Timor Leste’s well respected LGBT activist, Bella Galhos, wrote an open letter addressed to her country’s Prime Minister, urging his government to undertake “proper measures to protect, to be impartial with everyone without discrimination”. Bella further lamented how the situation of LGBT persons in her country remains problematic; many still face violence, sexual abuse and even denial of social services. Her letter further emphasized how...

Destination Justice, a key human rights organization in the region, released it recent report titled “Revealing the Rainbow: The human rights situation of Southeast Asia’s LGBTIQ communities and their defenders”. This report, which covers eleven countries in the region, narrates the strategies done by LGBTIQ human rights defenders in engaging the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). It provides baseline information on LGBTIQ related recommendations...