OPENPRESS: Singapore Bans Speech by Gay Activist Rev. Troy Perry, Founder of MCC Church (Aug 31)

Singapore Bans Speech by Gay Activist Rev. Troy Perry, Founder of MCC Church

Published on: August 31st, 2007 02:07am by: JimBirkitt

Veteran gay activist Rev. Troy Perry banned from speaking in Singapore; local gay activists circumvent speaking ban to share gay rights message.

Los Angeles, CA (OPENPRESS) September 1, 2007 -- During 40 years of gay rights activism, Rev. Dr. Troy D. Perry, founder of the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Churches, has been picketed, taunted by Right Wing extremists, and arrested for civil disobedience. Perry knows what it is to be the target of hate mail campaigns and the recipient of death threats. Occasionally, a church or organization has canceled a speaking engagement by the outspoken gay rights leader.

But recent actions by Singapore marked the first time an entire country had banned Perry from public speaking engagements.

Rev. Perry was part of a recent six-member delegation to Southeast Asia from Metropolitan Community Churches. The delegation, led by Rev. Pat Bumgardner, chair of the Moderator's Global Justice Team of MCC, was scheduled to conduct speaking engagements, workshops, and worship services in Malaysia and Singapore, and to meet with gay rights groups.

"I've had enough experiences for three lifetimes," said Perry, "but this was the first time an entire country banned me from public speaking. I was allowed to enter the country and told that I could speak one-on-one with individuals, but I was banned from delivering my public speech." Perry was scheduled to deliver a speech, "Metropolitan Community Churches and the Gay Christian Witness" before a coalition of LGBT rights and LGBT pride groups.

Gay male homosexual sex is illegal in Singapore, though lesbian sex in private is not criminalized. Penalties for male homosexual acts, while seldom enforced, are severe.

"All over the world I've observed it time and time again: the LGBT community always finds creative ways to make our voices heard in spite of oppression and intimidation. We always find ways to get out the message that all people deserve equality under the law, and that all of God's children, including gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons, are worthy of dignity and God's love."

Despite the intimidation, the public event took place as scheduled in Singapore City on August 8 -- with Rev. Perry and Rev. Bumgardner in attendance. Organizers identified three plainclothes police officers in the audience.

"The Singapore government may have banned me from delivering my speech, but the event's organizers saw to it that my voice was heard," said Rev. Perry.

LGBT activists had prepared a PowerPoint presentation of Rev. Perry's life with photos from the pictorial book, "Troy Perry: Pastor and Prophet," including pictures of Perry with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, U.S. President Bill Clinton, U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein, and other religious, political, and social leaders.

Then they read aloud passages from four books authored by Rev. Perry. "They used the words from my writings to give me voice and to share my beliefs about human rights for LGBT people," said Perry.

"But what happened next was simply a stroke of genius," he enthused.

"The organizers announced that, while I couldn't deliver my public speech, I had been told I could answer one-on-one questions from individuals. So for the next three hours, from 9 PM to midnight, I answered one individual question after another. Of course, I was answering them out loud in front of the audience, so I was actually able to share far more information than if I had only delivered my speech," said Perry.

"There's a saying that when a door closes, God opens a window. That's also true of LGBT activists," said Perry. "When Singapore officials closed a door, Singapore's LGBT activists opened a window."

"I am so proud of LGBT activists across Singapore and Malaysia. They are working to secure the human rights of LGBT people in their countries and are doing so in the face of great cultural and political opposition," added Perry. "And let me also say how thankful I am for spiritual activists such as Rev. Pat Bumgardner, senior pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of New York, and Rev. Boon Lin Ngeo, the first openly gay clergyperson in Malaysia, who were part of the recent MCC team. They are working hand-in-hand with national and regional activists to further social and spiritual justice across Southeast Asia."

Rev. Dr. Troy D. Perry founded Metropolitan Community Churches in 1968, one year prior to the Stonewall Riots. Today Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC) is the world's largest and oldest Christian denomination with a primary, affirming ministry to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons. Known as "The Human Rights Church" for its commitment to social justice, MCC has almost 300 local congregations in 28 countries. Additional information on MCC can be found on-line at www.MCCchurch.org or by writing to info@MCCchurch.net.

To Arrange Media Interviews With
Rev. Dr. Troy Perry or Rev. Pat Bumgardner, Contact:

Jim Birkitt
Communications Director
Metropolitan Community Churches
P. O. Box 691728
West Hollywood, California 90069

For More Information, Visit:
www.MCCchurch.org

ST: Budget for Aids education hits $4m

Budget for Aids education hits $4m
The Straits Times, Aug 30, 2007

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) will spend $4 million on Aids education this year, an increase on the $3.3 million spent for the year end in March.

This is more than triple the $1.3 million budget it had in 2005.

The spending on Aids education was increased after the Ministry of Health (MOH) corrected a mistake in its 2005 report on the number of new Aids/HIV patients.

The reason for the spike?

The HPB had originally reported 255 new patients. But last September, this number was revised to 317.

With the new figure, the Aids education budget grew as well.

Responding to a Straits Times query, an MOH spokesman explained: 'The additional 62 cases were diagnosed in late 2005 and were retrospectively added to complete the picture.'

The correct number showed that there had been no fall in the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections here and, in fact, the upward trend continued unchecked.

Last year, it rose again to 357 new cases, a 13 per cent increase from the previous year. Three in four people infected are heterosexual.

The HPB's stepped-up education efforts include placing advertisements targeted at specific groups, such as the one in The Straits Times last week aimed at young women who indulge in casual sex.

The HPB is also working with the Textile and Fashion Federation to promote more than 50 T-shirts designed by prominent personalities, such as TV actor Adrian Pang and MP Fatimah Lateef, to raise Aids awareness. The T-shirts will be on display at VivoCity from Oct 12 to 21.

Dr Roy Chan, president of the non-governmental association Action For Aids, was not impressed by the new tack: 'Giving information alone is not enough. Many people don't take it seriously because they don't think it applies to them.'

He said this is 'true for any medical condition, and is particularly true for HIV infection'.

People need to be encouraged to take control of their health. The stigma and discrimination against people with the disease also need to change, he added.

Prevention is much more cost-effective than treatment, as the cost of medicine alone comes to about $1,300 a month for each patient. This is on top of any other medical treatment patients may need due to their compromised immune system.

The HPB is focusing its campaign on three groups - teenagers, workers, and men who have sex with other men and illegal prostitutes.

In schools, the HPB runs Aids/HIV education classes for Secondary 3 and JC1 students.

Today: Minister Reticent on Alfian Case

This sounds a whole lot like when I was (nearly) hired to take on a teaching/facilitation position at a Polytechnic last year.

I was even invited to sit in on a class and introduced as the next teacher faciilitator to take over. The Poly's HR even issued a letter to the temp agency to let them know that I would come onboard full-time.

Then the Poly does an about-turn and insists I was never hired in the first place. Although I have documents from them that prove otherwise. Their statement about this? I shouldn't have been privvy to those documents even though it was from them and was emailed to me.

I am sure that the reason why I wasn't hired is because they ran background checks and it came up that I am gay and that I was one of the people whose names are listed to attempt to register People Like Us (PLU) as a society.

What is of course most laughable about the situtation is that the particular department is filled with gay people, just not ones who have registered to make PLU a society. Oh well.


MINISTER RETICENT ON ALFIAN CASE
Each year, the Ministry of Education (MOE)receives about 3,000 first-time applications to become relief teachers. And about 100 are rejected for a “variety of reasons”, including “the values they hold and espouse”, said Minister of State for
Education Lui Tuck Yew in response to a question in Parliament yesterday. espite repeated attempts by Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong, Mr Lui would not be drawn into discussing playwright Alfian Sa’at’s recent failed application, adding that it was “not appropriate to discuss individual cases … in this House”. Mr Lui reiterated: “The most appropriate thing to do is for (Mr Alfian) to engage
MOE directly and we can deal with the case on an individual basis.” Nevertheless, Mr Alfian told TODAY he had not heard from MOE since May, when he wrote to the ministry asking for more specific reasons. Said Mr Alfian: “They had given me like their HR policies but I don’t see how I could have contravened any of those.”

Christian Post Reporter: Malaysian Pastor Vows to Open First Gay-Friendly Church

Malaysian Pastor Vows to Open First Gay-Friendly Church
By
Ethan Cole

Christian Post Reporter
Fri, Aug. 24 2007 01:50 PM ET

The first and only openly gay pastor in Malaysia said Thursday he will move forward with plans to open the country’s first gay-friendly church despite government opposition.

The Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng, an ethic Chinese Malaysian ordained in the United States in May, has called on mainstream churches to not discriminate against homosexuals.

“We are going to set up a church just like any other one but the only difference is that we affirm and welcome those who openly declare themselves gays, lesbians or homosexuals,” Ouyang told Agence France-Presse.

“We will follow all the rules by applying all the proper licenses. We already have a church of such stature in Singapore and I do not see why we cannot set up one here,” he added.

On Aug. 12, the openly gay pastor led a Sunday service attended by nearly 80 congregants – mostly homosexuals – who hugged and sang hymns and lyrics such as, “With justice as our aim, a queer and righteous people united in Christ’s name,” according to AP.

Ouyang said he has received a flood of hate mails regarding his plans.

Furthermore, the pastor’s intention to open a homosexual-oriented church is opposed by not only Christians but also Muslims in a country where 60 percent are followers of Islam.

“It is the deviant sexual behavior we do not condone,” commented the Rev. Wong Kin Kong, secretary general of Malaysia’s National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, according to the Malaysia Star. “We cannot stop him wanting to set up such a kind of church, but the evangelical churches will inform followers of our stand and advise them not to follow this teaching.”

Wong told the Associated Press that his group does not recognize Ouyang’s ordination.

“We have nothing against gays but we don’t encourage any form of practice that contradicts the teachings of the Bible such as relationship among the same sex,” the evangelical minister said.

“It is clear that the Bible prohibits a sexual relationship between people of the same sex,” he noted, according to the Malaysia Star. “If a person condones same sex marriages, it is definitely violating Christian principles.”

Currently, Ouyang is pursuing his doctorate at Boston University and said he plans to return permanently to Malaysia in a few years. He lives with his partner Angel Ayala, an American, and said they hope to marry when same-sex “marriage” is legalized in New York. The Malaysian pastor was formerly in a heterosexual marriage and said his former wife gave him the strength to be his true self.

It was in 1998 that Ouyang went to study sociology and theology in the United States.

While in the United States, Ouyang had worked at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York, which seeks to serve homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. The MCC founder, Bishop Troy D. Perry, is also a homosexual with a partner of over 22 years who is HIV-positive.

Ouyung said he hopes to set up an MCC branch in Malaysia by 2010.

Although homosexuality is not itself a crime under Malaysian law, it is covered by a law prohibiting sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and whipping, according to AP.

Malaysia’s Tourism Minister Adnan Tengku Mansor has said the government will block the plan for the gay-friendly church because Malaysia wants the country to be seen as a “family-oriented” holiday spot, according to AFP.

365Gay.com: Gay Partner Legislation Stalls In Australia

(Canberra) Any improvements in benefits for same-sex couples appear to be a long way off in Australia following a raucous cabinet meeting this week in Canberra.

Conservatives within Prime Minister John Howard's Liberal government have managed to delay the introduction of a bill to provide limited rights to gay and lesbian couples until after the next federal election.

Cabinet moderates had been pressing to bring in the bill as soon as possible.

In the end the cabinet decided to leave it up to Howard when the bill would be presented to Parliament and just how far the reforms would go.

Putting the issue solely in Howard's hands will mean no possibility of either same-sex marriage or civil unions. The prime minister has consistently said he would not consider either.

But he has said that he believes gay and lesbian couples should have some rights similar to those of married couples in areas such as health care and pensions.

Australia lags behind other major industrial nations in providing rights to same-sex couples.

In 2004 Howard's government passed federal legislation limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples.

Two states have domestic partner registries - Tasmania and Victoria.

In February for the second time Howard's government quashed an attempt by the Australian Capital Territory to enact civil union legislation. (story) The government said that it violated the gay marriage ban.

Last year after Howard's government trashed the first ACT bill the federal Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission began an investigation into inequities faced by same-sex couples. The commission held hearings across the country. (story)

Commissioners heard from dozens of gay couples in hearings across the country of how partners have been cut out of wills because they have not legal status, how children in same-sex relationships are harmed, and how federal pension law hurts one partner when the other dies.

In its report to the government in June the Commission urged passing laws guaranteeing rights for same-sex couples.

Earlier this month the Howard government unveiled a bill to to prohibit the recognition of adoptions of foreign children by same-sex couples. (story)

Under the legislation any child adopted legally overseas would not be granted a visa to enter Australia.

Gays and lesbians have frequently gone abroad - mainly to Asian countries - to adopt.

©365Gay.com 2007

ST Online Forum: Not correct to say that majority of lawyers in Law Society favour retention of Section 377A (Aug 23)

Not correct to say that majority of lawyers in Law Society favour retention of Section 377A

I REFER to Mr Jason Wee Kheng Hoe's posting, 'Section 377A should be repealed - reputation in legal and multinational community at stake' (Online forum, Aug 16).

In the third paragraph of his posting, Mr Wee states (and in so doing, wrongly premises) that, apart from a minority view, 'Singapore's Law Society' (sic) favours the retention of Section 377A of the Penal Code in its present form. Not only is this incorrect, it is also grossly misleading. It is sincerely hoped that Mr Wee has made a careless but honest mistake.

In point of fact, in November last year, the Council of the Law Society appointed an ad hoc committee comprising legal practitioners and academics to review the proposed Penal Code amendments including the issue of whether Section 377A should be retained.

Members of the Law Society at large were asked for their feedback. Comments were received from various members and the ad hoc committee submitted its report to the council in March 2007. It is important to note that the society's members were not asked to vote on a referendum.

After due consideration of its members' feedback and the views of the ad hoc committee, the council submitted a report on March 30, 2007 ('Report').

On the issue of the retention of Section 377A, a majority of the council members considered that the retention of Section 377A in its present form cannot be justified. The Report was careful to add that the council recognised that this view does not necessarily represent the views of its members collectively. Indeed, a significant minority of council members as well as numerous members of the society at large took an opposing view, and strongly supported the retention of the section 377A in the Penal Code.

It is therefore clear that Mr Wee is wrong in stating that the Law Society is not in favour of the retention of Section 377A in its present form. It is all too convenient to generalise that the majority view of some 21 members of the council is one and the same as the majority view of the over 3,000 members of the Law Society. It is not.

Ong Chin Lee

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TODAY Weekend: AIDS virus attacks brain on two fronts: study

AIDS virus attacks brain on two fronts: study

Weekend • August 18, 2007

The AIDS virus does not only destroy brain cells it also inhibits the body from making new ones, according to a new study published in the United States.

"It's a double hit to the brain," wrote researcher Marcus Kaul in the study into the causes of the condition known as HIV-associated dementia published in the August issue of the Cell Stem Cell.

A protein known as gp120 which is found on the surface of the HIV virus is responsible for the damage, the researchers from the Burnham Institute for Medical research and the University of California at San Diego found.

"The breakthrough here is that the AIDS virus prevents stem cells in the brain from dividing; it hangs them up," said Stuart Lipton. "It's the first time that the virus has ever been shown to affect stem cells."

"The HIV protein both causes brain injury and prevents its repair," added Kaul.

The study found that gp120 in mice slowed down the production of new neurons in the hippocampus, the region of the brain which is vital for learning and memory.

It has been long known that HIV infection could lead to acute dementia, but the numbers of cases are rising as HIV patients live longer thanks to drug therapies.

Current anti-viral drugs cannot however easily penetrate into the brain tissue, thus leaving behind a reservoir of the virus.

Scientists believe the team's research could help determine a new course of treatment for HIV dementia.

"This indicates we might eventually treat this form of dementia by either ramping up brain repair or protecting the brain mechanism," Kaul said. — AFP

Think Magazine: The Hetero Voice - http://www.think.cz/issue3/29/5.html

The Hetero Voice

Cher Tan explains that there is a thin line differentiating between what is ‘natural’ and what is ‘unnatural’.

atural is what is defined as “conforming to the usual or ordinary course of nature”. ‘Unnatural’? “Inconsistent with an individual pattern or custom”. The definitions themselves are blurry, the lines oh-so-vague. How does one come to the conclusion that something is ‘natural’ and some other thing is not? How does society as a whole deem something as accepted because it is ‘natural’ and shun it when it is not?

And so goes the gay community is Singapore, and to a certain extent, the world. They are ostracised for “going against the norm” and looked upon with disdain because they are perceived as ‘unnatural’, amongst a sea of human beings who are heterosexual and ‘normal’. Homosexuality is seen as a ‘bad habit’, sometimes even a ‘vice’, and just ‘wrong’, whereas ex-convicts, drinkers, gamblers, drug abusers and adulterers are given second chances in life. It seems that once you come out as a homosexual, your life is destined to be doomed, all your dreams and aspirations slowly seeping down the drain, and you are subject to a life of discrimination and stigma.

I am a heterosexual female living in Singapore. I have never been homosexual before, and will never be, because I simply do not have such inclinations. I want to speak out for the homosexual minority here, they who are being judged upon and looked down on without being given a chance to shine, to contribute to the society and community as a whole, and for the majority out there to accept them as human beings and human beings alone, without any labels attached to them. It saddens me greatly when I see people forming their own judgments on what gay people are really like, and to lump everyone in the gay ‘category’ into a stereotype, calling what they have a ‘lifestyle’.

If there really is a gay ‘lifestyle’, where is the straight ‘lifestyle’? When we see straight men going to clubs to pick up girls for one-night stands or to visit call girls in Geylang, why isn’t this defined as a “straight lifestyle”? And why aren’t all straight men seen as typically being this way? And then when we see the gay men who have lots of sex we immediately jump to the conclusion that ALL gay men are the same. I understand that one rotten apple infects the entire barrel and all that, but we should take a step back, take a breather, and examine everything from a wider point of view.

It is because of this stereotype that the gay community is suffering. I believe in equality for everyone. This translates to me believing that everyone should have the exact same rights by default, regardless of their race, religion, social standing, and sexual orientation, on the sole basis that they are human beings. Being a human being is a right in itself, and there should not be any social bias as to what you “should do” and “should not do”.

Of course, we draw the line at criminal offenses which harm others, but does being a homosexual harm other people? Homosexuals should be given the same rights as heterosexuals. Just because they are attracted to and fall in love with members of the same sex does not mean they are committing a heinous sin. Artificial insemination is not natural, so does it mean it is wrong? Along the same lines, how about abortion, sterilisation and contraception? Are they not “going against” the natural cycle of life too? Homosexuality is not a disease that breeds or a phenomenon that snowballs.

Being gay is not a choice, and neither is it a ‘lifestyle’ that people CHOOSE to adopt. They are gay because they just are, and they cannot help it. Think about it – in a society that is mainly made up of heterosexuals, why would anyone suddenly decide, “Hey, I want to be gay,” and subject themselves to discrimination? Homosexuality HAS been observed in animals, so who is to judge that such and such is not ‘natural’ anymore?

“Heterosexuality is not normal; it’s just common.”

Food for thought, no? I seriously hope that everyone will start accepting homosexuals for who they are, and let them have their place in society.

Everything is subjective; so let them have a chance to live their lives just as rightly as every other human being should. Who they decide to sleep with at the end of the day does not affect their morals or who they are as people.

Review of Hitting (on) Women

Hitting on a raw nerve

HITTING (ON) WOMEN
Action Theatre
The Room Upstairs
Last Friday

Hong Xinyi

Your skin is so thin, an ex-lover says of this play’s nameless protagonist at one point.

The remark carries the sting of an accusation in that particular scene: Why do you get hurt so easily, why do you take things so much to heart?

Janice Koh’s portrayal of this damaged woman hinges very much on this quality of thin-skinned vulnerability. A charismatic and often canny actress, she references a variety of exercises aimed at honing and strengthening the body, from aerobics to yoga.

But despite the lean muscularity of her bared arms, this woman remains a wisp, a slip of a body that seems always on the verge of crumpling and collapsing. Her eyes brim with sudden tears at every turn – especially when she laughs, with genuine warmth, at recollections of happy moments in a former abusive relationship.

It’s a disciplined and unsentimental rendition of someone who is trying with all her might not to unravel and easily the best thing about this production. As the sometimes violent ex-lover Karen who haunts Koh’s memories, Serene Chen brings a sense of gauche, boyish bravado to the role. Her swagger never feels real and there is something very touching and very terrifying about her blows – they have the pleading vehemence of a child throwing a tantrum.

Directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall, the tensions and seductions of this relationship are rendered with exacting skill by playwright Ovidia Yu and utterly riveting when considered on their own.

Some aspects of the staging, however, were distracting. The dramatic device of various other minor characters making brief appearances was awkwardly integrated and, at times just seemed like an amateurish sitcom flourish despite a few fun comic moments.

The set, which consisted of a giant table and chair and many coils of telephone wires covering the stage, was a bit of a hit-and-miss. There is a moment when Koh deliberately covers herself with a blanket of the entangled wires, nestling inside with an enraptured, resolute expression that is a poignant encapsulation of how people wallow.

Mostly, however, the wires looked a lot like masses of instant noodles and the giant furniture gave a jarringly cartoonish accent to what was most certainly a very adult play.

ST Online Forum: Heterosexuals who visit prostitutes greater risk than gays (Aug 16)

Heterosexuals who visit prostitutes greater risk than gays

I REFER to Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang's letter, 'Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' ' (ST, Aug 8).

Using the good doctor's own logic, look at it this way:

As of July, Singapore's population is 4,553,009, with a gender ratio of 0.954 male to female, meaning about 2,171,785 males of which 2.8 per cent are gay (60,809), leaving you with 2,110,976 men who are heterosexual.

The journal Sexually Transmitted Infections asked 11,000 men in a survey in 2000 if they frequented prostitutes, and one in 10 said 'yes'. That comes to about 211,097 cases comprising men having sex with prostitutes (MSPs).

Based on the prevalence of 97.2 per cent of men being heterosexual, and with 9.72 per cent using prostitutes, you have to wonder about the real risk and which lifestyle is 'not cool'.

Some of the Third World countries have as many as 7 per cent of their adult females infected and working as prostitutes while in the developed world, typically, the percentage of infected prostitutes is 1 per cent.

If MSPs sleep with this 1 per cent daily, that's 2,111 men exposed to HIV daily, or 770,515 annually.

The virus is not easy to transmit heterosexually but, over time with multiple exposures, infection is inevitable. These men then act as a conduit to bring the virus home, their other casual sex partners and to their wives.

Sounds to me like MSPs are a higher-risk group than MSMs (men who have sex with men) which is, by its very nature, is a statistically smaller pool. And since I don't sleep with men, it's these MSPs who are worrying me, as they spread their infections to hetero non-prostitute women, and it's why there are more of them with HIV than MSMs - because of their 'lifestyle' which is chosen, unlike MSMs.

For a great hetero viewpoint on gay rights, check out this article by Cher Tan on www.think.cz/issue3/29/5.html.

Jeffree Benet

ST Online Forum: Section 377A should be repealed - reputation in legal and multinational community at stake (Aug 16)

Section 377A should be repealed - reputation in legal and multinational community at stake

IN RECENT months, significant debate has raged in the press on the 'gay' issue.

Many arguments favouring retention of section 377A appear to be religious dogma masquerading as universal truism, which it isn't.

When Singapore's Law Society urged the repealing of section 377A, it stated that those arguing for its retention were a 'minority'. Many in Singapore also hold belief systems fundamentally grounded on acceptance and tolerance.

Sometimes the arguments are clouded by excessive facts and figures. For example, Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang's contribution, 'Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' ' (ST, Aug 8), highlighted the promiscuity of gay men with this statement: '28% of them have more than 1,000 partners'. Would he then suggest the unthinkable, that gay marriages be allowed so that overactive libidos can be contained?

Dr Chin further laments that 'not enough has been done to warn our youth that leading a gay lifestyle is not cool'. I disagree.

In a society where continuing of the family name is of utmost importance, gays are often threatened with being disowned, disinherited and ostracised by family, friends and colleagues. Indeed, I sometimes wonder why any sane person would choose to be gay.

Perhaps MM Lee is correct in suggesting that this is genetic. If so, then should we blame God for this genetic aberration, or blame it on the parents who conceived such a child?

Frankly, keeping section 377A and not enforcing it is an unnecessary burden.

First, it changes nothing. Second, as asserted by Singapore's Law Society, 'retention of unprosecuted offences on the statute book runs the risk of bringing the law into disrepute'.

Worse, if an openly-gay opportunistic expatriate sues his multinational company for posting him here, thereby knowingly endangering him given that his lifestyle is a criminal offence in Singapore, assertions that the law will not be pursued would prove a weak defence. Such a suit could prove financially lucrative for him, but detrimental to Singapore's standing with MNCs.

For the greater good, Singapore should repeal section 377A. Our reputation in the legal and multinational community is important. Retaining section 377A will just keep this albatross on Singapore's neck forever.

Repeal it and the gay community may celebrate, but it will prove a Pyrrhic victory. The moment will be consigned to forgotten history in months, if not weeks.

In the long run, our conservative majority that continues to frown on gays, the Aids epidemic, the promiscuous gay lifestyle and their inherent inability to procreate will conspire to keep this minority group a minority.

Jason Wee Kheng Hoe

Tim Tams... better than a Man

This is old... but it is so funny!

Praise Song from MCC Service

Praise Song

(P68, v1-2, 4-5) “Once We Were Not a People“

Once we were not a people, God's people now are we,
A gay and lesbian people, A new community.
We once feared condemnation On earth and from above,
Until God's grace and mercy Showed us the way of love.

We are a holy nation, Empow'r'd and called by God
As prophets, teachers, healers, To spread good news abroad.
To live and work together God called us from the night
Of gloom and isolation Into a wondrous light.

We are a pilgrim people, Of every class and race,
From many sects and cultures, Now gathered in one place.
We challenge one another To bend and grow, and be
A church where all God's children Can find a family.

Once we were not a people, God's people now are we,
A proud, determined people, Still striving to be free;
A gentle, loving people With justice as our aim;
A gay and lesbian people United in Christ's name
____________________________________________________

Malaysia Star: Gay pastor leads service, his partner watches with pride

BY AUDREY EDWARDS

KUALA LUMPUR: Angel Ayala sat in the second row of people, watching with pride as his partner Rev Ou Yang Wen Feng calmly led the faithful through a two-hour Sunday service at a hotel here.

And through it all, Ou Yang, a self-confessed gay pastor knew he was not alone because of Ayala's presence.

“He has been very supportive and it was important to know that I was not alone,” Ou Yang said in an interview yesterday after the service attended by about 100 people.

He said it was important to show other gay people that it was possible to come out together, and to heterosexuals that gay relationships were not just about sex but about “spiritual and emotional love.”

Coming out: Rev Ou Yang (second from left) and Bishop Perry (third from left) with their respective partners Ayala (left) and De Blieck (right) after Sunday service.

The pair has been together for four-and-a-half years and hope to marry when same sex marriages are legalised in New York.

Ayala, a finance manager said he supported Ou Yang’s plan to set up a church in Malaysia.

Ou Yang, 37, is a Malaysian pastor who serves at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York. He is also currently pursuing his doctorate at Boston University.

He hopes to set up an MCC branch here in 2010, before which, friends would help him start a cell group that he said was open to all regardless of their sexual orientation.

Earlier during a press conference, Ou Yang, when asked about opposition from other churches in Malaysia, said as a Christian minister, he would pray for them.

The service also saw Metropolitan Community Churches founder Bishop Troy D. Perry giving a sermon. Also present was his partner of over 22 years, Phillip De Blieck.

Perry said he was thankful for having De Blieck as he was that “special someone” who was there for him through good and bad times.

They married under Canadian law at the MCC of Toronto in 2003 and hope to get the marriage recognised by the California State Supreme Court by this year.

Perry believed the church would be a blessing for the gay and lesbian communities in Malaysia.

He also spoke of his promise to his partner that he would stand by him, when De Blieck was diagnosed with HIV two decades ago.

When asked about his former heterosexual marriage and his two sons, Perry said he was in contact with one of his sons and is a grandfather of three.

De Blieck, 43, said his “greatest gift” to the world and the church was to always be supportive of Perry’s work.

“When I met Troy, I did not know who he was. And I think one reason Troy fell in love with me was because he knew I was interested in him as a person and not the title,” he said.

Malaysiakini: Gov't to block planned gay church

Gov't to block planned gay church
Aug 13, 07 7:58pm
The government will block a plan by the country's first and only openly gay pastor to establish a church embracing homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals, a minister said today.

Reverend Ouyang Wen Feng, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian ordained in the US, caused controversy after saying he wanted to set up the church by 2010.

The government would block the plan, Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told AFP, adding the country had always sought to portray itself as a "family-oriented" holiday destination.

"We have no intention of being portrayed the same way like other cities such as Bangkok or those other cities in that league," Tengku Adnan said, apparently referring to the Thai capital's sex industry.

"We are here to be seen as a multicultural country with people who are good, excellent followers of their respective religions," Tengku Adnan added.

Homosexuality falls under a Malaysian law prohibiting sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and whipping.

Underground mass

Ouyang's plan to start the church had stirred anxiety, Reverend Wong Kin Kong, the secretary general of Malaysia's National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, said last week.

This was "because Christians do not want others to assume they condone such a thing," he said.

But Ouyang remained unfazed and urged a congregation of about 80 people - including his male partner - to "reclaim faith and celebrate our sexuality" in an underground mass Sunday.

"For some of us, especially our gay brothers and sisters, we have experienced first hand that Christianity has been used to persecute minorities," Ouyang told the mass, according to press reports.

ST Online Forum: Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle'? Doctor's arguments flawed (Aug 13)

Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle'? Doctor's arguments flawed

I REFER to Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang's letter, "Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' " (ST, Aug 8).

Even though I am neither a doctor nor a statistician, I can't help but question his arguments.

>>Yes, 1 in 350 random blood samples from government hospitals tested positive. But surely that sample cannot be compared to different data released by the Ministry of Health for people who actively go for HIV testing. The two categories would obviously produce different statistics. People who go for HIV testing either already belong to a high-risk group or have a specific reason for going (for example, just had unsafe sex with a prostitute in Batam). Which means that any extrapolating from these statistics is flawed.

>>Even more troubling, his conclusion that 'this means that someone who indulges in MSM (men having sex with men) and has 20 partners would have exposed himself to HIV' is just plain misleading. Even if Dr Chin's statistical extrapolations were accurate, this statement would only be true if that someone had unsafe sex with those 20 partners. Safe sex practices for both heterosexuals and MSM are known to be very effective. Had one or two of those 20 people been HIV-positive, the chances for someone who had safe-sex with them getting infected would be almost nil.

>>Vilifying groups of people and individuals because some among them have many sexual partners amounts to unproductive fanning of fear and prejudice. Plus it misses the point. Having responsible sex is not necessarily a bad thing. Having irresponsible unsafe sex is.

Which leads me to my point. Dr Chin mentions that he wants to highlight the unsafe behaviour on the part of MSM in light of the current review of the Penal Code relating to Section 377A . I assume he is against its repeal. But if Dr Chin and like-minded people are serious about the problem of HIV infection rates, then they should rally with their fellow Singaporeans to petition for the repeal Section 377A. That way the Ministry of Health and other concerned organisations can get on with the job of safe-sex education to all risk groups.

For as long as that left-over colonial law stands, not only will a vibrant Singaporean minority be branded as criminals, but they will also be denied the safe-sex education they should be getting. Which will only mean that our national statistics on HIV infection will only get worse, on every level.

Alan Seah Chang Wei

ST Online Forum: Aids - it's the lifestyle that matters (Aug 13)

Aug 13, 2007

Aids - it's the lifestyle that matters

I FEEL that Dr Alan Chin's article, 'Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' ' (ST, Aug 8), is biased and lopsided.

I do not support a gay lifestyle but on the issue of Aids, I feel that one's lifestyle, not a specific group, plays a vital role.

Anyone who engages in a high-risk lifestyle, like having unprotected sex, multi-partners or sharing hypodermic needles, for example, risks contacting Aids, be they heterosexual, bisexual, homosexual or transsexual.

I hope that the Government can focus more in educating the people on safe sex but let's not target specific groups.

Claris Teo (Miss)

CNA: NGOs must cooperate with health authorities in battle against HIV

NGOs must cooperate with health authorities in battle against HIV
Channel NewsAsia - Monday, August 13

It is winning the battle against HIV. The Australian state of New South Wales has seen the number of HIV cases reported each year generally dropping over the past decade.

And now Singapore knows why, after its first study trip of this kind.

Close cooperation is needed between the Government and non-governmental organisations (NGO), Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Information, Communications and the Arts), told TODAY after a trip to Sydney last month.

Easier said than done, though.

A tricky balance needs to be struck when reaching out to the group that is a particularly significant contributor to HIV statistics in developed countries such as Australia and Singapore: Men who have sex with men (MSMs).

Relating the invaluable lessons learnt in Sydney, Dr Balaji said: The health authorities supported the NGOs in the community, and in return the NGOs were sensitive to the conservative majority.

This cooperation between NGOs and the health authorities reach out to the MSMs, but at the same time, don't upset the conservative majority is the key to their success.

In Singapore, where the numbers are going up relentlessly, 26 per cent of the record 357 new HIV cases reported last year were contracted through homosexual sex.

Reducing these numbers will require the Government and NGOs working with MSMs to get over some bumps together at a national level.

According to Mr Stuart Koe, CEO of gay media company Fridae.com, the left hand is not talking to the right hand yet.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) wants to do health prevention through safe sex, but the Media Development Authority says that anything gay is not allowed,� he said. It's a conundrum we're in.

For example, targeted messages that can reach the gay community through gay magazines are not feasible because such publications are not allowed.

Currently, safe sex messages are displayed in premises like gay bars and saunas, which have limited reach.

According to Mr Bryan Choong, the MSM HIV coordinator for Oogachaga, a support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals, NGOs and the Government also need to get past Section 377A of the Penal Code.

He said, I think there is a lot of trust building that is needed between MSM-related NGOs and the Government in Singapore. As long as there is no decriminalising, that trust will be eroded.

Mr Choong thinks the number of MSM HIV cases are under-reported, and cited a 60 per cent infection rate as more believable.

Here, the under-reporting stems from late HIV notifications, that is, patients who delay seeking treatment here until required.

Dr Balaji, who had previously told TODAY that almost all HIV cases are captured in the system eventually once they seek treatment has noted the stigmatisation of those who are diagnosed with HIV.

He stressed the need to tackle HIV as a health issue. Whatever (the NSW) authorities wanted to do, they didn't politicize or extend the debate out of healthcare.

So successful was NSW's anti-HIV efforts that NGOs managed to get up to 80 per cent of MSMs to get tested annually.

Other issues in Singapore include the issue of anti-retroviral medication being unsubsidised.

While HIV patients can buy cheaper generic versions overseas, it may be harder for them to stick to the medication regime, thus strengthening the resistance of the viral strain, critics argue.

Cooperation between the Singapore Government and NGOs is slowly strengthening, though.

The trip to Sydney included representatives from Action for Aids, Fridae.com and Oogachaga alongside MOH's senior director for operations Koh Peng Keng and deputy director of communicable diseases Dr Jeffery Cutter.

Just before the trip, an MOH survey found one in 350 anonymous hospital blood samples to be HIV-positive, and since then Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said he is seriously considering opt-out HIV screening for males admitted to hospital.

In response to TODAY�s queries about how the latest information from NSW would be adapted to the local environment, the MOH said: �We will be looking into strengthening our local NGOs in terms of resources and will also seek ways to work more closely together in the design, delivery and monitoring and evaluation of HIV prevention programmes.

We will also look into how we can better draw upon our local universities to conduct HIV-related research.

AziaCity.com: Queer Love

Queer Love
Same-sex love that cuts across time and death is the main theme of two upcoming theatre productions by ACTION Theatre.
By Yong Yung Shin

Interested in these two shows but only have the cash for the stamina for one? Here’s our plot summary so you can make the hard decision.

Hitting (On) Women
In this play on lesbian love, the female protagonist is revisited by the ghost of her ex-lover, who brings heron a journey back to the past, where they try to understand the love and hurt they shared. Playwright Ovidia Yu calls it a comedy, but it also tackles some serious stuff like prejudice, preconceptions andhow exploring oneself can be the most difficult journey of all. The play was written, says Yu, for “anyone who has ever been so much in love as to have the rest of her life out of balance; anyone who cannot imagine ever falling in love that way...as well as those still deciding which category they are going to fit into.” Janice Koh (Proof) shares the stage with Serene Chen (Asian Boys Vol. 2) and Benjamin Ng (Titoudao) in this compelling yet witty performance.
Hitting (on) Women is on Aug 10-19; Tue-Fri, 8pm; Sat-Sun, 3pm, 8pm. The Room Upstairs, 42 WaterlooSt., 6837-0842. $30-40 from Sistic.

Real Men, Fake Orgasms
Unrequited love and unresolved wounds are the focus of Real Men, Fake Orgasms, written by Chong Tze Chien (Furthest North, Deepest South). Against a backdrop of multiple lives and parallel universes,two men fight to sustain their relationship, neither willing to end it. The play promises to be moving and provocative, centralizing around the theme of emotional imprisonment. “I hope the audience willlet themselves be surprised by the brutal honesty and vulnerability portrayed on stage,” says Chong. Of the two main characters—played by Chua EnLai (Shopping & F***ing) and newcomer Claudio Girardi—Chong adds, “They were placed under the microscope and examined; layer by layer, they toretheir hearts out and got under my skin revealing themselves in ways which continue to surprise me even till this day.” Definitely no tissue skimping in this one. —Yong Yung Shin
Real Men, Fake Orgasms is on Aug 30-Sep 9; Tue-Fri, 8pm; Sat-Sun, 3pm, 8pm. The Room Upstairs, 42 Waterloo St., 6837-0842. $30-40 from Sistic.

TODAY: When both hands work together

When both hands work together ...

Monday • August 13, 2007

Tan Hui Leng
huileng@mediacorp.com.sg

IT IS winning the battle against HIV. The Australian state of New South Wales has seen the number of HIV cases reported each year generally dropping over the past decade. And now Singapore knows why, after its first study trip of this kind.

Close cooperation is needed between the Government and non-governmental organisations (NGO), Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Senior Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Information, Communications and the Arts), told Today after a trip to Sydney last month.

Easier said than done, though.

A tricky balance needs to be struck when reaching out to the group that is a particularly significant contributor to HIV statistics in developed countries such as Australia and Singapore: Men who have sex with men (MSMs).

Relating the "invaluable" lessons learnt in Sydney, Dr Balaji said: "The health authorities supported the NGOs in the community, and in return the NGOs were sensitive to the conservative majority.

"This cooperation between NGOs and the health authorities — reach out to the MSMs, but at the same time, don't upset the conservative majority — is the key to their success."

In Singapore, where the numbers are going up "relentlessly", 26 per cent of the record 357 new HIV cases reported last year were contracted through homosexual sex. Reducing these numbers will require the Government and NGOs working with MSMs to get over some bumps together at a national level.

According to Mr Stuart Koe, CEO of gay media company Fridae.com, "the left hand is not talking to the right hand" yet.

"The Ministry of Health (MOH) wants to do health prevention through safe sex, but the Media Development Authority says that anything gay is not allowed," he said. "It's a conundrum we're in."

For example, targeted messages that can reach the gay community through gay magazines are not feasible because such publications are not allowed. Currently, safe sex messages are displayed in premises like gay bars and saunas, which have limited reach.

According to Mr Bryan Choong, the MSM HIV coordinator for Oogachaga, a support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals, NGOs and the Government also need to get past Section 377A of the Penal Code.

He said, "I think there is a lot of trust building that is needed between MSM-related NGOs and the Government in Singapore. As long as there is no decriminalising, that trust will be eroded."

Mr Choong thinks the number of MSM HIV cases are under-reported, and cited a 60 per cent infection rate as more believable.

Here, the under-reporting stems from late HIV notifications, that is, patients who delay seeking treatment here until required.

Dr Balaji, who had previously told Today that almost all HIV cases are captured in the system eventually — once they seek treatment — has noted the stigmatisation of those who are diagnosed with HIV.

He stressed the need to tackle HIV as a health issue. "Whatever (the NSW) authorities wanted to do, they didn't politicise or extend the debate out of healthcare."

So successful was NSW's anti-HIV efforts that NGOs managed to get up to 80 per cent of MSMs to get tested annually.

Other issues in Singapore include the issue of anti-retroviral medication being unsubsidised. While HIV patients can buy cheaper generic versions overseas, it may be harder for them to stick to the medication regime, thus strengthening the resistance of the viral strain, critics argue.

Cooperation between the Singapore Government and NGOs is slowly strengthening, though. The trip to Sydney included representatives from Action for Aids, Fridae.com and Oogachaga alongside MOH's senior director for operations Koh Peng Keng and deputy director of communicable diseases Dr Jeffery Cutter.

Just before the trip, an MOH survey found one in 350 anonymous hospital blood samples to be HIV-positive, and since then Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said he is "seriously considering" opt-out HIV screening for males admitted to hospital.

In response to Today's queries about how the latest information from NSW would be adapted to the local environment, the MOH said: "We will be looking into strengthening our local NGOs in terms of resources and will also seek ways to work more closely together in the design, delivery and monitoring and evaluation of HIV prevention programmes.

"We will also look into how we can better draw upon our local universities to conduct HIV-related research."

IHT: Malaysia's first openly gay pastor holds controversial church service

Malaysia's first openly gay pastor holds controversial church service

The Associated Press

Sunday, August 12, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's first openly gay Christian pastor conducted a controversial worship service Sunday, calling on mainstream churches not to discriminate against homosexuals.

Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng — an ethnic Chinese Malaysian who was ordained a minister in the United States in May — told a congregation of nearly 80 people, mainly homosexual men and women, to "reclaim our faith and celebrate our sexuality."

"For some of us, especially our gay brothers and sisters, we have experienced firsthand that Christianity has been used to persecute minorities," Ouyang said during the service in a Kuala Lumpur hotel.

Ouyang, 37, has sparked concerns among Malaysian Christian community leaders after he recently declared that he hopes to set up a church in this predominantly Muslim nation, which has large Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities.

A church that accepts homosexual relationships would face stiff opposition from both Muslim and Christian conservatives in Malaysia. Although homosexuality is not specifically a crime in this Southeast Asian country, it is covered under a law prohibiting sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and whipping.

"For so long, we've been quiet," Ouyang said Sunday. "We've been brought up to believe that they were right and we were wrong. But today, we're making history. We're here to tell Malaysians that we're all children of God."

Ouyang has worked at the Metropolitan Community Church in New York, which tries to serve homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals. He has said he wants to return to Malaysia permanently within the next few years.

Rev. Wong Kin Kong, secretary general of Malaysia's National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, reportedly said last week that Ouyang's plans to preside over a Sunday service and start a church has stirred anxiety "because Christians do not want others to assume they condone such a thing."

Ouyang claimed he and the organizers of his Kuala Lumpur service — which is considered one of the first steps toward establishing a church — "received very nasty" phone text messages.

Worshippers at the service, including people from neighboring Singapore, hugged each other and sang hymns with lyrics such as, "With justice as our aim, a queer and righteous people united in Christ's name."

Ouyang went to the United States in 1998 and studied sociology and theology. He lives with his partner, an American.

MCC KL Services on 11 and 12 August 2007, KL

Please come to listen to theRev. O.Young, the Rev. Troy Perry (human rights activist and founder of Metropolitan Community Churches) and the Rev. Pat Bumgardner (senior pastor of MCC in New York)

All are welcome, regardless your gender and sexual orientation. We believe in love and social justice. We believe we live in an unfinished world and we have an unfinished calling. Until all people are free from oppression and free to love and to be loved, our work is not done.

(1) The Lord is My Shepherd
Date: Aug. 11, 2007 (Saturday) 2pm-5pm
Venue: Grand Olympic Hotel
Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur
Language: English

(2) Sunday Christian Worship Service
Date: Aug. 12, 2007 (Sunday) 2pm-3.30pm
Venue: Grand Olympic Hotel
Jalan Hang Jebat, Kuala Lumpur
Language: English.

ST Forum: Compulsory HIV testing won't stop Aids' spread (Aug 11)

Aug 11, 2007

HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS

Compulsory HIV testing won't stop Aids' spread

I WRITE in relation to the recent proposal for mandatory HIV testing of patients admitted to hospital.

The spread of HIV/Aids is a grave problem which needs to be addressed with effective measures. Unfortunately, this proposal is not one of them.

There are several ways in which we might imagine it would work, but none of them would translate into the desired results.

First, there is the claim that knowledge of a patient's HIV status will protect health workers. However, health workers need to take the same precautions regardless of what the results of the HIV tests are. There are any number of blood-borne pathogens that could be transmitted other than HIV - for example, the organisms that cause hepatitis.

Moreover, there is typically a three-month interval between infection and turning seropositive (i.e., developing the antibodies that are what the test detects), so a person who is HIV negative according to the test could very well still be HIV positive. Therefore, the test results do not help to guide health workers to behave more safely - they must behave safely regardless of the results.

Second, would knowledge of one's HIV-positive status result in changes in behaviour? Unfortunately, this is vastly less likely to be the case with mandatory than with voluntary testing. It is for this reason that no less a body than the World Health Organisation, in its 2004 policy statement, opposed mandatory HIV testing on public-health grounds.

Third, could we somehow compel people who are HIV positive to behave more safely? This is difficult territory as there are obvious privacy and liberty concerns. Given that much risky sexual behaviour or drug abuse is anonymous, compulsive and conducted in intensely private settings, it is difficult to see how this can be achieved.

Fourth, would medical treatments be available to make transmission by a HIV-positive person less likely? Although some anti-retro viral treatments may suppress infectiousness, allowing, for instance, HIV-positive mothers to give birth to HIV-negative children, these treatments are not readily available in Singapore as they are classified as 'non-standard drugs' and remain very expensive.

Whatever the theoretical possibility of this treatment in reducing infectiousness once we know the HIV status of someone, in practice very few will enjoy such benefits.

Even if we were to put aside the substantial ethical compunction that must accompany such an intrusion on privacy, this measure will not be effective in halting the spread of Aids.

Jolene Tan Siyu (Ms)
London, United Kingdom

Hitting (On) Women (R18) - 10 Aug - 19 Aug 2007 3pm & 8pm

ACTION Theatre is proud to present the premiere production of Hitting (On) Women by award-winning playwright Ovidia Yu. Voted Best New Play at Theatre Idols 2007, this hard-hitting, humourous and heartfelt piece will show you a side to women you've never seen before...

The play begins when a woman learns of the death of Karen, an ex-lover she has not seen for twenty years. Trying to decide whether to attend the memorial service, she is "visited" by Karen and they return to the private world they shared to resolve or at least try to understand their love... and the abuse, hurt and healing, loss and renewal of their relationship -- with constant interruptions from a mother who never changes and girlfriends who never stay the same.

Compelling, witty and touching, this play triggers both laughter and tears --sometimes at the same time. It also guarantees you'll never look at panty liners and Tiger Balm lotion the same way again!

Starring Janice Koh (Life! Theatre Award for Best Actress from Proof), Serene Chen (Best Supporting Actress from Asian Boys Vol. 2), Benjamin Ng (Best Supporting Actor from Titoudao), Loretta Chen and Peggy Ferroa. Directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall and produced by Ekachai Uekrongtham.

Tickets available at www.sistic.com.sg

ST Online Forum: Writer quotes HIV survey results, but what's the source? (Aug 10)

Aug 10, 2007

Writer quotes HIV survey results, but what's the source?

IN HIS letter on HIV in Singapore (ST, Aug 8), Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang included figures quoted from a survey done in the United States showing that 28 per cent of homosexuals there have had more than 1,000 partners.

To me, that figure is disproportionately high.

If Dr Liang is going to use such surveys to back his argument that being gay is dangerous, then he needs to quote his sources and I would question who the group was that undertook the survey and what their political agenda is.

Also, if Dr Liang is genuinely concerned about lowering Singapore's HIV figures, he would suggest more sex education across all ethnic groups and sexual orientations.

It is extremely dangerous to impressionable young minds to suggest that gays are more likely to contract HIV when the truth is we are all just as likely if we do not practise safe sex.

If Singapore wishes to expand its population and attract educated foreigners in order to compete with cities like London and New York, then Singaporeans have to stop being afraid of homosexuality for the simple reason that there is nothing to be afraid of.

Meredyth Tamsyn (Ms)

ST Online Forum: Adopt positive approach to encouragin a healthier sexual lifestyle (Aug 10)

Aug 10, 2007

Adopt positive approach to encouraging a healthier sexual lifestyle

I REFER to the letter by Dr Alan Chin, 'Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' " (ST, Aug 8).

The writer seeks to draw attention and conclude that a gay lifestyle is one of the two key 'unhealthy' factors that will encourage the escalation of HIV into epitomic proportions.

The importance of the other 53 per cent, coming from heterosexual vectors and the remaining 17 per cent, the vector for which is not mentioned, is downplayed and no fair warning is given of educating the other 70 per cent of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle.

Which, in my opinion, is the most important to focus on. Fashionable 'gay bashing', tolerance of 'promiscuous heterosexual lifestyles' and such negative and non-constructive perspectives serve no purpose other than to create social and emotional fissures in our fragile national bedrock of solidarity, a key to our survival.

I urge everyone to seek a positive perspective and approach. Educate people on what is a healthy sexual lifestyle, and incentivise emotionally and socially for them to make the healthier choice.

There is, in my opinion, never a right or wrong choice. There is only your choice, my choice and our choice and whether the choice benefits only you or more than just you.

Tiong Yuen Wai

ST Forum: Figure on multiple gay sex partners too high (Aug 10)

Aug 10, 2007

Figure on multiple gay sex partners too high

IN HIS letter, 'Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' (ST, Aug 8), Dr Alan Chin mentions that a US study showed that '75 per cent of homosexual men have more than 100 sexual partners and 28 per cent of them have more than 1,000 partners'.

As no citation was given for these figures, it took some sleuthing before I discovered that they are from the book by Alan P. Bell et al, Homosexuality: A Study Of Diversity Among Men & Women (1978).

Other studies on the number of partners of gays have contradicted the figures. Gebhard and Johnson (1979) found that 8.4 per cent of gay males had over 500 partners in their lifetimes.

Jay and Young (1979) reported that 12.5 per cent had over 500 partners.

Outside the United States, McManus and McEvoy (1987) found that 14.5 per cent of gay respondents outside London and 22.5 per cent in London had over 500 partners.

All of these figures are significantly smaller than the 28 per cent reported for the percentage of gays with more than 1,000 partners - even 22.5 per cent is only for those with over 500 partners.

I urge that readers who write to the ST Forum be more careful with regard to their selection of studies to back up their arguments.

Li Bihui (Ms)

ST Forum: Beware loose use of term 'sexual minorities' (Aug 10)

Aug 10, 2007

Beware loose use of term 'sexual minorities'

I REFER to Mr Ho Chi Sam's letter, 'Why is gay forum against public interest?' (ST, Aug 8).

Apparently, this forum was not banned in its entirety, as Mr Ho claimed. Its organisers, a self-professed homosexual lobby group, reported on their website that 'the event will still go on. The topic may be altered slightly, but will still focus on the law and sexual orientation'.

Regretfully, the organisers had not posted the forum's programme on their website. However, Fridae.com, an Internet portal providing services aimed at homosexuals, posted an article attributed to the foreign speaker concerned, which presumably contains the gist of what he intended to convey.

This article argues for the repeal of criminal laws against unnatural sex by using foreign precedents and international law in certain ways, noting that decriminalisation paves the way for the next step in the agenda, i.e., to redefine marriage.

It presupposes that the repeal of such laws benefits our society, and, in so doing, sidesteps the very issue that we are trying to work out for ourselves, i.e., whether decriminalising homosexual conduct serves or undermines Singapore's interests and well-being.

Mr Ho introduced the expression 'sexual minorities', a term coined by political groups in countries like Canada and the United States to lobby for special (rather than equal) rights for self-professed homosexuals.

Attempts had been made to extend such special rights, to the point of banning religious texts like the Quran and Bible as 'hate literature' for 'incit(ing) hatred against sexual minorities' because these texts categorically reject homosexual behaviour.

An uncritical importation of such politically charged and legally loaded terminology not only confuses but also endangers the racial and religious harmony that Singapore has laboured to enjoy and keep.

While a group of people may be a numerical minority as a social fact, that cannot be the sole or conclusive criterion for conferring legal recognition as a minority at law, so as to merit the enjoyment of additional protection or privileges.

Under Singapore law, the only legally recognised minority groups are racial and religious groups. Sexual preferences do not qualify as a marker for special legal protection.

Lastly, I fail to see the relevance of Mr Ho's confession of being 'straight' in the context of a rational and informed debate in matters of public interest. What matters is the substance and veracity of what is being said, not the identity of the speaker.

Angela Thiang Pei Yun (Ms)

The Star Online: Gay Pastor Sparks Uproar: Rev Oyoung Wenfeng (Aug 10)

Gay Pastor Sparks Uproar

By LOONG MENG YEE

KUALA LUMPUR: A controversy has erupted among the Christian community over what they claim is an attempt by a self-confessed gay pastor to set up a church here.

For the past week, protest e-mail and SMSes have been sent to Rev Ou Yang Wen Feng, a Malaysian pastor who serves at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in New York. He has been back here for about a week.

According to the MCC homepage, the church is part of an international movement of Christian churches reaching out to all, including homosexuals, bisexuals and transsexuals.

Ou Yang, 37, has drawn much flak from Christians for his plan to hold a Sunday service at a hotel this week.

He came out of the closet about his homosexuality last year and is said to be the first pastor in Malaysia to do so.

Ou Yang states that his proposed church would serve all people, not just homosexuals.

A columnist in Sin Chew Daily, Ou Yang went to further his studies in the United States on the daily’s scholarship in the 90s.

When contacted yesterday, Ou Yang said he was merely trying to set up a church “where everybody felt safe and welcomed”.

It is unfair to label it a gay church, he said, adding that the hate-mail had hurt him.

“This church is not limited to gays but serves all people. This will be an active church. We have so many community-centred plans, such as assisting the poor, charity work and upholding justice,” he said.

Ou Yang noted that the New York church served food to 5,000 homeless people and hoped to launch similar programmes here. He plans to return to Malaysia for good in 2010.

He credits his former wife for giving him strength to be true to himself, acknowledging that she had endured much anguish during their seven-year, childless union.

Asked if his church would solemnise same sex marriages, he replied: “Same sex marriages are illegal in Malaysia, so how can I perform them? However, I will bless the union.”

Ou Yang said that his talk in Penang last week received much opposition from “faceless parties”. However, the talk saw a full house of about 200 people instead of the initial estimate of 60.

“Many are just curious about me. They ask me many things about homosexuality and my life. They just want to know more and not to be converted by me,” he said.

The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship Malaysia secretary-general Rev Wong Kin Kong, when contacted, acknowledged the proposed worship on Sunday had sowed anxiety among Christians.

“One of the reasons for the emotional reaction is because Christians do not want others to assume they condone such a thing,” said Wong.

He added that the churches could not accept Ou Yang’s version of the church because “it is clear that the Bible prohibits a sexual relationship between people of the same sex. If a person condones same sex marriages, it is definitely violating Christian principles.”

Wong said the churches had always welcomed all kinds of people, including homosexuals.

“It is the deviant sexual behaviour we do not condone. We cannot stop him wanting to set up such a kind of church, but the evangelical churches will inform followers of our stand and advise them not to follow this teaching,” he said.

365Gay.com: Singapore Bans Gay Events in Public Parks (Aug 8)

Singapore Bans Gay Events In Public Parks
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: August 8, 2007 - 11:00 am ET

(Singapore) The crackdown on LGBT pride in Singapore continued Wednesday with a government ban on gay events held in public parks. Police Wednesday told pride organizers they were lifting a permit to hold a picnic and fun run at a park saying politics were not welcome in green spaces.

"It was never meant to be political, and this testifies to the paranoia of the government," Alex Au, an organizer, told the Associated Press.

"They automatically assume that anything gay is a political challenge to them. It speaks volumes about the political climate in Singapore."

The picnic and 5K run were to have been held Thursday in the Botanic Gardens in central Singapore, as part of a weeklong gay pride festival.

The picnic ban is the latest in a series of pride events cancelled by the government.

Censors refused to allow an LGBT book reading event. A human rights forum was blocked. And a photography exhibit of of gays and lesbians was closed by police hours before it was to officially open.

The Media Development Authority balked at a book by author Ng Yi-Sheng about a young man's fictional sexual adventures with older men including military officers and government officials. (story)

The authority said that the book went beyond good taste and decency and disparaged public officers.

The human rights forum was to have featured Douglas Sanders, a professor emeritus in law at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

The forum, titled "Sexual Orientation in International Law: The Case of Asia," was deemed contrary to public interest.

The censorship board ordered the photo exhibition closed because it showed photos of gay men and women kissing. (story)

The board said that the show violated Singapore law because it promoted "a homosexual lifestyle".

The exhibition, entitled "Kissing," was a selection of 80 posed shots of same-sex kissing between fully clothed models.

Under Singapore law "gross indecency" between two men can lead to two years in jail.

There have been growing calls in the tightly controlled nation for modernization of sex laws. The most recent came in April from Lee Kuan Yew, the man regarded as the father of modern Singapore.

Lee, who served as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990 and is the father of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong remains a powerful force in the cabinet of the city state.

Lee said he plans to introduce a bill in Parliament to remove the ban on gay sex.

Last year Singapore announced plans to decriminalize oral and anal sex for adult heterosexuals but sex between homosexuals would remain banned.

©365Gay.com 2007

ST Forum: Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle' (Aug 8)

Aug 8, 2007
Beware the high-risk 'gay lifestyle'

IN THE article, 'Most with Aids virus don't know they have it' (ST,July 18), Senior Minister of State Balaji Sadasivan announced that a study of 3,000 blood samples in government hospitals showed that 1 in 350 samples was positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which causes Aids. The male to female ratio of these cases was 15:1.

What conclusions can we draw?

The 15:1 ratio means that the HIV epidemic is still confined mainly to the high-risk groups (concentrated epidemic) and has not spread to the general population (generalised epidemic). If it were already in the general population, the ratio would be much closer to 1:1.

Therefore we still have time to do something before the situation gets worse.

Who constitutes these high-risk groups?

Data released by the Ministry of Health on HIV last year showed two groups of men were responsible for approximately 83 per cent of HIV cases.

53 per cent of the cases were men who contracted HIV via unprotected high-risk heterosexual sex. This group was infected overseas or by local unlicensed prostitutes; our licensed prostitutes are screened for HIV.

30 per cent of the cases comprised men having sex with men (MSM).Based on the prevalence of 2.8 per cent of men being homosexual or bisexual, there are about 67,000 men in Singapore who engage in MSM.

I highlight this second high-risk group as it is a matter of public interest and concern, given the ongoing debate on the review of thePenal Code relating to Section 377A.

Extrapolating from the infection rate of 1 in 350 and 15:1 ratio ofmales to females, the conclusion is that among men who indulge in MSM, about one in 20 has HIV and does not know it.

This means that someone who indulges in MSM and has 20 sexual partners would have exposed himself to HIV.

A survey conducted in the United States has shown that 75 per cent of homosexual men have more than 100 sexual partners and 28 per cent of them have more than 1,000 partners.

I feel that not enough has been done to warn our youth that leading a 'gay lifestyle' is not cool. On the contrary, it is very unhealthy.There is a very high risk of contracting not only HIV but also a slew of other sexually transmitted diseases.

Dr Alan Chin Yew Liang