126 articles
Government
Japan’s top court axes sterilization surgery requirement for legal gender change
Japan’s Supreme Court has ruled that a law requiring transgender individuals to undergo sterilization surgery to officially change their gen...
Michelle De Pacina
Hong Kong’s top court urges government to create ‘legal recognition’ for same-sex relationships
Hong Kong’s top court has urged the government to create an alternative framework for same-sex relationships to be legally recognized. The f...
Entertainment
MGM releases trailer for teen sex comedy ‘Bottoms’ starring Havana Rose Liu
MGM released a new trailer for the upcoming film “Bottoms” starring Havana Rose Liu, Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott. About the film: “Bottom...
Editorial Staff
Civil Rights
Japan court rules same-sex marriage ban ‘unconstitutional’
A district court in Nagoya, Japan, has become the second district court in the country to rule that banning same-sex couples from marrying i...
Bryan Ke
Culture
Taiwan passes bill that allows same-sex couples to adopt children
Taiwan’s legislature has passed an amendment that will grant same-sex couples the right to jointly adopt children. The amendment was passed ...
Super Junior’s Choi Siwon accused of transphobia over shared meme
K-pop star Choi Siwon, a member of the popular group Super Junior, has been accused of transphobia over a meme he posted on a private online...
Ryan General
10,000 people march, demand progress in Tokyo’s first Pride parade in 4 years
Tokyo on Sunday saw its first full Pride parade in four years, with participants calling for more progress as Japan prepares to host the 49t...
Carl Samson
News
Japanese scientists create litter of mice with 2 fathers
Japanese researchers have successfully used male mouse cells to create eggs, marking a significant breakthrough in reproductive biology. Th...
Olympic diver Tom Daley receives inaugural George Takei Advocate Award
British Olympic diver Tom Daley will be the recipient of the inaugural George Takei Advocate Award. Takei, who has been a vocal advocate fo...
Politics
Oli London tackles gender, identity struggles in new memoir ‘Detransition’
British influencer Oli London has announced the pre-release of his memoir, “Detransition,” on Friday. London, 33, became known after undergo...
Japan PM fires aide for homophobic remarks
Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fired and then apologized for his aide’s homophobic remarks. On Friday, Kishida’s now-former aide, Arai ...
Iris Jung
Rebel Wilson slammed online for Dubai trip months after coming out
Several Instagram users heavily criticized actor Rebel Wilson for taking her fiancée on a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), months ...
Taiwan officially recognizes same-sex marriages of transnational couples
Before you read: Taiwan Becomes the First Country in Asia to Legalize Gay Marriage Taiwan Just Proved Once Again It’s the Most Progressive E...
Crime
Singaporean OnlyFans star Titus Low sentenced to 3 weeks in jail, fined $2,000
Singaporean influencer Titus Low was sentenced on Wednesday to three weeks in jail and ordered to pay 3,000 Singaporean dollars (approximat...
Opinion
My mother’s ultimatum: I had one shot at a successful gay relationship — or I had to move on
They gave me one shot at making it. At dating any boy and going all the way to the end with him. But if I failed, if that one relationship ...
Brian Zhang
Music
First openly gay K-pop idol Holland says he was attacked in Itaewon, called ‘a dirty gay’
K-pop star Holland, whose real name is Go Tae-seob, said he was attacked and called “a dirty gay” in Seoul on Wednesday. “Last night, I wa...
Chantale Wong becomes first LGBTQ plus person of color, out lesbian confirmed as ambassador
The Senate confirmed Chantale Wong as the director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday. With the new role, Wong became the firs...
First openly gay K-pop boy band releases single ‘Show Me Your Pride’
South Korea’s first openly gay boy band released an anthem for the LGBTQ+ community as their first song. Pride of the Lionesses: Four-member...
Recoil Magazine Addresses Controversy Over LGBT Advocate, ‘Top Shot’ Winner Chris Cheng Cover
Recoil admitted they were taken aback by the controversy surrounding the magazine cover draft posted on social media featuring Asian America...
Bhutan’s Parliament Approves Bill to Legalize Gay Sex
Lawmakers in Bhutan approved on Thursday a bill that legalizes gay sex, delighting activists who have been fighting for LGBT rights in the c...
Sri Lanka Police Anally Torture, Whip Gay Men Suspected of Having Sex, Human Rights Watch Says
Police in Sri Lanka are employing inhuman ways to confirm whether a man has engaged in gay sex, according to a new report from Human Rights ...
Indonesia’s Military to Kick Out Soldiers Discovered to Be Gay
Indonesia’s military is set to sanction soldiers found to be members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transsexual or Transgender (LGBT) co...
Politician Makes History as the First Openly Gay Candidate in Myanmar
A gay man will run for public office in Myanmar in November, marking a first in the Southeast Asian country’s history. Myo Min Tun, 39...
Japan Airlines to Stop Using ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’ to Be More Gender-Inclusive
Japan Airlines (JAL) will now address all its passengers with gender-inclusive alternatives to replace the customary “ladies and gentl...
CA Republican Candidate Boasts She Pulled Daughter Out of College for Supporting LGBTQ+ Equality
A video was unearthed showing Republican congressional candidate Michelle Park Steel bragging about putting her daughter in a Jesuit school ...
Homophobia on the Rise as Korea Reports 1,500 Exposed to COVID-19 in ‘Gay Clubs’
Fears of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in South Korea made international headlines over the weekend after a man with COVID-19 ...
Jameela Jamil Comes Out as Queer After People Were Angry She Was Cast in an LGBTQ Show
British actor Jameela Jamil came out as queer after facing backlash over her casting in an upcoming LGBTQ+-interest show. The 33-year-old ac...
Cambodian Children Will Get Lessons on LGBTQ+ Acceptance Starting 2020
Students in Cambodia will soon receive lessons on LGBTQ+ issues, a move expected to eradicate prevailing discrimination against the communit...
Miss Myanmar Becomes First Openly Gay Miss Universe Contestant
Miss Myanmar Swe Zin Htet bravely came out as a lesbian just days before stepping on the stage for the final of Miss Universe on Sunday in A...
Woman Invites Parents on Cruise to Come Out as Lesbian Because It’s Still Very Taboo in China
A Chinese woman who took her parents out on a cruise to come out has easily become an inspiration for other gender minorities struggling to ...
7 LGBTQ Asian Americans to Celebrate During Pride Month
New York City will be hosting World Pride this year and Taiwan became the first in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage last month, but there...
Khier Casino
Sikh Man Designs Epic Rainbow Turban for Pride Month
A Sikh man in San Diego has gone viral on social media after sharing a photo of himself wearing a rainbow turban he had designed in celebrat...
Instagram
Matchmaker: A Story of Growing Up Gay in a Homophobic Asian Family
Editor’s Note: The following piece was chosen as the winner of NextShark’s personal Essay Contest 2019. The views expressed in s...
Karen Zheng
Tourism Ministry Backs TF Up After Suggesting Malaysia Has No Gay People
Amid an intense backlash, Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture was forced to clarify its minister’s controversial comments regar...
Asia
Filipino Dictator’s Daughter Tweets in ‘Support of LGBTQ Community,’ Gets Ridiculed By Netizens
A Filipino politician running for senator earned ridicule on Twitter after posting a series of tweets which were purportedly in support of t...
Gay Filipino-Korean Songwriter Owns Country in Hilarious Music Video
A Filipino-Korean writer, actor and musician from Ohio is the star of a new music video that hilariously weaves gay culture, Asian stereotyp...