Religion Dispatches
…reating serious backlash among BYU students and faculty. Since then, Honor Code enforcement has been conducted through referrals—even third party referrals—of suspect students to a campus Honor Code office, a system of enforcement that has created significant opportunities for abuse. (When I was a BYU student, it was possible to make an anonymous third-party referral.) Honor Code enforcement on campus has been used to bait and target gays and libe…
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…give our people a future of prosperity and security the United States and India stand united.” He went on to praise the people of Mumbai, evoking Gandhi and particularly noting that the strength of India—like the strength of the USA—lies in diversity, which was on full display during those attacks when we saw “Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jews, and Muslims, protecting each other, saving each other, living the common truth of all the world’s great r…
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…There were fliers portraying President of the current opposition party in India, the Indian National Congress party, Sonia Gandhi and Hillary Clinton as horned demons on a “witch hunt” to “get Modi” and his party for alleged involvement in the 2002 riots in Gujarat. Modi governed the state during the violence that took the lives of more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims. In stark contrast, there were large posters displaying Trump in what a…
Read More…entified only by his first name. “There’s never been a law against gays in Japan.” “A lot of gay men in Japan would rather lead a double life,” Yuki added. “Many Japanese gay men went to Taipei to walk in the parade, but would be afraid to do so here.” In a related story, a new poll finds support from a majority of Japanese for changing the law to recognize same-sex unions Kenya: Anglican priests suspended for being gay sue for defamation, reinsta…
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…bidden and punishable by life imprisonment under a section of the criminal code forbidding “offences against morality.” South Korea: Activists denounce LGBT-free education guidelines LGBT equality activists called on the Education Ministry to do away with new sex education guidelines that exclude LGBT topics. According to the Korea Herald, “The government remains reluctant to bring the LGBT topics to the fore in the education field, citing anti-LG…
Read More…News. This is not the first time the Indian government has voiced its consternation at LGBT content in the media, going so far as to ban Dragon Age Inquisition, a video game that featured a prominent gay character, from release in the country. India made the shock move to recriminalise gay sex in a shock ruling two years ago. Despite the government’s ruling, there is still support for gay people in the country with India’s biggest political party…
Read More…porting by non-state online media… Chinese literature documents centuries of gay men. But homosexuality was stigmatized after the Communist revolution in 1949, largely because it was associated with western decadence. Japan: Business community ‘tiptoes’ into LGBT issues The Japan Times reported on July 28 that the country’s business community is “increasingly showing support” for LGBT people, as are some local governments. …
Read More…exual activity,” which could be the lead in to overturn Section 377 of the Indian Penal code that still criminalizes consensual same-sex conduct, a remnant from an 1860 British Colonial Era law that exists in many constitutions across the Commonwealth countries even today. Malta: Civil Union & Adoption Law, Trans Protections in Constitution This week the parliament of Malta passed, and President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca signed into law, a civil…
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…re seen as engaging in religious offense (listed under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code) can face a prison sentence, a hefty fine, or an extra-judicial killing. Whatever the trigger is, and whether or not arrests are made, we see that violence often takes place shortly after. Often, these rumors spread via Facebook or WhatsApp. Soon, a mob will gather. They will destroy homes, shops, and places of worship belonging to the minority community….
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…e, fidelity, equality, and Justice.” Precept fifteen declares that the KTM promote democratic freedoms: expression, conscience, and religion. Precept sixteen states that Knights need to understand “how others get close to God.” Credo sixteen extols the virtue of patriotism. Number nineteen advises humility and nobility, while twenty-two announces that no woman should fear a Knight, but, rather, should feel protected by him. Twenty-nine reiterates…
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