Links
Contact centre to suggest link(s)
(general revision, updating and additions of items 16/9/09). Most recent updates highlighted in white. Most recent update 2nd June 2011
Asia : links to organisations, institutions, support groups etc
Asia: links to information
Beyond Asia: all links
Asian TG personal pages
Asia: links to organisations, institutions, support groups etc (Country Alphabetical and then Asian).
Cambodia
Guilty until proven innocent: the harrowing plight of two transgender women. By Meg Lewis. Published in Purple Sky Network (PSN) Newsletter Volume 5 (May-Aug 2010). Full issue at this link
China
TransChina: Alliance of Chinese Transgenders. Contact Jian'gang Zhao at transchina2008@gmail.com and zhaogang9940@hotmail.com
Hong Kong
Tongzhi Community Joint Meeting: a broad umbrella LGBT group very much committed to trans rights.
Gender Concerns Hong Kong. (see their Facebook page)
Transgender Resource Centre (TGR). This group, active since around 2008, works to support transpeople, educate the general public and bring about social and legal changes in HK for transpeople.
TEAM-HK (Transgender Equality and Acceptance Movement). This group, active since November 2002, works to support transpeople and to bring about social and legal changes in HK for transpeople.
Civil Rights for Sexual Diversities: Group focusing on education, monitoring and advocacy in Hong Kong.
India
SAMPOORNA is a Trans network of Indians across the Globe. [Trans = Transgender, Transsexual, Intersexual and Gender Variant]. The network keeps connected through an e-list. The Group meets monthly in Mumbai. Membership can be requested by writing to: sampoornaindia@yahoo.com
Sahodari Foundation. Activist organisation for transgender people, which aims to promote opportunities for transpeople. One if its initiatives is a marriage site for transpeople (thirunangai.net).
List of organisations dealing with trans-issues in India and the rest of the subcontinent (from the APCOM site)
TG-Indiya: Indian directory and support group
Indian ladies room Yahoo group (based in India) for MtF transgendered persons. (thanks to Fiona Kim)
Kyrgyzstan
LABRYS: Kyrgyz support group for sexual and gender minorities
Japan
Trans-Net Japan (TS to TG wo Sasaeru Hitobito no Kai). A Japanese language support organization for people with gender identity disorders, transsexuals and transgendered people. With thanks to Mark King for this information.
TS News: a Japanese-based News and Information Website. English and Japanese materials.
Korea
Chingusai Korean support organisation. Site in English and Korean. Primarily for gays and lesbians, but support extended to transgendered people.
Okama Website for Korean transgenders living at home and abroad. Most of the material is in Korean.
Malaysia
PT Foundation: PT Foundation strives to be the most effective community-based organization providing information, education and care services relating to HIV/AIDS and sexuality in Malaysia, working with the 5 communities that are most affected by HIV in Malaysia. PT foundation serves a number of communities, including transpeople.
Nepal
Cruiseaids: Crusade for HIV/AIDS, STI Prevention and Human Rights. Cruiseaids does a lot of work on behalf of transpeople. Contact person: Pinky Sanjub Gurung, at cruiseaids@gmail.com and cruiseaids@ntc.net.np
Blue Diamond Society Organisation working (under difficult circumstances) for sexual minority groups in Nepal
Pakistan
At Risk: Sex, HIV and the Community. By Huma Khawar. for Newsline on line news, 31st December 2010
Organization for the Protection and Propagation of Rights of Sexual Minorities (OPPRSM). Contact person: Fakhra Hassan at e mail fh@opprsm.org
Philippines
COLORS,
The Coalition for the Liberation
of the Reassigned Sex (COLORS) is the premier and first transgender organization
in Cebu that aims to establish a united, strong, and empowered transgender
community that nurtures to their well-being and welfare and rebuild a
discrimination-free and equal society. See Facebook page at.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/COLORS/164652593552779.
See also a
powerpoint presentation
(Thanks Magdalena Robinson)
STRAP. STRAP Society of Transsexual Women of the Philippines. STRAP is a Manila-based support, contact, & information group focused on the needs, issues, and concerns of transsexual women in the Philippines. It seeks to improve the public understanding of transsexualism and to encourage a helpful and supportive community amongst Filipina women of transsexual experience. For the Facebook page go to : http://www.facebook.com/pages/STRAP/161783539193?ref=ts
Singapore
Sisters in Solidarity: SIS or “Sisters in Solidarity” is a public education campaign organised by a group of transgender women who have experienced social discrimination at some point in their lives. SIS aims to end discrimination against transgender women, and empower them to live, work and play on an equal footing with their fellow Singaporeans. Click here for press release. Contact: leona@talksense.biz for more information
Singapore Butterfly. Online community for Singapore's trans community
Taiwan
Center for the Study of Sexualities at the National Central University of Taiwan. This is a very extensive resource, almost wholly Chinese language, and home to the transgender support group, 'TG Butterfly Garden' Numerous pages concerned with transgender. Operated by Josephine Ho, Center Head.
Thailand
The Thai Transgender Alliance (Thai-TGA) info in English / info in Thai / website
Turkey
Pembe Hayat LGBTT (' Pink Life'). Contact Kemal Ordek at kemal@pembehayat.org or pembehayat@pembehayat.org
Insanca Yasam Platformu Platform for transwomen in Ankara, Turkey. Turkish language as at 8/8/06
Asian: miscellaneous
International Transgender Buddhist Sangha The International Transgender Buddhist Sangha is a network for transgender buddhist, transgenders who are interest in buddhism, transgender friendly buddhist and people who are interest in transgender and buddhism.
Legal environments, human rights and HIV responses among men who have sex with men and transgender people in Asia and the Pacific: An agenda for action. John Godwin, July 2010. APCOM and UNDP.
ILGA Asian pages. News and information about organisations and events, a substantial amount concerning Asian transpeople
ILGA TransSecretariat pages. News and information regarding trans issues, much of it Asian in focus.
GlobalGayz.com: information on Asia. information pages with some information about trans issues in Asia (information listed country by country).
The Asia-Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW). APNSW provides a voice for sex workers throughout the region, and does a substantial amount of work with transgender sex workers, many of whom are involved in sex work throughout the region.
The Asia-Pacific Transgender Network (APTN). formed December 2009. The mission of APTN is to enable transgender women in the Asia Pacific region to organise and advocate to improve their health, protect their human rights, and enhance their social well-being and the quality of their lives. The network start-up is supported by the 7 Sisters Coalition of Asia Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS, Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM), and Asia Pacific Network of Sex Workers (APNSW). for more information contact Ms Sitthiphan (Hua) Boonyapisomparn, APTN Coordinator, at huab2007@gmail.com or +6626120365
Asia-Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health (APCOM). an extensive website, with a particularly useful resource library page with various items covering transgender in whole or part. Among valuable documents recently issued by and with the support of APCOM please see the July 2008 report on 'Mapping Transgender Groups, Organisations and Networks in South Asia'
Coalition of Asia-Pacific Regional Networks on HIV/AIDS. a coalition of the 'seven sister' organisations, some of whom are heavily involved in work with transpeople. See Coalition website for links to information about individual participating organisations.
South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre. SAHRDC collects information on human rights, specifically on violations of civil and political rights. The subject areas of its holdings are: human rights education; arrest, detention and disappearances; refugees and asylum; torture, capital punishment and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; freedom of the media; custodial deaths; and extrajudicial killings. All information is either in English or translated into English from other languages.
The Southeast Asian Consortium on Gender, Sexuality, and Health. Based at the Contre for Health Policy Studies at Mahidol University, Thailand. Mission to enhance knowledge, build capacity, and promote understanding in the field of gender, sexuality and health in Southeast Asia and China
Asia: links to information
Collected information about the eunuchs of India known as the hijra
Outrage: An English language magazine covering matters of concern to the Philippines LGBT community. A number of articles concerning trans issues, for example the following 2009 articles:
Boy, (Un)Interrupted. Sass Rogando Sasot tells the story of a transpinoy, a Filipino transman
What Rights? Kiki Mura critiques the rights (and absence of rights) for transpeople in the Philippines today.
Transsexuals and Thai Law, an 11th April 2008 article by Jason Armbrecht in the Thai Law Forum.
English translation of the Thai Medical Council regulations concerning ethics in the medical profession in regard to treatment in sex change operations. Published 20th April 2009. English translation dated 24th September 2009. See also the Thai Medical Council guidelines for doctors working with transgender persons. Published 5th June 2009. The regulations and guidelines (the latter actually being instructions to Thai Medical Council members) came into force in November 2009, and bring Thailand (for good or bad) more closely in line with Western WPATH-SOC-informed practice. Both English translations © Chaninat & Leeds Co., Ltd.
The Transgender Health Handbook. A health resource (currently in English) for transwomen in Asia. Produced in 2010 by APNSW (Asia-Pacific Network of Sex Workers) with funding from amFAR (the Foundation for AIDS Research). Superbly comprehensive advice in plain English.
The story of Mookie. An article about an ethnic Chinese transman transitioning in North America. Accompanied by an amazing video detailing her transition.
Beyond Asia: all links
Center for Excellence in Transgender Health. this highly well-respected centre, which has a very extensive website, has a particularly useful page on primary health care for transpeople.
Academic Transgender Studies website. Walter Williams' website, examining gender variance in non-Western societies. A collection of lecture video-recordings and short essays, book reviews and short essays (apparently including those of students).
Transgender Health and HIV. A report published on website of The Body, 'the complete HIV/AIDS resource', and dealing with trans health issues in a generally clear and non-technical fashion. Usefulness extends beyond HIV/AIDS related issues.
TransGender Europe report on murders of transgender persons worldwide in the period January 2008 to June 2009. Extremely disturbing report, detailing over 200 murders, including some in Asia.
WPATH. World Professional Association for Transgender Health. (formerly the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association). Publishes the highly influential 'Standards of Care' which guide transgender health care providers worldwide, including across Asia.
WAS. (World Association of Sexual Health). Promotes sexology and sexological knowledge worldwide (formerly the World Association of Sexology).
Human Rights Watch Important news about rights issues, including as regards sexual and gender minorities.
CentreLGS. CentreLGS is a critical, interdisciplinary, international research centre, advancing research and scholarship that is theoretically informed and policy relevant. It involves a grouping of three UK Universities (Kent, Keele and Westminster), though its Centre is at the University of Kent. The intellectual heart of the Centre is the relationship between gender and sexuality, on the one hand, and law, governance and normativity, on the other. Contact Sarah Slowe at S.E.Slowe@kent.ac.uk
Best places to work. From the Human Rights Campaign website, a list of companies which have proactive sexual and gender minority policies. HRC recognizes these Best Places to Work for GLBT Equality as companies that have made a commitment to end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace. Many of these companies are international, and have a presence in Asia.
GID Journal GID Journal is a new international journal for research into 'gender identity disorder', published in pdf format out of Brazil. While the name will be contentious to all those who feel that transgender is a difference rather than a disorder, we are happy to place this link, feeling that a new journal in this area has the potential to be an important step forward.
The Gender Trust. UK Charity Helping with Gender Issues.
Growing up sexually. Volume I (World Reference Atlas). Web publication produced by D.F. Janssen (2002-2003)
Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). International organisation dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality.
Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality Published by the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Sexuality.
IFGE International Foundation for Gender Education. US based. Extensive and informative.
GIRES. The Gender Identity Research and Education Society. UK based. Extensive and informative.
International Association for the Study of Sexuality, Culture and Society (IASSCS)
Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context. Journal with occasional articles on transgender.
German Society for Social Scientific Sex Research. Large archive section leading to, among other things, an International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, a glossary of sexology, a 'Critical Dictionary of Sexology', WHO reports on sexual health etc. Separate access to these materials through this link
ICTLEP 'Standards of Care'. Standards adopted at the 2nd International Conference on Transgender Law and Employment Policy, August 1993, Houston, USA
Press for Change. A political lobbying and educational organisation which campaigns to achieve equal civil rights and liberties for all transgender people in the United Kingdom through legislation and social change. A very useful library section.
Integrating Transsexual and Transgendered People. An important section of the 'Press for Change' website, containing a summary of a survey of rights for TG persons across a large number of countries, including some in Asia. The questionnaire employed is also displayed.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Adopted and proclaimed by the U.N. General Assembly in Resolution 217A(III)on December 10th 1948.
International Bill of Gender Rights.
International Lesbian and Gay Association. International organisation fighting for equal rights for, among others, transgendered persons. Extensive and highly informative website. Their world legal survey is particularly valuable.
Asian TG personal pages
These sites are carefully selected. In all of them Asian TGs provide information on themselves and the lives they lead, using the English language to do so. Unfortunately, personal websites do not typically have the longevity of others. At any one time expect around half of the links to be dead. I leave them on this site for a while, hoping that they may start up again. Sometimes they do.
Filipina
Sass Sasot An extensive website with its own e-zine.
Chinese
Indian
Indonesian
Japanese
Aya Kamikawa Aya was elected to the Setagaya Ward council post on April 28th, 2003 with 5024 votes. 52 seats were available to 72 candidates and Aya was number 6 in the number of votes. Born male in 1968, and still legally male in Japan, Aya completed university and entered society as a male. She began hormone treatment in 1995. The website is in Japanese. At time of posting it carries an announcement from Ms Kamikawa. (thanks to Elisha Cook and Izumi King for bringing this site to our attention and providing this basic information about Ms Kamikawa).
Yuri resident in Japan.
Malaysian
E Ling currently living in Singapore
Singaporean
Ms Chorlor.com: 'blog of a Singapore transgender'
Leona Lo a particularly extensive website .
Taiwanese
Thai