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.

Boys Night Out

Few people remember it, but I was featured in Times Asia in 2001 as a gay man.

So for those who missed it, here is what it said in 19 March 2001 editon.

Boys Night Out
We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it. Can Singapore accept its gay community?
By JEN WEI TING Singapore

http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/sex/sexgay.html

Anything goes at Taboo. As your eyes get used to the dim blue lighting, you catch silhouettes of couples kissing, touching, and necking openly, both on and off the dance floor. The first surprise is that almost all the patrons are male. Surprise No. 2—are you sitting down?—is that this is in Singapore.

Yes, that most uptight of Asian countries has a surprisingly lively gay scene. Taboo is one of three nightclubs in the Tanjong Pagar suburb that has a large homosexual clientele. At the two 24-hour coffee shops, it’s not unusual to see flamboyantly attired drag queens enjoying a late night snack. By day, the cafE at the Borders bookstore downtown is a popular gay hangout. Those who prefer to stay in the closet can find refuge in numerous websites and Internet chat groups run by local gay activists. “Singapore is probably the safest place to live in Asia now”, says Shen, a gay playwright.

Coming Out II

Again this is my 2nd coming out article written in 2003

Introduction

After posting my initial coming out article, a lot of people wrote to me, to express their thanks and also to share some of their lives with me. I would like to thank all who have trusted me in talking about their lives and also to those who have given me their continuous support.

It has been some 3 years since I last talked about my coming out experiences. 3 years have passed and, of course, I have came out to more people since. This article shall explore my experience or the past 3 years and some insights to this coming out thing.

Coming Out

This post was written in my first home page sometime in year 2000, I’ve kept it as original without any changes.

Introduction

Coming out can be a significant event for many people with homosexual preferences. For some, it’s unintended and the whole world shatters in their face, leaving them worse off then before. Yet for many others it’s a choice to do so and the results are somewhat successful. Of course, there are others who never “came out”.

To me coming out means getting ready to accept oneself as a gay person and it’s when one would like to share that knowledge with the “normal” community… not all at once though. Coming out is also a continuous process of self-discovery. Most importantly, coming out is an individual experience, it should not be forced onto people who are not (or never) ready. Everyone has their own timings for coming out. The only way I can see of encouraging people to come out is really to help them dispel their fears, doubts and uncertainty of the issue.

Anyhow, back to the topic at hand…