Author: diamondeyao

‘We are very happy’: Mexico just took a giant leap toward LGBTQ+ equality

Social Justice

After two historic decisions, Mexico has moved closer towards LTBTQ+ equality. In an overwhelming 69-2 vote, the Senate of the Republic voted on October 12 to ban all forms of conversion therapy targeting LGBTQ+ people. The bill is now in the hands of the Chamber of Deputies for final vote. This would outlaw conversion therapy across the country; twelve Mexican states currently outlaw the practice. Additionally, the Congress of the State of Mexico, voted 50-16 to recognize same-sex marriage, making it the 29th Mexican state to do so.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Slovenia becomes first post-communist country to legalize same-sex marriage, adoptions

Social Justice

This week, Slovenia became the first country in Eastern Europe to legalize both same-sex marriage and the adoption of minor children by same-sex couples. In a 48-29 vote, Slovenian lawmakers voted to pass an amendment guaranteeing marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples on October 4. This move follows a decision from the Constitutional Court of Slovenia in July, which found in a 6-3 ruling that prohibiting same-sex marriage and adoptions violated a constitutional prohibition against discrimination. In contrast, Hungary passed a law banning the promotion of “homosexuality or gender change” to minors in media, banned same-sex adoption, ended legal gender recognition for trans people, and redefined marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. Poland has also been treading similar waters, with over 100 cities and municipalities passing symbolic ordinances declaring themselves “LGBT-free” zones.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

For queer Asians, community means family

Asian Communities, Diaspora

After more than two years of physical distancing due to the COVID-19 pandemic many queer Asians feel that need to come together more urgently than ever before and are coming out in force. In Montreal, they gathered in July for the Lotus Festival, the city’s inaugural queer Asian art and culture celebration. In Toronto, they are running youth groups to help teenagers in the community go through the coming-out process. And, in Vancouver, they are having regular multi-generational Drag ’n’ Dim Sum events. Komodo, a Montreal-based burlesque and drag performer and co-organizer of Lotus, has spoken passionately and emotionally to the healing, validation, and support that events like Lotus bring to the community. Bringing people together after difficult years marked by violence, racism and illness was named as another motivation. Meanwhile, Toronto’s Asian Community AIDS Services and Vancouver’s Drag ’n’ Dim Sum events have been garnering increasing amounts of participants and interest.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

A record number of LGBTQ2S+ candidates threw their names on U.S. ballots this year

Social Justice

For the first time ever, LGBTQ2S+ candidates are vying for seats in next week’s elections in all 50 states across the U.S. plus Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. There is hope among advocates that this will lead to other historic firsts, such as the first openly lesbian governor in the country. These increasing numbers follow the “rainbow wave” that started in 2018, but in spite of these record numbers, LGBTQ2S+ people still remain underrepresented across all levels of government. In November, voters will have a chance to elect more LGBTQ2S+ people to office than ever before.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

What you need to know about non-monogamy and mental health

Social Justice

Today, as openness to non-monogamy grows, a number of people—queer and straight, cis and trans alike—are questioning whether monogamy is the ideal relationship structure and many have shifted towards non-monogamous relationships. While these relationships can be a source of joy, they also com with unique challenges, some exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article we speak with Laurie Bissonette to find out how LGBTQ2S+ folks in open relationships can take care of their mental health during the pandemic and beyond.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

We Asked Environmental Activists Their Thoughts on ‘Don’t Look Up’ & Here’s What They Said

Sustainability

The science fiction movie Don’t Look Up has garnered a varying amount of opinions, praise, and criticism. Thus, we asked environmental activists for their thoughts on this movie and heard much on the representation of the news cycle, impact of influencers versus educated experts, the movie’s US-centric narrative, exclusion of marginalized representation, gender and age dynamics, and other topics.

This article is published in STYLECASTER.

How having queer folks in power at non-queer media organizations can shift coverage

Asian Communities, Diaspora, Social Justice

In 2020, Viet Tran launched the magazine Sticky Rice, which focuses on Asian Canadian issues, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rising wave of anti-Asian racism. A psychiatrist by training, Tran is the editor-in-chief of this successful publication, and we sat down with him to discuss how being a gay Asian man at the helm of a non-queer publication influences its coverage.

This article is published in the Poynter Institute.

Future Mothers Can Still Get Breast Implants

Social Justice

Breast implant surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures around the world. For future moms-to-be it is fine to done, so long as potential complications are accounted for. Namely, long-term care will be needed including another surgery down the road, the impact of changes to one’s breasts arising from pregnancy, avoiding breast milk contamination via two to three year MRI scans to check for rupture, and placing the breast incision in a good spot, among other various points.

This article is published in Giddy.

Asian spa workers reflect on the Atlanta shootings, one year later

Asian Communities, Diaspora

On the first anniversary of the Atlanta spa shootings which left eight people dead, six of whom were Asian women and spa workers, massage work has been shoved in the spotlight. Despite the longstanding stigmatism of massage businesses due to their association with sex work, many spa workers don’t engage in sex work. Numerous spa workers continue to face various workplace related issues and harbor fears around undue police intervention.

This article is published in the Washington Post in the Lifestyle section.

Ruth Lor Malloy

Asian Communities, Diaspora, Social Justice

Ruth Lor Malloy (née Lor), journalist, writer, activist (born 4 August 1932, in Brockville, ON). Malloy was a key figure in fighting against discrimination in Ontario in the 1950s (see Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada). She participated in the high profile Dresden restaurant sit-in of 1954. In 1973, she published the first English-language guidebook to China in North America. Throughout her decades-long career, Malloy worked tirelessly to foster intercultural dialogue and justice for marginalized groups.

This article is published in the Canadian Encyclopedia.