FCC Service: Speaker: Jean Lee (June 29)

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
29 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!

Speaker
MS JEAN LEE
Sermon Series on the Psalms

Worship Leaders - GARY CHAN
Vocals - PAUL WANG, JONATHAN FOONG
Keyboards - KENNY ONG
Guitars - KELVIN NG, PAUL B
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - JIMMY TAN
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - FOO KEONG YAP
Prayer - DAN LOH
Communion - JONATHAN FOONG
Service Pastor - JOSHUA TAN

FCC Sunday Service (Jun 29 2008), Speaker: Jean Lee

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
29 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!

Speaker
MS JEAN LEE
Sermon Series on the Psalms

Worship Leaders - GARY CHAN
Vocals - PAUL WANG, JONATHAN FOONG
Keyboards - KENNY ONG
Guitars - KELVIN NG, PAUL B
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - JIMMY TAN
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - FOO KEONG YAP
Prayer - DAN LOH
Communion - JONATHAN FOONG
Service Pastor - JOSHUA TAN

FCCwomen Get-Together

The FREE COMMUNITY CHURCH WOMEN (FCCwomen) warmly invite all women to their Get-Together next Sunday afternoon, 29 June.

Come get to know, and join us for an afternoon of fun, food and friendship. Don't worry, we won't make you play silly games and clap your hands! .. unless you really want to! :)

Date: Sunday, 29 June 2008
Time: 4.30 - 6 pm
Venue: Free Community Church, 56 Lorong 23 Geylang
#03-00 Century Technology Building
Singapore 388381

[*nearest MRT station - Aljunied (exit B)
buses: On Aljunied Road (Aljunied MRT bus stop)
- 40, 62, 63, 80, 100, 158
On Sims Ave (bus stop after Geylang Lor 21A)
- 2, 13, 21, 26, 51, 62, 63, 67, 80, 100, 125, 158, 853]

Please RSVP by Saturday, 28 June to freecomwomen@yahoo.com.sg with your name(s) and contact number

FCC is the only gay-inclusive church in Singapore where all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender and race are welcome. The FCC Women are a community who gather regularly to study scripture, hold discussions and talks, as well as for fellowship and support. Our activities focus on women’s issues within the life of our church. We welcome all women to join us.

For more information on us & where we are located, please visit: www.freecomchurch.org

ST Forum: Rights debate: Whose interest is right? (June 25)

Rights debate: Whose interest is right?
I FEEL unnerved after reading Ms Ng Eew Hwong's views last Saturday in
her letter, 'Rights Debate: Question is 'what are good values'?". She
seems to echo only cliches and official comments in her letter.

If she wishes to ask 'what are good values', I would ask what are
'public interests' or, for that matter, what is the 'public' in the
first place? As I understand it, the 'special consideration' claimed
by Ms Ng is nothing more than a financial incentive, a carrot to
entice people to start families. The policy purpose is to increase the
national birthrate, not to provide for a family's needs. The latter is
meant to be achieved by the Baby Bonus policy. I am not being
insensitive; just realistic.

Ms Ng's belief that homosexuality will be mainstreamed is indicative
of homophobia. While I personally am not so inclined towards the LGBT
(lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) 'cause', nonetheless I
believe that banning too many shows on homosexuality would lead to the
prohibition of essential educational material. At the same time, just
because 'many may find it undesirable' like Ms Ng doesn't mean that
they are necessarily right. Only the future will lead us to a
definitive conclusion on whether they are harmful or not.

At any rate, Ms Ng did not qualify specifically why she finds the
Government's statement encouraging. If she is offering blind faith to
the Government, then her level of intellectual maturity is not
particularly encouraging. If the vague nationalism in the comment
appeals to her, then she should reconsider why she thinks we are
superior to the West?

What is 'public morality' anyway? Is it moral standards of the public,
including the 'vocal people' Ms Ng dislikes, or the moral standard of
some senior members of society, who wish to force it on everyone else?

Lastly, I would comment that Ms Ng and other like-minded people should
consider whether their version of the 'common good' is applicable in
today's society where extremely diverse personalities and lifestyles
exist.

Not every agenda deserves special treatment, but to merely dismiss any
agenda as false and their proposers as 'some (vocal) people" is
tantamount to adopting a supremacist attitude and a closed mindset.

For at the end of the day, values are merely interests that a minority
projects onto the majority or vice versa. The real question is: Whose
interest carries the largest element of truth?

Clement Wee

ST Forum: Rights debate: Question is ‘What are good values?’ (June 21)

I struggle to understand Dr Wong Jock Onn’s views in his Wednesday letter, ‘S’poreans guilty too, not just rights activists’.

He suggested that Attorney-General Walter Woon had wrongly criticised Western human-rights activists for believing ‘they and their values represent the apex of human moral development’. He cites three examples to illustrate Singapore’s own impositions on ‘Singaporeans who do not hold the same view’.

First, Dr Wong took issue with the Housing and Development Board for offering ‘hefty’ subsidies and new flats only to family units and not to singles. As a single person, I appreciate that public resources are scarce. The Government must prioritise the public’s interests.

Families as the backbone of society deserve special consideration. Singles generally do not have the same responsibilities such as raising children although there are exceptions where they are the sole provider for their parents. In such cases, they may seek assistance from the Government or charitable organisations. Singles 35 and above are given some HDB entitlements.

Second, Dr Wong objected to the Media Development Authority’s (MDA) ban on programmes with homosexual themes. Does he wish to see homosexuality mainstreamed? Many will find this undesirable.

While Singapore accommodates homosexuals, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said the Government will ‘not allow or encourage activists to champion gay rights as they do in the West’. This is encouraging.

Additionally, MDA adopts a calibrated approach; while banning programmes which celebrate homosexual themes like same-sex marriage, it allows programmes on free-to-air channels featuring famous lesbian hosts.

MDA is responsible for protecting social interests like public morality and the interests of the young. Adults who want exposure to homosexual values have Internet access.

Third, Dr Wong states that ‘men get better treatment than women’ because of influential Confucianist ideas that men are more ’superior’ than women. He glosses over policies that treat both sexes equally.

Women should receive equal pay for equal work and equal voting rights, but there are justified instances of differential treatment. For example, NSmen receive pay differentiation and tax relief in recognition of their sacrifices.

Laws embody social values which serve the common good, not merely the preferences of some vocal individuals who consider certain policies oppressive or unjust as violating interests which they like to (falsely) call ‘rights’.

Disagreements exist in all mature democracies. Not every agenda deserves special legal treatment. Good governments must balance interests and make wise decisions. The real question is: What should our society recognise as good values, deserving legal protection?

Let’s be specific.

Ng Eew Hwong (Ms)

FCC Service: Speaker: Gary Chan (June 22)

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
22 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!

Speaker
PASTOR GARY CHAN
Worship from the Psalms

Worship Leaders - GARY CHAN, VICTOR LEE, LIONG WAILING
Keyboards - GREG, ERNEST THIO
Guitars - NATHAN GOH, RICK PRICE
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - CEPHAS YEO
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - VERON TAN
Prayer - FOO KEONG YAP
Communion - KENG HOCK PWEE
Service Pastor - JORG DIETZEL

FCCwomen Get-Together (June 29)

The FCCwomen are having a get-together next Sunday, 29 June from 2 pm onwards for a time of fun, food and fellowship.

There are 2 parts to the programme; the first for existing members to get to know one another better, and to have a time of sharing, followed by the second part of the day where women who are interested in finding out more about FCC have been invited to join us for an "open house" of sorts.

We would like to invite all women (regardless of sexual orientation) to please join us that day, and stay for both sessions. Here are the details:

FCCwomen Get-Together
Date: Sunday 29 June 2008
Time: 2 - 4 pm [fellowship for existing fccwomen]
4 - 6 pm [welcoming new women]
Venue: Free Community Church

If you're not in an existing cell group and are attending the Get-Together, please e-mail me at freecomwomen@ yahoo.com. sg

For more information or queries, please e-mail.

cheers & God bless!
su-lin:)

Women's Nite: They Just Don't Get It

June 2008 topic: THEY JUST DON'T GET IT!

Why are you gay?
When did you turn gay?
How did you get into the gay lifestyle?
Have you tried being straight?

Sick of senseless questions like these and want to make people "get it"? This is the Women's Nite for you. Join us as we talk about what it takes to explain your world to clueless folk.

FCC Sunday Service (Jun 22 2008), Speaker: Gary Chan

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
22 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!

Speaker
PASTOR GARY CHAN
Worship from the Psalms

Worship Leaders - GARY CHAN, VICTOR LEE, LIONG WAILING
Keyboards - GREG, ERNEST THIO
Guitars - NATHAN GOH, RICK PRICE
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - CEPHAS YEO
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - VERON TAN
Prayer - FOO KEONG YAP
Communion - KENG HOCK PWEE
Service Pastor - JORG DIETZEL

FCCWomen Get-Together (Jun 29)

The FREE COMMUNITY CHURCH WOMEN (FCCwomen) warmly invite all women to their
Get-Together next Sunday afternoon, 29 June.

Come get to know, and join us for an afternoon of fun, food and friendship.
Don't worry, we won't make you play silly games and clap your hands! ..
unless you really want to! :)

Date: Sunday, 29 June 2008
Time: 4.30 - 6 pm
Venue: Free Community Church, 56 Lorong 23 Geylang
#03-00 Century Technology Building
Singapore 388381

[*nearest MRT station - Aljunied (exit B)
buses: On Aljunied Road (Aljunied MRT bus stop)
- 40, 62, 63, 80, 100, 158
On Sims Ave (bus stop after Geylang Lor 21A)
- 2, 13, 21, 26, 51, 62, 63, 67, 80, 100, 125, 158, 853]

Please RSVP by Saturday, 28 June to freecomwomen@yahoo.com.sg with your
name(s) and contact number

FCC is the only gay-inclusive church in Singapore where all, regardless of
sexual orientation, gender and race are welcome. The FCC Women are a
community who gather regularly to study scripture, hold discussions and
talks, as well as for fellowship and support. Our activities focus on women’s
issues within the life of our church. We welcome all women to join us.

For more information on us & where we are located, please visit:
www.freecomchurch.org

The Reporter: Worldwide church raises "insurmountable' issues (June 19)

Worldwide church raises 'insurmountable' issues

Yap Kim Hao, Jun 19, 2008

Yap Kim Hao
By Yap Kim Hao
Special Contributor

It was a revealing experience for me to be in Fort Worth as a visitor at the United Methodist 2008 General Conference. I participated for the first time as an elected delegate from the Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore in the General Conference in 1964. I attended as the first Asian bishop of the affiliated autonomous Methodist Church of Malaysia and Singapore until I resigned from the term episcopacy in 1973 to serve for 12 years as the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, which brought together the Christian denominations within Asia—including Australia and New Zealand—for fellowship, witness and service.

What was new for me in 2008 was the issue of homosexuality. I joined in the Common Witness as a Soulforce and Reconciling Ministries Network volunteer. The Silent Witness at the plenary was a memorable and moving experience for me, and it showed the increasing maturity of the delegates of the United Methodist churches in the United States. Hopefully the delegates, especially those from the Central Conferences, may be inspired by such a witness.

Worldwide nature

What was old for me was the discussion on the worldwide nature of the United Methodist Church. I was an active participant in the '60s in the Methodist Board of Missions Asia Consultation followed by the Global Consultation in Green Lake, Wis., which brought together the other regional consultations in Africa and Latin America. It was sponsored by the Commission of the Structure of Methodism Overseas (COSMOS).

The significant outcome of that consultation was the wide support for the move toward the structure of affiliated autonomous Methodist Churches overseas. The move was implemented in the Methodist Churches throughout Latin America and of Asia, with the exception of the Philippines. Other Methodist churches in Asia, which were the result of the work of the missionary society of British Methodism, had followed its policy of setting up autonomous churches earlier.

Looking at this development from the Asian perspective, the countries in Asia that were colonies of the United Kingdom entered into the period of de-colonization. The rise of independent nation-states came about with the disintegration of the British Empire. (British Methodism had also set free the Methodist Churches in the American colonies after the War of Independence).

For political reasons, the Methodist Churches in Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia and Burma have had to cut off connections at times with the United Methodist Church in the U.S. Foreign connections were detrimental to the development of Christianity.

The forces of history brought about the autonomous Methodist Churches throughout Asia with the exception of the Philippines. We have developed new relationships with one another that went beyond our previously exclusive connections with London and New York. We recognize now that close neighbors are more meaningful than distant relations.

A Fellowship of Asian Methodist Bishops/Presidents has since evolved into the Asian Methodist Council. The council recognizes the sovereignty of each member and restricts itself to common issues of witness and service.

Regarding the current discussion of the United Methodist Church's worldwide nature, it is highly unlikely that the affiliated autonomous Methodist Churches will desire to be re-integrated into the denomination's General Conference structure. It is more likely that we will welcome the partnership with the United Methodist Church on specific issues and programs of witness and service that are mutually beneficial.

It will be a relationship of mutuality without the past dominance of American Methodism over the other former Central Conference churches, even though they may change their names to Regional Conferences.

In re-structuring the United Methodist Church, what would be acceptable to the present Philippines Central Conference as well as other affiliated autonomous churches in Asia? What is the formula for representation at General Conference? Can we develop a rationale for disproportionate representation?

Questions to consider

How do we measure the apportionment from the churches in the different Regional Conferences? What is the level of participation in the Episcopal Fund? How do we support the enlarged General Conference budget, which will require convening in different parts of the United Methodist Church around the world?

To me, it seems these are insurmountable questions that defy answers.

The reality is that we have a different world today. Methodism responded to the colonial and post-colonial period. But in this time of globalization, what does it mean to develop a worldwide nature of the church?

Those who command resources and power will continue to dominate others who have less. Is the United Methodist Church in a position to develop a more equitable connection and mutually beneficial relations? This will call for affirmation of diversities and a commitment to change from its privileged status. Is there a willingness to learn from other already established Methodist Churches and an openness to partner with one another on an equal basis in witness and service?

It seems to me that the time has passed for the Methodist Churches in Asia to come together under one governance of one General Conference, either in the projected United Methodist General Conference or the Asian region. General Conferences in each country in Asia will continue to exist and develop connections not only with the United Methodist Church but with other churches in pursuit of our common mission and service in the world.

The Rev Yap is a former bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia and Singapore.

San Francisco Bay Times: Dreaming the Frameline LGBT Film Festival (Jun 19)

Dreaming the Frameline LGBT Film Festival
By Erica Marcus
Published: June 19, 2008

Loving Loretta
Oh so fabulous Past, PRESENT and Future

What a dream I had last night! It had something to do with Frameline, the SF LGBT International Film Festival which is opening tonight and runs through June 29. As usual, there are films you are not going to want to miss. Highlights include Fatih Akin’s The Edge of Heaven (6/23, Victoria), Before I Forget (6/22, Castro), the Centerpiece Intersex feature, XXY, (6/24, Castro), the sexy Argentine film La Leon (c/23, Castro; 6/25, Victoria) and the Philipino-Icelandic The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela (6/21, Victoria). And there is probably way too much that you will not want to go to…..

But first, I gotta tell you about the dream. It was opening night of the Frameline Festival, but we weren’t all in the Castro Theater but at the Sizzling Saddles Ranch, the dude ranch set of the failed reality TV show, Playing it Straight. The show, just in case you were not a fan, was one of those Queer Eye knockoffs that never scored any ratings. You might have heard about it. A woman meets fourteen dudes, some gay and some straight,t and has to pick the man of her dreams. All the guys got to “play it straight” and flirt their butts off for the leading lady.

In this dream of mine, a whole bunch of festival types dressed to the nines were all making speeches about LGBT films and saluting the formidable contributions that Michael Lumpkin, Frameline’s Artistic Director, has made to queer film over the years. The Sisters were in the dream, too, but they were Playboy bunny cheerleaders posing as paparazzi. They were clamoring for the slyly wry and not-so-enigmatic Lumpkin, to spill the beans and provide some proper dish about his 25 year-long stint leading the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival and his forthcoming departure from the festival. Diplomatic as always, Lumpkin spiked his answers with a couple of well-tuned quips, but he waxed eloquent about where queer cinema has been and where it may or may not be going.

Suddenly, the LGBT Alliance for Quality Reality Game Show Programming swarmed onto the Sizzling Saddles Ranch stage looking awful, like they really belonged in the film March of the Penguins and they announced that PBS was going to bring back the Playing it Straight series and premier it at Frameline32. Now, I have carefully checked the upcoming schedule, and don’t worry, Playing it Straight is not going to be showing at this year’s festival. But in the dream it was sort of a big deal and everyone was saying how this was going to be the next best thing since Gus Van Sant’s Mala Noche (6/20, Castro) and Almodovar’s Law of Desire (6/23. Castro), which really are going to be playing at the festival. In fact, they are part of a retrospective of some of Michael’s favorite Frameline films. But back to the dream.

Film critic, B. Ruby Rich, was quite pissed about Playing it Straight, but that was not a big surprise. After all, she is the gal who has been warning us for quite a while about the “commodification and assimilation” tendencies of community artists.

So all eyes were on Lumpkin, who was paying lip service to the PBS Playng it Straight deal, but if you looked really closely, he didn’t look that happy about it either.

But the whole thing feels like a really bad omen, and it had me quite worried both inside and outside the dream. Lumpkin has not only kept the Frameline festival alive and well all of these years, but he has had a front row seat as New Queer Cinema came of age. What did he know about the future of queer film that we didn’t? Is he leaving now because it is really over and what will be left is a lot of empty-visioned wanabees who will churn out queer American Idols and Girl Meets Girl pap?

The dream was not that unlike the real film festival, with some of my best friends, happily married just four days ago, cruising the popcorn lines, hoping they might find a good reason for a divorce or at least an extra-marital affair. It was all so real - but then I realized that those penguin wannabe filmmakers were part of a big bad dream because it was all coming to a crescendo. I was about to be trampled by a stampede of wild horses and sheep. Alfred Hitchcock was riding an Arabian mare together with queer Film producer Brian Benson (they both have a thing about showers).

And suddenly, the indomitable Barbara Hammer, who has been making and breaking the boundaries of lesbian film since 1972, came racing down the hillside. She was an Amazon Paula Revere alerting one and all to come to her Frameline screening Horse in Not a Metaphor (6/27, Roxie). The stampede disappeared just as Babs entered the frame.

And what an entry this indefatigable artist makes. I guess this oh-so-weird Frameline dream was inspired watching Hammer’s new film Horse. I caught it with an old pal of Barbara’s, Honey Lee Cottrell. As we watched the layered magical images that had us with one foot in the visceral reality of Hammer’s ovarian cancer treatments and the other foot swimming, galloping and thriving, Cottrell said, “pure Barbara Hammer”. A few minutes later, she said “go Barbara go.” After the credits, she said, “Only Barbara Hammer could make a sensuous film about battling ovarian cancer.”

And despite my fear that daring queer film will disappear, I do know that there are still some hold-outs who got to do what they got to do. Take for example Samuel R. Delany, a veritable literary giant, Nebula Award winner and consummate bugger, who describes himself as the “world’s most dull black faggot.” Hardly, as you will learn if you go to see Fred Barney Taylor’s film portrait of Delany, The Polymath: Or The Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman (6/20, Roxie). This film is one of the reasons that the Frameline festival is so darn precious.

So is the Singaporean film, Solos (6/20, Victoria) by Loo Zi han and Kan Lume. The sensual textured cinematography leaves one breathless. The film follows the sexual relationship between a young man and his teacher and how it impacts the young man’s mother. Scenes of the two men making love are juxtaposed with scenes of the mother mourning the loss of her son. The two men come to dinner at the mother’s apartment. The silence is deafening; a piercing direct hit. The film was censored by the Singapore government and pulled from playing at its film festival.

The shorts programs are always a treat. I have long been a fan of the Fun in Girls Shorts (6/21, Castro; 6/29, Castro) and Fun in Boys Shorts (6/21, Castro; 6/29, Castro) but this year, I will be at the Castro on Saturday, June 28, to catch Dyke Delights. Okay, one of the films was made by a friend, Loretta Hintz, but check out this description of her film, the Sheep and the Ranch Hand

“Yee-haw and pass the mint jelly! - or, is it lube? Not all sheep are followers! Join our binge-eating, cowboi-dreaming heroine on her oneiric adventures in the land of clover, pretty shiny black hooves, and one studly, cowboy-booted paramour! Watch as she embraces the beast within, learns that all that glitters is nicely hung, and discovers that dreams really can come true - and come hard!”

The film is a camp classic, and whoever did the sheep costume deserves a shot on Project Runway. But you don’t need to trust me, listen to what Carol Queen has to say about the film.

“I can’t decide if it’s the best dyke film I’ve ever seen, best zooey film I’ve ever seen, or just best all-around sex film I’ve ever seen! What a fabulous and charming mind-bender!”

What else will you want to see? The Taiwanese director Zero Chou whose film Spider Lilies played at Frameline last year, returns with a new film Drifting Flowers (6/22, Castro; 6/26, Berkeley). Here you will find three love stories with richly drawn characters, including a blind nightclub singer, a butch accordionist, an Alzheimer’s patient and a gay male friend.

The Irish personal documentary, Fairytale of Kathmandu (6/21, Victoria) is as much the story of a filmmaker’s journey as it is the story it set out to be: a portrait of a beloved Irish gay poet Cathal O’Searchaigh. Director Neasa Ni Chiannan starts out as a fan of the poet who makes annual pilgrimage to Nepal, where he has sponsored the educations of several young men, and is treated with an entirely different kind of reverence than he gets at home. When she joins him in Kathmandu, she tries to understand his trysts with a series of young men and questions how much he is “helping” them or how much he is helping himself. Upon her return to Ireland, the poet feels betrayed and denies the filmmaker’s attacks. And as valuable as this look into the nature of power, money and missionary attitudes of Westerners travelling to developing countries, the film also challenges you to look at the supposed naiveté of the betrayed filmmaker herself. Worth a look for sure.

I will be sure to check out Citizen Nawi (6/23, Roxie), which follows a queer Israeli activist who challenges the Israeli military over the rights of Arab villagers in South Hebron and with the orthodox Jewish settlers over Palestinian basic human rights. The film also traces Nawi’s relationship with his Palestinian lover.

The long awaited film A Jihad For Love (6/28, Victoria) will have its Bay Area premiere at the festival. Directed Parvez Sharma and Produced by the Director of Trembling Before G-d, the film follows the stories of a number of gay and lesbian Muslims around the world.

Despite my little dream, the diverse content at the Frameline festival seems to be alive and well this year. Of course, there is the formulaic queer set of films, but there are than enough gems to challenge, engage and entertain you. See you at the festival.

ST Forum: To say homosexuality is immoral is a cultural view (June 18)

S’poreans guilty too, not just rights activists

I read Lydia Lim’s article ‘Let’s not turn human rights into a battle ground’ on Saturday in which she reminded us what the Attorney-General, Professor Walter Woon, said rather critically: ‘These are people who evidently believe that they and their values represent the apex of human moral development.’

I find the statement rather ironic because it seems to me that there are among us enough Singaporeans who also believe that their values represent the apex of human moral development.

One blatant example is the declaration of the family as the smallest unit of society. It is a matter of cultural view but this value seems to be treated like a truism in Singapore with its manifestations imposed upon Singaporeans who do not hold the same view. One consequence is that only family units, and not singles, are entitled to hefty government subsidies and brand-new HDB flats.

Another example is the view that homosexuality is immoral and somehow wrong. Again, this is a cultural view but its manifestations suggest that it is treated like a hard fact. Programmes on homosexual relations and lifestyles are banned from TV channels, with violators slapped with hefty fines, disregarding the sentiments of gay and gay-friendly people.

A third example is the view that a man is somehow more ’superior’ (for want of a better word) than a woman. This is a view strongly associated with Confucianism. As a result, in some public sectors, when it comes to benefits, it seems to me that men get better treatment than women.

When it comes to believing that one’s cultural values represent the ‘apex of human moral development’, my examples suggest that Singapore is not exactly innocent.

Therefore, I wonder why Prof Woon sees this flaw only in Western human-rights activists but not among his fellow Singaporeans.

Dr Wong Jock Onn

ST Forum: Ease up on the censorship, please (June 17)

Ease up on the censorship, please

KUDOS to Channel 5 for not being afraid to air the Ellen DeGeneres talk show although Singapore is still not very open to topics about homosexuality.

However, it disturbs me that whenever the show host mentions her partner's name, Portia, or whenever there is any slight mention of her sexual orientation, Channel 5 censors it and the show skids forward. It would be good if viewers get to enjoy the full show for the celebrity's talent and entertainment value, and not one based on her orientation. I do not think that easing up on censorship on such occasions is condoning homosexuals' way of life.

Would it also be possible for Channel 5 to ease up on censorship for shows that are aired after midnight due to content - for example, Whose Line Is It Anyway?

The fact that these shows are aired at such a late time already means that viewers are primed for the content. Or perhaps a 'PG/Warning: unsuitable content for the young' notice could be flashed before the show starts.

Eunice Foo (Miss)

Union of Catholic Asian News: Forum Speakers Share How to Respond to Issue of Homosexuality (June 17)

SINGAPORE Forum Speakers Share How To Respond To Issue Of Homosexuality

On 2008-6-17

SINGAPORE (UCAN) -- The De La Salle brother once dreamed he was at the Last Judgment, and Christ approached him and said, "I was gay, and you never loved me."

Brother Michael Broughton was sharing with about 90 people during the first of four forums titled A Christian Response To Same-Sex Attraction. "When we push gays to the margins of our community and isolate them, then we will have to answer to our Lord in judgment, because love does not exclude," he said.

CANA-The Catholic Centre organized the forums, held on successive Thursday evenings ending May 29, to help Catholics respond to the issue of homosexuality in society.

Brother Broughton, president of De La Salle-run St. Joseph's Institution, shared that it is with love that God wants us to approach homosexual persons, "as Christ reached out to the most wretched of his time."

The Religious suggested "the only reason why we may not want to be friends with (them) is because we're afraid people will identify us as one of them." But he added that "this insecurity ... may prevent us from ministering and reaching out to them."

He also pointed out that "to accept a person is not necessarily to condone" the person's lifestyle. "If, as Catholics, we believe that homosexual acts are wrong, it is no excuse to condemn a person or cut the person off from the family," he maintained.

singapore.gifBrother Broughton outlined three main considerations in interacting with homosexual persons. First, he said, they need someone to talk to and trust. Second, one must listen with great respect. Third, "we have to protect people from being victimized."

Catherine Tyrer, a counselor with the Singapore archdiocesan-run Family Life Society, shared on May 29 from her experience counseling homosexual persons. "Some want a listening ear, because there isn't a lot of support outside," she said.

Among challenges they face she cited struggles with interpersonal relationships, family, sexuality and social pressures.

Several speakers addressed the Church stance on homosexual acts, which, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, are "intrinsically disordered" and "contrary to the natural law."

Jesuit Father Paul Goh, who has a doctorate in clinical psychology, explained on May 15 that homosexuality can be divided into covert homosexuality, in which people experience homosexual feelings but do not act on these, and overt homosexuality, in which people engage in homosexual acts.

Only overt homosexuality is a moral issue, he said.

Moral theologian Father David Garcia shared on May 22 that today's popular opinion about relating to homosexual persons can be summed up as: "If you really want to love the 'sinner,' don't call it a sin."

Pointing to the Gospel account of the woman caught in adultery, Father Garcia said Jesus did not see a conflict between showing compassion and calling adultery a sin. "Rather, compassion needs truth, and truth needs to be compassionate."

On the idea of homosexual marriage, he said that if homosexual persons are allowed to marry the person they love, "then what about romantic adulterers?"

Alex Au, founding member of People Like Us 3, a gay-equality lobby group, disagreed with the Church stance on homosexual acts. He said at the May 15 forum that historical arguments against ending slavery and giving women voting rights were very similar to present-day arguments against legalizing homosexual behavior, which is illegal in Singapore.

The Catholic Church says homosexual persons "must be treated with respect, but ... are called to chastity," he noted. "How do you separate identity from behavior? It's like saying, 'It's okay for you to be a Christian, but it's illegal to build churches and meet together.'"In his view, "the issue is not homosexuality, but homophobia."

Leslie Lung, a former transsexual, shared on May 8 that two days before his scheduled gender-reassignment surgery in 1984, a spiritual experience convinced him this was not what God intended for him.

Since then, he has worked to set up Liberty League, a ministry promoting sexual health in society.

Forum speakers included a medical doctor and a lawyer.

On the last evening, an audience member said she wanted to form a fellowship group for "those who know someone with homosexual tendencies." Several people gave their contact numbers.

AFP: Campaigingin lesbian couple to tie knot in Los Angeles (June 15)

Campaigning lesbian couple to tie knot in Los Angeles

Jun 15, 2008

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Robin Tyler and Diane Olson's four-year battle for the right to marry will end where it began on Monday, when the women exchange vows on the steps of Beverly Hills Courthouse to become the first same-sex couple to tie the knot in Los Angeles County.

Tyler, 66, and Olson, 54, were two of the lead plaintiffs of the lawsuit that led to California's highest court overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriage last month, and will wed at 5:01 pm Monday (0001 GMT Tuesday), moments after the court ruling takes effect.

The couple will exchange vows four years after being refused a marriage license at the same courthouse on Valentine's Day 2004, a decision that prompted their ultimately historic legal action.

"We wanted to have the wedding outside the courthouse because it was where we'd been turned down so many times," Tyler told AFP. "It will be nice to be able to stand there and get married and say 'We won.'"

While opponents of same-sex marriage argued that California law already entitled gay and lesbian couples to many of the rights enjoyed by their heterosexual counterparts, Tyler and Olson were never remotely inclined to settle for the glass ceiling of "domestic partnerships."

"If you deny gays and lesbians the right to marry, it's segregation," says Tyler, a producer, writer and entertainer who has campaigned relentlessly for gay and lesbian rights since the 1970s.

"If you apply the argument used against us to race, it doesn't stand up. If you each have a water fountain -- blacks and whites -- you're drinking the same water, so why do you need a fountain together? Because to do otherwise means that one is considered less than the other.

"And where marriage is concerned, 'domestic partnerships' mean that our love is considered as being worth less than heterosexual love. Equality is not giving us another name for our relationships, equality is giving us the name 'marriage'."

"We held out for the word 'marriage'," Olson added. "Because marriage is a universally understood word."

Despite the legal saga and bitter opposition from conservative groups, Olson and Tyler say they were always confident of victory.

"There was never a doubt in my mind," Olson said.

Tyler added: "If you kick the door long enough, the door is going to come down. So we just kept kicking the door."

Tyler and Olson admit, however, that planning for their wedding has been a steep learning curve. "We're kind of winging it," Tyler said.

"We were asked the other day, 'What's the budget for your wedding?' I said 'I've never had one, how would I know?'" Tyler laughed.

The happy couple, who first met in the 1970s and have been together for 15 years, will wear matching ivory linen suits that were tailor-made in Singapore last year. They have no immediate plans for a honeymoon.

Neither are children on the agenda -- the couple say they are quite happy with their two pugs, Mushu Pork and Wonton.

"They're children with fur as far as we are concerned, and they make our hearts tick," says Tyler.

"And we don't have to pay to send them to college," chimed Olson.

AP: Lesbian Couple of 55 Years Ready to Say "I Do" (June 14)

Lesbian Couple of 55 Years Ready to Say "I Do"

Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin fell in love at a time when lesbians risked being arrested, fired from their jobs and sent to electroshock treatment.

On Monday afternoon, more than a half-century after they became a couple, Lyon and Martin plan to become the first same-sex couples to legally exchange marriage vows in San Francisco and among the first in the state.

''It was something you wanted to know, 'Is it really going to happen?' And now it's happened, and maybe it can continue to happen,'' Lyon said.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom plans to officiate at the private ceremony in his City Hall office before 50 invited guests. He picked Martin, 87, and Lyon, 84, for the front of the line in recognition of their long relationship and their status as pioneers of the gay rights movement.

Along with six other women, they founded a San Francisco social club for lesbians in 1955 called the Daughters of Bilitis. Under their leadership, it evolved into the nation's first lesbian advocacy organization. They have the FBI files to prove it.

Their ceremony Monday will, in fact, be a marriage do-over.

In February 2004, San Francisco's new mayor decided to challenge California's marriage laws by issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. His advisers and gay rights activists knew right away which couple would put the most compelling human face on the issue: Martin and Lyon.

Back then, the couple planned to celebrate their 51st anniversary as live-in lovers on Valentine's Day. Because of their work with the Daughters, they also were icons in the gay community.

''Four years ago, when they agreed to be married, it was in equal parts to support the mayor and to support the idea that lesbians and gay people formed committed relationships and should have those relationships respected,'' says Kate Kendell, a close friend and executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Lyon and Martin vividly recall the excitement of being secretly swept into the clerk's office, saying ''I do'' in front of a tiny group of city staff members and friends, and then being rushed out of the building. There were no corsages, no bottles of champagne. Afterward they went to lunch, just the two of them, at a restaurant run as a job training program for participants in a substance abuse program.

''Of course, nobody down there knew, so we were left to be by ourselves like we wanted to be,'' said Martin, the less gregarious of the two. ''Then we came home.''

''And watched TV,'' added Lyon.

The privacy was short-lived. Their wedding portrait, showing the couple cradling each other in pastel-colored pantsuits with their foreheads tenderly touching, drew worldwide attention.

Same-sex marriage would become legal in Massachusetts in another three months, but San Francisco's calculated act of civil disobedience drove the debate.

In the month that followed, more than 4,000 other couples followed Martin and Lyon down the aisle before a judge acting on petitions brought by gay marriage opponents halted the city's spree.

The state Supreme Court ultimately voided the unions, but the women were among the two dozen couples who served as plaintiffs in the lawsuits that led the same court last month to overturn California's ban on gay marriage.

They were having their morning coffee when Lyon heard the news on the radio. She rushed across the house to embrace Martin. Not long after, Newsom called to offer congratulations and to ask if they would be willing to be at the forefront yet again.

''Sure,'' was the answer they gave.

The couple, who live in the same San Francisco house they bought in 1956, do not get out much now. Martin needs a wheelchair to get around. Although they plan to briefly greet well-wishers at City Hall after the ceremony, they are having a private reception for friends and family.

''It's so endearing because they do seem excited and a little bit nervous,'' Kendell said. ''It's like the classic feelings anyone has as their wedding day approaches.''

Because a few other clerk's offices agreed to stay open until the court's decision becomes final at 5 p.m. PDT, other couples planning late afternoon weddings may already have tied the knot before the mayor pronounces Lyon and Martin ''spouses for life.''

They don't mind. They know they already are.

''We get along well,'' Lyon said. ''And we love each other.''

''I love you, too,'' Martin said. (Lisa Leff, AP)

SafeHaven and PPC presents - For the Bible Tells Me So (June 21)

21 Jun 08 - SafeHaven and PPC presents - FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO

FILM SYNOPSIS
Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm
separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is
the Bible an excuse to hate?

Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very
American families -- including those of former House Majority Leader
Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson -- we discover how
insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay
child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu,
Harvard's Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend
Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and
understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and
sexual identity.

There will be a discussion moderated by Miak from The Free Community
Church, following the screening.

RSVP - This event is by invitation only.
As there are limited seats, prior registration is required.
For an invite -please email [pelangipridecentre at yahoo dot com] with
your name (in full), contact number, the name/s of your guests.

Details at a Glance
Event: Screening of "FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO"
Date: Saturday, 21 June 2008 (210608)
Time: 4pm
Venue: Pelangi Pride Centre - 54 Rowell Road (in Little India)
Cost per person: $6 (cost of 2 drinks and finger food)

-----------
For directions on how to get to the new PPC:

Come into Hindoo Road from Jalan Besar. Look for tall HDB block 639 at
the end of the road. Corner terrace house with grapevines growing.
Come in from the back door.

FCC Service: Speaker: Miak Siew (Jun 15)

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
15 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!

Speaker
PASTOR MIAK SIEW
Series on the Psalms - Psalms 51

Worship Leader - PAUL WANG
Vocals - VICTOR LEE
Keyboards - GARY CHAN, ERNEST THIO
Guitars - NATHAN GUO, KELVIN NG
Strings - WILLY YEO
Drums - JIMMY TAN
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - FOO KEONG YAP
Prayer - JEAN LEE
Communion - JONATHAN FOONG
Service Pastor - SUSAN TANG

FCC: Living Water Viii (June 13)

we would be starting on friday 13th june (yes friday the 13th!) and it would continue for 8 weeks. we would be going through the 6 clobber passages in the bible, and also explore areas related to sexuality and faith.

ST Forum Online: Vital to distinguish between rights and claims (June 12)

June 12, 2008

I REFER to Mrs Constance Singam's letter, 'Human-rights fanatics is what S'pore needs' (June 6).

There is a need to distinguish between a human right and a claim by vested political groups.

For instance, is the right of adoption a human right?

In some countries, vested parties push for rights of adoption, including assisted reproduction for same-sex couples. This is campaigned under the banner of human rights.

Homosexual activists, keen for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, use the human rights banner to push for their cause.

However, when this is achieved, homosexual activists use the same argument to push for other 'equal rights'.

In some countries, it is compulsory to teach that homosexuality is a norm in pubic schools, recognise same-sex couples as 'married' and for orphanages to allow adoption by same-sex couples.

The promotion of the homosexual lifestyle is funded by tax payers' money under the 'equal rights' argument.

Opponents like orphanages which are against adoption by same-sex couples, for instance, are subject to legal action or even forced to close down.

The Singapore majority have demonstrated their preference for family values as a basic fabric of society.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) also states that the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by the State.

It is prudent of Attorney-General Walter Woon to highlight the danger of human rights being abused by a fanatic group, against the will of the Singapore society and the founders of the UDHR.

Chua Chor Ping (Ms)

ST Forum: Vital to distinguish between rights and claims (June 12)

June 12, 2008
Vital to distinguish between rights and claims
I REFER to Mrs Constance Singam's letter, 'Human-rights fanatics is
what S'pore needs' (June 6).

There is a need to distinguish between a human right and a claim by
vested political groups.

For instance, is the right of adoption a human right?

In some countries, vested parties push for rights of adoption,
including assisted reproduction for same-sex couples. This is
campaigned under the banner of human rights.

Homosexual activists, keen for the decriminalisation of homosexuality,
use the human rights banner to push for their cause.

However, when this is achieved, homosexual activists use the same
argument to push for other 'equal rights'.

In some countries, it is compulsory to teach that homosexuality is a
norm in public schools, recognise same-sex couples as 'married' and
for orphanages to allow adoption by same-sex couples.

The promotion of the homosexual lifestyle is funded by tax payers'
money under the 'equal rights' argument.

Opponents like orphanages which are against adoption by same-sex
couples, for instance, are subject to legal action or even forced to
close down.

The Singapore majority have demonstrated their preference for family
values as a basic fabric of society.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) also states that the
family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is
entitled to protection by the State.

It is prudent of Attorney-General Walter Woon to highlight the danger
of human rights being abused by a fanatic group, against the will of
the Singapore society and the founders of the UDHR.

Chua Chor Ping (Ms)

Extended Screenings for Women who Love Women‏

Just to let you know that there will be 3 additional screenings of the documentary, Women who Love Women: Conversations in Singapore at Sinema in June, as part of the Singapore Encore series from the Singapore International Film Festival 2008.

For those of us who haven't heard about the docu, or don't know what it's about, please visit the docu blogsite: womenwholovewomensingapore.blogspot.com

Details of the screenings are:
Sunday, 15 June 3 pm
Saturday, 21 June 9 pm
Sunday, 29 June 7 pm

Venue: Sinema @ Old School (11B Mt. Sophia Road)
Tickets: $8 each
Ticketing Hotline (Sinema): 63369707
[You need to reserve tickets over the ticketing hotline; payment and collection of tickets only at Sinema itself]
For more information: www.sinema.org/oldschool/
Documentary blogsite: womenwholovewomensingapore.blogspot.com

FCC Service Speaker Jorg Dietzel (June 8)

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
8 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!

Speaker
PASTOR JORG DIETZEL
Series on the Psalms - Liberating God

Worship Leader - KENNY ONG
Vocals - NATHAN GOH, JASON YIK
Keyboards - GARY CHAN, VICTOR LEE
Guitars - RICK PRICE, KELVIN NG
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - JIMMY TAN
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - FOO KEONG YAP
Prayer - MARK CHIA
Communion - JONATHAN FOONG
Service Pastor - JORG DIETZEL

Pelangi Pride Centre presents (June 7)

Pelangi Pride Centre presents (7th June 2008) -
"Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World" and
1.
Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World, is a feature-length
documentary that explores the immense changes that occurred for gays,
lesbians and transgender people living in the Global South. In the last
decade of the 20th Century, a new heightened visibility began spreading
throughout the developing world and the battles between families,
fundamentalist religions, and governments around sexual and gender identity
had begun. But in the West, few people knew about this historic social
upheaval, until 52 men on Cairo's Queen Boat discothèque were arrested for
crimes of debauchery. That explosive story focused attention to the lives
and trials of gay people coming out in the developing world and the film
chronicles those events.

Dangerous Living opens with one of the Cairo 52 defendant's, Ashraf Zanati,
who was tortured, humiliated, beaten and forced to spend 13 months in
prison. His simple, but powerful statement sets out the basic theme for the
film: "My sexuality is my own sexuality. It doesn't belong to anybody. Not
to my government, not to my brother, my sister, my family. No."

Directed by John Scagliotti and Produced by Janet Baus and Dan Hunt.
Executive Producer is Reid Williams.
Major sponsor includes The H. van Ameringen Foundation.

2.
"Shalom in the home" is a series about a Rabbi counselling couples with
problems dealing with family life.

This particular episode features a lesbian couple who are having issues with
one of their 2 daughters.
One of the two mums, her father is a civil-rights lawyer, but could not
accept her daughter is lesbian. In order to prove to people that gay people
are capable of being good parents, she ended up pushing her own daughter too
hard.
Without letting on too much - basically this episode focuses on the effects
that a homophobic society have on gay people such that the downstream
effects can hurt our own children at the end of the day.
(this was shown on CableTV in March 2007)
----------

RSVP - This event is by invitation only, as there are limited seats, prior
registration is required.
For an invite -please email [pelangipridecentre at yahoo dot com] with your
name (in full), contact number, the name/s of your guests.

Details at a Glance
Event: "Dangerous Living: Coming Out in the Developing World" and "Shalom in
the Home"
Date: Saturday, 7th June 2008 (070608)
Time: 4pm
Venue: Pelangi Pride Centre - 54 Rowell Road (in Little India)
Cost per person: $6 (cost of 2 drinks and finger food)

-----------
For directions on how to get to the new PPC:

Come into Hindoo Road from Jalan Besar. Look for tall HDB block 639 at the
end of the road. Corner terrace house with grapevines growing.
Come in from the back door.

ST: A-G cautions against human rights becoming a 'religion' with fanatics (May 31)

May 31, 2008
A-G cautions against human rights becoming a 'religion' with fanatics
By Chong Chee Kin
AMID a new push by the legal community to raise awareness about human
rights, Singapore's Attorney-General has warned against 'fanatics' who
seize on the cause to further their own political agendas.

Human rights has become a 'religion' that breeds devotees who border
on the fanatic, Professor Walter Woon said on Thursday.

It would be 'hypocrisy' for such people to decide what is acceptable
for the rest of society, he said.

Prof Woon made the comments to over 100 lawyers and embassy officials
at a Law Society gathering on Thursday. The event marked the launch of
the professional body's Public and International Law Committee headed
by Dr Thio Su Mien, founding partner of TSMP Law Corporation. The
committee is designed to raise awareness about topics like public law,
a field that deals with human rights and constitutional issues.

'We have to be careful when we are talking about public law and not to
confuse it with politics,' said Prof Woon.

He also warned against a no-holds-barred society. In some places, he
said, religions were targets for insults and advocates for same-sex
marriage were allowed to frame their cause under the banner of human
rights.

'But is this what we want?... Is this a question of human rights?' he
asked.

He and Professor Thio Li-ann of the National University of Singapore
were speakers at the launch of the Law Society committee on Thursday.

Prof Thio said foreigners have criticised Singapore's civil rights
record, including the state of freedom of expression.

But such rights must be balanced against a responsibility towards the
public at large, she said, citing the example of a racist blogger who
was jailed in 2005 on fears his rants could split society.

Human rights issues are wider than just a right to the freedom of
expression, Prof Thio said. They also include things like the right to
work and the right to clean water.

'(In Singapore) the idea is that economics must come first. No point
having free speech if your rice bowl is empty. But I disagree, because
if my rice bowl is empty, I would like to say that I am hungry,' she said.

The president of the Law Society, Senior Counsel Michael Hwang, said
lawyers have to be 'alive' to the legal avenues they can use to
challenge decisions by the authorities.

Despite the fact that it's one of the first courses lawyers take, the
practice of public law has slipped, said Mr Hwang.

He blamed public ignorance and the reluctance of clients to challenge
authorities like statutory boards, Government agencies and tribunals.

Lawyer Raymond Chan, the former president of the Singapore Institute
of Arbitrators, agreed, adding that Singapore's public law is not as
developed as other legal sectors, like criminal law.

In the latest issue of the Law Gazette, the society's official
magazine, Mr Hwang said there were several areas where citizens could
question decisions made by authorities. The list includes rulings from
licensing centres and statutory boards.

'In an age where commercial activities are increasingly becoming
regulated by statutory authorities, it is important for lawyers to be
able to advise whether (they) are exercising the regulatory powers
(properly),' he said.

Today: Keep our doors open to ideas (June 6)

Keep our door open to ideas

Dismissal of sincere views not helpful to engagement between a govt
and citizens

Friday • June 6, 2008

Letter from Siew Kum Hong

Member, Pro-Tem Committee

Maruah Singapore

I REFER to the report, "Politics, law and human rights `fanatics': AG
Walter Woon" (May 30).

The Attorney-General, Professor Walter Woon, reportedly said that
human rights has become a "religion among some people" for whom "it's
all hypocrisy and fanaticism", that we should not confuse public
law with politics, and that some people assume that their definition of
human rights is the decision of the rest of humanity.

As a group that seeks to work on issues related to the establishment
of the Association of South-east Nations (Asean) human rights body
from a Singapore perspective, Maruah finds the AG's reported
statements regrettable. Such a dismissal of sincerely-held views, even
those expressed immoderately, is not helpful to engagement between a
government and its citizens.

History tells us that ardent campaigners who were highly controversial
in their day must be thanked for much of today's social progress.

While controversial causes are not necessarily right, our progress as
a society depends on us keeping the door open to ideas, and not
peremptorily dismissing ideas and their proponents with pejorative
language.

Maruah also believes that no single group of persons — including
officials — has the right to conclusively define human rights for the
rest of society.

The definition of human rights evolves as society changes. This
evolution is stunted if dissentients are cast as troublemakers
pursuing their own causes under the guise of human rights.

Rather than criticising dissentients, we should see them as making a
positive contribution to our understanding and conceptualisation of
what human rights means to Singaporeans.

Finally, it is not helpful to view public law in complete isolation
from politics.

After all, politics must be conducted within the framework of the law,
and political decisions must be lawful.

Similarly, the law does not exist in a vacuum divorced from the
politics of the day.

More additional screenings of Women who Love Women: Conversations in Singapore @ Sinema

Here are the (new) additional dates:

a. 15 june sunday 3 pm
b. 21 june saturday 9 pm
c. 29 june sunday 7 pm

For more information, please contact Sinema :)

Additional Screenings of Women who Love Women: Conversations in Singapore @ Sinema

Here are the additional screenings:

a. sunday 8 june, 3 pm
b. saturday, 21 june, 9 pm
c. sunday, 29 june 7 pm

For more information, contact the fine folk at Sinema

ST: Embrace those who are different from you (June 1)

June 1, 2008
Embrace those who are different from you
In this fortnightly column on life issues, veteran psychotherapist Anthony Yeo talks about accepting differences in people

By Anthony Yeo, Life Lines

I watched Wilde, the movie portraying a part of Oscar Wilde's lifestyle, and left feeling sad and discomfited.

The Wilde I had adored for his literary prowess and inimitable wit was in his time admired for his unique literary style and talent. His plays performed to sell-out audiences and were received with standing ovations at a time when Victorian England was characterised by reserved and restrained patrons of the arts.

Unfortunately he was condemned to hard labour in prison, dying a pauper's death all because he was found guilty for having engaged in same-sex relationships.

Wilde was 'loved for being unique, hated for being different', suffering the ignominy of being criminalised because of his different sexual orientation.
As I ponder over the treatment meted to Wilde, my mind and heart goes out to the way the world treats those who are different even though they are humans just like everyone else.

We tend to discriminate against those who do not match up to what is considered normal. It is so difficult to accept people for who they are, for the gifts and attributes that they bring to the world.

Then I wonder about the many in our world who feel stigmatised, marginalised or ostracised all because of their status, station in life or lifestyle preference.
They may not necessarily suffer the same fate as Wilde, but I am familiar with many who prefer to remain closeted, keeping from people the fact that they are HIV-Aids infected, inflicted with mental illness, incapacitated by intellectual and physical disabilities or have been to prison.

Even those who are divorced or widowed prefer to avoid disclosing their status, afraid to be regarded as an oddity in life. Divorced or widowed people feel stigmatised too.

Sometimes it is heart- wrenching to journey with such people in their struggle for acceptance. Somehow they feel they do not belong to the mainstream of life despite our declaration that we regard all to be equal.

I also observe that the family seems to be one major arena where children experience the most rejection because of their differences.

Parents naturally prefer children who fit their image of what and how a child should be. They wish their children would possess qualities such as intellectual capability, good appearance and ability to perform at school.
If the children do not measure up to expectations, they are often made to feel useless, hopeless, inadequate, inferior or deficient.

They grow up feeling like they do not belong in the family because they are not like their siblings or have failed to live up to their parents' expectations.
All too often they end up as adults with a poor sense of self-worth, feeling rejected and discriminated against.

Yet children never asked to be born and must surely have the inherent right to be accepted for who they are. This goes for all others who may be like Oscar Wilde.

If only we can acknowledge that no matter how different people may be from the rest of us, we must embrace them as people just like us.

FCC Service Speaker Jorg Dietzel (June 1)

SUNDAY SERVICE (ENGLISH)
1 Jun 2008 (Sun) - 10.30am
FCC Main Hall
56 Geylang Lor 23
Level 3, Century Technology Building
All are welcome!
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
Speaker
PASTOR JORG DIETZEL
Series on the Psalms - Ps 13
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --
Worship Leader - VICTOR LEE
Keyboards - GARY CHAN, KENNY ONG
Guitars - RICK PRICE, KELVIN NG
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - JIMMY TAN
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - FOO KEONG YAP
Prayer - JAIME LOW
Communion - KENG HOCK PWEE
Service Pastor - JOSHUA TAN