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Identity

Identity
News, articles and features on the topic of identity with a millennial focus, covering gender, LGBT, race, sexual orientation and equal rights.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
The Istiqlal Mosque (top) and the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (bottom). Indonesia officially recognises six religions. Photo: Indonesia’s Presidential Palace / AFP
Indonesia

Indonesian court’s ruling on citizens’ religion sparks discrimination fears

Rights activists say the court’s decision could reduce religion to a bureaucratic formality and ‘thicken religious polarisation’.

Icons and Influencers

What is controversial internet personality Oli London up to now?

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Profile

How a trans social worker found community and acceptance in Hong Kong

South Korea

At 81, she almost became South Korea’s Miss Universe

Choi Soon-hwa missed out on the crown at the beauty pageant in Seoul on Monday – but did take home the ‘best dresser award’.

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Choi Soon-hwa competes at the 2024 Miss Universe Korea pageant in Seoul. Photo: AP
Russia

Russian MPs back adoption ban on ‘sick’ countries allowing gender reassignment

Moscow has long portrayed itself as a bulwark against liberal values, but that trend has hugely accelerated since the Ukraine war began.

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Hong Kong

The future of filmmaking in Hong Kong, according to the next generation

The fate of the Fresh Wave film festival that’s nurtured generations of budding directors now hangs in the balance after the arts council slashed funding

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Celebrity children

Meet Denzel Washington’s talented movie director son, Malcolm Washington

From studying film at Pennsylvania University to being Spike Lee’s assistant and now bringing August Wilson’s famous play to Netflix, here’s what to know about Denzel Washington’s youngest son

The Piano Lesson director Malcolm Washington with stars Danielle Deadwyler and John David Washington. Photo: @ThePianoLessonFilm/X
Pakistan

SheDrives: Pakistan’s transgender community get its first ride-sharing service

SheDrives will service only trans people and women. Trans people are considered outcasts by many in predominantly Muslim Pakistan.

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South Korea

South Korea’s nominated human rights chief sparks uproar over anti-LGBTQ stance

Ahn Chang-ho, who opposes anti-discrimination laws, also rejects the theory of evolution and wants creationism lessons in schools

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Australia

Australian transgender woman wins landmark case against female-only app

The case marks the first time that the Federal Court has made a ruling on gender identity discrimination since changes were made to the Sex Discrimination Act in 2013.

Roxanne Tickle leaves the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Sex and relationships

In China, a woman’s custody battle spotlights challenges of same-sex couples

LGBTQ families have no law to cite when faced with situations like custody or divorce, as same-sex marriage is not recognised in China, meaning the outcome of each case is uncertain and inconsistent.

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Shanghai resident Zhang Peiyi has been fighting to see her children since 2020, after a difficult separation. Photo: AP
SpaceX

Musk to move SpaceX and X from California to Texas over transgender law

Musk called a law blocking schools from forcing teachers to notify parents about changes to a student’s gender identity ‘the final straw’.

Books and literature

How Michelle Zauner is preserving the Korean half of her identity

Michelle Zauner, of pop band Japanese Breakfast, chronicled her relationship with her mum and her Korean identity in her first book, Crying in H Mart. In her second, she will trace her language journey.

United States

In the US, LGBTQ librarians grapple with attacks on books – and on themselves

People who identify as LGBTQ say they are facing increasing difficulties at work, ranging from being repeatedly misgendered to physically assaulted.

Librarian June Meissner uses a computer at a workstation on the second floor of the Boise Public Library in Boise, Idaho on June 6. Photo: AP
Japan

Japan’s top court rules trans woman ‘father’ of girl born after switch

‘If a child cannot seek recognition because of a gender change, he or she cannot receive support as a dependent or become an heir,’ the ruling said.

Children in the Chinatown of Yokohama. Japan’s top court on Friday recognised a transgender woman as the “father” of her 3-year-old daughter conceived using her frozen sperm. Photo: Xinhua
LGBTQ

5 prominent LGBT Republicans and their politics

As right-wing attacks on the LGBT community go into overdrive, some Republicans who have come out remain loyal to their conservative beliefs, from Peter Thiel to Caitlyn Jenner

Fame and celebrity

7 celebrities who use they/them pronouns, from Janelle Monáe to Elliot Page

The Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page came out as trans in 2020, and Halsey also quietly changed their pronouns on their socials to ‘she/they’, saying it ‘feels most authentic to me’

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Singapore

In Singapore, a cancelled talk on sex and gender reflects LGBTQ divide

Singapore repealed its anti-gay sex law in November 2022, but conservative values still run deep in the city state.

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Supporters attend an annual Pink Dot pride event at Hong Lim Park in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Fame and celebrity

Who is The Sympathizer star Hoa Xuande, acting with Robert Downey Jr?

Aussie actor Hoa Xuande is a rising star in Hollywood after landing the biggest role of his life in HBO-A24 series The Sympathizer, starring alongside Robert Downey Jr – so what do we know about him?

Fame and celebrity

Meet Quannah Chasinghorse, the indigenous model who wowed at the Met Gala

The 21-year-old indigenous up-and-comer made her Met Gala debut in 2021 and recalls feeling ‘really lonely’ – this year, she owned the event in a custom gown and created a ‘safe space’ for newbies

Gender

Singer’s emotional transgender journey, from self-loathing to joy

Hong Kong singer SY, who had gender-affirming surgery in Bangkok in 2020, explores his transgender journey through music, with his new song featuring lyrics sung before and after his gender transition.

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SY speaks at a Human Libraries event at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The singer, who had gender-affirming surgery in Bangkok in 2020, explores his transgender journey through music, with his new song featuring lyrics sung before and after his gender transition. Photo: SY
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong transgender activist ready for regular life after ID card change

Transgender man Henry Edward Tse won a landmark legal battle in 2023, but official policy only changed earlier this month.

Henry Edward Tse with his new ID card. The transgender activist has vowed to keep up the fight for equality. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong society

Hong Kong transgender man set for new ID card after 7-year legal fight

Henry Edward Tse first launched legal action in 2017 after authorities blocked an application to change his gender from female to male on his Hong Kong ID card.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Mexico could get a woman president. What could it mean for abortion rights?

In a country of more than 98 million Catholics, neither of the two leading candidates – both women – has shared specific proposals on abortion.

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The Philippines

Attack on Taylor Sheesh sparks calls for more LGBTQ protections in Philippines

Outrage over the attack has led to renewed calls for the passage of a long stalled anti-discrimination bill and other legal protections.

Filipino drag artist and Taylor Swift impersonator Taylor Sheesh was attacked by an audience member during a performance in the Philippines on April 6. Photo: Taylor Sheesh / Instagram
India

India’s tribes at risk as expanding tourism plans threaten identity, ecosystem

Local guides say a lack of respect for indigenous culture in India is a concern as tourist footfall increases amid plans to build facilities in tribal territory.

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Tourists in Amadubi village in India. Photo: Amitava Ghosh
Germany

Germany to make it easier for people to legally change their name, gender

The law, a social reform that Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s liberal-leaning government pledged when it took office in 2021, will take effect on November 1.

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Gender

Mexico’s muxe, or ‘third gender’, are part of worldwide LGBTQ movement

Mexico’s muxe are Zapotec people who identify as male at birth and embody female characteristics, viewing themselves as a ‘third gender’.

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