm often eludes them.
NDTV

MAP raises awareness of HIV/AIDS in API community -- a look at being South Asian, gay, and HIV+
Bay Windows

Out in India: A Family's Journey will be showcased at the 2008 SF International Film Festival
Bay Area Reporter

Gambia President announces that gay men and women must leave the country in 24 hours
Gays Without Borders

Props to fellow bloggers pass the roti on the left hand side and Sepiamutiny for their posts on Section 377

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

• Trikone's Kulture Kulcha 2008. Tonight, Friday May 2nd! Trikone, San Fransisco
• Ethnography Gone Wild: a review of Parmesh Sahani's Gay Bombay Tehelka
• LGBT film festival, Boston. Screening several South Asian films, including A Jihad for Love
• Parvez Sharma, of A Jihad for Love, blogs about his journey as he screens the film globally Director's Blog
• A review of gay, Hindu, hip-hopper D'Lo and Ramble-Ations:A One D'Lo Show Asian American Press
• Irshad Manji vs. Ayaan Hirsi NYTimes, Jezebel
• A story covering the journey of a couple as a the husband transitions to female NYTimes
• And a debate whether it really is a sign of a good marriage that the couple is still together Jezebel
• Meanwhile, a prize racehorse refuses to mate with the ladies. Maybe he's just gay? NYTimes
• Young gay marriages in the US (well, Massachusetts at least ) NYTimes (Is it like LGBT month at the Times or something?)
• Andrew Sullivan + Obama's approach to the American LGBT movement The Daily Dish
• A symposium cancelled due to concerns from psychiatrists & activists that ex-gay's views would be propogated and considered healthy Queerty