Author: diamondeyao

Antigua and Barbuda strikes down law criminalizing gay sex in victory for LGBTQ+ community

Social Justice

In a landmark ruling for its LGBTQ+ community, anti-buggery laws were struck down in Antigua and Barbuda. Honourable Justice Marissa Robertson of the twin island nation’s High Court ruled on July 5 that sections 12 and 15 of the Sexual Offences Act of 1995 contravene its constitution. The Sexual Offences Act states that a person who commits “buggery,” which is defined as either sexual intercourse between two male persons or acts of anal sex between male person and a female person, is guilty of a criminal offence. While this news has been celebrated as a step forward, it has been noted that queer and trans people in Antigua and Barbuda have no protections against discrimination in areas like housing, employment and public accommodations at the federal level.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Injectable PrEP is safe and effective in preventing HIV/AIDS among trans women, study finds

Social Justice

A recent study found that long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective and safe for trans women in preventing HIV/AIDS. The new research presented at the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal on July 31 showed that PrEP works just as well for trans women as the treatment does for bisexual and gay men. Additionally, the report also indicated that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) had no effect on the effectiveness of PrEP, which itself has been found to reduce the risk of HIV by up to 99 percent. This has led to calls for making the drug more affordable and accessible for members of the LGBTQ+ community, notably by Grinzstejn, head of the STD/AIDS clinical research laboratory at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Brazil.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

New study finds that top surgery improves quality of life in trans youth

Social Justice

A new study published by Northwestern Medicine researchers in peer-reviewed journal JAMA Pediatrics, has discovered that top surgery improves quality of life in trans youth. It compared two groups of patients aged 14 to 24: one group of 36 patients received top surgery, while a control group of 34 patients received gender-affirming care without top surgery. Three months later those with top surgery experienced much less chest dysphoria than before while the control group had no change. Additionally, an analysis by What We Know Project found that 93 percent of studies on gender transition concluded that the process improved the overall well-being of trans respondents.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Pakistan’s trans community fears loss of protections as senator launches attack on trans rights bill

Asian Communities, Social Justice

Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, Pakistan’s largest religious party, filed a petition to rescind protections for trans people in the country arguing that Pakistan’s 2018 Transgender Rights Bill went against the country’s Islamic principles. The senator also suggested that people who wish to change their gender marker should undergo a medical test first, though he did not clarify what exactly the test would entail. Previously the senator has also said that “Transgender is an American term, it has no place in Islam, and the legislation regarding the transgender community is against Quran and Sunnah, and it will promote homosexuality”. The bill in question protects a number of rights, including trans people’s rights to be referred to by “self-perceived” gender and to update their ID and existing documents to reflect this.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Watching Dune, I’m reminded of the young European explorers I envied — and resented — in my youth

Social Justice

Watching Dune, I felt myself reminded of several old childhood memories. Paul Atreides was reminiscent of young European explorers from the Age of Discovery, heroes charged with a royal mandate to explore, albeit they ultimately harmed the existing inhabitants of the locations they would visit. These explorers begged the question of why they could have a heroic adulthood filled with travel and adventures, when people like me — young, female, Asian — were told that life’s greatest adventure was to bear children? Growing up these ambitions did not feel acceptable and there were no models I could lean on. Today I try to be one of these models and show young people that the can be the hero of their own stories.   

This article is published in the CBC as part of the CBC’s First Person stories.

Annamie Paul’s resignation signals a loss of hope. Who will bear the brunt of the climate emergency? Indigenous, low-income communities

Sustainability

Between the resignation of Annamie Paul from the Green Party, and the federal government’s inability to follow through with environmental promises, many racialized and marginalized groups are feeling a loss of hope in the fight against climate change. Indigenous voice in particular find themselves silenced and ignored in this plight, highlighting how social and environmental justice are inextricably tied to one and other. To move forward, the environmental concerns of marginalized communities must be advocated for at the highest levels of our government.

This opinion piece is published in the Toronto Star in the Contributors column.

Sprouting seeds of hope: How a garden united Montreal’s Chinese diaspora

Asian Communities, Diaspora

Creating a community environment of sharing and increasing awareness of food security and urban sustainability are the aims of Green Chinatown Montreal (GCM). Founded in 2011 in Montreal’s Chinatown the GDM brought together multiple generations of Chinese-Canadians and helped them reconnect with nature and their agricultural roots. Today it finds itself in whatever space is available, their original location lost, as it seeks to return to Chinatown and as several members hope to build solidarity with the Indigenous community that lives in Chinatown.

This article is published in The Monitor.

Racism led to a rise in anti-Asian hate in the pandemic. What the community wants to see in Canada’s next leader

Asian Communities, Diaspora, Social Justice

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and disruptions and among them was a spike in anti-Asian racism. Asian-Canadians seniors faced a surge of attacks and many Asian-Canadian businesses were the victim of vandalism. In this article we hear from members of the Chinese-Canadian community on their concerns regarding this issue, access to health-care, and what members of the community want to see in Canada’s next leader.

This article is published in the Toronto Star in the GTA column.

Vegetarianism Has Deep Spiritual Roots in Asian Cultures – Yet Many Asian Vegetarians Report Feeling Judged, Attacked, and Dismissed

Asian Communities, Diaspora

Vegetarianism runs deep in many Asian cultures and adopting a vegetarian lifestyle is on the rise worldwide. Yet, alongside this rise there has also been a disturbing rise in racist and xenophobic behaviour among vegetarian communities. I talked to multiple Asians about their experiences relating to their vegetarian diets and challenges from their own communities and society as a whole.

This article is published in the Vegetarian Times, which is dedicated to vegetarian topics and issues.

Un projet de restaurant crée un tollé dans la communauté asiatique de Montréal

Asian Communities

La publicité d’un restaurant qui ouvrira bientôt, Geisha Montreal, a provoqué un tollé dans la communauté asiatique de Montréal. Cette campagne promotionnelle comprend des images de femmes asiatiques hypersexualisées, des fausses geishas, et mélangé des cultures différentes. Avec la montée du racisme anti-asiatique, d’appropriation culturelle, et que les propriétaires du restaurant effaçaient les commentaires critiques des avertissements, les raisons de cet outrage se précisent.

Cet article a été publié dans Pivot.