Latest news with #homosexuality
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must stand firm on same-sex rights in the face of ignorance
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected] or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Advertisement I am writing to express my strong support for the legal recognition of same-sex partnerships in Hong Kong. Hong Kong aspires to be recognised as a world-class city that welcomes all who live here, or seek to travel to or make Hong Kong their home. But as long as we continue to demonstrate to the world an ignorance of the attitude to homosexuality in ancient China and some lawmakers air views that demean our city by using the debate on same-sex partnerships as a platform for division, we fail to present Hong Kong as 'Asia's World City'. Moreover, a study in 2023 found that 60 per cent of Hong Kong residents support same-sex marriage. I have lived in Hong Kong for over 30 years and built an internationally recognised art business with my Hong Kong-born-and-raised partner. We have never been judged for our sexual orientation, only for the success of our business, which employs staff in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. We got married in New Zealand in June 2023, formalising a partnership of over 20 years. It is sad that the union could not take place in Hong Kong and remains unrecognised in the city we call home. Advertisement
Reuters
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Malaysian police arrest more than dozen men in raid of 'gay party'
KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 (Reuters) - Malaysian authorities arrested more than a dozen men in the northeastern state of Kelantan last month during a late night raid of a "gay party", a police official said on Thursday. Homosexuality is a crime in Muslim-majority Malaysia, and rights groups have warned of growing intolerance towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Kelantan state police chief Mohd Yusoff Mamat said police arrested 20 men after responding to a public tip-off and conducting surveillance of a rented property in the state capital Kota Bharu in June. "During questioning, they admitted to being part of a gay group," he told a press conference. Mohd Yusoff said although authorities found no evidence that sexual activities had occurred during the gathering, police discovered condoms and HIV medication on the premises. Police charged three of the men for possession of homosexual pornographic material on their mobile phones, Mohd Yusoff said. But authorities could not prosecute the other men as there were no specific laws or physical evidence to charge them with, he added. "We are worried about such behaviour... We will continue to monitor the movement of gay groups," he said. The LGBTQ community has faced increasing scrutiny in Malaysia, where sodomy is a crime and Islamic sharia laws are in place banning same-sex acts and cross-dressing. The multi-ethnic, multi-faith country has a dual-track legal system with Islamic laws for Muslims running alongside civil laws. Authorities halted a music festival in 2023, after the frontman of British pop band The 1975 kissed a male bandmate onstage and criticised Malaysia's anti-LGBTQ laws. In 2018, two women were caned in a courtroom watched by dozens of people after they were convicted of attempting lesbian sex. Rights groups Justice for Sisters and Amnesty International said LGBTQ content accounted for almost half of all banned publications in Malaysia between 2020 and May this year.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Gay man wins five-figure payout after Church of England gave him 'exorcism' to try and turn him straight
A gay man has won a five-figure payout after he received an 'exorcism' at a Church of England parish in an attempt to try and turn him straight. Matthew Drapper, 37, was volunteering at St Thomas Philadelphia, Sheffield, in 2014 when he was told he had come under 'demonic possession' due to his 'sexual impurity'. He had been in attendance at a weekend event held at the church when a husband and wife told him that performing the ritual would rid him of his homosexuality, thus releasing demons from his body. During the exorcism, the couple, who were prayer leaders at the church, stood over him and said he had to 'break agreements with Hollywood and the media' as these were causing him to have gay feelings. Mr Drapper said when looking back 'it seems like something out of a horror movie' and that the encounter left him 'empty' and in a state of depression. He told The Times: 'For someone to be standing over you saying they can see the demons leaving your body is quite terrifying. But when you are deeply tied into the church, as I was at that time, it is easy to believe anything they tell you.' Mr Drapper said this caused him to lose his Christian faith over time and led him to leave the church in 2016 before he made a formal complaint three years later. He had requested an apology from the church but they initially claimed there was 'no evidence to substantiate' the claims - leading the Diocese of Sheffield, in agreement with Mr Drapper, to request Barnardo's charity to investigate in 2021. A review published by Barnardo's last year said Mr Drapper's claims were a 'supported fact' which they say 'was in our view a form of exorcism'. An extract of the report read: 'From the evidence available to us it is our view that the session took place as described by [Mr Drapper] and prayers were administered with the intention of changing his sexual identity.' Mr Drapper then launched a legal claim against St Thomas Philadelphia which resulted in the five-figure payout. After receiving an out-of-court settlement, he said he 'would have liked to have this matter heard in open court' but was told by insurers that his claim was beyond the legal time limit and that any processes lodged would be 'lengthy'. Representing Mr Drapper, Richard Scorer said his client's victory 'demonstrates that churches which engage in these abhorrent homophobic practices may face legal claims and damages awards'. After the Barnardo's review was published, the church said: 'We have accepted the outcomes of the first investigation and are saddened that eight years ago one of our community was not cared for in the way we would have liked. We sincerely apologised to them for this.'
The Guardian
15-07-2025
- The Guardian
Gay man subjected to ‘exorcism' at Sheffield church receives compensation
A gay man has been paid compensation from a Church of England parish after he was subjected to an 'exorcism' to purge him of his homosexuality, it has been reported. Matthew Drapper, 37, was a volunteer at St Thomas Philadelphia, a joint Anglican-Baptist congregation in Sheffield, in 2014 when he was invited to an 'encounter God weekend' at the 'contemporary, welcoming church', the Times reported. Drapper was told 'sexual impurity' had allowed demons to enter his body and that an exorcism was to be performed. During the incident he was instructed to 'break agreements with Hollywood and the media' that led him into an ungodly lifestyle. He said he was left deeply distressed after the exorcism, which was conducted by a married couple who were 'prayer leaders'. He felt so depressed and 'empty' that he considered taking his own life. Drapper told the Times: 'Looking back it seems like something out of a horror movie – for someone to be standing over you saying they can see the demons leaving your body is quite terrifying. But when you are deeply tied into the church, as I was at that time, it is easy to believe anything they tell you.' He left the church in 2016 and three years later made a formal complaint about the exorcism and requested an apology from St Thomas Philadelphia, which was supposed to operate under the safeguarding rules of the diocese of Sheffield. St Thomas initially claimed there was no evidence to the complaint but after Drapper pursued the issue, in 2021 the church commissioned Barnardo's to investigate. Last year, the charity published its review, which found it was a 'supported fact' that Drapper was subjected to a prayer session that 'was in our view a form of exorcism'. After publication of the review, Drapper made a legal claim against St Thomas Philadelphia which resulted in an out-of-court settlement and payment of a five-figure sum. The Guardian has contacted St Thomas Philadelphia for comment. After publication of the Barnardo's report, the church said: 'We have accepted the outcomes of the first investigation and are saddened that one of our community was not cared for in the way we would have liked. We sincerely apologised to them for this.'
Telegraph
14-07-2025
- Telegraph
Gay man wins payout over church ‘exorcism'
A gay man has won a five-figure payout from a Church of England parish where he was given an exorcism to rid him of homosexuality. Matthew Drapper, 37, was a volunteer at St Thomas Philadelphia, a joint Anglican-Baptist congregation in Sheffield, in 2014 when the exorcism took place. His compensation is believed to be the first of its kind. Mr Drapper, who is no longer a Christian, was told by a couple at a church event that he had come under 'demonic possession' because of 'sexual impurity'. The husband and wife, who were responsible for praying for members of the congregation, said they could see 'demons leaving' his body during the resultant exorcism. 'Something out of a horror movie' Mr Drapper told The Times: 'Looking back, it seems like something out of a horror movie – for someone to be standing over you saying they can see the demons leaving your body is quite terrifying. 'But when you are deeply tied into the church, as I was at that time, it is easy to believe anything they tell you.' Mr Drapper said that the experience left him feeling 'empty' and that he considered taking his own life. He left the church in 2016 and said he had 'lost my Christian faith because of this'. Mr Drapper made a formal complaint in 2019 but the church said there was 'no evidence to substantiate' his complaint. In 2021, the Diocese of Sheffield commissioned an investigation by Barnardo's, the children's charity. The review concluded last year that it was a 'supported fact' that Mr Drapper was subject to a prayer session, which was 'in our view a form of exorcism'. It found: 'From the evidence available to us it is our view that the session took place as described by [Mr Drapper] and prayers were administered with the intention of changing his sexual identity.' Mr Drapper then launched legal action against the church, resulting in a five-figure out-of-court settlement. The 37-year-old said: 'You imagine this kind of practice to be outdated but it has been revived in recent decades and is often referred to as 'power healing'. 'I know around 20 people who have been through it but I suspected there are many, many more.' 'Abhorrent homophobic practices' Richard Scorer, Mr Drapper's lawyer, told The Times: 'As far as I am aware this is the first ever payment of damages in respect of harm caused by conversion or exorcism practices. 'It demonstrates that churches which engage in these abhorrent homophobic practices may face legal claims and damages awards, and I hope it will encourage churches to ban such practices entirely.' Following the publication of the Barnardo's report, St Thomas Philadelphia said: 'We have accepted the outcomes of the first investigation and are saddened that one of our community was not cared for in the way we would have liked. We sincerely apologised to them for this.'
