HeLeM

Web address: http://www.helem.net/

HeLeM is a Lebanon based not-for-profit human rights organization. HeLeM's website offers health information for GLBT people, including an article on lesbian safe sex. HeLeM also has a coming out section that includes the stories of young GLBT people. Stories in this section also include the stories of friends and family members reactions to coming out. One story in particular reinforced that coming out is a matter of personal choice. Young people can also add their stories. Reports of the socio-political status of GLBT people in Lebanon are also listed. This web page is updated regularly and additions are recent. HeLeM's website also offers a regular newsletter available which can be downloaded. The website appears to be youth friendly in appearance.

The Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society

Web address: http://www.glas.org/

The Gay and Lesbian Arabic Society (GLAS), is a long-standing international organisation, which 'aims to promote positive images of Gays and Lesbians in Arab communities worldwide, in addition to combating negative portrayals of Arabs within the Gay and Lesbian community.' This page has some good links, with current news events that have been recently and regularly updated. The GLAS website also offers a blog and stories. While this seems to be an appropriate website, based on appearances it seems that it any appeal to an older target group than HeLeM's site.

Huriyah: A Queer Muslim Magazine

Web address:   http://www.huriyahmag.com/

As this website explains 'huriyah is an arabic word that means "freedom"'. Huriyah offers links to international support organizations, book reviews, stories, chat site, forum, links and music and film reviews etc. The magazines are updated regularly. The recent magazine includes the following articles: 'Faisal Alam, of queer Muslim organization Al-Fatiha , is giving you some New Year's Resolutions, in which he recommends for the community five practical ways to change our lives' and  'Burcu G's deeply emotional article Dear, Mother, one of the many letters she writes to her mom in Turkey who refuses to acknowledge her'. There is also a section called voices containing peoples personal stories, community based articles, cartoons, and an advice section. This site is visually appealing and appears to be appropriate for young people.

Macedonia Gay Rights Organization

Web address: http://www.cgcp.org.mk

The CGCP is the first and only GLBT rights group in Macedonia. '.We are lawyers, journalists, economists, political scientists, psychologists, social care workers, and other dedicated professionals of different nationalities and diverse backgrounds.' CGCP's website it up-to-date and offers news about current events, movies, art, music etc. Its appearance is very youth friendly. A Macedonian language version of their web page is available and at moment the English language version of their web page is being updated and therefore unavailable. A click on their contact button (???????) will provide you with the email address: e-mail: info@cgcp.org.mk . Through this email address I made contact with Nino, who forwarded to me a copy of two reports that CGCP has been involved in over the last 4 years, 'Borders of Freedom and Choice: Homosexuality in the republic of Macedonia' and 'Rainbow Over Macedonia: The First Macedonian National Conference on the Rights of Homosexuals'. It may be argued, however, that these articles may be of more interest to workers than the GLBT young people per se.

ACON's Asian Gay Men Project

Web address: http://www.acon.org.au/community/index.cfm?cat_id=66&subcat=70

'The Asian Project is an ongoing project of ACON (AIDS Council of NSW) to provide information, support and referral assistance to primarily Asian gay & bisexual men, as well as other members of our Asian queer community in NSW, Australia.'

ACON's Asian Gay Men Project website offers information pertaining to getting community support services and social groups such as Silk Road and Asia Plus. This website also offers links to social clubs such as the Asian Marching Boys, Long Yang Club and Asian Racial Harmony Collective (QARHC).  Website visitors can also join a confidential email list to regularly update members on relevant community information and events. The information on this web page is more specific compared to the websites above. The appearance of the web page would appear to be less attractive to young people than websites such as the HeLeM and CGCP websites. It is also not relevant for young women. However, this website does offer information pertaining to Australian based support, which the other websites I have located cannot offer.

Grinding Tofu

Web address: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/4289/

Grinding Tofu is a page that was created by students of UCLA in the United States as a project for their Chinese History Class. The web page authors write:

'.Growing up as a Chinese American is hard enough. The added complexities of growing up as a queer Chinese American could make the experience even more difficult. The queer Chinese community is one which not only faces the difficulties of living in a racist country, it is one which also has to survive the heterosexism blatant in patriarchal society. Through all these barriers, the stories of the queer community end up being lost, ignored, or completely erased. Our purpose in doing this project was to revive and share the unique experiences and stories of queer Chinese Americans. The stories of these individuals, and of the community in general, have been buried for far too long. We hope that in documenting these coming out experiences, people will not only acknowledge, but also appreciate, the existence of the queer Chinese American community.'

 

Whilst this web page is based on the experiences of young people in America who come from Chinese speaking backgrounds the biographies which are shared by the young people on this site may also be relevant for GLBT young people from Chinese backgrounds in Australia. These biographies address issues such as coming out and family expectations, which may also be relevant to an Australian based reader. This website has been put together by and for young people which may additionally appeal to young people.

 

GayNZ

Web address: http://www.gaynz.com/

This is a New Zealand based website which features numerous sections including:  daily news, daily TV guide, family matters, politics and religion, HIV/AIDS and health etc. The family matters section provides the responses of members of the community to one issue a week that is forwarded to them by visitors to this site. These members of the community include; Jacquie Grant, 'affectionately known as the "tranny granny" .Bill Logan a counsellor, celebrant, gay activist .He's been on the Gay Helpline in Wellington since 1982, was a co-founder of the Aids Foundation, and played a significant role in the struggle for homosexual law reform.Previous advisors include secondary school teacher Carol Bartlett, gay activist Jim Peron and GayNZ.com editor Jay Bennie.'