White House declares June as LGBT Pride Month

I recieved this email in my inbox from my company’s LGBT distribution list and felt like crying in happiness with the American LGBTs.

THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 1, 2009

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

The coming out of Singapore: Thank you PinkDot

Me and Rainbow bear

Of the many years as a semi-gay activist, I would not have imagined that so many LGBTs in Singapore would come out and show themselves as they did on 16 May 2009 in Hong Lim Park.

Of course, this does not come about just like that. Its been brewing for many years, with many people contributing to social groups, events and visibility of gay people in Singapore to accumulate to this day as a pink dot on the greens of Hong Lim Park.

The interconnectedness of civil movements

I always believe that a sign of a gracious and mature society is one in which there are laws that prevents discrimination 0f minorities and protects those who don’t have a voice. Singapore, based on its laws, is still a long way to go on that front.

Its very unfortunately that as a part of globalisation, we took in a lot of judeo-christian values with regard to sex and violence. Violence seems to be tolerated. Just look what kind of computer games, movies and songs depicting and justifying violence in the name of peace, justice, love, honor, revenge and just for fun. But when it comes to sex, everything is almost a no-no, no pre-martial sex, no homosex, no porn, etc. As if all the violence in our world now is due to sex and not petty power struggle, religious hatred, poverty, anger and money.