China's LGBT couples 'wed' online as gay marriage push stalls



Issued on: 29/06/2020 - TOMORROW'S NEWS TODAY 

Despite a shake-up of China's marriage law last month -- and a groundswell of support for same-sex unions in the socially conservative country -- demands to make gay marriage legal have not been met STR AFP/File

Beijing (AFP)

Engaged for over three years, Guo and Zhu are fed up waiting for Chinese lawmakers to approve same-sex marriage -- instead, they have turned online to gain recognition for their relationship.

Despite a shake-up of China's marriage law last month -- and a groundswell of support for same-sex unions in the socially conservative country -- demands to make gay marriage legal have not been met.

The two men joined thousands of other couples announcing their "wedding" through an app where same-sex couples are given an unrecognised marriage certificate to share with friends, colleagues, and the public.


"We can't live in the shadows anymore," artist Guo told AFP, using only his surname.

"My partner's family is still coming to terms with it."

In China only couples who have tied the knot can adopt children, access fertility services or jointly buy a house.

Legalising gay marriage was among top suggestions made by the public last year when lawmakers sought opinions on the country's first-ever civil code.

But a dismayed LGBT community has been left to redraw their battle plans after the text of the code -- which governs everything from property contracts to adoption -- defined marriage as "a union between a man and a woman".

"I feel very disappointed," said activist Sun Wenlin, who filed China's first -- and unsuccessful -- court case to marry a same-sex partner in 2015.

After the civil code legislation was approved, Sun launched his WeChat "wedding" app to raise the profile of gay relationships. More than 3,000 couples have used it so far to get the unrecognised marriage certificates.

"We’ve been together for over a decade... but we can't take leave to take care of our sick partner or their parents the way straight couples can," Guo said.

"The right to marry is a recognition that same-sex relationships are equally important."

- 'Body blow' -

The failure to recognise same-sex marriage was a "body blow", activist Peng Yanhui told AFP.

China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, and officially removed it from its list of mental illnesses in 2001.

But in recent years, censors have muted discussions on social media, banned homosexuality in films and even prevented the sale of rainbow-themed items online.

Hundreds of thousands wrote their personal stories and sent them to lawmakers as they pushed to influence changes to the marriage law -- a type of civic movement "quite rare in China", Peng said.

Officials told reporters last year they received more than 237,000 online suggestions and 5,600 letters suggesting the new code included same-sex marriage or changed the "definition of close relatives".

Yan Shanshan was among the letter writers, who shared her wish to marry her girlfriend. One line from her mother read: "We have accepted our daughter’s choice, why can't you?"

Messages also came from professionals who had hidden relationships from employers, and from same-sex couples looking to become parents.

Those who want to have a child in China are forced to seek fertility treatment or surrogates abroad -- which is prohibitively expensive.

But the mass outpouring fell on deaf ears.

"It's all been copied and pasted," said parliamentary official Huang Wei from the Legislative Affairs Commission.

"The letters sent to us came in the same envelope, with the same content, and the online messages were the same," he told state media last month.

The comments stoked further anger in the LGBT community.

"If they (the lawmakers) respect public opinion, they should carefully investigate and study it, even if they disagree... and tell us why they disagree," Sun said.

"People don't feel respected by them."

- Gay, with Chinese characteristics -

Same-sex marriage could also solve challenges around owning property, as in Chinese law only married couples can have two names on a housing deed.

He Meili quit her job to nurse her sick partner for 12 years until her death in 2016, but then found herself homeless.

"Within a week, her parents wouldn't let me live in the house where we lived together," He told AFP.

She lost in court after the judges refused to recognise her relationship.

One silver lining in the civil code is the "right to reside" clause, allowing a property owner to grant another individual the right to live in a property for a lifetime.

This could offer rare protection for same-sex couples.

"At least people can find some legal basis to protect some of their rights and interests," He said.

Activists are also conducting a nationwide survey of LGBT couples to create a "gay rights resource with Chinese characteristics".

"There aren't enough studies on the lives and difficulties facing sexual minorities in China," and that, Sun said, hampers "understanding of the community's problems."

© 2020 AFP

BIG DATA IS BIG BROTHER 

Almost 17,000 Protesters Had No Idea A Tech Company Was Tracing Their Location

Data company Mobilewalla used cellphone information to estimate the demographics of protesters. 

Sen. Elizabeth Warren says it’s “shady” and concerning.

Caroline Haskins BuzzFeed News Reporter
Posted on June 25, 2020, at 2:40 p.m. ET

Kerem Yucel / Getty Images
Demonstrators march outside of the state capital building on May 31, 2020 in Saint Paul, Minnesota as they protest the death of George Floyd. (Photo by KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)

On the weekend of May 29, thousands of people marched, sang, grieved, and chanted, demanding an end to police brutality and the defunding of police departments in the aftermath of the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. They marched en masse in cities like Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, empowered by their number and the assumed anonymity of the crowd. And they did so completely unaware that a tech company was using location data harvested from their cellphones to predict their race, age, and gender and where they lived.

Just over two weeks later, that company, Mobilewalla, released a report titled "George Floyd Protester Demographics: Insights Across 4 Major US Cities." In 60 pie charts, the document details what percentage of protesters the company believes were male or female, young adult (18–34); middle-aged 35º54, or older (55+); and "African-American," "Caucasian/Others," "Hispanic," or “Asian-American.”

"These companies can even sell this data to the government, which can use it for law and immigration enforcement."

"African American males made up the majority of protesters in the four observed cities vs. females,” Mobilewalla claimed. “Men vs. women in Atlanta (61% vs. 39%), in Los Angeles (65% vs. 35%), in Minneapolis (54% vs. 46%) and in New York (59% vs. 41%)." The company analyzed data from 16,902 devices at protests — including exactly 8,152 devices in New York, 4,527 in Los Angeles, 2,357 in Minneapolis, and 1,866 in Atlanta.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren told BuzzFeed News that Mobilewalla’s report was alarming, and an example of the consequences of the lack of regulation on data brokers in the US.

“This report shows that an enormous number of Americans – probably without even knowing it – are handing over their full location history to shady location data brokers with zero restrictions on what companies can do with it,” Warren said. “In an end-run around the Constitution's limits on government surveillance, these companies can even sell this data to the government, which can use it for law and immigration enforcement. That's why I've opened an investigation into the government contracts held by location data brokers, and I’ll keep pushing for answers.”

Mobilewalla



Screenshot from "George Floyd Protester Demographics: Insights Across 4 Major US Cities."

It’s unclear how accurate Mobilewalla’s analysis actually is. But Mobilewalla's report is another revelation from a wild west of obscure companies with untold amounts of sensitive information about individuals — including where they go and what their political allegiances may be. There are no federal laws in place to prevent this information from being abused.

Mobilewalla CEO Anindya Datta told BuzzFeed News that the data analysis that made the George Floyd Protester Demographics possible wasn’t a new kind of project. “The underlying data, the underlying observations that came into the report, is something that we collect and produce on a regular basis,” he said

"It is really just fundamentally terrifying"

Datta said Mobilewalla didn’t prepare the report for law enforcement or a public agency, but rather to satisfy its own employees' curiosity about what its vast trove of unregulated data could reveal about the demonstrators. Datta told BuzzFeed News that the company doesn’t plan to include information about whether a person attended a protest to its clients, or to law enforcement agencies.

“It’s hard to tell you a specific reason as to why we did this,” Datta said. “But over time, a bunch of us in the company were watching with curiosity and some degree of alarm as to what’s going on.” He defined those sources of alarm as what he called "antisocial behavior," including vandalism, looting, and actions like "breaking the glass of an Apple store.” He added that they were attempting to test if protests were being driven by outside agitators.

Datta said that he and a few Mobilewalla employees chose locations where they expected protests would occur — including the George Floyd memorial site in Minneapolis, and Gracie Mansion in New York — and analyzed data from mobile devices in those areas collected between May 29 and May 31.


Mobilewalla



Screenshot from "George Floyd Protester Demographics: Insights Across 4 Major US Cities."

Jacinta González, a senior campaign organizer at Latinx advocacy group Mijente, told BuzzFeed News that by monitoring protesters, Mobilewalla could undermine freedom of assembly.

“It is really just fundamentally terrifying to understand the way that companies can access such vast amounts of data to process for their own gain — without folks understanding even that they have consented to their information being taken, much less used in this way,” González said.

“It’s important to understand that once technology hits the market, it's actually very hard to limit who has access to it — whether it is police, or whether it is other actors that want to harm communities,” González added. “Once this stuff is out there, we just have no way of understanding how it’s being used. Often we don’t even know that it’s out there to begin with.”

Mobilewalla does not collect the data itself, but rather buys it from a variety of sources, including advertisers, data brokers, and internet service providers. Once it has it, the company uses artificial intelligence to turn a stew of location data, device IDs, and browser histories to predict a person's demographics — including race, age, gender, zip code, or personal interests. Mobilewalla sells aggregated versions of that stuff back to advertisers. On its website, Mobilewalla says that it works with companies across a variety of industries — like retail, dining, telecom, banking, consulting, health, and on-demand services (like ride-hailing).

"Who would know that they’d be using it to track demographics of people at protests?"

It’s unclear how accurate this report actually is. Datta told BuzzFeed News that his company, on average, has access to location data for 30% to 60% of people in any given location in the United States. Mobilewalla said in a YouTube video that it collects an average of 25 billion “signals” (or pieces of information, like GPS coordinates) every day. Every week, these signals pour in from an average of 1.6 billion devices. Datta said that about 300 million of these devices are in the US. (This doesn’t mean that Mobilewalla collected data on 300 million people, because one person might have more than one device that Mobilewalla is tracking.)

Saira Hussain, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told BuzzFeed News that Mobilewalla’s report was not surprising, but very troubling.

“If [this data] ends up in hands of the government, or if protesters are concerned that it could end up in the hands of the government, that may suppress speech, it may deter people from going to protests,” Hussain said.

Mobilewalla's privacy policy says that people have the right to opt out of certain uses of their personal information. But it also says, "Even if you opt out, we, our Clients and third parties may still collect and use information regarding your activities on the Services, Properties, websites and/or applications and/or information from advertisements for other legal purposes as described herein."

There is currently no federal law that regulates how companies like Mobilewalla — which buy and sell people’s data on the internet — can use people’s information. Hussain noted that information about data-sharing can be buried in the Terms of Service, there isn’t meaningful consent built into most privacy policies.

“Given how many different industries that this company works within for targeted advertising, it seems that you probably wouldn’t know, once the information in the company’s hands, exactly what they’re gonna be using it for,” Hussain said. “And who would know that they’d be using it to track demographics of people at protests?”

MORE ON THIS
Many Police Departments Have Software That Can Identify People In Crowds

Caroline Haskins · June 12, 2020

Here Are The Minneapolis Police's Tools To Identify Protesters

Caroline Haskins · May 29, 2020

Caroline Haskins is a technology reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York

NYC 17 Corrections Officers Will Face Disciplinary Action Over The Death Of A Trans Woman In Solitary Confinement

Layleen Polanco, 27, died of an epileptic seizure at Rikers Island while being held on a $500 bail she could not afford to pay.

Clarissa-Jan LimBuzzFeed News Reporter
Last updated on June 28, 2020

Stephanie Keith / Reuters
A person holds up a picture of Layleen Polanco during a Black Trans Lives Matter rally in New York City.

Seventeen New York City corrections officers will face disciplinary action over the death of a transgender woman in a Rikers jail cell, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday. Three of the officers and a captain will be suspended without pay.

“The death of Layleen Polanco was an incredibly painful moment for our city,” de Blasio said in a statement. “What happened to Layleen was absolutely unacceptable and it is critical that there is accountability.”

Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, 27, died in June 2019 of an epileptic seizure while being held in "punitive segregation," or solitary confinement, on Rikers Island. She had not been able to afford the $500 bail for an assault and prostitution charge and was awaiting trial.

Despite jail policies requiring officers to check on her every 15 minutes, surveillance video released by her family two weeks ago showed that 47 minutes had gone by before an officer peered into the glass slit on the door to Polanco's cell. About 15 minutes later, when two correction officers opened the door to check on her, they were seen laughing on the video.

A few minutes later an officer was seen entering her cell after which Polanco was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

David Shanies, a lawyer representing Polanco's family in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and Department of Correction employees, had called the footage "horrifying for the family."

The officers' laughter, he said, is “a symbol of the complete disregard the entire system had for Layleen.”

Her death led to widespread anger from civil rights groups and calls to end solitary confinement, a practice that has been consistently criticized as inhumane, and even as torture by the United Nations.

Bronx district attorney Darcel Clark declined to file criminal charges after a six-month investigation into Polanco's death.

"After an in-depth investigation by my Public Integrity Bureau, we have concluded that we would be unable to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any individual committed any crime associated with Ms. Polanco’s demise," Clark said.

The investigation report noted that Polanco had informed corrections officers that she "suffered from a seizure disorder."

Her family said in the lawsuit that Polanco should have not been placed in punitive segregation in the first place.


MORE ON THIS
New Video Reveals How Jail Guards Reacted When They Found A Transgender Woman Unresponsive In Her Cell. She Later Died.

Tom Namako · June 13, 2020

Trans Visibility Won’t Save Us

Alex Verman · Dec. 4, 2019

2020 PROTESTS

Videos Show The NYPD Clashing With Protesters At An LGBTQ Pride Event

Witnesses said it was an otherwise "beautiful" and "peaceful" gathering.

Tanya ChenBuzzFeed News Reporter

Last updated on June 28, 2020, at 9:06 p.m. ET


Erin Taylor@erinisaway
the nypd are brutalizing protesters at the queer liberation march on Pride of all days. remember that Stonewall started as a riot against the police. https://t.co/IvD7HmLEPV08:40 PM - 28 Jun 2020
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Multiple first-hand accounts and viral tweets said the NYPD used excessive force on people participating in the Queer Liberation March on Sunday, the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising and the final day of New York's planned Pride celebrations.

Two witnesses told BuzzFeed News they saw police running into crowds, using pepper spray, and beating protesters with batons near Washington Square Park — only about a 5 minute walk from the historic Stonewall Inn, where the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement began 51 years ago.

And while people weren't sure how things escalated, they said that it was an otherwise peaceful and celebratory gathering.

Protester Eliel Cruz, 29, recalled to BuzzFeed News the moment he realized the tone suddenly changed.

"It was very peaceful, very chill. I didn’t see much police presence. Then I saw 20 cops on bikes and a few cop cars speed up right away, so I walked a little quicker," he said.

He said he headed toward where police officers were raining down on protesters.

"I walked by five or six people on the ground who were pepper sprayed and were washing their eyes," he said, adding he saw at least 10 people on Sunday who were recovering from being pepper sprayed.

Marti Gould Cummings, who was also witness to the incident and who attended the march in drag, recalled a similar chain of events.

"I was leaving Washington square — there was a beautiful rally centering around Black trans women. As we were leaving, we noticed a commotion directly in front of us and realized it was the police," said Cummings, who is running for New York's city council.

"People were chanting 'don’t shoot' and many took a knee. The police escalated and used pepper spray and batons," they added.



Eliel Cruz@elielcruz
These cops just got ran up on people09:00 PM - 28 Jun 2020
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Cruz also said he witnessed at least one person get arrested.

"We were demanding the police release the protester, and they started to beat people ... There were more cops running toward the crowds and pushing people," he said.

Cruz said officers began to retreat when a large group of protesters linked arms to create a barricade. He said the police escalation and standoff with protesters lasted about 5-10 minutes.

Cummings recorded a selfie as they were coming out of the confrontation, demanding NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD commissioner Dermot Francis Shea answer to "why on the anniversary of Stonewall we are to this day continuing to protest police brutality," adding that "Stonewall was an active resistant against police."

Marti Gould Cummings@MartiGCummings
Hey @NYCMayor @NYPDShea on the anniversary of stonewall your cops are beating and arresting people08:45 PM - 28 Jun 2020
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Cummings later told BuzzFeed News they want the city council "to defund the NYPD by at least $1 billion and put that money back into communities most impacted by police brutality." They're also calling on de Blasio to resign.

"If the mayor continues to allow the NYPD to terrorize this city he must step down."

De Blasio had earlier in the day tweeted about his support for the Black, trans activists who have led the LGBTQ movement. His office did not immediately respond to questions about the NYPD's actions at Sunday's march.



Mayor Bill de Blasio@NYCMayor
On the 50th Anniversary of #PrideMarch and the 51st Anniversary of Stonewall, NYC celebrates the Black, trans activists who built the movement and continue to lead today. #Pride https://t.co/D2FJy0lRoh08:56 PM - 28 Jun 2020
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When asked about the videos Sunday evening, an NYPD spokesperson told BuzzFeed News they have not "been made aware of" any arrests or force from police on protesters.

"Arrest numbers will be tallied at the conclusion of the event," said Sgt. Mary Frances O’Donnell, an NYPD spokesperson, adding that "the NYPD does not use tear gas."

A spokesperson for the coalition behind the Queer Liberation March told BuzzFeed News they were "horrified" and "furious" to hear about what transpired.

"We are horrified and furious at the brutal police attack on peaceful marchers using pepper spray, violent shoving, and arrests," they said. "At the exact moment that Mayor de Blasio tweeted about honoring Stonewall and the LGBTQIA+ rights movement, the NYPD completely overreacted with unprovoked physical violence - including pepper spraying their own colleagues."

"The police refuse to say exactly how many were arrested, and refuse to state the reasons for their arrest or their charges. We are concerned that the NYPD will return to Washington Square Park."

Tasneem Nashrulla contributed reporting to this story.

MORE ON THIS
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Gabriel H. Sanchez · June 26, 2020

Here's Your Reminder That Pride Would Not Exist If It Weren't For Black LGBTQ Activists

Kelly Martinez · June 3, 2020

Black Trans Sex Workers Want People To Say Their Names — While They’re Alive

Otillia Steadman · June 17, 2020

Tanya Chen is a social news reporter for BuzzFeed and is based in Chicago.

SCHADENFREUDE 
Alex Azar: 'Window is closing' for U.S. to control pandemic

YOU FOOL 

YOU CANNOT CONTROL THE PANDEMIC

AT BEST YOU CAN CONTAIN IT 

AND YOU AIN'T THE BEST

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the "window is closing" for the United States to control the COVID-19 pandemic as cases surged in Florida, Texas and Arizona pushing the national total past 2.5 million. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

June 28 (UPI) -- Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Sunday said the "window is closing" for the United States to control the COVID-19 pandemic as infections in the nation surpassed 2.5 million amid surges in cases in various parts of the country.

Appearing on CNN's State of the Union Sunday, Azar warned that if Americans "act irresponsibly, if we don't socially distance, if we don't use face coverings in settings where we can't social distance, if we don't practice appropriate hygiene" then the disease will spread.

"Things are very different from two months ago ... So it is a very different situation, but this is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control," Azar said.

Coronavirus cases in the United States rose to 2,530,587 as of Sunday afternoon and the nation also reported a total of 125,630 deaths as the country leads the world in both categories, according to figures by John's Hopkins University.

RELATED Coronavirus milestones: 10 million cases, 500,000 deaths worldwide

Florida, Texas and Arizona have reported some of the most rapid surges followed by other states such as California and the Carolinas.

Texas has risen to fourth in the nation in total cases with a total of 143, 371 positive cases after reporting 5,747 new cases on Saturday, hospitalizations also hit a record high for a 16th consecutive day on Saturday with 5,523 patients receiving treatment. Florida has reported a total of 141,075 cases -- fifth highest in the nation -- after reporting 8,577 new cases on Sunday and a single-day record 9,564 cases on Saturday.

RELATED Florida breaks single-day record with 9,585 COVID-19 cases

Both states on Friday ordered bars to close amid the rising infections. Also on Sunday, Florida's Broward County announced it would close beaches from July 3 through July 5 ahead of the July 4th weekend, following an earlier decision by Miami-Dade County to do the same.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also ordered bars to close in seven counties, while recommending they do so in eight other counties on Sunday and has pushed for leaders in the state's Imperial County to reinstate a stay-at-home order as the county's 14-day average positivity rate has approached 23 percent and the state moved into second place in the nation in total cases at 211,243 positive cases.

Cases in Arizona surged by 3,858 on Sunday as the state reported a total of 3,858 positive cases. North Carolina reported 1,605 new cases on Sunday for a total of 62,214, while South Carolina reported 1,366 new cases for a total of 33,221 in the state.

Tom Frieden, the former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, told Fox News on Sunday that the United States will see at least 15,000 new coronavirus related deaths in states that have taken steps to ease restrictions and reopen businesses in the coming weeks such as South Carolina, Florida and Texas.
"If you open when cases are still increasing, as many states did, it's like leaning into a left hook," said Frieden. "You're going to get hit hard. And that's what's happening."

New York, which leads the nation in cases and deaths and was once the epicenter for the virus in the United States, reported 616 new cases -- it's lowest daily total since March -- and 5 new deaths for a total of 392,539 cases and 24,835.

In neighboring New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy announced 354 new cases for a total of 171, 182 -- third in the nation -- and 30 new deaths for the second-highest death toll in the nation at 13,121.

State Department says white supremacy rising globally
BY UPI

Protesters hold up signs as they participate in a protest on Aug. 14, 2017, at Trump Tower in New York City. The State Department said in a new report Thursday terrorism connected to white supremacy has spread globally. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

June 26 (UPI) -- White supremacy and racially and ethnically motivated terrorism are on the rise in the United States and around the world, targeting immigrants, Jews, Muslims and other minorities, a new State Department report released Thursday said.

White supremacy was the focus of high-profile mass shootings in 2019, such as the mosque attack at Christchurch, New Zealand, the incident at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart, and a synagogue attack in Halle, Germany, last October.

"White supremacist terrorism continues to be a threat to the global community, with violence both on the rise and spreading geographically, as white supremacist and nativist movements and individuals increasingly target immigrants; Jewish, Muslim, and other religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or intersex (LGBTI) individuals; governments; and other perceived enemies," according to the report, which is an annual examination of terrorism by country.

During a Wednesday news conference, the State Department's lead counterterrorism official Nathan Sales, said white supremacy is one of the Trump administration's top concerns.

"It took this administration coming into power to really prioritize stepping up efforts against this threat here in the case of the FBI and DHS, but also abroad where this department comes into play," Sales said.

Sales said the Russia-based group Russian Imperial Movement of provided paramilitary training to white supremacists and neo-Nazis along with recruiting individuals from Europe as and the United States. The Trump administration designated the group as a terrorist organization in April.

"We're particularly concerned about white supremacist terrorism and this administration is doing things that no previous administration has done to counter this threat," Sales said.

RELATED ADL: Right-wing extremists killed 38 people in 2019

Trump has drawn criticism for the issue, including for his response after violence between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, when he condemned violence from "many sides" and said there were "very fine people, on both sides."

More than 100 killed by lightning as India's monsoon storms arrive early

Lightning strikes are shown over Kolkata, India, on May 27. More than 100 people died from lightning in the country Thursday as monsoon storms arrived early. File photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA-EFE

June 26 (UPI) -- More than 100 people were killed by lightning strikes in two Indian states as the country's vital monsoon season arrived earlier than expected.

Eighty-three people were killed Thursday in the northeastern state of Bihar and 24 others died during thunderstorms in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh, local officials reported.

More than 20 districts in Bihar reported fatalities, with Gopalganj in the northern part of the state registering the highest total with 13 deaths, according to state disaster management officials.

They said families of the victims will be compensated with $5,300.

Officials said many of the victims were farmers at work in their fields, hurrying to finish planting their crops before the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon season, which generally runs from June to September.

The yearly storms, which are crucial to India's agricultural economy, arrived in northern parts of the country two weeks early this year, leaving farmers there exposed to lightning strikes in open fields.

The monsoon rains usually begin in India's southwest corner June 1 and take 45 days to advance across the country. This year, however, they had covered the entire nation by early Friday, the India Meteorological Department said.

Locusts overtake India's capital region


Locusts threaten crops and livelihoods of millions of Indians. File Photo by dr322/Shutterstock

June 27 (UPI) -- Local officials in India advised residents near Delhi to be on alert and close their windows as a swarm of desert locusts entered the capital Saturday.

The swarm arrived in the neighboring city of Gurugram in Haryana state, as well as the South and West districts of Delhi. The government of Haryana issued a high alert, and Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai called for an emergency meeting.

"All district magistrates have been advised to remain on high alert and to cooperate with the district fire department personnel for spraying prescribed pesticides/insecticides," the a Delhi advisory said.

Rai said he ordered districts to contain the spread of the insects by advising residents to make loud noises and burn Neem leaves.

The Delhi government advised people to keep their windows closed and cover plants with plastic sheets. They also suggested the use of insecticides after sunset.

K L Gunjar of the Locust Warning Organization told the Press Trust of India that the swarm was moving toward Faridabad and Palwal in Haryana state.

Locusts pose a threat to crops and food supply, endangering the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in their path.

Asian Americans take campaign against 'Kung Flu' slur to the streets

Members of Concerned AsAm Citizens of NYC greet people on the street and ask them to take part in the "Asians Are Not A Virus 2020" campaign in the Chinatown section of New York City on Saturday. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

 A member of Concerned AsAm Citizens of NYC takes signatures from the public for posters that will be sent to the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in Washington on Saturday at a street corner of the Chinatown section of New York City. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, June 27 (UPI) -- Asian Americans most affected by U.S. President Donald Trump's use of the phrase "Kung Flu" to refer to the novel coronavirus are not only voicing their opposition to the use of the term, they're increasingly taking their campaign to the streets.

They say the term, along with the phrases "China virus," "Wuhan virus," and "Wu-flu," are racist, and draw attention away from the president's handling of the coronavirus.

Shirley Ng, co-founder of Concerned AsAm citizens of NYC, a grassroots organization, said during the group's "Asians Are Not A Virus" campaign in Manhattan Chinatown, Trump is using the trope of China to distract from his administration's record on COVID-19.

"He's always trying to deflect," Ng told UPI. "It's not him, it's always somebody else."

TRUMP TOADY GOVENOR

 Florida breaks new single-day record with 9,585 COVID-19 cases

Since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic, Ng has been active on social media but felt calling out anti-Asian racism online wasn't enough. In May, Ng and her co-organizers, with the help of nearly 50 volunteers, launched their first campaign, "Don't Be Cruel," to inform Chinese American and other minority-owned businesses in New York to notify police if they encounter race-based harassment, or a hate crime.

CAAC NYC's campaign on Saturday drew curious looks from random passersby at the corner of a street adjacent to Columbus Park, where the members of the local Chinatown community gather to practice Tai Chi or play chess. Some people declined to sign the posters against racist speech, even as others jumped immediately at the opportunity.

Lillian Bit, a resident of Long Island, stopped by the group's table to sign posters, which Ng says will be sent to the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in Washington.

RELATED State Department says white supremacy rising globally

Trump is "inciting division" among Americans, and using phrases like "Kung Flu virus" to divert from his own mishandling of the coronavirus, Bit, who is Chinese American, said.

Other people stopped by the table to speak to Ng and the other organizers, initially unsure about the campaign.

Nelson Wong, a businessman with an office in Chinatown, said he did not have problems with Trump associating the coronavirus with China.

"What's the problem with the 'Wuhan virus'?" Wong said, referring to the origins of the disease.

Wong, who grew up in the neighborhood of Brownsville in Brooklyn in the '70s, said the outcry over recent anti-Asian racism may have deeper roots, and that Trump is not entirely to blame for the more than 2,200 reported anti-Asian hate incidents since the start of the pandemic.

"I was a bony Asian kid in Brownsville," said Wong. "I had to literally fight my way through school, or I had to hide from people after school so I could get home."

Wong also said the dynamics of anti-Asian or anti-Chinese racism is complex, the perpetrators are not always White, and experiences with racism like his are not always addressed in his community.

Other Asian Americans disagree the recent surge in anti-Asian hate crimes have only a tenuous connection to the coronavirus pandemic and its association with China.

Judy Ng, a CAAC NYC co-organizer, said she was walking to a grocery store when a pedestrian, a man, covered his face as he approached her.

The move felt ambiguously hostile, but enough to catch Ng's eye. As COVID-19 ran its course in New York, Ng, a single parent with a child, said she found herself staying indoors and hardly going outside.

Ng said she made her first major outing when meeting with Shirley at the end of May to prepare for the campaigns.

Shirley Ng said her campaign delivers a message of hope to Asian Americans who have opted to stay in for fear of hate attacks.

"I don't want them to live that way," Ng said. "That's what the racists want you to do. They want you to live in fear."

upi.com/7017899

On this date in history:

In 1778, the Continental Army under command of Gen. George Washington defeated the British at Monmouth, N.J.

In 1838, Victoria was crowned queen of England. She would rule for 63 years, 7 months.

In 1914, Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, an act considered to have ignited World War I.

In 1919, World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of public funds for parochial schools was unconstitutional.

In 1972, President Richard Nixon announced that no more draftees would be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteered for service in the Asian nation.

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the new healthcare law known as the Affordable Care Act.

On This Day: 

Stonewall riots kick off gay rights movement

On June 28, 1969, the clientele of a New York City gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, rioted after it was raided by police. 

The event is considered the start of the gay liberation movement.

By UPI Staff


People stop to take pictures of the Stonewall Inn during LGBT Pride Month on June 19. On June 28, 1969, the clientele of the Stonewall Inn rioted after it was raided by police. The event is considered the start of the gay liberation movement. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

   SPAIN JUNE 28,2020 GAY PRIDE PARTICIPANT 

Hong Kong photographer’s images of injured protesters wins first prize in Sony World Photography Awards’ documentary section

Chung Ming-ko’s series ‘Wounds Of Hong Kong’ show 24 men and women, some with scars and bandages, taken against a dramatic black background

Chung says he wanted to draw attention to the brutality of the Hong Kong police’s treatment of anti-government protesters

Kylie Knott Published: 10 Jun, 2020

One of the 24 images in Hong Kong photographer Chung Ming-ko's 'Wounds of Hong Kong' series, which won first prize in the documentary section of the 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Photo: Chung Ming Ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Images of protesters injured during anti-government clashes have won Hong Kong photographer Chung Ming-ko first place in the documentary section of the Sony World Photography Awards.

Chung’s series “Wounds Of Hong Kong” show 24 men and women, some with scars and bandages, taken against a dramatic black background.

“While the scars and bruises may fade, we must remember what caused them,” says Chung. He says he wanted to draw attention to police brutality. “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”

Pablo Albarenga, from Uruguay, was named photographer of the year with his series “Seeds of Resistance” showing photographs of landscapes in danger from mining and agribusinesses alongside portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them.

What hurt most was inside. [A secondary-school student,] Chu was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was still in a trance when I met him three months after his injury ... A kid like him doesn’t deserve thisChung Ming-ko, photographer

Other winners include British artist Tom Oldham with a black and white portrait of the frontman of alternative rock band the Pixies, Charles Thompson (whose stage name is Black Francis), 19-year-old Hsieh Hsien-pang from Taiwan, who scooped the youth photographer award, and South African photographer Brent Stirton who won the nature category for his series Pangolins in Crisis.

Chung says he is happy the prize will give him global recognition for his work that also aims to draw attention to the rise in cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder in the city as a result of the protests.

Hong Kong protests will inspire world even if they fail, historian says
23 Jan 2020

He said the most memorable interviewee was a secondary-school student named Chu.

“On the night of September 7, 2019, protesters formed a human chain at Tai Po Market MTR Station where Chu was beaten with police batons by at least seven police officers and needed two stitches on his head and underwent surgery for a fractured right finger. He was hospitalised for two weeks,” Chung says.

“But what hurt most was inside. Chu was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and was still in a trance when I met him three months after his injury. I suffered from bipolar disorder several years ago and understand that psychic trauma is more difficult to heal than physical injuries. A kid like him doesn’t deserve this.”

Photo: Hsien-Pang Hsieh, Taiwan, Youth Photographer of the Year, Street photography, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards.

Chu says he was also concerned about the challenges protesters face that reflect problems in Hong Kong’s society. “After being injured by the police, teenagers may not be able to go home to their pro-establishment parents. That begs the question, shouldn’t a ‘home’ be a place for recovery?”
With housing a concern for Hong Kong citizens, Chung says it was impossible to afford a studio, so most photograph locations were public places such as backstreets and parks.

Photo: Chung Ming-ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Song World Photography Awards

Photo: Chung Ming-ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Song World Photography Awards

Photo: Chung Ming-ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Song World Photography Awards

Photo: Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Photo: Tom Oldham, United Kingdom, Open Photographer of the Year, Portraiture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Photo: Sandra Herber, Canada, Category Winner, Professional competition, Architecture , 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Brent Stirton, South Africa, Category Winner, Professional competition, Natural World & Wildlife, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Photo: Angel Lopez Soto, Spain, Category Winner, Professional competition, Sport , 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Photo: Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy, Category Winner, Professional competition, Still Life, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Rebel City: Hong Kong’s Year of Water and Fire is a new book of essays that chronicles the political confrontation that has gripped the city since June 2019. Edited by the South China Morning Post's Zuraidah Ibrahim and Jeffie Lam, the book draws on work from the Post's newsrooms across Hong Kong, Beijing, Washington and Singapore, with unmatched insights into all sides of the conflict. 

Amazon,
Kobo,
Google Books, and
eBooks.com.

Born a boy, raised as a girl, then expected to be a man – the harsh impact of China’s one-child policy dramatised in short film

Bo Hanxiong’s film explores the struggles of Yan, a man with gender identity issues whose family raised him as female because of China’s one-child policy

Rather than focusing only on the negative aspects of the situation, Bo also wanted to send a positive message about the importance of family

Kylie Knott Published:  12 Jun, 2020

Wang Junxiong plays the lead role of Yan in the short film Drifting, which focuses on the effects of China’s one-child policy. He was cast after being spotted on a subway in Beijing.


Beijing born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker Bo Hanxiong has ventured into sensitive territory with his new short film, Drifting.hot in Beijing, it focuses on Yan, a second child born illegally during the time of China’s one-child policy, a programme introduced in 1979 to curb the country’s explosive population growth. Parents who obeyed it were rewarded financially and with jobs; those who disobeyed faced harsh penalties – fines, forced contraception, abortion, and sterilisation.

With this in mind, Yan’s parents send their daughter into hiding in the countryside and keep Yan at their home in the city, disguising him as his sister by dressing him in girl’s clothing.

As a teenager, and with his true identity revealed, Yan struggles with his gender identity and must battle not just his own demons but intolerance and bullying from his parents and peers, all while bearing the burden of being an only son and under pressure to pass on the family name.

China abolished the one-child policy in 2015, but Bo wanted to use film to make sure the policy, and the damage it caused families, was not forgotten. “Growing up in Beijing, I didn’t understand the [one-child] policy, as we were so young,” Bo says. “My classmates and friends were all only children, so we just thought it was normal.”

Drifting is inspired by true events; when Bo heard about a child being raised in a different gender he knew he wanted to make it the focus of a film. He drew inspiration from the 2018 documentary China’s Forgotten Daughters, which follows one woman’s search for her birth family. Under the one-child policy, many newborn girls were abandoned, adopted or sold because China’s society is patriarchal and favours sons.

So Long, My Son film review – the fallout from one-child policy in China
15 Feb 2019


As well as highlighting the extreme lengths to which some families went to cover up a second child, Bo also wanted to convey a positive message about love and family

“With this film, I hope people can better understand their parents, or their children, and have a better idea about what each other has been through,” he says. “I want to help different generations better understand and accept each other.”

Bo says some scenes reflect his personal experiences. “The fight scene on the bridge happened to me but in my case, it was in a fight on a basketball court [in Beijing] when some kids circled me and tried to bully me. My parents came over, broke up the circle and saved me … that incident really moved me.

“In China, we don’t verbalise our love, we don’t say ‘I love you’ in daily life. But if a situation calls for it, family will stand up and make sacrifices, it just needs certain circumstances for that love to be revealed.”

As well as highlighting the lengths some families went to cover up a second child during the one-child policy era, director Bo Hanxiong also wanted to convey a positive message about love and family.

Drifting explores one man’s struggle with his gender identity after being raised as a girl during the one-child policy era.

When auditions failed to find a lead actor, Bo’s casting eye turned to the streets of Beijing. “I wanted someone real and authentic to portray the main character, so I looked on the streets, on buses and in bars,” says Bo. He discovered non-actor Wang Junxiong, who plays Yan, in the Beijing subway, used daily by more than 13.7 million people.

“It was great that he was so willing to work with me,” Bo says.

The parents are played by professional actors. “Han Sanming, who plays the father, has been in a few Jia Zhangke films, including his famous Still Life . Wang Jiali, who plays the mum, is active in TV shows and commercials.”

Bo, who is working on his first feature film, which explores interracial love, says his passion for film started at a young age. “Watching DVDs after school allowed me to switch off my brain,” says Bo. “It gave me enjoyment, and when I was watching films I would picture in my head the story that I wanted to tell.”

Bo is working on his first feature film, which explores interracial love.

Drifting was selected for the San Sebastian Film Festival, Busan International Short Film Festival and FilmFest Dresden International Short Film Festival; because of the coronavirus pandemic, these events will now be held in September.

His film will be screened as part of the Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival on June 22. For more details visit: Hong Kong Arthouse Film Festival

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: One-child policy in focus: born a boy, raised a girl, expected to be a man

Queer Malaysian singer Alextbh on embracing his sexuality, living in a conservative society and going global

Alexbth has gone from his first YouTube song getting four views to his single Stoop So Low being streamed 20 million times

He talks about openly singing about homosexuality in his home country, which is known for being conservative

THAT'S AN UNDERSTATEMENT BEING A SHARIA LAW COUNTRY 
THEY HAVE THE LASH FOR SODOMY, AND ADULTERY (LESBIANISM)
Haneesa Begum Published: 27 May, 2020

Malaysian singer Alextbh sings openly about homosexuality in his conservative home country.

MUSIC VIDEOS BELOW

Living in conservative Malaysia has not stopped the proudly queer Alex Bong from making waves in the music industry. Going by the stage name Alextbh, he writes songs that deal with relationships and heartbreak, and are mostly inspired by experiences in the modern-day dating world.

The Sarawak native got his first taste of music production when he was only 14. After his mother gave him an iPad, he started experimenting with the music software Garage Band. The first song he posted to YouTube received just four reactions.

Ten years on, the 24-year-old has appeared at festivals across Asia, opened for international stars including US singer Khalid and British electronic band Clean Bandit, and toured with Australian soul/R&B sensation Jess Connelly.

With a sound that straddles minimalist R&B and dream pop, Bong has notched up more than 400,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The singer’s most played single, Stoop So Low, has so far been streamed more than 20 million times on the platform. Bong says Stoop So Low track represented a turning point in his career. Moving away from soundscapes inspired by electronic dance music (EDM), Stoop So Low became his first venture into R&B genre.

“I started with EDM because a lot of YouTube tutorials revolved around very loud, ‘synthy’ soundscape designs,” he tells the Post. “Once I made Stoop So Low, I realised the beauty of minimalist R&B and putting [my] vocals centre stage. [My musical style] has settled on R&B and I’ve been sitting here comfortably since then.”

Alex says that his recent tracks have pushed the envelope further, with lyrics that unapologetically embrace his sexuality.

Between, released in April, is accompanied by an enigmatic lyric video, featuring close-up shots of male bodies and blossoming flowers. This is the first track in which he discusses sex, using words such as “guy” and “boy” to refer to his lover.

In the past, Bong admits he subconsciously omitted such pronouns, perhaps because most of his fans are female.

“I have always been writing about heartbreak … never really about sex. I wanted to write a song that fearlessly expresses my sexuality without having to navigate my way around lyrics to make it sound neutral,” Alex explained.

This month, Bong released a music video for Moments with colourisation that gives a subtle nod to classic Hong Kong films. Moments acts as a prelude to his forthcoming EP, exploring the modern-day hook-up culture.

Set for release on June 12, Bong describes his new EP The Chase as his most “open and honest record” so far, hoping it will spark discussions on hook-up culture in the gay community. Specifically, he says that “relationships nowadays are so frail” and that “dating apps take away the opportunity to get to know someone before hooking up.”

Bong has shown that it’s possible for an out and proud performer to experience success in conservative Malaysia. Although some performers in the country’s music industry still disapprove of queer lifestyles, Bong says that there is a close-knit community of LGBT people supporting others creatively – and those are the fans he chooses to focus his energy on.

Malaysian singer Alextbh has many fans and ignores the haters.

With loyal fans hailing from the US to Indonesia, he pays no attention to the haters. “I’ve learned from the get-go that it is easier to brush off the negative responses because I’m here minding my own business, and I’m feeling great about myself,” he says.

“For one show, I brought my friends, because they’re amazing and talented drag queens. I brought them on stage with the pride flag, and it was queer as f***. It was like a big relief … knowing that there is a community out there that is so supportive in a country so repressive and so against us. It’s great to know in that one moment, for one night, I had the ability to make people feel at home.”

Bong says he originally wanted to please his parents by taking a more viable career path – which led to him completing a diploma in engineering. Only a year into his music career did he come clean to his parents about his real job. Fortunately, they were supportive and Bong has never had to look back.

Instead, he is set on going global. Bong says his long-term plan is to move to London or Los Angeles to be closer to his management team. With the coronavirus outbreak putting things on hold, Bong is keeping busy creatively, writing new songs and eagerly awaiting fans’ response to his upcoming debut EP.

Alextbh’s debut EP The Chase will be released on June 12