Japan: City of Nara targets LGBT economy

The city of Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, will target LGBT tourists from Japan and abroad. Plans include earmarking ¥2.08 million in the budget for the next fiscal year to inform hoteliers and innkeepers and other businesses about LGBT culture and how to make same-sex couples feel welcome, the city said.

In addition, Nara has said it will join the Florida-based International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. It will be the first Japanese municipality to become a member. The budgeted funds will be used for seminars for area businesses interested in attracting more LGBT customers, and the city will seek advice from the association on specific tips for improving service, especially for LGBT couples from overseas.

Kyoto has recently made more efforts to cater to LGBT couples, with both the Hotel Granvia and Kyoto’s Shunkoin Temple now offering same-sex wedding ceremonies. Read more via Japan Times 

Asia: Social media app Hornet invests in gay men's health

Hornet is committed to HIV health innovation and is investing in its Health Innovation Group with a new officer for SE Asia. Data shows that HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men in this region continues to increase while prevalence among the general population has been in decline. Very few gay men are knowledgeable about PrEP or the benefits of effective HIV treatment for improved health or prevention. Additionally, gay men continue to encounter significant barriers when accessing treatment or prevention. 

"I want to see more gay men getting tested and accessing appropriate treatment or prevention services following their test," said Lieu Anh Vu, Hornet's new Health and Innovation Strategist for Southeast Asia.  Vu joins Hornet from United Nations Development Programme UNDP where he worked as an LGBT social justice and health advocacy.

Hornet recognizes the unique opportunity that social networking apps present in ongoing efforts to improve the health and wellness of gay men around the globe. The endeavors in Southeast Asia is part of an ongoing investment in the lives of gay men and fostering of stronger community relationships.  Read more via PR Newswire 

US: Why the LGBT community needs to support Apple's battle against the Feds

Last week, the U.S. government revealed that Apple refused a request by the FBI to unlock the iPhone carried by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Following this revelation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that requiring the company to create a bypass to the phone would set a dangerous precedent and would undermine the security of all such mobile devices.

During my time working for the Army, I lived a "double life" under the military's don't ask, don't tell ban as a closeted trans woman in a relationship with a man. Living under the ban, I regularly used encryption to shield my personal information on my laptop and mobile devices from colleagues living in close quarters. However, things could have been even more high stakes for me. If I were a closeted trans woman, while living and working in less open countries—such as Russia, Uganda, and Nigeria—I could face imprisonment, torture, and even death, if exposed. This is why queer and trans people living in such countries now use encrypted devices, such as Apple's iPhone 5C, to build and maintain its communities while avoiding the dangerous scrutiny of others.

Now, as the U.S. government seeks a novel judicial bac door to one phone, all of our encrypted data on most of our mobile devices and personal computers could be compromised by adversaries of queer and trans people who seek to cause us harm.  Read more via Advocate

Hungary: Gay Brazilian students assaulted in hate crime

Two young men were convicted for the crime of violence against a member of a community for attacking and spitting at two gay Brazilian students studying in Budapest on April 21, 2014.

Levi and Lucas were studying in Hungary for a year on a Brazilian state scholarship. On April 21, 2014 they were heading home with a friend after a movie night, when two men stopped them and started questioning them on their sexual orientation and whether they had slept with women before. The victims tried to get out of the situation, but their attackers stood in the way, kicked one of them, spat at the other, while calling them “faggot” several times.

“The case calls attention to how false the popular misconception is that homophobic and transphobic hate crimes happen only at the Pride March in Hungary” - says Tamás Dombos of the Legal Aid Service of Háttér. “For many LGBTQI people such attacks are part of their everyday life, and yet they do not report it, because they have no trust in the police or are afraid of them. It is very import to report all such incidents, that is why we launched our Report homophobia! website and smartphone app.”  Read more via Hatter Society 

Japan: Panasonic to recognize people in same-sex unions

From April, Panasonic Corp. will recognize its employees in same-sex unions, possibly conferring on them the paid leave and other benefits currently enjoyed by married employees. The change in policy was prompted by requests from its employees and the International Olympic Committee’s ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation under its Olympic Charter. 

Few Japanese companies have taken such a bold step, but with the group’s global workforce of about 250,000, Panasonic could motivate other firms to follow suit. The company also plans to place a nondiscrimination clause on sexual orientation in its employee code of conduct.

Because only a handful of local administrations in Japan are currently issuing certificates recognize same-sex partnerships as being equivalent to marriage, Panasonic is still trying to determine what kind of documentation it will require to recognize same-sex unions. Read more via Japan Times

Saudi Arabia: This hashtag is filled with suggestions of how to kill gay people

Burning and castration are just two modes of executions that have been suggested after a video was posted online that allegedly showed a same-sex wedding in Saudi Arabia.

Over the last few weeks, a new hashtag has begun spreading across Arabic-language social media: “#اقترح_طريقة_لقتل_الشواذ” which translates to “#suggest_a_way_to_kill_the_faggots.” The hashtag appeared to have been born after this video was posted online on January 25 with the hashtag “زواج_للشواذ_في_جدة#” which means “faggots’_wedding_ in_ Jeddah.” Read more via Buzzfeed 

Saudi Arabia: YouTube stars call for gays to be executed

Popular Saudi Arabian YouTubers posted a shockingly homophobic video to YouTube. Uploaded by Fe2aFala – popular Arabic vloggers who have more than 500,000 subscribers, racking up over 45 million views 

In a shocking video uploaded to the video site, the young men rant about “Deviant marriage in Riyadh”, apparently after a local raid of a ceremonial gay wedding. They added: “We would like to thank the police for beating their asses.”

The men continue to insist that gays are “disgusting and nasty”, asking Allah to send his “godly wrath” upon them. The men then discuss whether gays are “mentally ill” and needing a “cure” – or whether they are “animals” who need to be “executed in the most horrific ways”. After outcry, YouTube took action to pull the video, with a message now explaining though it has been re-uploaded. Read more via Pink News 

UK: Absolute fear’ keeps gay athletes in the closet

Athletes, business leaders and influential figures from the world of sport took part in a ground-breaking conference yesterday at the Aon offices in the iconic Leadenhall Building in the city of London. Team Pride: LGBT in Sports was created to bring the business world and sports world together to share resources, best practice and open up a dialogue on LGBT inclusion in the sporting world.

Why should the business world care about LGBT inclusion in sport? Chiefly because commercial sport depends on major sponsorship. According to former NBA player John Amaechi, ‘the business world is starting to look at the people they’re spending £45billion worth of sponsorship on, and they’re saying “How can we spend with you if what you stand for is opposed to what we stand for?”’ Read more via Gay Star News

Spain: Free metro passes for transgender people

Madrid's metro has announced it will give away a batch of free annual travel passes to transgender people in the city. Thirty-eight passes will be distributed as part of an effort to promote the social integration of transgender men and women across the Spanish capital, according to the metro's website. "Madrid Metro considers it a priority to raise awareness among the public so as to avoid any type of discrimination and prejudice," it says.

The scheme is a collaboration between the local government-run transport network and the non-profit Spanish Association of Transsexuals (AET), which campaigns for transsexual, transgender, gay and lesbian equality across Spain. The organisation doesn't specify how the recipients of the passes will be chosen, simply saying that they will be people "experiencing social exclusion".

Some social media users have reacted warmly to the plan, with one tweeting: "What a beautiful initiative! Everything that improves human relations is welcome!" But other comments are more negative. Some users think giving travel benefits to one group is unfair to everyone else, while others say that rather than being inclusive, the scheme singles out transgender men and women as different. Read more via BBC 

US: Religious Freedom Act cost Indy up to 12 conventions and $60M

The furor surrounding last year's Religious Freedom Restoration Act might have cost the city of Indianapolis as many as 12 conventions and up to $60 million in economic impact, the city's nonprofit tourism arm confirmed Monday evening.

Though they come with some caveats, the numbers from Visit Indy represent the most tangible effects yet of a controversy that city officials and business leaders long warned would cause real damage to Indianapolis' reputation. When Gov. Mike Pence signed RFRA into law last March, it was met with fierce backlash from civil rights groups across the country, who worried that it would allow Hoosiers to discriminate against LGBT people on the basis of religion. Days later, a so-called "fix" was signed into law to clarify that the state law was not intended to override local civil rights protections.

"It’s baffling how delusional Mike Pence is on his claim that there’s no direct correlation between LGBT rights and the Hoosier economy," Drew Anderson, spokesman for the Indiana Democratic Party, said in a statement. "In fact, Pence’s out-of-touch ideology comes from an ideologue — not a governor. When he signed RFRA last year, Mike Pence threw Indiana directly into a $250 million economic panic, including Indianapolis’ $60 million.” Read more via Indy Star  

India’s first LGBT radio taxi service announced

The initiative by Wings Travels and Humsafar Trust will have taxis chauffeured by the LGBT community members, and is expected to start functioning in 2017.

India’s first radio taxi service for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community, Wings Rainbow, was flagged off on Wednesday. The initiative by Wings Travels and Humsafar Trust will have taxis chauffeured by LGBT community members, and is expected to start functioning in 2017. On Wednesday, five volunteers from The Humsafar Trust, an LGBT rights organisation, signed up to drive radio cabs.

Under the pilot programme, five members of the gay and transgender community will apply for a learner’s licence, and complete their training in getting the All India Driver’s Licence. Read more