India and Nepal to start counting transpeople in their censuses

[the_future_modernes]

Transgriot: Nepal And India To Count Trans People In Their 2011 Censuses

It's an idea I started talking about in 2007 on this blog that needs to happen for American based transpeople in 2020, but Nepal and India are actually executing..

When Nepal and India both conduct their 2011 national censuses, trans people will be counted in both nations.

Nepal’s Central Bureau of Statistics director Bikash Bista said, “Earlier, we had only two categories, men and women. But in the upcoming census, we are including a ‘third gender’ category.” This move will allow those who do not fit into binary gender categories or who identify solely as a third gender to be counted. The new category should also ease the path to citizenship, to which transgender Nepalis are already entitled by law.

Next door in India, when they begin the herculean task of counting the 1 billion people that live in the country, the count will also include transpeople for the first time as a separate category.MORE

Feminism around the world: Lebanon

[the_future_modernes]

via: Shakesville



Feminist group reclaiming gender roles in Lebanon

BEIRUT: Nasawiya, a feminist collective in Lebanon about to celebrate its first anniversary, is seeking to change the discourse about women’s issues in the country by creating a safe space for discussion and initiatives to educate Lebanese society about feminism.

“I didn’t know what feminism was when I was younger because I never learned about it in school. It’s not a word you hear often,” said the coordinator for Nasawiya, Farah Salka.

“It’s a word that scares people. People say ‘No, I’m totally not a feminist,’ even when they agree with the same principles I do.”

Nasawiya – or “feminist” – is not a women’s rights organization of the traditional, issue-based model. It was set up in February 2010 specifically as a collective of members who adhere to a common, feminist ideology and want to work together on gender-related issues.

“[Women’s rights] are more of a checklist like participation in politics, work, education, etcetera. When you get those rights you check it off and think, ‘finished,’” said Salka, adding that Nasawiya’s mission is, “much deeper than getting the law right, thinking about how to make society actually adapt to it and accept it.”MORE

Tunisian President flees popular protests, Lebanon's government falls...

[the_future_modernes]

Wikipedia on Lebanon
Inside Story - Crisis in Lebanon

Lebanon's year-old national unity government has collapsed after 11 opposition ministers resigned over the UN tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister and father of Saad al-Hariri, the current prime minister. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon is reportedly close to indicting senior members of Hezbollah for the murder. Will this rekindle violence in the country? Will it lead to another period of political deadlock? Is the tribunal likely to cause more harm than good to the country? And what does the future hold for Lebanon? Inside Story investigates.

Wikipedia on Tunisia

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali flees Tunisia as interim president takes control:Mohammed Ghannouchi, the prime minister, declares temporary rule after president is forced out by protests

 

Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled his country tonight after weeks of mass protests culminated in a victory for people power over one of the Arab world's most repressive regimes.Ben Ali was variously reported to be in Malta, France and Saudi Arabia at the end of an extraordinary day which had seen the declaration of a state of emergency, the evacuation of tourists of British and other nationalities, and an earthquake for the authoritarian politics of the Middle East and north Africa.

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's ousted president.
Photograph: Fethi Belaid/AFP/Getty Images


Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced to the country he had taken over as interim president, vowing to respect the constitution and restore stability for Tunisia's 10.5m citizens.

"I call on the sons and daughters of Tunisia, of all political and intellectual persuasions, to unite to allow our beloved country to overcome this difficult period and to return to stability," he said.MORE

I don't think I have seen this around

[la_vie_noire]

Poet Susana Chavez’s Death Sparks Outrage in Juarez

Chavez is one of over 500 women in Juarez who have been found murdered in the last decade. And her death has caused an uproar because she had been one of few to speak out against the growing femicide, coining the phrase, “Ni una mas,” (“Not one more) and routinely criticizing local authorities for refusing to properly investigate the crimes. Her death has cast new suspicions about local authorities’ ability to handle the cases. That is to say that they’ve largely chosen to ignore them; so far, 92 percent of cases of women who’ve been murdered in the region remain unsolved.

Floods worldwide

[effex]

Hello! the_future_modernes asked me to repost this:

* The flooding in Australia is still bad, bad, bad. Both the Australian Red Cross and the Queensland Government homepage are good places to donate (via copperbadge).

* There's also flooding in Brazil, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. And Columbia is still recovering from flooding in early December. Googling gets me the Brazilian Red Cross (in Portuguese), the Philippine Red Cross, the Malaysian Red Crescent, the Thai Red Cross, the Sri Lanka Red Cross, and the Columbian Red Cross (in Spanish). Anyone know of other repudiable organizations?