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As the nation mourns the passing of Singapore’s founding father, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community here partake in the nation’s grief while hoping that the future would signal greater LGBTQ acceptance in modern society.
Nicholas Lim, administrator of Gay SG Confessions, a Facebook page with anonymous members, noted Lee’s liberal stance on homosexuality, highlighting a quote he made to a Singapore journalist that being gay is not a ‘lifestyle’ but a ‘genetic difference’.
Lim said he admires the late Lee for his thoughts on the matter despite vociferous opposition from the religious right.
“It is undeniable that his practicality and matter-of-fact manner has made this city-state a little more liveable than others, especially when neighbouring countries around us make being gay a potentially life-threatening situation,” he wrote in the statement.
A spokesperson from the annual Pink Dot event to celebrate LGBTQ acceptance in Singapore declined a request for an interview, redirecting Coconuts Singapore instead to a statement posted on its Facebook page on Monday: “Singapore, home to diverse communities living side-by-side, is by no means a utopia. But it is a country built on the backs of people who share in the hopes and dreams of forging a nation united in a common cause: to succeed against all odds. It is our hope that we, as Singaporeans, regardless of race, language, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, continue to build on the successes of Mr Lee’s generation.”
For 31-year-old Benjamin Xue, co-founder of LGBTQ youth support group Young Out Here, he hopes Lee’s positive statements on homosexuality will form the benchmark for LGBTQ acceptance in Singapore.
“What (Lee) has said is not just a benchmark for everyone in Parliament, but he also knows worldwide that is the direction. He is aware of general trends so it’s hard for Singapore to not keep to that trend,” said Xue to Coconuts Singapore, referring to increasingly LGBTQ-positive content in Western cultures that youth are attuned to.
Commenting on the recent tussles between religious and LGBTQ camps, Xue believes there is a need for “a bigger dialogue”, citing the decision to move this year’s Pink Dot event away from the Muslim fasting month as an example of cultural sensibility.
In a New York Times interview published in 2009, the former Prime Minister had said that Singapore has “got to go the way the world is going. China has already allowed and recognized gays, so have Hong Kong and Taiwan. It’s a matter of time. But we have a part Muslim population, another part conservative older Chinese and Indians. So, let’s go slowly. It’s a pragmatic approach to maintain social cohesion.”
“If we are to move forward as a nation, LGBT people should be involved. We’re nowhere near a Grade A mark — probably at a C or D,” added Xue.
Bill Ho, founder of LGBTQ-friendly Eight Bar & Cafe, believes the slow pace of change is attributed to long-standing beliefs that LGBTQs lead perverse lifestyles centered on partying and indiscriminate sex.
“Sometimes, (anti-LGBTQ camps) feel phobia and don’t really understand that these are negative mindsets. It’s 2015: being a modern city, (the LGBTQ community) should be accepted,” he said.
Entrepreneur Adrianna Tan, who identifies as lesbian, summed it up in her Facebook post by encouraging others to carry on in their goals “without giving power or airtime to the ones who want Singapore and Singaporeans to serve their personality disorders.”
She continued: “I will not celebrate with the small-minded and with those who find happiness in a death. Instead, I will grief with my country and do my best to build a Singapore I want my children to be a part of.”
Photo: Pink Dot Sg Facebook Page
