Sujith Kumar S/o PrankumarGoing by the sea of pinks at Hong Lim Park on May 16, the call issued to Singaporeans who believe in the freedom to love was heard loud and clear.
Between more than a thousand and 2,500 (depending on whether you take The Straits Times and The Online Citizen accounts or the organisers figures) Singaporeans descended on Speaker’s Corner to celebrate the country’s first “Pink Dot” event. They were told by organisers via social networking website Facebook and through their website, pinkdot.sg, to wear pink, which, according to organisers, represents “…the colour of our national identity cards and it is what you get when you mix the colours of our national flag”.
This was the first such event that was carried out legally in Singapore that involved the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and their supporters here. Last year, police broke up a picnic planned by the community at the Botanic Gardens.
3 prominent celebrities, actors Timothy Nga and Neo Swee Lin, and radio presenter Rosalyn Lee from 98.7fm, were the event’s ambassadors. They made speeches and were featured in videos supporting the freedom to love.
Other prominent personalities, such as multimedia artist Brian Gothong Tan, actress and artiste management head Irene Ang (Phua Chu Kang), choreographer George Chan (The Dance Floor), actress Pamela Oei and US-trained pharmacist Dr Stuart Koe (Fridae.com) were present.
Neo even made 200 small boxes of cookies to be shared among the participants, who were further treated to cultural song and dance items from the various ethnic communities.
The event kicked off at 4.30pm with speeches from the ambassadors and a dikir barat performance. At 4.45pm, participants formed the words “Love 4 all”, and an hour later, they gathered to form a pink dot before breaking out into Beatles classic “All You Need Is Love”.
From the reactions on the field, the crowd clearly lapped it up. The well-organised event, which brought together Singaporeans of all races, sexualities and ages, drew rave reviews from attendees.
Colin Toh, 20, a recent polytechnic graduate, said, “It’s overwhelming… I mean, it’s the first LGBT gathering in Singapore. I was expecting a low turnout, actually, but it’s not bad! Everyone looks so happy.”
Colin came with his partner, with whom he lives.
Chee Hui Ming, 19, a media student, said, “I feel proud of Singaporeans for turning up today.”
Some of the participants remained after the event to enjoy picnics with their families, friends and pets.
Mark Cheong Jun Wen, 21, a freelance photographer, said, “It’s so great to see families and kids around. I feel it’s very important that kids are brought up this way.”
“Homophobia is unnecessary, though understandable. We live in a conservative society with traditional values,” he added.
Others did a little soul searching.
Lokies Khan, 17, a Secondary 4 student at Yuan Ching Secondary School, said, “Before I opened up, I was rather homophobic myself. I was afraid people would treat me differently so I tried to distance myself from it.
“But I’m open now. In fact, I plan to come out to my mother today!” he said with a laugh.
“Coming out” is a term members of the LGBT community use to refer to the process of declaring their sexuality. They do this to come to terms with their condition and to include family and friends in their lives.
The event was seen as an important event in the gay acceptance movement here. All the 9 LGBT participants interviewed recounted experiences of bullying and discrimination.
Mohammed “Ely” Haniff, 20, a recent polytechnic graduate, said, “It would’ve been so much easier if I was straight. I was bullied back in secondary school… shoved in hallways, pushed in the toilet.
“That’s why I thought this event was important, and that’s why I came even though I have bronchitis.”
UrbanWire also came to know of some who didn’t come for fear of being “outed” or persecuted, or who felt that it was unnecessary.
Lokies said, “My friend didn’t want to turn up because he felt it wouldn’t change anything.”
Miranda (not her real name), a closeted lesbian in her 20s, said, “Maybe I’ll come next year when I’m sure there’d be no press or police around. I’m afraid my parents will look at my face in the papers.”
Incidentally, the event preceded the International Day Against Homophobia, which falls on May 17 every year. That day in 1992 was when the World Health Organisation removed homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases.