Conference looks at LGBT rights in Asia - PlanetOut

Conference looks at LGBT rights in Asia
PlanetOut Network
Friday, July 8, 2005 / 03:46 PM

SUMMARY: The first large-scale conference to address LGBT issues in Asia opened on Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand, for three days of meetings, with more than 160 delegates.


The first large-scale conference to address LGBT issues in Asia opened on Thursday in Bangkok, Thailand, for three days of meetings.

According to conference organizers, the more than 160 delegates to the event hail from 24 countries, from Iran to Japan.

Attendees have described the conference as "historic," according to news reports.

The event is billed as the "first international conference of Asian queer studies," and attendees include human rights activists, artists, filmmakers and scholars.

Australian conference co-organizer Associate Professor Peter Jackson of the Australian National University in Canberra said, "This conference is about supporting the growing international momentum for homosexual rights. By bringing together Asian and Western researchers and activists our aim is to work collaboratively to ensure dignity and equal opportunities for Asia's homosexual and transgender peoples."

According to organizers, the topics for discussion include: social persecution and legal discrimination against sexual minorities in Asia; gay, lesbian and transgender citizenship and rights; homosexuals and transgender people in Asian cinema and literature; the globalization of homosexual cultures; Asian homosexual diasporas in the West; and the impact of HIV/AIDS on Asian same-sex communities.

The event was organized by the Australia-based AsiaPacifiQueer network and the Office of Human Rights Studies and Social Development at Thailand's Mahidol University.

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