ST Forum: Gay teacher's outing a milestone in debate (Sep 18)

STRAITS TIMES Sep 18, 2007

Gay teacher's outing a milestone in debate

I REFER to Mr Paul Jacob's article, 'A teacher's disclosure and the issue is out in the open' (ST, Sept 15). I applaud Mr Otto Fong's honesty and courage in coming out as a gay person and a teacher. It is indeed a milestone in the gay debate in Singapore. Despite the large number of passionately argued letters that have appeared on the gay issue over the past months, we actually have not progressed very far. As Mr Jacob pointed out, the loudest voices come from both ends of the spectrum of tolerance. Neither end is likely to be swayed by the other. Sitting silent in the middle is the largely conservative majority who may yet change their opinion of gay people if only they get to know them. That is why Mr Fong's coming out is so significant. Unlike black people striving for racial equality in the US in the 1960s, gay people are invisible in many societies, including Singapore. Hence, the debate remains largely conceptual, with highly skewed academic data and examples thrown in by the opposing camps. What is so obviously missing is the subject of the debate itself - the gay people. For fear of societal rejection and discrimination, most gays in Singapore remain in the closet. While Mr Fong does not represent every gay person in Singapore, his identity and life humanises the gay issue in a way no amount of well-constructed arguments can ever achieve. What is equally significant is the fact that Mr Fong is a school teacher. The concern raised by Mr Jacob is whether Mr Fong is able to provide neutral, unbiased advice to young students who may be uncertain about their orientation. The reality is that there has never been any neutral, unbiased advice given to students on sexuality. Heterosexuality has always been the biased model. While the Education Ministry may want to acknowledge the concerns of parents who are uncomfortable with gay teachers in schools, it would do well not to continue to hide them in the closet. It should publicly acknowledge the existence of gay teachers and assure parents that all its teachers, gay or straight, are expected to uphold the utmost standards in their professional conduct and will not impose their personal values, including sexuality, on the students. Dr Peter Goh Kok Yong