California school district opposes law to protect transgendered students
Orange County, Calif., school trustee Judy Ahrens knows her stand against a state law that protects the rights of transgendered students might jeopardize more than half of her small district's annual budget. But as far as Ahrens is concerned, the Department of Education's mandate that the Westminster School District update its antidiscrimination policy is a threat to students' values and education. "I'm really sad that the moral compass isn't out there," Ahrens said. "I'm really disappointed that economics is trying to outweigh morality and protecting our kids in this district."
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Singapore activists rally against antigay sex law
Gay rights activists in Singapore are urging the government to do away with a decades-old law that criminalizes gay sex, claiming that the law is archaic and unconstitutional. "Here in Singapore, we continue to demand rapid social changes to support economic development: in education, job retraining, immigration," said Alex Au, founder of gay rights group People Like Us. But the government has been far too slow in allowing changes to the city-state's sex laws, Au said. The criminal code's Section 377 bars men from engaging in "any act of gross indecency" with other men, punishable by a maximum two years in jail. This has been interpreted by courts to cover consensual gay sex. In November the government promised to review the law in response to public outrage over the imprisonment of a police officer for engaging in oral sex--also banned under Section 377. The government has, however, dragged its feet over the promised reforms.