China: Fearing K-Pop influence, government bans "sissy men" on television
LGBTQ Nation reported on September 3 that China has banned "sissy men" from television, as part of a broader effort by President Xi Jin-ping to foster a "cultural rejuvenation." K-Pop musicians are of special concern to China's leaders for their "abnormal esthetics" and traditionally feminine features. Meanwhile, China's largest social media platform has started to delete high-profile LGBTQ-related accounts, without any specific explanation as to why. The deleted accounts were all nongovernmental or student led.

Bangladesh: Six anti-Gay militants sentenced to death for 2016 murders
Reuters reported on August 31 that Bangladesh has sentenced six Islamist miltants to death for killing two Gay rights activists five years ago. The activists were Xulhaz Mannan, 35, an editor of Bangladesh's first LGBTQ magazine, and Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy, 25, an actor. They were killed in Mannan's apartment in Dhaka in April 2016, as part of a spate of attacks on secular groups and religious minorities. Homosexual relationships are still illegal in Bangladesh, but the government there is determined to maintain its identity as a "moderate Muslim" nation.