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Guest Post: An Anonymous Moroccan Man "A" Wishes To Remain Unlabelled.      My friend "A" lives in Agadir, Morocco.  He has a wife, and is expecting a child in the near future.  He has a good job, but it's tough and involves manual labor.  We communicate in a mix of French and Arabic (using google translate on my end).  I understood that "A" does not want to be labelled as LGBT and does not identify as anything but himself.  He told me, and he was not the first to do so, that he identifies by his name.  He is from a relatively poor, religious background, from what I have understood.  So I will respect his choice not to be labelled at all, but still, I will to share the words he shared with me about his discovery and exploration of strong feelings for members of the same sex.      I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to "A" for his frank and open discussion.  He is a good person with a big heart.  This po...

 "...Colder than the moon, It's been so long..." Guest Post: 獅が勝つ (The lion wins) Exorcism, Exile, Triumph      You think you've been on a roller-coaster? Bet ya' money it was nothing like this one!  Listen and learn.  Ari has a hell of a tale to tell... (I bet you all the red cents in your hot, little pocket she has lived more lives than you will live in generations of hurt!)     I would like to express my deep gratitude to Ari for three reasons.  She took no time at all to tell me her story in a one-take vocal that was both artistic and well-crafted, she is kind and beautiful, and I was hooked from the first minute!  Ari is one amazing story teller, and it is my utmost honor to present her story here, in stereo!  Fasten your seat-belt; it's gonna be a bumpy ride!

 Guest Post:  Ming, a Taiwanese Voice      In 2019, Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.  Taiwan is consistently ranked as one of the most LGBT friendly countries on earth.  Having been to Taiwan 7 times myself, I can attest to this fact.  Taiwanese LGBT people do not live in the shadows or exist in a liminal or criminal space as many LGBT persons have to do in other countries.  There is a large queer community in Taiwan, and the biggest Pride Parade in Asia is held annually in Taipei.  LGBTQ discrimination is banned in workplaces and schools. In addition, people can legally change their gender. Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, officially supports the rights of the LGBT people, and she once said she desired that Taiwan become the first country in the Asia to allow same-sex marriage, which it subsequently did. Overall, Taiwan is progressive when it comes to the history and current situation of LGBTQI+ peop...

 A Saudi Perspective, part 2 By: Tariq Aziz Forward by: Jeremy Boulat (me)        With deep gratitude towards Tariq Aziz, I present the 2nd part of Tariq's thoughts, in a rough translation from Arabic.  Tariq is a Saudi Arabian with a popular Twitter account and blog. I present this with no personal comment as I want it to stand on its own merit.   Beware of the politicization of homosexuality!      It is not hidden from anyone that the global trend to deal with homosexuality is clear, far from silence, ignorance, discrimination and hatred. Scientifically and medically from many aspects.      I believe that homosexuality is primarily a human issue, there is no doubt about that. However, the problem lies in some parties or parties that live on politicizing humanitarian issues and trading and manipulating them for goals that are far from rights and humanity.      For example, the American Democratic Party has ...

 Collaboration: Gay Korean Couple Kissing in Front of Koreans       For many years I have been an avid subscriber to this Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/chcheolssoo        The two men who run it are a Korean, gay couple.  They are, above all else, kind and decent people.  One of the videos they worked on with another YouTube channel is what I will present to you here.  The video is so sweet.  It is perfect for the holiday season.      Being openly gay in South Korea is not always easy, so it is with pride and admiration that I watch these two handsome and cute guys act lovingly in public.  South Korea is changing quickly, and people there are becoming more and more accepting of LGBT people.  This is in part due to the wonderful courage of couples such as you will see here:      Thank you to 채널 김철수 CHANNEL GIMCHEOLSOO for allowing me to share this video.  Pleas...

  A Saudi Perspective, part 1 By: Tariq Aziz Forward by: Jeremy Boulat (me)      With deep gratitude towards Tariq Aziz, I present the 1st part of Tariq's thoughts, in a rough translation from Arabic.  Tariq is a Saudi Arabian with a popular Twitter account and blog. I present this with no personal comment as I want it to stand on its own merit.  Let me just say that in KSA being LGBT is like walking on a tightrope between two very tall buildings... without a net.      I conducted a survey through my Twitter account on the sexual orientation of individuals, males and females, in our societies: is it heterosexual, in the sense of attraction to the opposite sex, or homosexual, in the sense of attraction to the same sex, or bisexual, in the sense of attraction to both the same sex and the opposite sex?      More than four thousand people participated in it, and the result was that 20% are homosexual, 22% are bisexual, and 58% ar...

 Guest Post: Names have been changed 1,  Ex-Muslim and Gay in Bangladesh প্রাক্তন মুসলিম এবং বাংলাদেশের গে By: Sajal Forward by: Jeremy Boulat (me)     "Names have been changed in order to protect the persons involved."  We have to open this post like this.  Offending the religion of Islam in Bangladesh is illegal.  Being gay in Bangladesh is illegal.  Both are punishable by long prison sentences, or, extra-legally, by death.       Bangladesh is a majority Muslim country with strict laws against so-called blasphemy.  Under Section 295A of Bangladesh's Penal Code (1860), any person who has a "deliberate" or "malicious" intention of "hurting religious sentiments" is liable to imprisonment( 1 ).  Secular bloggers have been arrested ( 2 ), and even hacked to death by mobs ( 3 ).       The situation for LGBT people in Bangladesh is no better, if not worse.  Section 377 of the Pe...

A process that can never be finished... Coming out as queer is a process that can never be finished. Every encounter is a possibility for conflict and interrogation. The world still usually assumes that everyone is heterosexual by default and/or fits comfortably into a male or female gender. Even if someone surmises that I might be queer, it is usually taken for granted that the subject is best left alone because it still lives in the realm of shame.  A common defense by those who seek to keep things hush-hush is to question the need for coming out because sexuality is something "private and adult," but this is problematic. I am a teacher, mostly of children. Contrary to what most assume, my sexual orientation DOES come up, all the time, and the ones asking the questions are kids. This was the case in the United States, Japan, and, now, Switzerland. Just the other day, kids in my class asked me if I am married or not. They proceeded to ask if I "at least" had a...