Global Roundup: Singapore Talk on Sex & Gender, Argentina Women’s Rights, Europe LGBTQ+ Activists, LGBTQ+ Protesters for Palestine, Black Women Running Club
Global Roundup: Singapore Talk on Sex & Gender, Argentina Women’s Rights, Europe LGBTQ+ Activists, LGBTQ+ Protesters for Palestine, Black Women Running Club
Curated by FG Contributor Samiha Hossain
Supporters attend an annual Pink Dot pride event at Hong Lim Park in Singapore. Photo: AFP
An axed talk in Singapore on sex and gender featuring an academic, an LGBTQ counsellor and a drag queen has again cast a spotlight on divisive undercurrents that still exist in the city state. The Science Centre, organiser of the panel discussion, cancelled the event after receiving “feedback” from the public. The cancellation earlier this month came after Protect Singapore, an NGO that advocates pro-family values, urged its more than 2,000 Telegram subscribers to voice their concerns about the forum to the Science Centre and Singapore’s Education Ministry.
Although Singapore repealed its anti-gay sex law in November 2022, conservative values still run deep. In his August 2022 announcement to repeal Section 377A of the penal code that criminalises gay sex, then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said there was significant risk of the legislation being struck down by judges in future legal challenges, and that societal attitudes towards LGBTQ people had “shifted appreciably.” Lee also said the constitution would be amended to protect the definition of marriage as that between a man and a woman.
Organisers of Pink Dot, Singapore’s annual LGBTQ pride event, expressed disappointment about the cancellation of the talk, saying it could have helped to reduce stigma and encouraged a more informed and inclusive society. They noted a trend of “certain quarters” successfully mobilising to shut down such events for going against the groups’ personal beliefs. However, Protect Singapore rejected the assertion that it “orchestrated a campaign” to cancel the panel.
Michelle Ho, an assistant professor of feminist and queer cultural studies at the National University of Singapore, cautioned against polarising the recent incident.
Approaching this incident in the form of a divisive discourse, e.g. us versus them, is unhelpful because it potentially hurts religious LGBTQ individuals – particularly youths – who have intersecting identities. To avoid being caught in such a bind and to be able to see things from another’s perspective, I would recommend more dialogues with various people, especially if they tend to think quite differently from us. -Michelle Ho
People protest against gender violence in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 3 June 2024. Photograph: Roberto Almeida Aveledo/Zuma Press Wire/Rex/Shutterstock
Javier Milei, Argentina’s far-right president, is poised to dissolve the government department responsible for tackling gender violence, prompting a furious backlash from human rights activists. The decision comes as Milei’s administration cuts back on government spending and imposes sweeping austerity measures in an attempt to lift Argentina out of its economic crisis.
The agency oversees the 144 emergency telephone hotline and the Acompañar programme, which assists those at risk of gender violence. It has already faced cuts – public spending on gender-based violence reduction policies was 26.8% lower in the first quarter of 2024 than in 2023, according to an analysis of government data by the Civil Association for Equality and Justice. Fernanda Tarica, a doctor and founder of NGO Shalom Bait, which supports victims of gender violence, said Argentina is “in the hands of a dangerous man”.
Argentina faces high rates of gender violence, with the number of femicides increasing 11% last year, according to court data. Local observatory Now They See Us has recorded 78 femicides this year, which accounts to one gender-based murder every 37 hours.
Milei is dismantling the last resource against gender violence in public policy. He has established feminism as his enemy and he is punishing women again. -Verónica Gago, researcher and member of the feminist movement #NiUnaMenos (Not One Less)
The state workers association called the move an “enormous setback” and noted that this will be the first time since 1992 that Argentina will “not have an organism responsible for carrying out public policies that promote a life without violence and discrimination, and in favour of equality”. It has called for a protest against the decision on Tuesday.
Through her own struggles, Monika Magashazi said she's trying to amplify the voice of Hungary's transgender community. Image: priva
Monika Magashazi is a 52-year old trans woman who lives in Hungary — a country that has been ruled by Viktor Orban's nationalist Fidesz party since 2010. She said the government was trying to portray trans people as pedophiles and criminals, using seemingly every opportunity to discriminate against them.
[For transgender communities, the situation] has been becoming worse and worse and, unfortunately, we are desperate today in Hungary. -Monika Magashazi
In 2020, Hungary's parliament passed a law practically banning transgender people from legally changing their gender. The bill changed the sex category in official documents to "sex at birth." Once determined, this category can't be altered. Human rights groups have criticized the law, saying it puts trans people at risk of harassment and discrimination because they are forced to reveal their transgender identity every time they need to present their driver's license or passport.
Magashazi is afraid of a rise of the far right in the European elections. Vanessa Santamaria and Laura Magnarin have a similar message. The same-sex couple, who live in Italy, told DW they are one of more than 30 families who had the birth certificate of their child contested. This happened last year after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government ordered local authorities to stop registering children of same-sex parents with both of their names.
It's not just a formality. We are a family, and we think that we have exactly the same rights as all the other families. -Vanessa Santamaria
Santamaria and Magnarin fear the government's aim is to carry out a hate campaign against the LGBTQ+ communities. That's why the two mothers have spoken out against any normalization or cooperation with far-right parties such as Meloni's Brothers of Italy — a party with neo-fascist roots. Meloni has emerged as a potential kingmaker who could have a big say about the EU's key policies after the European elections, courted by both sides — far-right forces and center-right European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Europe's political leaders need to make a decent choice on who they are willing to work with, said Bart Staszewski, a leading Polish LGBTQ+ activist. Staszewski told DW how he and his fellow activists faced targeted attacks from politicians, media and courts under the previous nationalist-conservative government in Poland, how they felt like "second-class citizens." Now with a new government in power, Staszewski hopes the situation in his home country will change profoundly. But it's crucial to remember the lessons learned over the previous years, he stressed.
© Alexa Wilkinson
On Monday, June 3, protesters demonstrated outside the annual gala of an international LGBTQ+ human rights nonprofit in Manhattan, pressuring the organization to speak out against Israel's ongoing siege and bombardment of Gaza, which has so far killed more than 36,000 people. Activists from ACT UP New York, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Audre Lorde Project, and more gathered at Hudson River Park, near Outright International’s annual gala in Manhattan. According to a press release from the organizers, over 300 people attended, almost 100 of whom participated in a “die-in” for 241 seconds to mark 241 days since October 7.
Founded in 1990 with a focus on Russian LGBTQ+ rights, Outright International now works on global issues, documenting human rights violations, and advocating for equality. The organization also holds a “consultative status” within the United Nations, which allows them to have “year-round access to advocate for the human rights of LGBTIQ people directly with representatives of Member States and UN agencies,” according to its website.
Protestors have called on Outright to use its status within the United Nations to advocate for a ceasefire in Palestine, an increase in humanitarian aid, and financial assistance for local LGBTQ+ Palestinian organizations. They are also urging the organization to disclose ties to and divest from funders with connections to Israel.
Outright International has chosen to remain silent on the bombardment, displacement, and killing of Palestinian people despite being an international advocacy organization whose mission calls for them to respond to humanitarian atrocities such as this one. -Protestors' press release
On the morning of the gala, Outright posted a statement to its website outlining the organization's “approach to advocacy in relation to the war in Gaza,” adding that it will only make public statements “when we have something new or unique to add to a discussion, have close civil society partners in or from a country in crisis and they request our support, or when we believe that we can make a tangible difference to people on the ground.” It also provided a list of the actions the organization has taken since October 2023.
ACT UP New York and other LGBTQ+ organizations have been vocal advocates for Palestinian freedom since October. The group has previously protested outside the GLAAD Media Awards and the annual gala of the Human Rights Campaign. They also issued a historic statement in favor of a ceasefire and an endorsement of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction campaign, becoming the first queer legacy organization to do so.
The body-positive, size-inclusive and culturally sensitive running group meets every Saturday in Toronto. Usually between 30 and 50 people attend. (Richie Dos Santos)
Allison Hill is the founder of Hill Run Club – a body-positive, size-inclusive and culturally sensitive running group for Black women in Canada of all running levels. But only a few years ago, Hill thought running just wasn't her thing. That is until the pandemic shuttered gyms and fitness classes, leaving Hill with no outlet for exercise other than running. She was looking for a way to keep both her mind and body well, so she strapped on a pair of beat-up running shoes and hit the pavement. Her runs got progressively longer and more joyous. Now, Hill says she couldn't imagine her life without running. It eventually led her to start Hill Run Club.
Now in its fourth season, the club boasts over 500 registered members across Canada who make up a supportive community of Black women focused on prioritizing their physical and mental wellness. Since its inception, Hill Run Club has helped 50 women cross the finish line of their first race. Hill says there aren't that many Black women with body types similar to hers in sport.
I thought if I shared my story, those who had the same sort of story as me could maybe access the sport as well. -Allison Hill
For many Black women, exercise and wellness are seen as a luxury, and being in service to those around them comes first, Hill said. She hopes the club can help change that perception for members.
I want to help them to understand that this is not a luxury, it's necessary. It's a way you have to move through your life to take care of your health, to take care of your mind and to take care of your body. -Allison Hill
Asha Edwin — a yoga teacher, run lead, coach and researcher for Hill Run Club says helping Black women put their own wellness first is important work. Edwin ran occasionally before joining Hill Run Club in 2023. Alongside a number of other women in the club, she trained for and crossed the finish line of her first marathon in October 2023. Edwin says pushing herself to get out for a run, even when it's difficult, has been "one of the most restorative, healing, validating practices that I've done."
Samiha Hossain (she/her) is an aspiring urban planner studying at Toronto Metropolitan University. Throughout the years, she has worked in nonprofits with survivors of sexual violence and youth. Samiha firmly believes in the power of connecting with people and listening to their stories to create solidarity and heal as a community. She loves learning about the diverse forms of feminist resistance around the world.