The International Olympic Committee will wait until after Tokyo 2020 to reveal new rules for trans athletes
Source: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/03/04/tokyo...trans-athletes/

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that it will wait until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to deliver new guidelines on transgender athletes.

The IOC is currently working on a consultation to develop a framework for transgender athletes that will protect inclusivity, safety and fairness in sport. This will be based on data and research from the scientific and human rights sectors.

It had hoped to finish the consultation ahead of this year’s Olympic Games, but decided to wait in order to avoid disrupting the qualifying events.

Speaking on Wednesday, the IOC‘s medical and scientific director, Richard Budgett, said that changing the policy so close to the event would not be “ethically or legally fair.”

He said the talks have been “a very difficult process, a very sensitive process, and there’s no easy answer,” adding: “Whatever is put in place will undoubtedly upset a lot of people… Somehow we have got to find a fair balance.”

At least three trans women will be competing at Tokyo 2020 amongst the 11,000 cis athletes, including BMX freestyle rider Chelsea Wolfe of the United States, Brazilian volleyball player Tifanny Abreu, and weightlifter Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand.

A consensus statement published in 2015 allowed trans women to compete in female categories under a series of conditions, which included the athlete publicly declaring that their gender identity is female, with the declaration unable to be changed for a minimum of four years.

These previous guidelines set a permitted level of testosterone level in serum at below 10 nanomoles per litre for one year.

“For us just to go and change the level of testosterone without getting the proper framework in place would be wrong,” Budgett said.

“We’re talking about so few out of 11,000 athletes … that actually it’s much better to get this right, or as right as we can, rather than rushing something out just before the games.”

Testosterone testing is a divisive issue

Around 98 per cent of women have under 2 nanomoles of testosterone, while for men the amount averages between 7.7 and 29 nanomoles. However, there are many natural variations and hormone levels change for both males and females as they age.

Intersex campaigners have noted that there is no scientific basis that female athletes born with variations of sex characteristics have any advantage over other female athletes.

Mandatory testosterone testing has been condemned by the UN Rights Council as an “unnecessary, humiliating and harmful,” and many academics question its inclusion in sport at all.

The case of Caster Semenya, a cis female athlete with naturally high testosterone levels, has brought this issue to the fore.

The 800-meter champion from South Africa is fighting a separate case in Switzerland to challenges track and field’s rules on naturally high testosterone in female runners with “differences in sex development.” She could get a ruling within weeks in an appeal case at the Swiss supreme court.

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The world of sports spearheading inclusivity. Hopefully the rest of the world follows suit.

This post has been edited by internaldisputes: Mar 5 2020, 09:32 AM

Sam Bunkface Just Needs a Goddamn Hug
Source: https://www.queerlapis.com/sam-bunkface-jus...-a-goddamn-hug/
By Faris Saad



Add the letters ‘LGBT’ to any Malay-language content, and you’re guaranteed clicks, likes, and comments. According to sources, LGBTs are folks to be made fun of, they aren’t real. They don’t have lives, and they definitely don’t love. At the end of the day, LGBT folks just kembali ke pangkal jalan, however fucked up that jalan may be.

That’s why I was hesitant at first to listen to Bunkface’s new song “Akhir Zaman”. It’s at best, an upbeat, radio-friendly tune that a 13-year old might like.

From the title itself, I knew it was going to be a preachy song about The End Times. As a person assigned Muslim at birth by virtue of race, who is also transgender, I’ve been sung to and preached at so many times about The End Times. I know the script by heart.

Apocalypse now, then, forever.

As I listened to the lyrics, I ran through my mental checklist for stereotypical The End Times song clichés.

1. Preaching about the afterlife? Check.
2. Out of context Quranic verses? Check.
3. LGBT as a sign of The End Times? Sigh. Double-check.

There is nothing new about this song. It doesn’t offer a fresh perspective or new approach to the issue raised i.e preparation for Judgement Day.

What the song did achieve was highlight the large number of Muslim Malay Men in the music scene who believe that LGBT people should be punished and they are the ones entitled to carry out that punishment. Like mushrooms after a wet spell, these anti-LGBT comments sprouted all over social media after the song’s release.

The common justification for homophobia is to prevent armageddon. I don’t see the logic. LGBT folks have been around longer than Islam itself. Does that mean we’ve always been in The End Times and have never seen Normal Times?

I initially responded with troll comments and posts, but as I thought more and more about the person behind the song, the less angry I became. I regretted making fun of Bunkface. I also forgot that comments, regardless of content, adds to YouTube revenue. Damn.

The burden of the Malay Muslim Man

The majority of anti-LGBT comments on Bunkface’s posts come from a certain category of Malay Muslim Men. As they feel they have the right to tell people to go to hell, “righteous” is the best word to describe them.

From birth, these men have a huge burden to bear. As a Righteous Malay Muslim Man, you are expected to:

1. Never cry, show that you are hurt, or any kind of emotion except anger.
2. Never ask for help because that shows you are weak.
3. Guide your family to heaven by any means possible, including telling your girlfriend she needs to wear the hijab when you are married and to stop having man friends, while you can keep texting that female colleague.
4. Tell women how to dress because rape is their fault.

These men were raised as the “better” gender by parents who didn’t know any better. They were given privileges they did not work for. They were told that it is their duty to save others around them from going to hell. They were treated like kings by the women around them because they supposedly hold the key to heaven. The Righteous Malay Muslim Man is someone one aspires to be.

It is not the fault of these men — they were raised that way in an environment that encouraged it — but it is their fault if they choose to stay oblivious. Some Malay Muslim Men have broken free of this cycle, but they are a minority swimming against the current.

This upbringing and the toxic masculinity it inculcates, along with a newfound religious fervour can result in extremism, and we see guys like Sam heading that way. Evangelise!! Evangelise angrily!!

This form of masculinity is unhealthy, but many Malay Muslim Men refuse to acknowledge the fact. To acknowledge that is to accept that they do not deserve all the privileges that come with being a Malay Muslim Man, stripping them of the only identity they have ever known. This could be why they tend to be very defensive when called out for their toxic behaviour. This could also be why they hate trans women with a frightening zeal. Like, why would anyone willingly give up their privileges to be… a woman?

The pain behind the angst

To understand the song, I needed to understand Sam, the songwriter. I didn’t think my DM’s would be entertained, so I did some online research like a real groupie.

Here’s what I found out from the tabloids: In January 2019, Sam got divorced from his wife of four years. The news was only made public by his ex-wife months later.

I don’t know the story behind the divorce, but it must have been a struggle for everyone, including his little kid. Everything breaks down, and you have to learn to lead separate lives again, this time with a lot of emotional baggage.

In a video, he was asked by a gossip journalist why he waited so long to make the announcement. Another asked when he will remarry. I could sense he was uncomfortable but felt obligated to answer. It must be horrible to have the most painful parts of your private life on display for everyone’s entertainment and then have people ask you that as though you owed it to them.

Looking for god but finding hate instead

Sometimes, when people go through hard times, they turn to God. We’ve been told it would solve all our problems. The problem is the Quran has many verses that can easily be misunderstood or taken out of context.

Surah al-Asr (The Declining Day), from where Sam took the words and inspiration for the lyrics, “Demi masa, sila gunakan akal,” says, “By time, indeed Man is in a loss except for those who have believed and done righteous things and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.” It just means, “Hey guys, let’s remind each other to be patient and do good things”. It does not justify condemning others to hell.

The other surah from which Sam took inspiration was al-Kafirun (The Disbelievers), “Engkau agamamu, aku agamaku.” The rest of the surah actually says that Muslims should be tolerant of others’ differences and beliefs. You do your thing, I’ll do mine and we’re cool.

Sometimes we forget that we need to read the Quran through a lens of compassion. We’re only human, after all. You won’t be judged by how many LGBT folks you’ve condemned to hell, but by how you’ve tried to make someone else’s life better. In this context, standing up for someone, straight or gay, will make you a better Muslim.

Sam must have found some solace in faith during this dark period in his life, but a holy book cannot offer you a shoulder to cry on, or the warmth and comfort of a hug. There is a lot of anger in “Akhir Zaman”, but maybe a lot of it comes from feeling helpless or lost and needing to blame it on something, anything.

We’re here for you, Sam

Since his divorce, he has moved into his dad’s home and shares custody of his kid with his ex-wife. He takes care of his dad, and sometimes it’s three generations of men hanging out in one house. It must be difficult sometimes, taking care of your dad and your kid on your own.

Sam, you don’t want your kid to grow up in an environment where hate is encouraged. You don’t want him to be unable to express when he is sad or in pain. You want him to love and be loved and unashamed of who he is.

That’s all I have to say about that song. After all that, I could be wrong. Sam could just be a jerk, but it feels nicer to assume he isn’t. Maybe he just needs a hug. (after he takes down that shitty song).

This post has been edited by internaldisputes: Mar 6 2020, 12:29 PM

How to end a LGBT lonely live?

I am fat, not handsome, old and hot temper.

I am hiding and when ever my workplace people know I am gay. I have to change job. I am so tire of hiding.

Hi there, i always identify myself as 100% straight guy and has always in a relationship with women and only had sex with women. Lately, there is an Indonesian guy who operates a food stall at a restaurant that i frequently go not far from my house in his mid 20s whom i find is quite cute (mind you this is the first time i find people my own gender cute). Sometimes i find myself stare at him a lot but it doesnt bother me at all unless i attracted to him sexually. However, everytime im intoxicated i find myself having dirty thoughts about doing it with him. For this reason, i ought to stay clean and sober up to today. The gay thought still persist though not as much as when im intoxicated. I still frequently go to the restaurant just to steal glare at him and buy my daily cigarette pack.

I am not sure if i suddenly turned bisexual (i still like women) after seeing him or i actually have a gay desire that is hidden in me that i unknowingly knew. I was actually homophobic, used to despise lgbts, especially gays a lot which i find disgusting but it turned out i was probably one.

That’s normal. I think everyone has a shade of LGBT in their mind. The question is whether you want to accept it or not. Of course most of us try as much as we can to wash it away because we are afraid of the society stigma. At the end of the day, just be yourself and accept yourself.

Sorry to hear that... It's a common problem amongst gay people I think. We are all obsessed with youth and afraid of getting older. But try not to worry too much about the future and try to live in the present. Maybe work out, meditate, get more friends and spend more time with your hobbies? Everyone deserves love and kindness and you deserve it too. Except you do need to push yourself a little bit.

Btw, how did your workplace find out you are gay before this?

I am straight malay. But i support LGBT rights to happiness. And yes I helped report the videos on youtube. There are more copies sprung up after the main one being removed so we should continue to report all of them.

I have an ex-colleague working in a Chinaman company. Still working there after more than 1 year without issues.

He's a pretty nice bloke that gets along well with other colleagues.

This post has been edited by UserU: Mar 8 2020, 06:20 PM

how they know u gay?

Well they say sexuality is like a chart (check out Kinsey scale).
And it does change for some people!
I used to like girls when I was a kid but as I grew old I lost the interest (still like boobs though lol)

Thanks bro. Totally appreciate that.

The problem often comes from people who always see things in black and white. It comes from the human minds' need to solve an issue.

I will answer in 2 section.

A

I have hard time getting none gay friends that don't judge me.

I try to look for gay friends ( for friendship not for sex ) but don't know how to start.

B

I am lady acting.

After work few years. Didn't bring girl friend during special gatheting and they will start talking my behind.

Slowly gossip become worst and it affect my work.

I gave up and changed workplace. Repeated again and again.

PM'd you.

Bekas mufti wilayah dilantik menteri agama, CEO CIMB jadi menteri kewangan
Source: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/513920

Barisan kabinet baru yang diumumkan Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin hari ini menampilkan dua individu bukan ahli politik yang akan dilantik sebagai senator bagi memegang jawatan menteri kanan.

Bekas mufti wilayah persekutuan, Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri pula dilantik sebagai Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri yang akan menguruskan hal ehwal agama.

Zulkifli akan dibantu oleh Ahli Parlimen Pengkalan Chepa Ahmad Marzuk Shaary dari PAS sebagai timbalan.

Zulkifli, 51, telah berkhidmat sebagai mufti Wilayah Persekutuan sejak 2014 dan dilihat sebagai tokoh agama yang moderat.

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He has spoken against LGBT in the past like the Sajat issue so the "moderate" label is very misleading. But we will wait and see.

The Most Creative Rainbow Placards We Spotted at #WomensMarchMY!







...and many more!

I am single now but not looking for any serious relationship atm. I met some one online and told her that I'm not looking forward to get into any relationship, during the chat i also not being flirty. but when we meet up (about once a week), she will hold my hand and will kiss me. I accepted the kiss but don't have any further sexual urge towards her but I can tell she wants more from me. Sometimes i think about it, I think I'm still not ready to start any relationship. This progress between us been happened around 1 month plus.

Question : Is that normal that I feeling / behaving such a way?

I've done the same when I met my current boyfriend because I was afraid of commitments and I don't know how does a gay couple supposed to work. But after discussing in length with him about our expectations and everything, I decided to take a leap of faith and declare him my boyfriend.

I think in your situation it is perfectly normal but you have to be honest with yourself why you don't want to start a relationship now?