May 20th, 2013
Gay rights activist arrested after protest in Changsha
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1241780/gay-rights-activist-arrested-after-protest-changsha
by Patrick Boehler
Police in Changsha have detained a young gay rights activist after he organised a protest in the capital of Hunan province to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
A 19-year-old man, identified only as Xiang, was arrested on Saturday and will be in administrative detention for 12 days for organising an “illegal protest”, police said, according to a report in the local Xiaoxiang Morning News, which has since been deleted online.
Xiang has been transferred to the Changsha Municipal Detention Centre, said A Qiang, a fellow demonstrator and well-known activist from Guangzhou.
Xiang has been active in the local LGBT community since age 14. A Qiang said Xiang had approached police about the protest before it took place on Friday afternoon.
The protest called for an end to homophobia and discrimination. It was second time Changsha’s LGBT community has organised such a protest. Police had not interfered in last year’s demonstration. Some 80 to 100 people participated this year.
“They said if we don’t see you, we don’t have to handle it,” A Qiang said. “We knew we couldn’t apply for permission to demonstrate, so we decided to call it a marketing event for Hunan With Love”, a commercial community website.
“Companies do that all the time,” he said. “The police seemed to be OK with it.”
A Qiang said police did not interfere with the protest, except towards the end, when police approached the protesters, telling them not to shout slogans and impede traffic.
By 2.45am on Saturday, Xiang and three other people were taken away by police from a hotel room they were staying in. All except Xiang were released by the afternoon.
A Qiang said the protest was one of at least 10 across China on Friday. Demonstrations took place in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengsu, and also in second-tier cities such as Nanchang.
He said he did not recall anyone else ever having been but briefly detained for organising such protests.
Activists in Guangzhou told the South China Morning Post on Saturday that they had been detained and questioned by police for distributing fliers on Friday.
On Monday, searches for “protest” and “Changsha” were blocked on Sina Weibo, the country’s largest microblogging platform.
May 2nd, 2013
不反對平權諮詢 聖公會秘書長：同志唔係怪物
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/news/art/20130502/18246851
平權之聲，依舊熾熱。平等機會委員會新主席周一嶽是英國聖公會信徒，承認該會在同志議題上作風保守，香港聖公會教省秘書長管浩鳴牧師直言教會內對反性傾向歧視立法未有共識，個人不反對政府進行諮詢，但認為立法非唯一途徑。對於有宗教團體擔心立法後出現逆向歧視，管浩鳴認為教會只是宣講真道，不憂慮為義下獄，又認為同性戀不是孌童癖，因為性傾向而拒絕聘用同志當教師的做法不恰當。
記者：張嘉雯
周一嶽上任一個月，表示可考慮為宗教團體制訂豁免條文，以換取各教會支持。本報專訪管浩鳴，他不反對政府進行諮詢：「所謂諮詢即係有一個傾談嘅空間，畀成個社會去了解件事，教會唔贊成歧視。」但他認為，立法以外尚有很多空間：「立法係咪唯一嘅方法呢？單係用法例叫人唔好做錯事，係消極嘅方法，啲人心底仍然係歧視佢哋，最重要係大家對同性戀者多啲認識，佢哋唔係咩洪水猛獸，唔係咩怪物。」
毋須過慮逆向歧視
教會雖在反歧視法上未有共識，但他說對同性婚姻有一致立場：「有一啲底線要守住，教會唔會同意同性婚姻，婚姻係一男一女，婚姻以外嘅關係，我哋可以另外訂一個名畀佢。」他表示不會刻意向周一嶽表達觀點，又透露個別教會團體曾游說香港聖公會就立法一事表態，但該會沒有答允。
對於有宗教團體引用教會學校不聘用同性戀者當教師、不為同性戀者主持婚禮等例子，擔心立法引發逆向歧視，管浩鳴認為毋須過份憂慮：「教會講婚姻係一男一女，係講真理，如果為基督真道嘅緣故而要坐監，咁就抵啦，我唔擔心。」他亦不認為拒絕為同志主持婚禮會招來官非：「𠵱家教會都唔會幫離咗婚嘅人主持婚禮㗎，政府告我哋，我哋歡迎，我哋都有底線，宗教有自主，教會都有自己嘅立場，要保守返基本嘅信念。」
社會對同志多誤解
對於學校不聘用同性戀者當教師，管浩鳴認為不應以有色眼鏡看待同志：「首先我哋唔應該將同性戀者等同孌童癖，唔應該因為佢係同性戀，就當佢哋冇晒道德標準，咁對佢哋好唔公平，咁即係男先生唔可以教女校？講真係咪同性戀，都唔應該孌童㗎啦。」他認為社會對同志仍很多誤解：「太多唔好嘅嘢同佢哋拉上關係，好似愛滋病、濫交、孌童癖咁，可能有啲係個別嘅問題，但唔好完全歸咎於同性戀。」
談到同志家庭的領養議題，管浩鳴有信心政府不會輕率而行：「政府要平衡，保障同性戀者嘅基本權利唔受歧視，但亦唔等於可以完全開放，例如我作為牧師，我去領養一個小朋友都係唔得㗎，咁係咪歧視我呢？小朋友應該由傳統家庭去領養，有時係我哋諗得太多，擔心得太多，其實我哋個社會比我哋想像中嚴謹，我自己唔擔心。」
“Consultations offer a chance to discuss and to allow the society to better understand the issue. The Church does not support discrimination.”
“Is legislation the only way out? By asking people to not do the wrong thing is a negative approach. One may still harbor discrimination deep down. It’s important that one learns more about homosexuality. They [homosexuals] are not wild beasts, they are not monsters.”
“There are some bottom lines we ought to defend. The Church will not support same-sex marriage as marriage should be defined as between a man and a woman. Relationship other than marriage, we can give it another name.”
The Church believes that marriage is between a man and a woman, it’s about the Truth. If believers were to be jailed for the Truth, then so be it. I am not too concerned.”
“The Church does not officiate wedding ceremonies for divorcees. If the Government sues us, we welcome it. We have our bottom lines. Religion has freedom and the Church has its own stance. We need to preserve our fundamental beliefs.”
“First we should not equate homosexuals with pedophiles. It is unfair to think that they are immoral because they are homosexuals. Is this to say that a man cannot teach in a female school? Whether homosexual or not, one should not be a pedophile anyway.
“One should not affiliates it [homosexuals] with AIDS, promiscuity or pedophilia. Some could be isolate cases, but one should not blame it all on homosexuality.”
“The Government needs an equilibrium, protecting homosexuals from discrimination does not mean the rights can be fully open to them. For example, as a reverend, I cannot adopt a child. Am I being discriminated? Children should be adopted by traditional families. Sometimes we think too much, worry too much. Our society is more rigorous than we think. I am not worried.”
April 21st, 2013
啟動反性傾向歧視 平機會用「私房錢」搞諮詢
政府以《反性傾向歧視條例》立法極富爭議為由，拒絕展開立法諮詢。與之立場相反的平機會，更被政制及內地事務局就開支預算回覆立法會的文件指，推廣反性傾向歧視的宣傳和研究工作，並非平機會的職權範圍。平機會新任主席周一嶽（圓圖）昨出席電視節目《講清講楚》時反駁，不認同局方說法，並會動用平機會的儲備資金，盡快進行有關條例擬立法前期的諮詢工作。
不諱言政府「另起爐灶」
周一嶽稱，平機會較一般政府機構具備獨立性，並非以政府角度看待問題，作為監察本港人權情況的重要機構，特別在歧視方面，若某一組別人士明顯受到歧視，平機會當然有責任進行研究工作。因此他清晰表示，性傾向歧視方面的研究，是平機會的責任。
他繼而指，政府在2013至2014年度，沒有向平機會明顯增撥資源，故會考慮運用本身的財政儲備，為《反性傾向歧視條例》作擬立法前期的諮詢，因性小眾被歧視的情況在社會討論已久，不排除將來再向政府申請撥款。周謂，雖然立法工作始終要由政府啟動，但平機會的職責亦包括檢討現行4條《反歧視條例》的實施有否加強的必要。
有意見指，政府另外成立性小眾歧視諮詢委員會，是因不同意平機會立場而另起爐灶，周一嶽不諱言，該委員會與平機會立場有別，委員會必然有政府立場，亦沒邀請平機會代表加入。他希望與政府溝通，先了解委員會的目的、模式及職權範圍，以找到雙方合作空間。
初選特首須廣泛代表性
另外，被問到2017年特首普選，當中投票權與被選權是否應普及而平等，周一嶽稱，若《基本法》與《國際公約》條文有衝突，當然以《基本法》為準，但他理解《基本法》設計本身，亦有參考《國際公約》，相信本港未來修改特首產生辦法，必為世界所矚目，故希望香港的選舉制度，可令每個人都被考慮。
他認為，普選特首前應有提名及初選機制，因「不能由700萬人來選700萬人」，但初選機制必須有廣泛代表性，他直言，現行的選舉委員會的組成不會被社會主流意見接受。對於中央訂下普選特首的前提，周指，以香港人的角度來看，不擔心會選出不愛國愛港的特首，籲中央多信任港人，相反市民亦毋須對前提過份憂慮。
http://www.hkdailynews.com.hk/news.php?id=279892
March 30th, 2013
Gay rights debate unfolds at the United Nations
In this video, Charles Radcliffe of the UN human rights office (OHCHR) discusses recent developments and examines some of the arguments commonly raised by those opposed to full legal equality for LGBT people.
Global awareness of homophobic violence and discrimination — and the need to tackle it — is growing. Since 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council has been the setting for the first UN resolution, the first official UN report and the first formal inter-governmental debate on the issue. Yet opinion among Member States remains divided.
March 30th, 2013
葛珮帆衝擊民建聯受挫 說黨禁魚翅撐同性戀平權
【明報專訊】建制派的民建聯有幾「保守」？從立法會新丁議員葛珮帆的3個故事便可知一二。自言思想較民建聯主流「相對開放」的葛珮帆，在黨內推動免費為女童注射預防子宮頸癌疫苗，惹鼓吹濫交批評；她支持同性戀平權，被指有違社會道德；她呼籲黨友不吃魚翅，就被斥不理海味業界死活。不過，民建聯也非鐵板一塊，葛說，3項工作中，至少注射疫苗一項成功游說黨友支持。
成功倡免費打子宮頸癌針
葛珮帆2007年加入民建聯，去年當選立法會議員。3年前葛還未當立法會議員時，曾在黨內的婦女事務委員會提出，要求政府免費為女童注射預防子宮頸癌疫苗，又做民調又開記者會，但主席譚耀宗隨即收到一些婦女團體投訴，團體指婦女是從性行為中感染人類乳頭瘤病毒（HPV），如免費替人打疫苗，即鼓勵濫交。有區議員也抱怨她，因為他們在地區上被人責罵受了氣。
「我不是推廣性濫交，而是希望去救命！」她指部分人當時是不了解疫苗作用才有誤解，「除非你終身用避孕套，否則便有可能感染，但這樣又怎可以生孩子？」她告訴黨友，「就算能保證女兒只有一個性伴侶，但又怎能保證你女兒的男伴也一樣？」
籲不吃魚翅被斥不顧業界
子宮頸癌疫苗近年漸為社會接受，但葛指私家診所注射收費3000多元，基層家庭難負擔，葛終說服黨友，不消3年便成功爭取，把免費注射疫苗列入黨的政綱，能以黨的名義向政府爭取。
不過，另外兩項仍未爭取成功。葛是茹素者，也是鯊魚保育者，「我作為中國香港人感自豪，但一去到外地，就很難向人解釋為何中國人要吃魚翅！」早前有保育團體要求立法會議員聯署，要求政府白紙黑字禁止官式宴會食用魚翅，她在黨團中與人激辯。葛指有人認為自己不吃便是，毋須聯署，最後主席譚耀宗一錘定音，容許各議員自己決定是否聯署，而葛是少數有聯署的立法會議員。對她而言，這也算是「進步」，又指民建聯近年辦的飲宴，已不提供魚翅，只是未在政策層面上宣之於口。
修碩士接觸同性議題
同性戀問題比魚翅更棘手，不吃魚翅，還能站在道德高地，但同志平權、同志婚姻是價值觀問題。葛曾修讀香港大學的婚姻與家庭治療碩士課程，對同性課程有研究認知，她指同性戀不是病也不是罪。去年底立法會表決同志平權議案，黨團也討論了2次，民建聯投反對票，但只有葛獲准豁免投棄權票。
