ON 1 March 2012, the High Court dismissed Seksualiti Merdeka‘s leave application to judicially review a police ban on their annual festival. The November 2011 festival was banned under section 27A(1)(c) of the Police Act. The section (since superseded by the Peaceful Assembly Act) allowed the police to stop any activity on private premises “likely […]
sexuality
Uncommon Sense with Wong Chin Huat: Lessons from the Seksualiti Merdeka controversy
By Shanon Shah
Open-ended vs. close-ended democracy?
The benefit of being Malay first
Shape of a Pocket by Jacqueline Ann Surin
ARE you Malay first? Or Malaysian first? But is the question really about which should come first? Why does it seem to matter so much? And which of the two labels — one about race and the other about citizenship — is more profoundly important to us as Malaysian citizens?
What the task force omitted
by Penan Support GroupPenan children (all pics courtesy of Sofiyah Israa) The Penan Support Group (PSG) would like to acknowledge the important role played by the Jawatankuasa Bertindak Peringkat Kebangsaan bagi Menyiasat Dakwaan Penderaan Seksual terhadap Wanita Kaum Penan di Sarawak (the task force) in the mission to ascertain and establish that the reported rapes of Penan women […]
The homophobic media
By Zedeck SiewFOR the past week or so, a Bernama news article entitled Unconventional Methods To Prevent Influenza has been making its rounds on the internet. The reason? It quotes one Dr V M Palaniappan as claiming that masturbation and “homosexual activities” increase the likelihood of swine flu infection. Apparently, such acts cause the body to develop […]
What would Toni say?
By Jacqueline Ann SurinToni Kasim in Turkey, November 2007 (© Julian Lee) “WHAT would Toni say?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself quite frequently in recent times, especially with the constant and new challenges one faces in running an office and being an online journalist. “What would Toni say”, I guess, is my version of Christians who use […]
Islamic state, actually
By Shanon ShahPAS delegates lined up to salam with the incoming and outgoing leadership after the muktamar officially closed on 7 June 2009 WITH PAS, it was never really about “progressives” versus “conservatives”, or “professionals” versus “ulama”. It is, and always has been, about setting up an Islamic state. And so, given Malaysia’s dramatically shifting political landscape, […]
“Kalau you separuh babi pun I terima”
By Shanon ShahSULASTRI Ariffin has been around the world. Manager of the mak nyah (trans women) programme at PT Foundation, she has participated and spoken at conferences on HIV and sexuality in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Switzerland. She has even met Richard Gere — twice. But in her 15 […]
Let’s talk about sex
By Shanon Shah(Dmytro Konstantynov / Dreamstime) PRESS reports that intimate photos of Elizabeth Wong have been exposed and are circulating have opened up a new can of worms. The discussions so far on the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) politician’s case have revolved around our public leaders’ right to privacy. But if it was merely Wong’s privacy that […]
Dear fatwa council and Malaysians…
ON 23 October 2008, the National Fatwa Council of Malaysia issued a fatwa saying that tomboyism, where a girl behaves or dresses in what is seen as a boyish manner, is forbidden by Islam. According to the council chairman, Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin, this decision was made because — in their reasoning — young […]
