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☆ Same-sex marriage was on a roll in Asia. Not anymore
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The winning formulaMore than 30 jurisdictions worldwide now recognize same-sex marriage, according to the Pew Research Center. Since the first same-sex marriage law was passed in the Netherlands in 2001, progress has been made mostly in Europe, the Americas and Australasia. Gay couples cut a wedding cake in Amsterdam on April 1, 2001 after the first same-sex marriage law was passed in the Netherlands. But on the national level, Japan does not recognize same-sex marriage and local courts have returned conflicting verdicts on the issue. Up to 68% of Japan’s adults support same-sex marriage, the highest share in Asia, according to the Pew Research Center.

Persons: Pokpong Jitjaiyai, ”, Pokpong, Watit Benjamonkolchai, Suen, Nadia Rahman, Marcel Antonisse, Kangwan Fongkaew, ” Kangwan, Jennifer Lu, ” Lu, Taiwan’s, Tsai Ing, Sanjit, Chanakarn Laosarakham, Carl Court, Asia’s, Anish Gawande, Narendra Modi, Gawande, Kazuhiro Nogi, –, Hiroshima’s, Scuffles, Andrew Kim, Roslan Rahman, Shawna Tang, Hong Kong’s, Peter Newman, ” Suen, CNN’s Samra, Yoonjung Seo, Aishwarya Iyer Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Thailand’s Senate, CNN, Chinese University of Hong, Pew Research, Amnesty, Racial Justice, Refugees, Migrants, Getty, Burapha University, Presidential, List, Court, Japan, Seoul Queer Culture, Christian, Korea University’s College of International Studies, University of Sydney, Appeal, University of Toronto’s, Inwentash, Social Locations: Hong Kong, Bangkok’s, Siam, Thailand’s, Bangkok, Thailand, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Nepal, Asia, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Netherlands, Europe, Americas, Australasia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Bangladesh, Indonesia’s ultraconservative, Aceh, United Kingdom, Amsterdam, China, Kathmandu, AFP, Taiwan's, Taipei, India, List India, India’s, Delhi, Tokyo, Japan, South Korea, Daegu, Seoul, Korea, Singapore, aren’t, –, Beijing, Indonesia

☆ Benin: The country’s past, present, and future is on display for the first time at the 60th Venice Biennale
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Daniel Renjifo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Ancestral African art is a linchpin of identity and a source of inspiration to creatives across the continent. For the first time in the 60-year history of the renowned Venice Biennale in Italy – an arts and culture festival lasting eight months, hosted every other year – Benin is presenting a national pavilion. Hazoumé hopes the exhibition will reiterate his message and inspire other African artists to own their past to fuel creativity. Ishola Akpo sets up his piece titled “Iyalode” at the Benin national pavilion in Venice, Italy. Moufouli Bello draws inspiration from children’s books, Gèlèdé philosophy and Yoruba traditions in this piece titled “Egbe Modjisola," on display at the Benin national pavilion in Venice, Italy.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Romuald Hazoumé's, Jacopo La, Jacopo La Forgia, Romuald Hazoumé, Chloé, Ishola Akpo, Moufouli Bello, we’ll, Hazoumé, Florian Kleinefenn, ” Nwagbogu, “, ”, Gèlèdé, Chloé Quenum, Akpo, I’ve, Nwagbogu, ” Hazoumé Organizations: CNN, French, Smithsonian Museum of African, US, Venice Biennale, African Artist Foundation, Biennale Locations: Africa, West, Benin, Nigeria, Kingdom of Benin, Venice, Italy, “, Rouge, curating, France, Madagascar, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon

Nov 4 (Reuters) - The Gay Games Hong Kong (GGHK) kicked off on Saturday, its first time in Asia, despite opposition from anti-LGBTQ lawmakers and human rights activists. The opening ceremony began with a march-in by the GGHK, Federation of Gay Games, and delegations from around the world, followed by performances including the Hong Kong lion dance. "The holding of the Gay Games in Hong Kong is strong testimony to the diversity, inclusion, and unity of our city," Ip said in her welcoming speech. Five Hong Kong human rights activists also called for the Games to be cancelled in June, saying organisers "have aligned themselves with pro-authoritarian figures responsible for widespread persecution against the people of Hong Kong". Taiwan is not sending athletes to Hong Kong but to Guadalajara, citing security concerns over the NSL.

Persons: Lisa Lam, Lam, GGHK, Regina Ip, Ip, Junius Ho, John Lee, ”, Gerrit Schulz, Jessie Pang, Dorothy Kam, Giles Elgood Organizations: Gay Games, Gay Games Hong Kong, of Gay Games, National Security Law, Beijing, NSL, Games, Thomson Locations: Gay Games Hong, Asia, Hong Kong, Mexican, Guadalajara, Beijing, Taiwan, China, Berlin

Seoul, South Korea CNN —South Korea’s Constitutional Court has upheld a law banning same-sex relations in the military, citing a threat to combat-readiness, in a judgment decried by the local LGBTQ community as a disappointing setback. “Even if sexual acts are consensual” they risk “causing serious harm to preserving the fighting power of the nation’s armed forces, if committed (while on duty),” it added. But the group said it was encouraged by the comments of the dissenting judges, who warned against deeming sexual acts between same-sex couples as abnormal. The dissenting judges said there is “no reason” to differentiate between consensual sexual acts by same-sex soldiers and heterosexual ones. With a mandatory military service imposed on almost all able-bodied men between the age of 18 and 28, South Korea has one of the world’s largest active armies.

Persons: ”, Boram Jang, scuffles, Hong Joon, pyo Organizations: South Korea CNN, Constitutional, Amnesty, National Health Insurance Service, South Korea’s, Seoul Queer Culture, Christian, Daegu Queer Culture Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Asia, South, Daegu

☆ South Korean court upholds ban on gay sex within armed forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Participants wave a rainbow flag as they march on a street during the Korea Queer Culture Festival 2022 in central Seoul, South Korea, July 16, 2022. Under the country's military criminal act, members of the armed forces face up to two years in prison for same-sex relationships. The law has been referred to the court and upheld by it four times since 2002. In Thursday's five-to-four ruling, the court said allowing same-sex relations could undermine discipline within the military and harm its combat capabilities. South Korea has one of the world's largest active armies, with all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 required to serve between 18 and 21 months.

Persons: Heo, Activists, Boram Jang, Soo, hyang Choi, John Stonestreet Organizations: Korea Queer Culture, REUTERS, Rights, Amnesty, Thomson Locations: Korea, Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, East Asia

☆ Thousands told to shelter in place at Burning Man fest in Nevada with access closed due to flooding
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Thousands of Burning Man attendees trudged in sloppy mud on Saturday — many barefoot or wearing plastic bags on their feet — as flooding from storms swept through the Nevada desert, forcing organizers to close vehicular access to the counterculture festival. Revelers were urged to shelter in place and conserve food, water and other supplies. More than one-half inch of rain is believed to have fallen on Friday at the festival site, located about 110 miles (177 kilometers) north of Reno, the National Weather Service in Reno said. At least another quarter of an inch of rain is expected Sunday. "If it really turns into a disaster, well, no one is going to have sympathy for us," Jed said.

Persons: Revelers, wasn't, celebrants, weren't, Mike Jed, Jed Organizations: U.S . Bureau of Land Management, National Weather Service, The Reno Gazette, Associated Press, Land Management, Sheriff's Office Locations: RENO, Nev, Reno, Pershing

☆ South Korea LGBT festival proceeds, bumped from prime spot by Christian group
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, July 1 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands attended South Korea's largest annual LGBT festival on Saturday, vowing to continue fighting for gay rights after the Seoul city government denied them a prime spot and gave it to an anti-LGBT Christian group. "You can see a lot of hateful banners behind me as well as those that support us on our right," said Yang Sun-woo, chief organiser of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival. "South Korea is enjoying a rise in global status but LGBT rights here are at rock bottom," she said. The Christian group CTS, which has vocally opposed homosexuality, said it was not trying to thwart LGBT people. "Some ask why we need this queer festival, but it is the only time a year where we can all enjoy ourselves out in the open."

Persons: Yang Sun, ”, Cho Jong Yun, Kim Kyu Jin, Kim Saeyeon, Kyu Jin Kim, Nicole Kim, Hong Joon, Daewoung Kim, Hyunsu Yim, William Mallard Organizations: South, Christian, Seoul Queer Culture, CTS, LGBT, Gallup, Minwoo, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, Seoul, COVID, Korea, South Korea, Daegu

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Scuffles broke out in the South Korean city of Daegu on Saturday as local officials led by the mayor clashed with police during a protest against an LGBTQ festival. Tensions came to a head on Saturday when local government officials gathered to protest at the festival site. A video posted by the event organizers shows festival vehicles stuck on the road, unable to enter due to the protesters. South Korean news agency Yonhap estimated that about 500 protesters and 1,500 police officers were at the scene. Hong, the Daegu mayor, has previously made headlines for anti-LGBTQ statements, such as claiming that gay men would weaken the South Korean military, according to local media.

Persons: South Korea CNN — Scuffles, Hong Joon, –, Hong Organizations: South Korea CNN, Christian, Daegu Queer Culture, South, Police, Daegu, South Korean, Seoul Queer Culture Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korean, Daegu, Japan, Taiwan, Seoul’s

☆ A South Korean mayor led hundreds of city officials to stop an annual pride festival but police intervened to protect organizers and allow the event to proceed
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The mayor of Daegu, South Korea led a protest to block the city's annual pride festival. Since starting in 2009, the Daegu Queer Culture Festival has been one of the largest in the country. For festival organizers, it was not their first run-in with opposition to the event. Since its inception in 2009, the Daegu Queer Culture Festival has faced repeated protests. The Daegu Queer Culture Festival is one of the largest in the country, with Seoul's Queer Culture Festival taking first place.

Persons: —, Hong Joon Organizations: . Police, Daegu Queer Culture, Service, BBC, Daegu, Korea Times, Culture Festival, Seoul Plaza, CNN Locations: Daegu, South Korea, Seoul

Seoul, South Korea CNN —For years, South Korea’s biggest annual LGBTQ pride celebration has been held in the same grassy square in central Seoul, which fills up with performers and joyful participants decked out in rainbow costumes. Organizers for both the festival and the Christian concert applied to use the Seoul Plaza venue from June 30 to July 1, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said in a statement Thursday. The foundation is linked with the Christian broadcaster CTS, which has vocally opposed homosexuality and the pride festival, according to Reuters. The tension between South Korea’s LGBTQ community and their conservative, often Christian critics is clearly displayed at each pride festival, where both groups show up. At last year’s SQCF festival, opponents and religious groups gathered outside the venue, displaying protest messages on banners and shouting anti-LGBTQ slogans through loudspeakers.

☆ Seoul's LGBT festival blocked by Christian concert outside city hall, organisers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, May 4 (Reuters) - Seoul's city government has effectively blocked South Korea’s largest annual LGBT festival from taking place outside city hall this year after granting a permit for a Christian youth concert instead, the LGBT event’s organisers said this week. Yang Sun-woo, chief organiser of the Seoul Queer Culture Festival, said the city's move is an act of discrimination. A concert for young people will take place outside the city hall on that day instead. A representative for the CTS Cultural Foundation said that the timing was not aimed at blocking the LGBT festival. The Seoul city government did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

☆ The unintended consequences of remote work
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

While remote work offers flexibility, it often comes at the cost of maintaining a work-life balance. Remote work has also made it possible to hire anyone anywhere, which CEOs and hiring managers are starting to realize. Tech companies are offshoring jobs, due to America's broken immigration system, and remote work is making it easier. American tech companies are offshoring jobs, but it isn't all because of remote work. He says remote work led to all of this in the first place.

☆ BuzzFeed's $300M purchase of Complex promised to grow both brands, but insiders say strategies have clashed and Complex's culture is being 'completely gutted'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Complex insiders worry that the cuts threaten their brand's culture and future. Clashing video strategies as some fear Complex culture is being 'completely gutted'Kevin Hart appeared on Complex's "Hot Ones" series. Before joining with BuzzFeed, Complex's then-CEO Rich Antoniello had conversations with Vice Media and Vox Media. But Complex insiders felt especially aggrieved when, this fall, BuzzFeed announced a global expansion for ComplexCon. To Complex insiders, BuzzFeed's plan to take the event to Australia, Europe, and Asia simultaneously was unrealistic and under-resourced.

☆ Complex insiders say owner BuzzFeed has shed key talent, failed to invest in core content, and threatens to dilute the hip culture brand: 'The BuzzFeed ethos does not get it'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Clashing video strategies as some fear Complex culture is being 'completely gutted'Kevin Hart appeared on Complex's "Hot Ones" series. Before joining with BuzzFeed, Complex's then-CEO Rich Antoniello had conversations with Vice Media and Vox Media. Rubbing salt in the wound, Complex insiders said they felt their brand was scrappier and more culturally relevant than BuzzFeed, which many consider past its prime. But Complex insiders felt especially aggrieved when, this fall, BuzzFeed announced a global expansion for ComplexCon. To Complex insiders, BuzzFeed's plan to take the event to Australia, Europe, and Asia simultaneously was unrealistic and under-resourced.

☆ Director Tim Burton on 'Wednesday': 'I felt it was written for me'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Alex Fraser | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LUCCA, Italy, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Filmmaker Tim Burton steps into the macabre and supernatural world of the Addams Family with new series "Wednesday". "I feel like it was written for me because...I felt like I was her as a boy in school," Burton told Reuters at the Lucca Comics and Games pop culture festival in Italy. "That feeling about family, school, technology, therapy, it just spoke to me...so it was very easy to identify with all of that. The Addams Family has been done very well in different ways. [1/4] Film director Tim Burton attends a news conference during the Lucca Comics and Games for the premiere of Netflix's new series 'Wednesday' in Lucca, Italy, October 31, 2022.

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