Young Filipino feminists: the personal and the sexual are political Commentary Educated on diverse gender perspectives by the internet and emboldened by global feminist movements like #MeToo, Filipino youth are boldly pushing the issues of body autonomy and sexuality to the frontlines of the struggle for gender equality. With social media as a platform for convergence, alliance and advocacy, they are treading territory that previous feminist movements shied away from. By Ana P. Santos
Gender and Climate Change: Snapshots from Southeast Asia Article Most regions in the world have been – to some extent – affected by climate change, and Southeast Asian countries are no exception. Within the group of people who are affected, recognition needs to be accentuated on the disproportionate impact of climate change along gender lines. It is essential for the region to further enhance their collaborative climate actions to respond to the need of a gender transformational change that will increase women’s resiliency toward the risk of climate change. By Tri Sulistyo Saputro
Phobia, Whose Phobia? Unpacking Present-Day Homophobia and Transphobia in Asia Essay On the occasion of International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), the scholar-activist Dédé Oetomo from Indonesia explores the contrast between contemporary homophobia and transphobia and the more tolerant or accepting past and how this can give support to the LGBTIQ+ community. By Dédé Oetomo
Better Mental Health for LGBTIQ+: Harnessing Awareness for Vulnerabilities in the Pandemic More than a year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, the virus continues to ravage the Asia-Pacific with catastrophic human, social, economic, and developmental costs. Many LGBTIQ+ persons experienced increased vulnerability on top of systemic human rights violations and social inequity many currently shoulder as the pandemic places more stress on health systems and social safety nets. By Jennifer Ho and Edmund Settle
Queering Malay Identity Politics in the Malaysian Digital Space The internet we have today has become as real as any social spaces we occupy in-person. So much of our lives are integrated digitally now and opting out of the digital space is no longer a choice for us. Today, to be online is to exist and to be seen. By Serene Lim
Being LGBTI* in Myanmar’s Transition to Democracy Some political parties in Myanmar start mentioning to tackle LGBTI* issues and include in their party policy, which can be considered as improvements. By Ohnmar Nyunt (Alison)
Women’s Footsteps towards Democratic Transition in Myanmar Women’s political participation is making slow progress, while the overall record of the NLD government on women’s rights remains ambivalent. By Khin Lay Nge
Enabling an Equal World for Indigenous Women in the Time of Climate Crisis Article March is often celebrated as International Women’s Month with March 8 officially declared as International Women’s Day to shine the light on the different issues and inequalities women around the world face. This year’s theme is aptly described as “An equal world is an enabled world”, a fitting line to describe the various inequalities that women experience around the world and the need for us to acknowledge and work towards dismantling the structures of inequalities that exist.
“The civil union bill misses the target” says Thailand’s first transgender MP Interview Isaan Record interviewed Tanwarin Sukkhapisit on the factors that are influencing a sea-change in Thai society’s attitudes towards gender equality, focusing on a long discussed civil union bill. By The Isaan Record
The life of men in the North Caucasus Survey In 2016, with the support of the Heinrich Boell Foundation and the international center Free Happy People, a group of researchers investigated problems and beliefs of men living in four Russian republics: Chechnya, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria and Ingushetia. By Irina Kosterina and Ekaterina Ivanova