Ghulam Nabi Azad Fucks homosexuality an UN-Natural Disease ?

India's health minister derided homosexuality as an unnatural "disease" from the West at an HIV/AIDS conference, drawing outrage Tuesday from a U.N. official and activists who said the comments set back campaigns for gay rights and against HIV.

In a hastily called news conference Tuesday evening, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said he was misquoted, though video of Monday's speech has aired repeatedly on Indian television.

"Some people have played with the words. I have been quoted out of context," he said. "My reference was to HIV as a disease. As health minister, I know (male homosexual sex) is not a disease."

His original speech echoed a common refrain in the conservative South Asian nation that homosexuality is a Western import.

"It is a matter of concern that, unfortunately, in the world and in our country this disease has arisen, where men are having sex with men, which is unnatural and should not be happening," Azad said, speaking in Hindi.

Anjali Gopalan, who heads the NAZ Foundation, a rights group that works with HIV positive people and promotes equal rights for homosexuals, said Azad's initial comments were deeply troubling coming from the health minister of a country fighting a tough battle against HIV infections.

"These comments help no cause. It's definitely not going to help in our fight against HIV," she told The Associated Press.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi and a slew of government ministers were present at the conference Monday.

Singh should consider firing Azad, said Anand Grover, the U.N. special rapporteur on health.

"His remarks are completely insensitive. It lowers the dignity of the gay community," he said. "It is unacceptable to have a minister talking like this."

Roughly 2.5 million Indians have HIV, making it the country with the largest number of people living with the virus in Asia.

Experts say the marginalization of gay people keeps them isolated and makes it harder for HIV/AIDS awareness messages to reach them.

"If you're not going to invest in community building, then gay people will continue to be marginalized," Gopalan said.

In 2009, the Delhi High Court struck down a colonial era law — Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code — that made sex between people of the same gender punishable by up to 10 years in prison. While actual criminal prosecutions were rare, the law was frequently used to harass people.

The court ruling was noteworthy in a country where even heterosexual sex is rarely discussed openly.

Over the last decade, homosexuals have slowly gained a degree of acceptance in a few parts of India, especially its big cities. Many bars have gay nights, and some high-profile Bollywood films have dealt with gay issues. The last two years have also seen large gay pride parades in New Delhi and other big cities such as Mumbai and Kolkata.

Still, being gay remains deeply taboo in most of the country, and many homosexuals hide their sexual orientation from friends and families.

"How can the health minister say something so unscientific and irrational?" Nitin Karani, a gay rights activist told a television new channel. "He needs to apologize immediately or he needs to go."

This is not the first time Azad's words have embarrassed the government.

A few years ago, he suggested Indians watch television instead of having sex as a means to stem population growth in the nation of 1.2 billion people.

Azad''s remarks on homosexuality invite flak from Bollywood , Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad''s comments on homosexuality have not gone down well with several Bollywood personalities, who have criticised his "regressive" stand on the issue. 

 The Health Minister had yesterday described homosexuality as a ''disease'' and regretted that despite being ''unnatural'', it now afflicts a substantial number of people in India.

"Ghulam Nabi Azad needs urgent counseling for his regressive statement. His ''unnatural'' stand is dangerous for healthy democracy. Its because of these regressive people the largest democracy in the world deprives the largest number of sexual minorities their democratic rights," filmmaker Onir tweeted.

Actress Celina Jaitly, who is a supporter of the rights and equality of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community and supports the gay rights movement in India, said, "I m shocked to hear that our health minister would make a statement about homosexuality calling it a "disease" WHO does not think so Sir!."

"Dear honourable Mr Health Minister, the World Health Organization (WHO) removed homosexuality from its list of diseases in 1990," Celina said.

Filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani said, "Just woke up to read the astonishing comments made by our Union Health Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who claims Homosexuality is a disease!! (Speechless...Abusive...ROFL...Abusive again....Pensive.)" PTI KKP DK

Azad's comments on MSM shocking: Gay community

Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad's comment that men having sex with men (MSM) is a 'disease' and 'unnatural' has drawn flak from the gay community and activists who have been fighting tooth and nail for greater social acceptability for homosexuals. 

Mohnish Malhotra, who has been long involved in the fight for gay rights and is one of the organisers of the annual gay pride, said the minister's comments were shocking.

'It's shocking that such a comment was made by the country's health minister,' Malhotra told IANS. 'Even the UN passed a resolution saying that the LGBT community has equal rights as anyone else and cannot be discriminated on the basis of their sexual orientation,' he added.

On Monday at a conference on HIV/AIDS, Azad said: 'The disease of MSM is unnatural and not good for India. We are not able to identify where it is happening as it is less reported also.'

'It is a challenge because in cases of female sex workers we can identify the community and reach out to them. But in case of MSM, it is becoming difficult,' he added.

He also pointing to increased efforts to promote condoms, treat sexually transmitted diseases, and launch information and communication programmes among transgenders and sex workers.

Strongly disagreeing with the minister's comment, Ashok Row Kavi from Hamsafar Trust said: 'Gay sex is not unnatural. It is a matter of one's sexual orientation. If out of 100 children, five are left-handed, do you call them unnatural?'.

Amrita Sharma, an activist, said the health minister should limit himself to talking about health issues instead of commenting on a person's sexuality.

'Homosexual sex is just as natural as heterosexual sex. In a democracy, gays should have the same rights as heterosexuals...Most sex workers use condoms. The problem arises when men have sex outside of marriage without protection,' she added.

Financial corruption in MSM NGO/CBO at Secunderabad funded by NACO 

This is to inform you that an NGO/CBO based at Secunderabad has been involved in a huge financial corruption and fraud during following 1 year. The concerned NGO/CBO has been granted a MSM (PLHA) DIC along with Prophylaxis Treatment and MSM TI has done so…….
Office Rent: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs)project has Rs.7333.33/ per month towards Office rent where another TI project has been running in the same premises for which separate funds upto Rs.12000 has been sanctioned for DIC and Office . From 5 months it has become more problem for MSM PLHAs as they feel stigmatised to share same DIC with the Non-PLHA MSMs hence they stopped coming to PLHA DIC. The funds allotted for such DIC, Clinic and Office rent under TI project has been already withdrawn and shown as used in the financial reports of the organisation by management.

Medicines Cost: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs) has been granted Rs.3951.5/- per month but for 10 months for purchase of medicines for PLHA’s ,a single MSM PLHA has not been granted such costs for their medicines but the amount has been consumed by the management producing fake bills.
Electricity Charges: The Concerned NGO/CBO for MSM (PLHAs)project has been granted Rs.337/- per month towards electricity charges but, in the same office premises the DIC, clinic and Administrative Offices of the other projects(Crisis and TI) has been maintained which has been already granted separate amount of Rs.800/-per month under those concerned projects ,same electricity bills are produced as proof in all the projects.
Advocacy Expenses: Concerned NGO/CBO has been granted Rs.12000 half yearly to do an event to mobilize, building network and sensitise the MSM (PLHAs) project network ,where only 1 event has been done and the other event has been claimed producing fake bills and report.
Community Event: The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI project has been granted Rs.10000/- towards one Community Event to be conducted in 1 quarter till date not have been done.
Equipment for DIC: The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI has been granted Rs.20000/- towards Purchase of TV, DVD and playing things in DIC but till today no such equipment has found in DIC or Office but the amount for the same has been withdrawn by management.
Peer Educator Honorarium and Travel : The Concerned NGO/CBO working for MSM TI has been granted 20 Peer Educators to various hotspots but they have not been appointed fully till today ,the HRGs are not, delivered condoms at such hotspots .Honorarium to such Peer Educators where ever self has been paid has been withdrawn and utilised by management itself.
If this is all regarding financial corruption above all we pleased to inform you that so called NGO/CBO has 5 BENAMI directors for whom such lakhs of project has been handed over for a proper cause please check the signatures of all the directors.
We request the funders that huge amount of funds flow in the HIV/AIDS sector for a proper cause, but because of these cheaters and fraud the objectives behind such need has not been fulfilled and today if you go to any ICTCs working around Secunderabad HIV prevalence has been increased from 7% to 12 %.Awake ,Arise and Act now.

AVAGAAHANA Group

A network…….

CRIMAL Eunuchs kill passenger in train ?

A gang of miscreants, posing as eunuchs, stabbed a man in the general bogey of the Patna-Bangalore Sanghamitra Express on Tuesday night. The eunuchs were demanding Rs 50 from Rakesh Kumar Shau who had parted with only Rs 10. Bleeding profusely from the attack, he later succumbed to injuries.

The latest incident underlined the increasing menace of eunuchs, beggars and other miscreants who harass passengers after entering the trains illegally when it stops at signals. With most incidents taking place in long-distance trains, a nexus between the security forces and offenders cannot be ruled out. Of late, incidents of miscreants posing as eunuchs have risen in trains even as the Railway Protection Force (RPF) turns a Nelson's Eye.

Shau, who was in his 20s and married only a year ago, had boarded the train from Patna on Monday evening. He and five others worked at a Bangalore-based construction company as masons. A couple of Shau's co-travellers too were injured in the attack. The injured remained unattended for a long time after the train stopped on platform No 2 at the Nagpur station.

The incident took place at 10pm on Monday night after the train halted at a signal just before Nagpur. Three so-called eunuchs, with typical mannerisms and a gaudy make-up, entered the general bogey towards the rear end of the train.

"They demanded Rs 50. We asked them to settle for Rs 10 as we were not carrying much cash with us. However, they were not willing to listen," said Ravi Kumar, who was Shau's co-traveller. "Suddenly, they started snatching our wallets and tickets. They were carrying small knives too. This led to a mild scuffle. Nobody came to our help."

One of the miscreants, identifying herself as Sapna then spoke to someone on the mobile phone. "They pulled the chain so four more attackers could board the train. Two waited on the tracks while around six started attacking us even as the train remained standing," said Ravi Kumar. Shau received multiple stab injuries on the back of his left leg. The men approached the Government Railway Police after they reached the Nagpur. While a section of GRP personnel rushed the injured Shau and others to the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital, another headed by assistant sub-inspector Premlal Samudure rushed to the Motibagh, Gaddigodam and Pilli Nadi localities to look for Sapna and her gang.

The police has managed to nab Swapnil Bauria, alias Sapna, Vijay Chafle, alias Saloni, Aman Mendhe, Yogesh Bhoyar and Ajay Bawne. "Bhoyar assaulted Shau with the knife while the others beat him up," said Chandrashekhar Bhabal, Sr PI of GRP. Bhoyar has a prior criminal record too, said the cops.

GRP officials said that RPF should patrol more in the trains to ensure such incidents do not take place. "RPF has the power to take action against the eunuchs under section 145 of Indian Railways Act," said a GRP personnel.

Eunuchs Beat and rob Train Commute
A businessman from Nerul, Amar Sant, 34, was beaten up and then robbed by a group of eunuchs on a CST-bound train from Dombivli around 8:30 pm on Friday. Police have launched a manhunt for the assaulters in this first instance of eunuchs brutally beating up someone.

Sant recalled, “When the train reached Thane, four eunuchs boarded the First Class compartment, and asked for money. There were only three others in the compartment.I waved my hand in refusal, as I was on my mobile. A few minutes later, they came back, and I refused again. That’s when one of them hit me on my head and others

joined him in beating me. After a few blows to my head, I became unconscious.
Next I remember being shaken awake by commuters at Kurla, while I was lying in the passage.” Sant was robbed of around Rs 3,000. Fellow commuters assisted him to get off the train, called his friends, who took him to Sion hospital. Medical examination of injuries to his head and spine showed only bruises to his back, and Sant has been advised rest.

On Saturday, Sant reported the matter to Thane GRP, who registered a case under Section 323 (assault). Rajendra Kathawate, Senior PI, Thane GRP said, “It is a serious offence, and we have alerted the Railway Police Force. Our teams are on lookout for the eunuchs.”

Indians pay surgeons to turn girls into boys

Indian doctors have been accused of conducting sex change operations on young girls whose parents want sons to improve the family's income prospects. 

Madhya Pradesh state government is investigating claims that up to 300 girls were surgically turned into boys in one city after their parents paid about £2,000 each for the operations.

Women's and children's rights campaigners denounced the practice as a "social madness" that made a "mockery of women in India".

India's gender balance has already been tilted in favour of boys by female foeticide – sex selection abortions - by families who fear the high marriage costs and dowries they may have to pay. There are now seven million more boys than girls aged under six in the country.

Campaigners said the use of surgery meant that girls were no longer safe even after birth.

The row emerged after newspapers disclosed children from throughout India were being operated on by doctors in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

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Doctors confronted in the investigation claimed that girls with genital abnormalities were being sent to the city's clinics to be "surgically corrected" and that only children born with both male and female sexual characteristics were eligible for the procedure. But campaigners said the parents and doctors were misindentifying the children's conditions to turn girls into boys.

The surgery, known as genitoplasty, fashions a penis from female organs, with the child being injected with male hormones to create a boy.

Dr V P Goswami, the president of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics in Indore, described the disclosures as shocking and warned parents that the procedure would leave their child impotent and infertile in adulthood.

"Genitoplasty is possible on a normal baby of both the sexes but later on these organs will not grow with the hormonal influence and this will lead to their infertility as well as their impotency. It is shocking news and we will be looking into it and taking corrective measures," he said. "Parents have to consider the social as well as the psychological impact of such procedures on the child."

India's National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights ordered the Madhya Pradesh government to investigate the claims and produce its findings within 15 days.

Ranjana Kumari, of the Centre for Social Research and one of India's leading campaigners against female foeticide, said the surgical transformation of girls into boys without their informed consent was a sign of India's growing "social madness".

She said she despaired that education had failed to stop the growing rejection of baby girls in India.

"The figures are getting worse. In 2001 there were 886 girls born to every 1,000 boys in Delhi. Today there are only 866. The more educated and rich you are, the more there is killing of girls," she said.

"People don't want to share their property or invest in girls' education or pay dowries. It's the greedy middle classes running after money. It is just so shocking and an outright violation of children's rights."

The government needed to address the problem by stressing the spiritual value a girl or woman brought a household in Hindu culture. "In India we say God resides in that house where there's a woman but that has evaporated because of all this greed. We need to emphasise the spiritual wealth a girl brings to a family, but we also need to support them with financial subsidies and jobs," she added. 

  

Comments

 Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, here is the "diversity" we must celebrate. Here is the wondrous "difference" we must "cohere" with and be "enriched" by.

You know, I don't hate the Indian parents who turn their girls into boys, though they do disgust me. I don't even hate the surgeons who perform the operations though I would be delighted to see an outraged, right-thinking granddad cut their kn*ckers off.

However, with all my heart I do hate the British politician who would foist such people upon me. I hate them even more for putting them to the front of the queue in the land where all my ancestors are buried. And me to the back,

If you don't hate those who have populated our island with these and many more perverse and un-British types over the course of the last fifty years. you're no kind of Briton that I recognise.

 If this report is true, those doctors who are responsible must be severely punished.
If it was matter of a fringe uneducated masses, one could probably forgive and forget, but a qualified doctor doing this beggars belief.

"India's National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights ordered the Madhya Pradesh government to investigate the claims and produce its findings within 15 days."

pure speculation and sensationalist garbage to try and undermine certain countries.
not the first time I have read stories like this,
china was the first ...
where is evidence and numbers and stats? seems to be only a quote saying there are 20 less girls compared to boys from previous years.
telegraph is becoming like daily mail the sun the mirror and all bull* media outlets.

Huge Financial Corruption misuse of federal dollars ??

The GSA Network says the money will be used to lower the health risks for those involved in the homosexual lifestyle. But according to Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council (FRC), lesbian, "gay," bisexual and transgender youth actually need to explore ways to change their sexual behavior.

"That is not what this...grant recipient -- Gay-Straight Alliance Network -- is geared towards at all," Sprigg laments. "They're geared towards accepting these kinds of high-risk behaviors."

He decides the $285,000 grant as a waste of federal dollars. "I think it's an utter misuse of federal dollars and will, in fact, be counterproductive, if the goal is improving the health of young people," the FRC policy studies senior fellow suggests.

The Gay-Straight Alliance Network describes its mission is to "empower youth activists to fight homophobia and transphobia" in schools by training student leaders and supporting student-led Gay-Straight Alliance clubs

Huge Financial Corruption in MsmCBO or NGO in INDIA Encourages by NACO and others ? 

Now, free condoms, contraceptives at your doorstep!  The government will shortly launch a scheme to make male and female contraceptives available at people's doorsteps in a major bid to boost population control efforts, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Friday.…

The government will shortly launch a scheme to make male and female contraceptives available at people's doorsteps in a major bid to boost population control efforts, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Friday.

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) volunteers would promote the use of contraceptives - both male and female - at the household level in targeted districts, he said.

'Under the scheme, the centre will make available contraceptives free of cost at the block level, from where ASHA volunteers will pick up their supplies,' Azad said, addressing the 53rd Convocation of the International Institute of Population Sciences (IIPS) here.

Azad said the 2011 Census shows that efforts towards population stabilisation have yielded results.

'We have succeeded in reducing both fertility and mortality rates substantially and increasing the average life expectancy of the Indian population,' he said but expressed concern at the large regional disparities in demographic outcomes across different Indian states.

For instance, he said the Empowered Action Group (EAG) States, like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgrah - where 45 percent of India's population resides - lag behind the rest of the country in both fertility and mortality rate decline.

Azad emphasised that the government was committed to providing quality and universal health care to the rural population through the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

'The funding to the health sector is going to be increased from the present level of less than 1 percent of GDP to 2-3 percent of GDP during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17),' he said.

He also said that under the newly-launched Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), the government has made child deliveries at government health institutions completely free.

Launched June 1 this year, the scheme provides for free diagnostic tests including ultrasound, free medicine, free provision of blood, free diet up to three days for normal delivery and up to seven days in case of caesarean births and even free to and fro transport from home to hospital to all pregnant women, Azad said.

The IIPS is a premier academic institution in the field of population studies.

It has trained over 3,000 students and professionals in the field from India and several Asian countries including China, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and others.

It is renowned for its expertise in conducting large scale surveys, the results of which help the policy makers in formulating appropriate responses.

CRIMAL ACTIVETES of Eunuchs in INDIA ???

The recent order of a lower court granting bail to a eunuch arrested for a petty offence has thrown up a curious situation the society hardly thinks of. What happens if someone from the LGBT (lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender) community is held and denied bail. Should the accused be kept in the jail, detention home or in a special cell? In this case,  

Rupa alias Mazarrul, a eunuch, was granted bail. Though the offence was petty quarrel the court also reportedly thought of legal provision __ and difficulties __ about keeping a eunuch under detention. Though some of the legal experts claimed the bail was granted after considering the not-so-serious offence and had nothing to do with gender issue, the decision has put the focus on the limited legal space __ what happens if a eunuch commits a serious crime? 

This has brought to light loopholes in the judicial system when it comes to securing rights for the LGBT community and the stigma attached to its members. Neither CrPC nor IPC, Additional SP Ram Kumar Panda pointed out, has any separate provision for the ‘third sex.’ The role of police is limited to taking the accused to court, he added. Retired Senior Jail Superintendent DB Dharua from Sambalpur explained out such cases of housing LGBTs in jail seldom arise. “Ideally they are accommodated in special cells but again, all jails are overcrowded.”. Core team member of National Alliance of Women’s Organisation Subhashree Ray emphasised the need to change social outlook of the community.� The legal system, as well as society need to join hands to help them live a dignified life, she said. 

CRIMAL Eunuchs Sent to beggars' home in Delhi Prevention of  Begging Act 1959, by the SMM Nov 10, 2010

After months of detention at a beggars' home, a transgender caught seeking alms in south Delhi was allowed to walk free after the intervention of a Delhi court.
Setting aside an order of a special metropolitan magistrate (SMM) sending appellant transgender Rani to the beggars' home for two years, District and Additional Session Judge A.K. Chawla said: "The appeal is accepted and the order of detention is set aside."
"It is ordered that the appellant be released after due admonition on a personal bond of Rs.1,000. Appeal stands disposed off accordingly," said the court in its order June 6.
The court said that the transgender had a right to lead a life of dignity and earn a livelihood.
"The appellant undisputedly is a transgender and it is a hard fact that in our society, transgenders are being shunned even today," said Judge Chawla.
"It is difficult for them to get even menial jobs. The impugned judgment is also totally silent and does not reflect nor is there any material on record to show the circumstances in which the appellant was living or the antecedents of the appellant," the court added.
Appellant Rani was held guilty under the Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959, by the SMM Nov 10, 2010. Rani was convicted for begging on the capital's roads and was ordered to be kept in a beggars' home for two years.
Rani was caught begging Nov 10, 2010 near the Moolchand Flyover in south Delhi and sent to the beggars' home the same day

  

Sagar Yadav, a trustee of the group, added, “If the eunuch wants to leave the ‘guru’, they are subjected to beatings and torture if they do not obey their gurus or share their earnings. If they want to leave the group, they have to pay the guru. They often borrow from another guru to pay the previous one. Then they spend years paying the loan. This is a kind of bonded labour.” Saxena states that the ‘price’ of a  Eunuch is between Rs50,000 to Rs1,00,000 ? Reality Check ???

The castration procedure, called ‘Nirvana’, is illegal, and forces many to turn to quacks for the operation, putting them at great risk. “No surgeon will do the emasculation surgery, since they need certificates from an urologist, a psychiatrist and other experts that the person needs such a surgery. The poor eunuch has no access to expensive surgeons. So they go to quacks,” said Saxena.

90 Transgenders Arrested by HYDERABAD Railway Protection Force (RPF) 

HYDERABAD: Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel have arrested 90 transgenders for allegedly travelling without tickets on trains.Acting on complaints from passengers about harassment of transgenders, the RPF had launched a series of special drives since May 24. "So far, we have conducted 275 special drives and arrested 90 transgenders," a South Central Railway (SCR) spokesperson said.The arrested persons were prosecuted and Rs 26,100 penalty was collected from them. Among the arrested, 14 persons were sentenced to undergo imprisonment, while cases against others were at trial stage.

Zahoor Guru and his pupils at Cantt police station lock up. PHOTO: DAILY EXPRESS 

Eight eunuchs were arrested and sent to jail for two weeks on Monday in Gujranwala under the Maintenance of Public Order ordinance.

They belonged to Mian Zahoor Guru Group and Ijaz Group.

They were arrested by Cantt police on Sunday after they brawled at a wedding ceremony. Ijaz Group had performed at the ceremony and made Rs6,000. Zahoor Guru Group had then allegedly attacked them claiming the Cantt police precinct belonged to them and that no other group was allowed to operate there.

SHO Amir Abbas said the police had tried to settle the dispute but the eunuchs attacked one another at the police station as well. He said when they were unable to calm them down they had to put them in separate lock ups.

Police learnt that the two groups had been clashing over demarcation of territories for over a month.

Earlier, a case was registered against these groups in the first week of January at Cantt police station when Zahoor Guru Group had allegedly broken into Ijaz group’s office and roughed up its members. SHO Abbas said they had detained them for several hours. “They were released with a warning to discipline themselves,” he said.

Those arrested, besides the group leaders, included:

Tahir alias Sana, Tariq alias Tara Ji and Mohsin alias Pooja of Zahoor Guru group and Shahbaz alias Sana, Hamid alias Midda and Javaied alias Jadda of Ijaz group. They were produced before Magistrate Ghulam Abbas on Monday morning who sent them to Central Jail for two weeks. Zahoor Guru Group claimed that they had been working in the area for over 18 years and Ijaz Group had recently settled in.

They accused Ijaz Group of trying to steal their business. Group leader Zahoor Guru said that their business had fallen ever since Ijaz Group’s ‘invasion’. “This is my area. Only my pupils can operate here,” he said. Guru alleged that Ijaz was not even a eunuch. “He’s married. He has hired these eunuchs as a side business. For us, this is our life,” he said.

Ijaz denied the allegation. He said he was as much a eunuch as Zahoor Guru. He challenged the suggestion that the eunuchs could be confined to specific territories. “Everyone should be allowed to operate everywhere. They can’t bar us from any place. We will go wherever we are invited,” he said.

Police arrests a doctor who forcefully operated upon many 

youngsters and allegedly turned them into eunuchs!

KATHMANDU: When Bollywood director Anirban Dhar toured Nepal this week to showcase his new film, "I Am", he had two keen desires: to visit the fabled Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu and find a gay bar in Thamel, the place tourists flock to in the capital. Bollywood's only openly gay film director also had a teasing request for Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal's only openly homosexual MP and founder of the gay rights movement in the conservative Himalayan republic.

"I wish Sunil would find me a partner," said Dhar aka Onir half-jokingly. 

Such jokes and even serious considerations began to pour in since 2008-end, after Nepal's Supreme Court struck a vigorous blow for gay rights, recognising same sex marriages and ordering the government to enact laws to allow them. It also ordered the government to protect the rights of the gay community, leading to such unprecedented government recognition as issuing "Third Gender" identity cards and giving gays a place on electoral rolls.

But now, the new civil and criminal codes proposed by the government are threatening to undermine all that and bring homosexuality under the taboo of "unnatural sexual offences", just as the dreaded Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code had done in India. The new provisions to marriage regard the union as only that between a man and woman and sodomy still remains a punishable offence as "unnatural sex".

"If these bills become law, they will undermine the growth of the gay rights movement in Nepal and criminalise gays," said Pant, whose Blue Diamond Society (BDS), Nepal's first gay rights organisation, has begun protesting against the bills. On Wednesday, when the UN Human Rights Council began its first Universal Periodic Review of Nepal's human rights situation, BDS representative Manisha, a transgender born Suben Dhakal, raised a dissenting voice.

"I am Manisha Dhakal from Nepal speaking on behalf of the Blue Diamond Society and the Sexual Rights Initiative," said Dhakal, in her new persona of a woman. "The proposed civil and criminal laws by the Ministry of Law, which have been tabled in the Nepali parliament, contain provisions to re-criminalize so-called 'unnatural sexual offenses' and to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. These attempts by the law ministry are a clear sign not to follow international human rights standards, a clear intention not to implement Supreme Court's decision and also go against the spirit of the interim and new draft constitution of Nepal."

Nepal's gay community is now calling on the international community to make the Nepal government implement the Supreme court's decisions fully and ensure that the proposed civil and criminal laws are amended to ensure the human rights and equality of sexual and gender minorities. 

“I was imprisoned in a male’s body, until a surgeon’s knife cut me free,” says 28-year-old Gazal Dhaliwal who underwent Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) a few years ago. The turning point in her life came when Dhaliwal made a documentary on trans-sexuality as part of her diploma in filmmaking. 

The film titled To be... ME gave her the courage to go ahead with the transition in 2006. However, she claims that nothing much has changed for her after that. “Earlier, I was a woman who did not have a surgery, now I am a woman who underwent a surgery,” adds the Mumbai-based scriptwriter.
Dhaliwal and several other members from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community will now be sharing their experiences ina new documentary that explores the much discussed topic of the repealing of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that decriminalises homosexuality.
Titled Over the Shoulder, the film weaves the life stories and realities of the LGBT people across various social and economic strata. “As an ally of gay rights for years, I have seen quite a bit of work on the subject. But I still feel that an honestportrayal of the varied perspectives to an archaic law being repealedwas missing,” says theatre actor-writer-director Nayantara Roy who shot the documentary as part of her thesis at the New York Film Academy where she is currently studying. Shot using real life accounts of individual narratives of known andlittle known faces from the LGBT community, the film chronicles thelife and times of people like gay prince Manvendra Singh Gohil and eunuch social activist Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi. Organisations such asAzaad Bazaar, the Humsafar Trust and the Kashish Queer Film Festivalhave also lent their support to the film.
“Life after the repealing of Section 377 is rewritten everyday,” addsRoy who recalls how Gohil mentioned that he started celebratingIndependence Day only after July 2, 2009 when the court decriminalisedhomosexual sex between consenting adults.
The filmmaker says that the law means a lot to some people and verylittle to others. For instance, gay psychologist Deepak Kashyap, who is in a relationship himself, has been helping homosexual couples tocome out of the closet for years. “There is no room for Section 377 inyoung urban India and it should have gone out along with the British,”adds Roy who has plans to screen the documentary across the US inAugust before bringing it to India. “In our country, 80% of gay men are married.
Unfortunately, there is no awareness but only guilt in such cases,” the filmmaker rues.

CRIMAL ACTIVETES of Hjiras,Gandu’s,MsM,Kinar,Aravanies,6no’s,Mamu ??

Ban Eunuchs SAMBALPUR Sital Sasthi festival ?

SAMBALPUR: Sital Sasthi festival would be different this time. There would be no gyrating eunuchs, a main draw of the event.

Even as Sambalpur gears up to celebrate the fete, the organising committees have decided to ban eunuchs.

Eunuchs, who are invited every year, usually give the festival a distinct identity but they have been of late seen as a culture threat.

 

These eunuchs come to pay their obeisance to Lord Shiva, also known as Ardhanareswar, and were respected. Suffering from an identity crisis, physical deformities and shunned by families they travel far and wide and make sure to reach here during Sital Sasthi. Not only were they looked up with respect but also allowed to be a part of the festival.

Though the organisers took care of their fooding and lodging besides paying them money, the eunuchs indulged in illegal activities which drew criticism from different quarters

 

Fuck DUBAI Police and ARAB basted in DUBAI ??

  

Cross-dressing women targeted in Dubai campaign

DUBAI // Police are launching a campaign against cross-dressing women.

The Government says boyat - loosely translated as tomboys - are indulging in a dangerous practice.

Officials from the police and the Community Development Authority said yesterday they would work together on plans to combat boyat.

"The security awareness administration at Dubai Police is currently planning the launch of campaigns targeting transsexuals, boyat, domestic violence and sexual harassment," police said in a statement.

Fears about boyat first surfaced in 2008, when Dubai Police called on the Government to carry out research into the trend.

Lt Gen Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the chief of Dubai Police, at the time denounced the practice, blaming co-educational schooling and calling on the Ministry of Social Affairs to determine the cause and extent of the problem.

Major Mohammed al Muhairi, the director of the criminal awareness department at Dubai Police, said yesterday: "The important issue is that along with the launch of the campaign, warnings have to be set for such activities and clear punishments have to be put in place.

"We are also collecting data on sexual harassment cases against youths to identify who are the most victimised, and then campaigning to them and raising their awareness to their rights.

"The campaigns will target youths and be divided into four segments covering transsexuality, boyat, broken families and sexual harassment. We are co-ordinating with the Ministry of Social Affairs and will be launching it soon."

Boyat met news of the campaign with indifference. They said they were already the target of similar efforts on school campuses and elsewhere in public.

"I didn't become a boyah because of something at school or because I met a boyah in a social gathering," said a 20-year-old Emirati woman, who declined to be identified by anything more than a nickname, Kool Boyah. "I am a boyah because of what happened at home."

Universities and radio and TV programmes regularly discuss this subculture, often saying parents are not involved enough with their daughters as they hit their turbulent teenage years.

"We are stigmatised and misunderstood," Kool Boyah said, adding she was abused by a male relative as a child. "I wanted to be tough and appear so through my choice of tomboyish clothes and attitude."

Boyat often wear masculine attire under their the abaya and shayla in public.

The phenomenon is also found in other Gulf states, with blogs, websites, online discussion groups and Facebook groups devoted to the movement.

Dr Alia Ibrahim, a family counsellor and life coach who has studied the issue, said "the reasons for the development of such behaviour are to rebel or to stand out, or even to change their identity".

Misguided sexual orientation, social differentiations between males and females, multiple marriages of the father and sexual assaults or harassment also contributed, Dr Ibrahim said.

According to Islamic tradition, it is forbidden for men and women to act like the opposite sex. Such behaviour is considered a deviance from God's plan and from nature.

"Men likening themselves to women and women to men, whether in clothing or the way they talk, walk or in their demeanour and appearance, is despised by any person whose nature has not been corrupted," a Friday sermon warned last year.

amustafa@thenational.ae

rghazal@thenational.ae

Prostitution in Dubai

 

 It is unthinkable to many that prostitution can exist in a place like Dubai where Islam is the predominant religion and where laws are very strict. The truth is, prostitution in Dubai has existed for some time now and is rapidly growing as the city is visited by more and more tourists every year.

Yes, welcome to reality. It does happen in Dubai and it happens a lot. The sad thing is that prostitution is illegal on paper. But practically speaking, it is commonly engaged in all over Dubai. There are so many places that are just flooded with prostitutes that are so obvious and yet ignored by the law officials.

Anyone can identify a prostitute in Dubai from miles away. In fact there are so many designated areas where you can find them anytime you go. Ant the most ironic thing is that the government blocks certain TV channels and Internet sites because of “offensive” material but yet you can just go out of your apartment and find 10 prostitutes right down the road from you.

I have seen prostitute centers right next to Mosques. How unbelievable is that? For you it may be but for the local Dubai resident it is part of daily life. It has become a norm in Dubai and it is quite acceptable.

The Alleged History of Prostitution

You will never hear this published anywhere (or not even discussed as much) but this is the kind of information we are thriving to get to you so that you know become aware of the objective facts and truth about Dubai.

The history behind the prostitution problem in Dubai stems back a just over a decade or so. It is an unspoken and unpublished truth and understanding amongst many that prostitution in Dubai became a regular occurrence once the expat population started to grow rapidly.

There were many cases of local Arabs kidnapping the wives of expat men who came to Dubai for work. The women were raped and returned back. And because Dubai is a Sheikdom and not a democracy, the laws of the Emirate were (and still are) monopolized and designed to favor the local National (citizen). Yes, they can pretty much do anything they want and get away with it.

This caused a lot of anger and frustration amongst the expat population and many started to leave Dubai. Dubai couldn’t afford this because it had a big need for labor. The local Dubai population is not very big. As I write this discussion in 2008, only 17% or so of Dubai is comprised of the local Nationals.

Prostitute Trafficking

Dubai knew it had to keep the workers in the Emirate. In an effort to do this, Dubai started engaging in prostitute trafficking. Basically importing women from Ukraine, Russia, China, Philippines and other countries, exploiting and forcing them to become prostitutes.

There have been many published cases of prostitute abuse in Dubai. Just search online and you will find a ton of cases. But rarely do websites talk about the who, what, why and when. That is why we are here!

By bringing in women from outside, Dubai created a flood of “prostitutes” that kept the local men entertained. Money has never been an issue for the local Nationals. By accepting prostitution as part of Dubai culture, Dubai made sure both the men and the prostitutes were benefiting from the deal.

And as the expatriate population grew, expat men started engaging in hiring prostitutes as well. Dubai is full on young single men who have well paying corporate jobs. These men are frequent visitors of prostitute houses.

As Dubai has become a hot spot for tourism, many tourists (men particularly) choose Dubai as a vacation spot mainly because of the open prostitution. Dubai is seen as a “sex heaven” much like places like the Philippines and Morocco.

So while it may come as a surprise to you to experience this sight first hand for the first time, don’t be surprised. Prostitution has become a part of Dubai culture (especially nightlife) and the law enforcement officials are sure to turn their eyes away from it anytime they see it. 

Prostitutes in Dubai

So what inspired this section? Well well I once wrote a post on our Blog about prostitution in Dubai and happened to include some places where you can spot prostitutes in Dubai.

Just minutes later I was bombarded by emails accusing me of promoting prostitution and provide a resource for others to come to my website and find out where they can go to find one. My friend, if you wanted to find one, you would with or without my help. That is a lame a reason to give me.

But thanks to the people who saw the glass half empty, my intention with the blog post was a half full one.

I wrote it so that I can alarm those who want to avoid places saturated with prostitutes.

Think about it, if you are going with your family, do you want to accidentally end up somewhere where there are prostitutes?

So hopefully my logic makes sense now?

It is not a surprise that prostitution exists in Dubai. Dubai has fame, fortune and a majority male population. It just makes sense. Read this section on prostitution in Dubai for some background information and a brief history lesson.

Just know that legally, to have sex with someone you are not married to is an offense (something to think about for the young single couples, especially if you live together).

Hopefully that will make you think thrice before getting involved with anything that has to do with the Dubai prostitutes (or in general). It is risky more than just from a legal perspective.

So whether you look at the glass as half full or half empty, here are some places loaded with prostitutes in Dubai:

• Cyclone Club – the most famous or should I say INFAMOUS place where prostitutes hang out in Dubai
• Radison SAS
• Rattlesnake Club at the Metropolitan Hotel
• The Al Nasr Square area
• Rumours at the Ramada Hotel
• The Regal Plaza Hotel
• Stayin Alive at the Imperial Suites Hotel
• Sea View Hotel – A big Filipino hang out
• The Hyatt Regency in Deira.
• The Red Square Club at the Moscow Hotel
•