Heena Sharma Blog

Taiwan's parliament legalised same-sex marriage on Friday in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute attempt by conservatives to pass watered-down legislation. Lawmakers comfortably passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to form "exclusive permanent unions" and another clause that would let them apply for a "marriage registration" with government agencies. The vote -- which took place on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia -- is a major victory for the island's LGBT community and it places the island at the vanguard of Asia's burgeoning gay rights movement. Thousands of gay rights supporters gathered outside parliament despite heavy downpours, waving rainbow flags, flashing victory signs and breaking into cheers as the news filtered out. In recent months conservatives had mobilised to rid the law of any reference to marriage, instead putting forward rival bills that offered somethin

Older women, who are sporty or bisexual , are more likely to have a higher than average number of sexual partners in a lifetime compared to their female peers, says a new study. Such women also share some social, demographic and behavioural patterns with men, like income influencing same sex preference among older men, the findings indicated. So far, studies on sexual behaviour and associated health risks have tended to focus on teenagers and young people rather than older age groups, say the researchers from the University College London. To plug this knowledge gap, the team included a sample of 3,054 men and 3,867 women aged 50 and above to explore the factors associated with the numbers of sexual partners they had. Information on ethnicity, marital status, household income, sexual orientation, health and lifestyle -- the frequency and quantity of smoking, drinking and physical activity -- was also gathered. The findings, published in BMJ Sexual & Reproductive He

Stigma related to human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) impairs cognition in men living with the condition, finds a study. The findings of the McGill University study have been published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. The participants filled out a questionnaire asking how much stigma they experience. Their answers were related to their results in cognitive testing and mental health questionnaires. Researchers found that HIV-related stigma had direct effects on cognitive test performance and anxiety. There was also a direct but weaker link between stigma and depression. Through its effects on cognition, stigma was found to reduce participation in social activities and impair function in everyday life. This study is the first to draw a direct connection between stigma and cognitive performance in people with HIV. The mechanisms through which stigma affects cognition are unclear, but might range from the impact of chronic stress on the brain, t

Students who are lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) are at a higher risk of self-harm when compared to heterosexual individuals, a recent study suggests. The research also shows that low self-esteem may explain the increased risk of self-harm in LGB students . Self-harm typically includes behaviour such as cutting, hair pulling, scratching, burning or non-lethal overdoses. "Young people's mental health is a national concern and this study confirms that lesbian , gay or bisexual young people have elevated rates of suicidality and self-harm compared with heterosexual youth. We know much less about how LGB young people seek help for their mental health problems, or what type of support would be effective," said Dr. Elizabeth McDermott, lead author of the study, which appeared in the journal of Archives of Suicide Research. Of the LGB students who completed an online questionnaire, 65 per cent had carried out non-suicidal self-harm over their lifetime compared

A new study has shed light on the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault and negative implications for women's mental and physical health. The # MeToo Movement , in addition to raising awareness, has provided people with a voice to speak out when they've been wronged, harassed, or assaulted. The study shows that not only are sexual harassment and assault highly prevalent today, but they may also have negative health consequences. The #MeToo Movement officially started in 2007 and was created as a way to publicly demonstrate the widespread problems of sexual harassment and assault in the United States. The movement gained momentum in 2017, largely as a result of the highly-publicized Hollywood scandals and has remained strong throughout 2018, forcing a number of accused, high-profile individuals to be fired or resign from their positions. While these repercussions have been largely positive, they fail to address the long-term consequences the victim suffer

A wave of sexual harassment complaints that accompanied the #MeToo movement is straining many of the state and local offices tasked with policing workplace discrimination of all kinds. Places such as New York City and Massachusetts have added resources to deal with the surge in complaints, but human rights agencies elsewhere say their small staffs are struggling to keep up with growing caseloads. In Connecticut, which is on pace to receive nearly twice as many sexual harassment complaints as last year, some lawmakers worry about delays resolving those cases and others involving employment, housing and credit discrimination. "If someone has gotten up the strength to come forward, I don't want that strength to be dissipated because of a system that's broken," state Sen. Mae Flexer said. Read Full Article

Two Malaysian women were caned Monday for having lesbian sex in violation of strict Islamic laws, despite an outcry from activists at the "cruel and unjust" punishment. The case has sparked widespread condemnation and focused attention on what rights groups say is a deteriorating climate for the gay community in the Muslim-majority country. Campaigners said it was the first time that women in Malaysia have been caned for violating a sharia regulation which forbids same-sex relations. The country operates a dual-track legal system and Islamic courts can handle religious and family matters for Muslim citizens, as well as cases such as adultery. The women, aged 22 and 32, were arrested in April by Islamic enforcement officers after they were found in a car in a public square in northern Terengganu state, one of the country's most conservative areas. The pair, whose identities have not been revealed, pleaded guilty last month to breaking Islamic laws an

The media is abuzz these days with horrendous stories of child sexual abuse, the most recent incidents being of abuse in shelter homes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. General News : The media is abuzz these days with horrendous stories of child sexual abuse, the most recent incidents being of abuse in shelter homes in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. While the trauma experienced by the girls will send a chill down the spines of most people, it is disheartening that hardly anyone seems to be concerned about the "why" of these incidents. Many abusers carry the burden of a past childhood sexual abuse themselves. Not provided with any intervention to heal the emotional trauma, they simply do to children what was done to them. A majority of the abusers indulging in non-touch forms of abuse are blissfully unaware that their acts are punishable under the POCSO Act. Once we are aware of the common causes, it is essential that we set about preventing these causes and assu