LGBTQ News About Singapore: September 2008

BlogTV Episode 5: Am I Gay? (Sept 30)

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

From the BlogTV website

Episode 5: Am I gay?
Catch it on Tuesday, 30 September at 8:30 pm on Channel NewsAsia

When you were 16, perhaps younger, and beginning to understand
yourself better – what happens when you find that unlike your
classmates you are different? You're not attracted to the opposite sex?

A poll was conducted in 2007 and of the 187 secondary school respondents:

* 33% felt that homosexuality was wrong
* More than 35% felt that homosexuals were responsible for passing AIDS
* 42% blamed gay people for paedophilia

This poll raises the issue of whether there is enough frank talk about
homosexuality among younger students. Is the topic of homosexuality
still taboo in schools, and are schools doing enough to educate
students about their sexual orientation? Or is it a case of 'if I
don't talk about it, it ain't there.'

This week BlogTV turns the spotlight onto sex education. Is it enough
to just discuss safe sex? Should we not be discussing all the
different sexualities as well? How educational is our sex education
system anyway? And seriously, should teachers be teaching sex amidst
history, English literature etc?

We ask these questions and more as we attempt to answer the question
that might occur to every adolescent at least once - am I Gay?

With our guests, we look away from excuses and seek answers to see if
our education for youths needs to be revamped to include alternative
perspectives.

You can also catch a repeat of the programme at these following times:
30th September, 11.30pm
1st October, 1.30pm
2nd October, 5.30pm

ST: 8 questions with... Loretta Chen (Sept 29)

Monday, September 29, 2008

Sep 29, 2008
8 questions with... Loretta Chen
Wild thing
First, an Annabel Chong play. Now, The Vagina Monologues. Loretta Chen
is big on taboos
By tara tan

Theatre director Loretta Chen, 31, is a political animal who pushes
boundaries on and off the stage.

Her controversial play about Singaporean porn star Annabel Chong, 251,
got people talking when it was staged in April last year.

She is also an active member of the Young PAP and posed questions
about censorship to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at a youth dialogue
last year.

Chen was recently nominated by DrTeo Ho Pin, mayor of North West
district, to be in the North West Community Development Corporation's
executive committee.

Her current project is Eve Ensler's feminist play, The Vagina
Monologues, which opens on Wednesday. The play also marks the
inaugural show of her new company, Zebra Crossing.

Here is a little-known fact: She is also the baby sister of television
actor Edmund Chen.

'As a 10-year-old, I used to tag along to all his filming sessions,'
chuckled Chen, who is 14 years younger than her brother.

'That was what got me hooked on performances: seeing my big brother
turn into someone else on screen.'

Born to a clerk and a housewife, Chen, who grew up in a two-room flat
in Tanglin Halt, calls herself 'a complete accident'.

'My dad was 41 and my mum was 39 when they had me. Eric, my second
eldest brother, is only three years apart from Edmund,' said Chen.

She went on to study theatre studies at the National University of
Singapore, where she now teaches part-time while pursuing her
doctorate on queer performances staged in Singapore.

In 1999, she headed to University of London's Royal Holloway for her
master's, before starting on her doctorate at the University of
California in Los Angeles where she lived for over two years.

She returned to Singapore in 2002 and went on to garner a Life!
Theatre Awards nomination for Best Director for Ten Brothers, a cheeky
retelling of a Chinese folktale about 10 siblings who each possesses a
different superpower.

1. What draws you to controversial plays?

I am drawn to material which is overlooked in mainstream society and I
question why people react to it that way.

The contents often centre on fascinating personalities such as strong
women, as well as issues I feel very much for.

2. I hear you are quite superstitious. Is that why you are dressed in
all white today?

Yes, my geomancer told me it is my lucky colour. I just thought, what
the heck. I bought a white car, lots of white clothes, then white
shoes and white bags to match.

When I was harbouring thoughts of starting a theatre company, I got my
fortune told in a temple in China that said I should start my business
with my close friends, which I did.

3. Why name your theatre company Zebra Crossing?

(Laughs) I have a theory for that. We spend a lot of time on the road,
where people have little patience or much space.

At zebra crossings, however, traffic ceases to exist and only people
matter. No matter how important the driver is or how big the car, you
have to stop for the pedestrian.

Zebra Crossing will produce all sorts of theatre, from Broadway
musicals to newly commissioned works.

4. What does theatre mean to you?

When I was studying in California in 2002, my partner committed
suicide. Theatre, in a way, helped me deal with this very difficult
time. I was able to look at it as if it was a scene from my life's play.

Sometimes, when something melodramatic happens to you, you need to be
able to distance yourself and look at it with some objectivity.

5. What was your childhood like?

I grew up in a working-class family but I always had enough even
though we were not very rich. The house was full of love.

I never felt poorer than my classmates, who were always jetting off on
holidays to the United States or Europe.

I had nice pencil cases and birthday parties at McDonald's. Thinking
back, all these must have cost my parents quite a bit but they gave
them to me so I was never in want of anything.

6. What do you think makes a strong woman and do you think of yourself
as one?

To me, a strong woman is someone who says she can do anything she puts
her mind to. Sometimes, it takes more strength to be able to say you
are wrong or you are not good at something.

As a director, I rely on my collaborators. I have ideas but need
talented people to carry them out. We directors are useless without
them behind us.

7. What made you join the Young PAP?

If you want to make a change, you have to actively make it and that
means working within the political avenues.

Some people get quite disheartened, cynical and feel powerless because
they keep criticising from the outside.

I say: Jump in and fight for what you believe in. Theatre is a great
platform for me to be politically aware and socially involved while
still being creative.

8. Complete this sentence. If I could live my life all over again,
Iwould...

Not change it at all. I needed to go through my life the way I did.

On a lighter note, however, I wished I went for my bunion operation
earlier. I am going for it next month but now my feet look funny.

taratan@sph.com.sg

book it

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES
(Rated R18 for adult content and strong language)

Who: Zebra Crossing
When: Wednesday to Oct 12 (except Mondays and Sundays) at 8pm.
Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm
Where: Drama Centre Theatre @ National Library Building
Tickets: $17 to $57 from Sistic (log on to www.sistic.com.sg or call
6348-5555)

TNP: 'Hong Lim Green' to turn somewhat pink (Sept 26)

Friday, September 26, 2008

'Hong Lim Green' to turn somewhat pink
Organiser plans gay pride parade at Speakers' Corner
HONG LIM Park (once called Green) is open for demos of all shades and hues (except unlawful ones, of course).
By Andre Yeo
26 September 2008

HONG LIM Park (once called Green) is open for demos of all shades and
hues (except unlawful ones, of course).

So it is no surprise that the gay lobby here wants to use it in
November to make a statement.

Riding on the new, relaxed rules on protests at the park's Speakers'
Corner, Mr Roy Tan, 50, is planning a gay pride parade. But the
response to it has so far been uncertain.

Mr Alex Au, 55, one of the leaders of gay advocacy group, People Like
Us, likes the idea but he questions if it should be called thus.

He said: 'I am sceptical of calling it a parade if they can't walk
down the streets. A parade requires linear movement.'

Ms Jean Chong, 32, a lesbian who is self-employed and also from People
Like Us, said she was aware of the parade but was not sure if she
would be attending.

She told The New Paper: 'I think most of them (the gay community) are
standing on one side and thinking about it.

'Most don't see Hong Lim Park as a big step towards more freedom. It's
a form of tokenism.

'On the one hand, they feel they want to support it (the parade). But,
on the other hand, they are against the concept of Hong Lim Park
because you should have the right to demonstrate anywhere.'

Following Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech
to slowly liberalise the political scene here, rules were changed such
that from 1 Sep, public demonstrations can now be held at Speakers'
Corner as long as they do not touch on race or religion.

Organiser Mr Tan, 50, who works in the healthcare industry, said: 'I
thought it would be good for someone to organise the first pride
parade and, hopefully, it would be the first of many and be part of
the cultural landscape.'

Mr Tan said that even if he were the only one at the park for the
event, he would march round the place holding a placard on Section
377A - a section of the penal code that criminalises gay sex.

Mr Tan said he would be marching three times round the park singing We
Shall Overcome, a civil rights anthem, to represent the struggle for
equality.

He expected people to come but he did not think many would be marching.

He said: 'Many people are not prepared to do it at the moment. The
first step is the most difficult one.'

The management of Speakers' Corner used to be under the police, but
now comes under the National Parks Board (NParks).

Demonstrators only need to register on the NParks website.

Yesterday, an NParks spokesman confirmed that it had received a
registration for a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual pride parade
at the Corner on 15 Nov.

It is slated to last from 3 to 7pm.

According to the NParks website, Singapore permanent residents can
also take part in a demonstration at Speakers' Corner and are required
to apply for a police permit only if they want to organise a
demonstration themselves or to speak at the Corner.

Foreigners will have to apply for a permit to conduct or take part in
any activity at the Corner.

Women's Nite 27th September 2008: Don't Shy, Just Ask!‏

Saturday, September 20, 2008

What do gay women look like?
Where are good places to meet other women?
Help! I'm in love with my best friend, should I tell her?

Brimming with questions but can't find the answers?

Join Women's Nite this month as we take a shot at them. We promise no quick
fixes but lots of fun as we figure them out together!

***

Women's Nite September 2008
Saturday 27th September, 7pm
Venue (in Singapore) will be disclosed upon registration.

Limited to 30 invites, so please register with your full name, contact
number, the full name/s of your guests, if any, and the type of halal food
or drink you would be contributing to the potluck.

Although Women's Nite is open to women of all orientations, please let us
know if you are straight, or are bringing along straight guests, so that we
can be sensitive to the needs of all women present.

Please send your details to women.snite@gmail.com [women dot snite at gmail
dot com]

Registration closes at midnight 26th September 2008

***

About Women's Nite

Women's Nite provides a safe, neutral and alcohol-free space for lesbians
and bisexual women in Singapore to discuss the issues relevant to their
lives.

The event, held on the last Saturday of every month, was started in December
2003. Over a potluck dinner, we hold discussions on wide ranging topics like
self acceptance, homophobia, relationships and identity. We also invite
special guests to field questions on legal rights and sexual health, and
conduct art and dance therapy nights.

To check out the past months' events, or find out more, please go to
http://women_snite.livejournal.com
To get email updates on each month's event, please visit

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/women_snite to join our mailing list.

As far as possible, we would like to keep this space commercial free. To
advertise events and projects, please email us at
women.snite@gmail.com

ST Forum: Corporate Social Responsibility (Sept 18)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sep 18, 2008
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Let's get down to business
THESE articles in The Straits Times deserve commendation: Miss Li
Xueying on religious diversity last Friday ('Tackling religious
taboo'), Mr Wong Kim Hoh on transsexuals ('When papa became mama',
Sept 6) and Miss Tan Hui Yee on migrant workers ('Standing up for
foreign workers', Sept 10).

They are expressions of corporate social responsibility of your
newspaper and are in line with the goals of major corporations,
business tycoons and religious leaders. Your publication is
world-class in promoting social responsibility in this part of the world.

It's time Singapore incorporates social responsibility in our culture.
We have read much about our necessity to import foreign talent so that
Singapore can become a financial, medical and research hub, and make
its contribution to the global society. While appreciating foreign
talent with great skills, we must not ignore foreign workers with less
skills who work among us here.

The construction industry is highly dependent upon workers in this
region who come here to work in tough, physically-demanding
conditions. They build our buildings, lay our roads, clean our
environment and yet find it so difficult to rest from their daily
labour with proper housing. Our domestic workers have left their own
homes and family to work in ours, looking after our children and aged
parents, and yet do not have a fair contract and time to rest.

People with different sexual orientations are being discriminated
socially and economically even though they are our own fellow citizens.

Foreign sex workers come here to secure an income to feed their
families in their poor rural societies. How do we show kindness, care
and concern when we turn a deaf ear to the cries of such people in our
midst?

Some corporations and a few churches are actively engaged in the
alleviation of poverty, elimination of HIV/Aids - especially in the
African countries - and reduction of global warming. Our own business
establishments need to exercise corporate social responsibility.

Each of us can make a difference and work together to build a kind,
caring and compassionate society.

Rev Dr Yap Kim Hao

TimeOut Singapore Listing of Pelangi Pride Centre

Sunday, September 14, 2008

PELANGI PRIDE CENTRE
The folks at Pelangi Pride Centre offer a neutral and friendly space to explore your sexuality. With regular talks, screenings and other group activities (we're not talking swinging parties here), they also operate a resource library devoted to HIV education and GLBTQ issues. Books may be borrowed for a small, returnable deposit. Newly relocated to DYMK (9 Kreta Ayer Road)!

For more information, email pelangipridecentre@yahoo.com.

Your FAQs answered :)

Hi all

Thanks to everyone who has popped by PPC@DYMK the last 2 Saturdays to hang out and chill with us :) We are also glad that there have been new users of the library, we hope you have a good time exploring our collection!

To address some of your FAQs:

1) Does PPC loan books out?
YES! We do :) Just pass us your details and a $10 book deposit (you can take 2 books out for 2 weeks - so that's $20 book deposit) and when you return the books in 2 weeks time, we return you your $20 (in short, it's free if you return the books, PLEASE return the books so that our collection doesn't deplete!)

2) What if I return my books late?
Just a $2 fine (per book) for each week you are late. We use the funds to purchase plastic wrap, labels and to patch books. No, it doesn't come into our pockets!

3) Where can I find your library catalogue?
Visit http://pelangipridecentre.org/library/opac/ to navigate our library catalogue (yes just like a "regular" library).

4) What are PPC's operating hours?
Saturdays, 4-8pm, we would love to open during other hours but being volunteer- run it's hard to get the manpower to staff the library during the week.

5) How can I help?
Donate $ to help with the running of PPC, we take any amount of $! The $ will be used to purchase new books as well as to offset our operating costs such as patching books, upgrading our computer system and so on, we are also always on the lookout for volunteers so if you can spare a Saturday a month, please let us know!

6) How can I contact PPC?
Email us at pelangipridecentre@yahoo.com

Take care everyone and see you on the 20th!
The PPC Team

PS: Don't forget to sign up for our upcoming event on the 2nd Saturday of October - Leona Lo will be at PPC!

"Our Sexualities, Our Genders, Our Bodies ~ Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender RIGHTS!"

The International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) is inviting you and your group to be part of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign from November 29 to December 10 to celebrate,

"Our Sexualities, Our Genders, Our Bodies ~ Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender RIGHTS!"

IGLHRC is partnering with LBT groups from the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia to plan this campaign. Our goal is to defend the right to sexual and gender diversity by highlighting lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) activism and linking the 16 Days to launches of Yogyakarta Principles (YyP) in Asia, which will culminate on December 10 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. On this day we will also be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR60).

This will be a wonderful opportunity to network and collaborate with seasoned and new LBT groups and individual activists across the region.

HOW TO JOIN?
Your group can be part of this event in numerous ways.

1. CREATE A PANEL FOR THE ASIAN LBT BANNER.
The 16 Days of Activism Campaign will produce an LBT banner to celebrate Asian LBTs' struggles, victories and aspirations in reclaiming and defending LBT rights. The LBT banner will consist of a central image of the dandelion dispersing rainbow seeds in the air. Colorful and creative banner panels from participating LBT groups in Asia will surround the dandelion forming a vibrant banner that truly represents Asian LBT activism.

Panel contributors will be given the freedom to produce a panel that represents issues and/or images of LBTs in their country—be it about your organization, your local advocacy campaign, or issues you face. The more creative, the better – write a poem, a song, make a photo montage, or paint a message. The possibilities are endless.

A two-person video team will document the linking of the banner panels and the journey of the Asian LBT banner through countries in Asia before reaching its final destination in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

2. BE PART OF THE ASIAN LBT VIDEO DOCUMENTARY.
The 16 Days of Activism Campaign will produce a video that will showcase the various activities and images of Asian LBTs in their respective countries.

The Asian LBT video documentary will be a collection of footages of LBT activism in the region - launches of the Yogyakarta Principle (YyP), anti-discrimination campaigns, images and interviews of LBT activists regarding their experiences in fighting violence, homophobia and discrimination, and comments from LGBT-supportive allies from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government institutions, and human rights commissioners about struggles, successes and plans in defending LGBTI rights in Asia.

Snippets of the video and the LBT banner journey will be screened during the festivities on December 10 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The final video documentary will be available in time for screenings during the 2009 International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).

3. GATHER IN YOGYAKARTA ON DEC. 10 FOR UDHR60
December 10, 2008 is a day to remember for it marks the end of the 16 Days of Activism and the day to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Spearheaded by Indonesian LGBTI activists, the December 10 festivities scheduled to take place in Yogyakarta will combine activism, creative performances and fun in one event.

JOIN US!!!
Come to Yogyakarta — March and join the parade along with other LGBTI activists, mingle and connect with old and new LGBT co-activists and invited representatives from the United Nations, human rights defenders and representatives of friendly Human Rights Commissions.

Please don't hesitate to contact us so that we can plan together and make this a truly regional event!

In Solidarity,
Ging Cristobal
Project Coordinator, Asia Pacific Islander Region
gcristobal@iglhrc. org / www.iglhrc.org Campaign from

Ging Cristobal
Project Coordinator, Asia Pacific Islander Region
International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
U.P. PO Box 333, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 1123
TF: +632.441.0283 . mobile #: +63.926.684. 3831
email: gcristobal@iglhrc. org . www.iglhrc.org

KKMC and TRAC Board of Outreach and Social Concern presents "Churches Living with HIV/AIDS

Greetings!

Kampng Kapor Methodist Church (KKMC) and the TRAC Board of Outreach and Social Concern will be organizing an HIV Awareness Seminar entitled “Churches Living with HIV/AIDS” on 25 Oct.2008 from 2 to 5.30pm at KKMC.

On that day, KKMC will launch a book entitled “Overlooking the Overlooked” mainly based on the papers delivered at our HIV/AIDS Seminar with the same title, organized on 29 September 2007. The publication of the book was sponsored by the Chen Su Lan Trust and will be a gift to the Christian Community to raise consciousness of the issue of HIV/AIDS. Dr Yap Kim Hao‘s “compassionate outreach to people living with HIV” will be acknowledged in the foreword of the book.

We have put together exciting topics and speakers for the coming HIV/ AIDS seminar, “Churches Living with HIV/AIDS” – 25 Oct. 2008:

1) From Breaking The Conspiracy of Silence to Sharing a Spirituality of Life
Rev Dr Donald Messer,
Executive Director

2) Spiritual and Holistic Approaches to
the HIV/AIDS Crisis
Centre for the Church and Global AIDS

3) How A Church Without Walls
Embraces the Outcasts
Mr Jeremy Choy,
Board member of City Harvest
Community Services

4) Hospitality and Acceptance
for the marginalised
Ms Geraldine Subramaniam, Administrator
Ministry of Catholic Aids Response Effort (C.A.R.E.)

5) How to Care for People
Living with HIV
Ms Ho Lai Peng,
Principal Medical Social Worker,
Communicable Disease Centre
Tan Tock Seng Hospital

Thank you.

Still in One Peace
Gabriel Liew
http://www.kkmc. org.sg

latimes.com: California's top Episcopal bishops oppose gay marriage ban

Saturday, September 13, 2008

California's top Episcopal bishops oppose gay marriage ban

The state's six highest bishops go on the record against Prop. 8, the fall ballot measure that would reverse the California Supreme Court's decision to allow same-sex couples to marry.
By Duke Helfand, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

September 11, 2008

California's six most senior Episcopal bishops Wednesday unanimously declared their opposition to a constitutional amendment on the statewide November ballot that would ban same-sex marriage.

The bishops argued that preserving the right of gays and lesbians to marry would enhance the "Christian values" of monogamy, love and commitment

"We believe that continued access to civil marriage for all, regardless of sexual orientation, is consistent with the best principles of our constitutional rights," said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles.

Bruno, flanked at a news conference by fellow clergy members and gay and straight couples, added: "We do not believe that marriage of heterosexuals is threatened by same-sex marriage."

By going on the record against Proposition 8, which would reverse the California Supreme Court's decision in May to legalize same-sex marriage, the bishops waded into a volatile political and religious controversy.

Gay marriage has strained the Episcopalians' international body, the Anglican Communion, with hundreds of bishops from Africa and elsewhere threatening to break away over attempts to change church doctrine and practice.

The issue has created theological fissures in other Protestant denominations, including Presbyterians and United Methodists, with some Methodist ministers in California pledging to perform wedding ceremonies in defiance of their national church.

Proposition 8 supporters, intent on protecting what they call a 5,000-year-old tradition codified in the Bible, are mobilizing forces across several religious groups.

The Protect Marriage Coalition announced plans last month for 1 million Catholics, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, evangelical Christians, Sikhs and Hindus to plant 1 million "Yes on Proposition 8" lawn signs in their frontyards. In addition, the coalition is sending volunteers door to door to speak with voters and planning an advertising campaign, to begin as early as the end of this month.

"Marriage is an institution for a man and a woman," said Jeff Flint, the campaign's co-chairman. "The institution of marriage around which society is constructed means less when it's not the traditional definition."

But in a joint statement, issued Wednesday at the diocesan headquarters in Echo Park, the six bishops said that "society is strengthened when two people who love each other choose to enter into marriage, engaged in a lifetime of disciplined relationship building that serves as a witness to the importance of love and commitment."

The statement was signed by Bruno and Bishops Marc Handley Andrus, Barry L. Beisner, Mary Gray-Reeves, Jerry A. Lamb and James R. Mathes. (Three assistant bishops -- Chester L. Talton, Sergio Carranza and Steven Charleston -- also signed.)

The bishops concluded: "We believe that this continued access [to marriage] promotes Jesus' ethic of love, giving and hope."

While the Episcopal leaders agreed on the need to preserve the right of gay and lesbian couples to wed, they disagreed over how, and if, to conduct weddings, in light of the church's Book of Common Prayer, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

According to the joint statement, some of the six bishops believe it is appropriate to allow priests to officiate at marriage ceremonies and pronounce blessings, while others want to wait to hear from the Episcopal Church's governing body, the General Convention. It meets next in Anaheim in July 2009. (At its 2006 meeting, the General Convention passed a resolution opposing state or federal constitutional amendments that prohibit same-sex civil marriage.)

Mathes, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego, said the Episcopal Church must alter language on same-sex marriage before priests begin officiating.

"I just don't believe we have been authorized to do them," Mathes said. "I am not keen on unilateral action."

Andrus, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, said he encourages couples -- straight or gay -- to marry in civil ceremonies and then receive a blessing in church. The compromise stops short of priests performing the rites of marriage for same-sex couples.

Andrus, whose diocese covers the Bay Area, said this practice allows him to honor the rights of gay and lesbian couples while keeping his diocese tethered to the Anglican fold. "We have recognized that we as a global body need each other," he said. "This diocese, by its faithfulness to the larger body, could serve as a catalyst for change."

The conflict over Proposition 8 is unfolding amid a wrenching dispute over homosexuality in the Anglican Communion, which has 80 million members worldwide.

Conservative bishops from Africa and other regions have balked at reform efforts by more liberal leaders, primarily from North America. The election of an openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, to the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003 intensified the conflict.

Several hundred conservative bishops and archbishops boycotted the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference of Anglicans, held in July.

A month before that meeting in England, the conservatives met in Jerusalem. They decided to remain within the global communion but proposed a new council with the authority to create alternative provinces in places where church authorities failed, in the conservatives' opinion, to follow the Gospel.

Episcopal leaders in California believe that acknowledging the rights of homosexuals to marry does follow the Gospel.

"We're talking about our friends, our neighbors," Abel Lopez, a priest with All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, said at the news conference with Bruno. "These are people in our own families . . . people who deserve the [same] rights as anyone else."

duke.helfand@

latimes.com

FCC Sunday Service (Sept 14 2008) Speaker: Rev Dirk Davenport

Friday, September 12, 2008

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

Speaker
REV DIRK DAVENPORT
Face(t)s of God Series

Worship Leader - KENNY ONG
Vocals - NATHAN GOH, ELSA TAY
Keyboards - GARY CHAN, NICHOLAS LEOW
Guitars - NATHAN GOH
Strings - RAYMOND WONG
Drums - JIN YU TANG
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - FOO KEONG YAP
Prayer - DAN LOH
Communion - JULIA SOH
Service Pastor - MARK CHIA

Please note that Children Sunday School will start at 10.30am in the Reading Room.

Response to TNP Article by Leona Lo

Gender confused kids? Who's confused?

I read with concern The New Paper's front-page article on MOE's ongoing
efforts to train teachers to counsel gender-confused kids (TNP. 11 Sep 08).
My question is - do the counselling sessions aim to help the child find
his/her true gender identity or influence transgender youth to conform to
social norms?

It has long been established internationally that one's gender identity is
distinct from one's sex at birth. When the two do not match, the individual
experiences the medical condition known as "transsexualism". While I
recognise that a sex change operation is not a one-size-fits-all solution
for all transsexuals, it is certainly a "natural" and valid recourse for the
majority of transsexuals, contrary to the sentiments expressed by Professor
Tsoi. And contrary to what Ms Sarah S, a counsellor from NuLife Care and
Counselling Services says, male to female transgender children do not
necessarily behave the way they do because they lack a masculine father
figure in their lives. Has she done a nationwide survey to substantiate her
claims? Or is she commenting based on two to three individuals she has
counselled? A more important question in light of MOE's initiative - is she
one of their trained counsellors?

I myself was a victim of the lack of support in my childhood years. There
were lots of well-intentioned but misguided individuals - including a
prominent leader of the religious group mentionned in your article - who
tried to convince me that being transsexual was "wrong". This compounded my
loneliness and sense of alienation, leading to a suicide attempt in my late
teens. It was only when I fled to the United Kingdom for my studies in a
more tolerant and welcoming environment that I flourished academically and
socially.

I have remained in Singapore because I feel I still have lots to contribute
to this beautiful society of ours - a society founded on secular,
meritocratic principles and love and respect for racial and religious
diversity. I hope MOE will adopt the same open-minded, enlightened approach
when conducting its training sessions - and when selecting the service
providers.

Yours Sincerely
Leona Lo
Author, From Leonard to Leona, A Singapore Transsexual's Journey to
Womanhood
http://www.wo-manly.blogspot.com/

TNP: Taught to spot problem when they're young (Sept 12 2008)

Taught to spot problem when they're young

Counsellors take courses to handle
gender-confused kids WHILE his classmates were interested in playing soccer,
9-year-old John was more keen on being a mother-figure to them.
By Andre Yeo

12 September 2008

WHILE his classmates were interested in playing soccer, 9-year-old John was
more keen on being a mother-figure to them.

Cases like his are rare among primary school kids.

But since last year, school counsellors have been taught to spot kids with
gender identity problems early.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) has been conducting 'Managing gender
identity issues' courses for full-time school counsellors (FTSCs) from
primary school level onwards.

And last month, the MOE put out a tender on the government tender website,
Gebiz, for the course's third run.

The course objectives include understanding gender identity disorder (GID),
its causes, and how to deal with students with this condition.

Counsellors, up to tertiary level, would be taught the common misconceptions
of GID, warning signs, what is transvestism and how to discuss the problem
with parents and teachers.

John's case was seen by Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at
the Singapore Children's Society, several years ago.

The psychologist-counsellor with 18 years' experience said John was the
youngest person she had seen with gender identity problems.

She said: 'He would say, 'I will let my male friends play, and I will clean
up after them.'

'He was like a mother-figure to them and had very effeminate behaviour.'

She declined to reveal more on John's case and added there were not many
children in primary school like him.

She said she was not aware MOE had been conducting this course and added
that kids would start experimenting when they were in Primary 4 to 6.

Said Dr Balhetchet: 'That's when peer pressure becomes stronger than the
family (influence). That's the time when counsellors in primary schools can
help students before they become delinquents and start experimenting.'

Ms Sarah S, 26, a counsellor from NuLife Care and Counselling Services, said
she had seen two primary school boys - one late last year, and one earlier
this year - with gender identity issues.

She said both liked to dress up, look in the mirror, and stay out of the
sun. One of them even carries an umbrella wherever he goes.

She said: 'They are both from single-parent families and their fathers are
absent. They do not have a male figure at home to be involved in masculine
activities with. I think that's the main reason why they behave this way.'

In an e-mail reply, a spokesman for MOE told The New Paper gender identity
was among the range of challenging issues which may confront some students
in their adolescent years.

The spokesman said gender identity referred to a person's own sense of
identification as male or female beings.

She said: 'Those struggling with gender identity issues would feel that they
are of one gender, but trapped in another gender's body.

'Learning how to manage students faced with gender identity issues is part
of MOE's total training plan for school counsellors.'

She confirmed that the course was started last year, and was currently into
its third run.

The MOE hopes that with this course, school counsellors would be better
equipped to understand the emotional struggles students were going through
when confronted with gender identity issues and identify the possible
causes.

Counsellors will also learn how to apply the right strategies to help
students struggling with such issues.

The two-day course, lasting 16 hours in total, is slated to begin from 30
Mar next year.

MOE, however, declined to reveal figures as to how many primary school
children, if any, had approached counsellors for help concerning GID and if
they were seeing a spike in these numbers. It also declined to elaborate on
what some of the challenges students with GID faced in school.

A counsellor in a primary school, who declined to be named, said she was
informed of the course at the beginning of the year and has signed up for
it.

She said she has not come across any students with GID but felt having
additional skills would help prepare her for such cases in future.

She said: 'All counsellors should know what's happening. We may be
transferred to secondary schools in future.

'It's good to know the strategies, intervention skills and what causes
certain children to have certain behaviours.'

The principal of First Toa Payoh Primary School, Ms Rosalind Chia, said such
a course would benefit her FTSC.

She said: 'If she has knowledge of gender confusion, it would benefit her if
such cases arise. We have not come across such cases, so far.'

Choices, the counselling division of the Church of Our Saviour, an Anglican
church, helps people struggling with gender issues.

They told The New Paper they could not comment for this story as they may be
responding to MOE's tender for the course.

Regret

An expert on GID, Dr Tsoi Wing Foo, 75, a psychiatrist in private practice,
said he supported MOE's decision to have such a course as extra knowledge
for counsellors was good.

Dr Tsoi, co-author of Cries From Within, a medical book on transsexuals, has
been seeing patients with gender identity issues since 1971.

He was unaware MOE was conducting such a course.

Said Dr Tsoi: 'They probably want to stop this condition from developing
among primary school kids. It's not surprising they are doing this because
they may think they can prevent this condition by counselling when they are
young.'

He added he has never seen a patient from primary school. The youngest was
17 years old.

Dr Tsoi added it was difficult to explain why people suffered from this
condition.

He said: 'They just feel uncomfortable being who they are.'

He said those who wanted to go for sex change operations would be sent to
him by their surgeons for an evaluation to see if they were ready for it.

But Dr Tsoi said he would often try to convince patients not to go for such
operations.

He said: 'It's not a natural thing. They have to understand the
implications. If they do it on impulse, some of them may regret it because
they can't adjust to a new life.'

ST Forum: Transsexuals: More Understanding Needed (Sept 12 2008)

Sep 12, 2008

Transsexuals: More understanding needed

KUDOS to the transsexuals in Mr Wong Kim Hoh's Special Report last
Saturday, 'When Papa became Mama'. Having had enough just trying to
understand themselves, they have come forward to help the rest of us
understand our problem with them. And indeed the problem lies with us.
I read with sadness of the rejection, discrimination and struggles the
transsexual community has had to endure, and realise it is our
under-developed understanding of the diversity and complexity of human
genders, our immature stereotyping of those who are different, and our
lack of acceptance and compassion for the unique individuality of our
children, that have caused their plight. They are just as much a part
of our family. What has happened to our focus on family values? Values
of unconditional love, support and commitment?

How can we undo the damage we have done?

Could the answer lie in the poignant reply of the 10-year old daughter
of male-to-female transsexual Fanny Ler? When asked what it was like
to have two mothers, she said: 'It's okay to have two mummies. I can
still enjoy both their love.' This turns the family-values argument on
its head. It is not non-traditional family structures that constitute
a threat to families, but the shame and stigma society attaches to
families that undermine it. It is perhaps true then, that 'a little
child shall lead us' to truly pledge ourselves to be one united
people, regardless of race, language, religion, gender identity or
sexual orientation. A society based on justice and true equality for all.

Susan Tang (Mrs)

Founding member

SAFE (a support group of straight people aimed at accepting gay,
lesbians and people of other sexual orientations)

ST: Transsexuals: More Understanding Needed (Sept 12)

Sep 12, 2008
Transsexuals: More understanding needed
KUDOS to the transsexuals in Mr Wong Kim Hoh's Special Report last
Saturday, 'When Papa became Mama'. Having had enough just trying to
understand themselves, they have come forward to help the rest of us
understand our problem with them. And indeed the problem lies with us.

I read with sadness of the rejection, discrimination and struggles the
transsexual community has had to endure, and realise it is our
under-developed understanding of the diversity and complexity of human
genders, our immature stereotyping of those who are different, and our
lack of acceptance and compassion for the unique individuality of our
children, that have caused their plight. They are just as much a part
of our family. What has happened to our focus on family values? Values
of unconditional love, support and commitment?

How can we undo the damage we have done?

Could the answer lie in the poignant reply of the 10-year old daughter
of male-to-female transsexual Fanny Ler? When asked what it was like
to have two mothers, she said: 'It's okay to have two mummies. I can
still enjoy both their love.' This turns the family-values argument on
its head. It is not non-traditional family structures that constitute
a threat to families, but the shame and stigma society attaches to
families that undermine it. It is perhaps true then, that 'a little
child shall lead us' to truly pledge ourselves to be one united
people, regardless of race, language, religion, gender identity or
sexual orientation. A society based on justice and true equality for all.

Susan Tang (Mrs)

Founding member

SAFE (a support group of straight people aimed at accepting gay,
lesbians and people of other sexual orientations)

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Online%2BStory/STIStory_277552.html

Freedom Film Fest 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The KOMAS Freedom Film Festival (FFF) is the first film event of its kind in Malaysia. FFF adopts the themes encompassed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which express our aspirations for genuine justice, peace, equality and democracy.

Through an annual film contest, workshops and screenings, FFF creates an annual showcase of outstanding films and documentaries focusing on social issues that affect ordinary people like HIV/AIDS, human rights, poverty and the environment; alternative films which, due to a lack of commercial backing and because of the tyranny of popular mainstream media, are out of the reach to most Malaysians.

FFF is a vital event, providing a venue for the Malaysian public to use the video medium as a tool for social documentation and filmmaking. Technological advances have brought about a democratising effect to filmmaking in recent years. With a video camera in hand, almost any person on the street, and even entire communities, can share their story in the way they want to tell it. Filmmakers are better equipped now to explore and express their skills and passion to produce socially relevant films.

For more information, visit http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org/

Herstory@ZOUK (Sept 11)

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Herstory @ZOUK
11 Sept 2008
St. Herstorian’s, the infamous all-girls school known for their dominant lesbian study body is facing a dire crisis. Despite sky-high grades and astounding school ranking, the Ministry is threatening the school with closure due to the students’ unorthodox practices. But the St. Herstorians girls are in a league of their own. Smart and fearless, they are determined to defend the school they love till the end. Sassy Head Girl Gemma will have to unite the warring girl gang cliques and join forces with newcomer student and teacher, Gillyn and Mr. Ash Trey to fight the authorities.

But can they put their differences aside and win the day before the Ministry closes them down for good? Find out for yourself LIVE @ZOUK on September 11, 2008 when the story reveal. Featuring winners of Femme Quest 2008, Butch Hunt 2007 and Butch Hunt 2001. Plus spot a few of the never been seen before performers. Don't miss the yearly musical production presented by Herstory. See you @classroom ZOUK.

Sign up for 1 Year of Herstory BLACK to receive:
Privilege online surfing @www.herstory.ws
Herstory Black Membership Card valid for 1 year
1 FREE Party Entry Pass
Roxy beach bag
LePride's Car Decal

Don't miss Herstory Grrls Only Party happening at ZOUK and The BOILER ROOM at St James Power Station on 2nd Thursday of every month.
Whether you want to sit and chat or dance and cruise, you're guaranteed to find something you'll like at Herstory Party. See ya..

Showtime
St Herstorian's - The 'High School' Musical starts at 11pm

Party Theme
Back to High School. What do you wear to high school? Your school uniform or your favourite pick from your wardrobe? We leave that to you. Every student who comes in party theme will receive a FREE Cotton Candy. Yeah!!!

Programme Highlights
Chillout 9pm-10pm
Showtime St Herstorian's - The 'High School' Musical 11pm
Chart Topping Hip Hop and Sexy R&B Dance Music 11.45pm-2.30am (by Zouk resident DJ)
Pop Hits Dance Music till 3am (by Zouk resident DJ)

Drinks Promotion
One for One on all standard housepour 9pm-10pm

Admission
No Cover Charge
Applies to all members/non members
Herstory Members - $5
Non Herstory Members - $10
Entry for men - Subject to Approval at Door ($15)
POLICY : Mainly womyn with men as guests

Door Gift
Free tanning voucher worth $39 by Fabulous Tan
(No purchase terms)
(Limit to 1 voucher per guest)

Table Reservations
Email: party@herstory.ws
SMS: +65 91700517

LOCATION
17 Jiak Kim Street Singapore 169420

MRT / BUS
Bus 16

OPENING HOUR
9pm - 3am
Every 2nd Thursday Monthly

TodayOnline: There is a reason for the law, Homosexuality is anti-social (Sept 10)

There is a reason for the law

Homosexuality is anti-social

Wednesday • September 10, 2008

Letter from Heikel Bafana

I REFER to "Stop making a mockery of Rule of Law: Let's accept gays"
(Sept 8). I must disagree with the assertions of Mr Ho Kwon Ping.

Mr Ho calls for homosexual behaviour to be decriminalised. Whatever
perception he has gleaned from the official attitude, the views of
large segments of our society against the homosexual lifestyle are
neither ambiguous, ambivalent nor schizophrenic.

Whether due to religious belief or personal family values,
homosexuality is widely seen in Singapore society as aberrant
behaviour. I concede, of course, that this view is not shared by
members of the gay community.

Mr Ho's assertion that only "the most fervently fundamentalist
Christians or Muslims" in Singapore care about making gay sex a
criminal act is baseless, and indeed, false.

The Penal Code provision represents the manner in which the law
expresses our society's commonality of understanding as to what is to
be allowed and what is not.

Encouraging a family unit that is able to procreate and rear children
who will contribute to the future of this country is the prime
imperative of our society, and legislating against any behaviour —
including accepting widespread homosexual behaviour, which attacks the
sacrosanct nature of the family unit — is perfectly acceptable.

The Rule of Law constitutes the sum total of the social contract which
we, as citizens, agree to live by. In a multi-racial and multi-faith
society like Singapore, the Rule of Law is a delicate alchemy of
competing racial, cultural and religious demands. It cannot be subject
to change merely because of the high-pitched calls of a small segment
of our society.

I concede that in the context of the prevailing practice of the
criminal justice system here, the belief may arise that homosexual
acts are not subject to criminal prosecution. However, this belief is
not entirely accurate.

Similar non-prosecutions by the authorities are also the norm, for
example, in cases of mischief or of assault involving simple hurt.

However — and this is the critical distinction — the victim still has
the right to lodge a Magistrate's Complaint and undertake a
prosecution himself. From this perspective, why should a person who
feels aggrieved as a victim of homosexual behaviour be deprived of
such a right to prosecute an assailant?

To achieve acceptance, tolerance or respect, perhaps it is more
effective for the gay community to address in substance the issues
which lead society to frown upon homosexuality. Such engagement would
be more effective than getting tied up in knots about the law.

Mr Ho calls for an act of boldness to allow gays to "realise their
dreams". To believe that changing a piece of legislation will attain
this result is misconceived.

TodayOnline: There is simply no need for anti-gay law (Sept 10)

There is simply no need for anti-gay law

Wednesday • September 10, 2008

Letter from Tang Li

I REFER to Mr Ho Kwon Ping's "Stop making a mockery of Rule of Law:
Let's accept gays" (Sept 8), and I would like to applaud him.

Like Mr Ho, I have to ask myself if there is any justification for
keeping a private act between consenting adults, criminal.

During last year's debate on the repealing of Section 377A, Nominated
Member of Parliament Thio Li-Ann argued passionately that repealing
the act was bad for public morality. In her address, she noted that
"Diversity is not license for perversity".

The majority of Parliament agreed with this and the result was the
retention of 377A, but with a promise from the Government that the law
would not be enforced.

Mr Ho rightly pointed out that the idea of having a law that the
Government has no intention of enforcing makes a mockery of the Rule
of Law, something which is central to the heart of Singapore's
rules-based society. The proponents of the ban on homosexual
intercourse spoke passionately about the need to defend public
morality, but they failed to provide a logically-sound reason for
their case.

At best, Professor Thio argued that private acts would have public
repercussions as in the area of public health. She pointed out that
HIV/Aids was spread most efficiently by anal sex.

What she failed to prove was how anal sex between two consenting men
was more conducive to the spread of HIV/Aids than anal sex between
heterosexuals.

The Ministry of Health's statistics on HIV found that in 2007 there
were 255 heterosexuals infected, versus 145 homosexual and bisexual
infections, something that nobody seemed to have taken note of.

Furthermore, the defenders of public morality didn't seem too troubled
by the fact that the greatest rise in HIV among women was from
loyally-married women who were infected by their husbands.

So, where is the premise for having a law against consensual
homosexualactivity? Singapore is socially-conservative, but does that
mean it is necessary to have laws — albeit non-enforced ones — that
discriminate against one group without protecting another?

Ministry of Health statistics on HIV show that anal sex between
consenting adult men is no less of a threat to public health than sex
between heterosexuals. So, why then do we need laws if there is no
threat to public health or security? Is it because the majority of
people disapprove of it? Surely, the people who disapprove of such
acts would continue to disapprove of them regardless of whether laws
against them exist or not?

There is no rational premise for laws against homosexuality, so why do
we need them? More importantly, why do we have such laws if we have no
intention of enforcing them? Is it because we know that such laws have
no benefit to society? I may not like homosexuals or homosexuality,
but I can see no reason for laws against what consenting adults do in
the privacy of their bedroom.

I salute Mr Ho for taking a stand against the current mockery of the
Rule of Law.

TodayOnline: Sexual orientation not a 'right'

Sexual orientation not a `right':

Just because the rest of the world allows it, doesn't mean Singapore
should

Wednesday • September 10, 2008

Letter from Koo Xun Zhao

I REFER to "Stop making a mockery of Rule of Law: Let's accept gays"
(Sept 8) and would like to point out several fallacies in Mr Ho Kwon
Ping's reasoning.

First, contrary to what he says, the Government has not said it would
not prosecute those who breach the law — just that it would not pursue
those who breach it.

This is a fundamental difference which does not result in what he
calls "a mockery of the Rule of Law". It can be just as easily argued
that we can avoid what Mr Ho calls our current "schizophrenic"
situation by actually enforcing the law on gay sex.

After all, it was the Rule of Law before the Government decided to be
more open to gays.

Mr Ho also compares the so-called "persecution" of gays with racial
discrimination. Sexual orientation or preferences, however, are not
"rights".

Hence the question of discrimination does not arise. Mr Ho also cites
proponents of the Rule of Law advocating the decriminalisation of gay
sex, "something which the rest of the world has long decriminalised".

Using what the rest of the world does as the basis for establishing or
repealing a law has no grounds in law-making.

The same goes for the argument that Victorian laws be removed as there
are important laws in our books today that exist from those times that
are still relevant: For example, the law against incest.

Mr Ho claims that it is only "the most feverishly fundamentalist
Christians or Muslims" and the "homophobic" who care about whether the
law against gay sex is kept. In this, he is misinformed since there
are even gays who feel that the statute should be kept.

Moreover, The Straits Times reported on Sept 20 last year that a
survey by Nanyang Technological University found that seven in 10
Singaporeans frown on homosexuality.

I urge Mr Ho to speak to non-gays who are also knowledgeable, if not
experts, in the law and who are for criminalising gay sex to get their
perpectives on the issue.

TodayOnline: If double standards can apply to gays, what about to Hota?

If double standards can apply to gays, what about to Hota?

Wednesday • September 10, 2008

Letter from Tan Yen Ling

LAST year, there was campaigning by both the pro-repeal gay community
and the anti-repeal Christian camp.

As a result of this, Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State
for Law and HomeAffairs, said that Singapore will keep the ban
although the authorities would continue to not actively enforce
the provision banning gay sexbetween consensual adults.

Such an arrangement would be akin to the authorities allowing
"consensual" organ trading while the Human Organ Transplant Act
explicitly forbids it. Surely, such an arrangement would make a
mockery of the Rule of Law.

And as it now stands, men who have same-sex sexual relations are
committing a crime but are "above the law" as they will not be
prosecuted — as assured by the authorities.

Freedom Film Festival in Malaysia

Malaysia's Freedom Film Festival features a Queer Cinema component as
well as a film about the struggles of a transsexual sex worker. It has
finished its run in KL last week; the films will be screened in JB
from Fri to Sun (12-14 Sep) followed by Kuching (19-21 Sep) and Penang
(26-28 Sep).

Sunday, 11am-1pm
Queer Cinema

Sambal Belachan in San Francisco (Madeleine Lim / 1997 / 25mins)
Sambal Belachan in San Francisco contains intimate interviews with
three Singaporean women who emigrated to live openly as lesbians share
their feelings of exclusion both from their families and culture of
origin and the United States. This rich film raises provocative
questions about the nature of home and belonging, and speaks
compellingly for a community whose voices are seldom heard.

Pang Yau (Amir Muhammad / 2003 / 13mins)
Against the bustling backdrop of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, a
Malay-Muslim narrator reminisces about a teenage relationship between
himself and an ethnic Chinese classmate. "Pangyau," the Cantonese word
for friend, is not just the story of a close friendship, but a prism
through which the writer gets to examine his feelings about the the
ways in which race and religion have been used in the national
socio-political discourse.

It's Over (Lee Jung-a / 2006 / 13mins)
A love triangle between three Korean high school students leads to a
surprise ending, at least for one of them.

Sat, 8pm-9:30pm
Pecah Lobang (Poh Si Teng / 2008 / 30mins)
Pecah Lobang explores what it's like to be a Muslim transsexual sex
worker in Malaysia. Shot in the Chow Kit red light district, the
documentary revolves around Natasha, a Muslim Mak Nyah, who refuses to
live life as a man. Unable to secure employment because of
discrimination, Natasha turns to sex work and lives in constant fear
of the police and religious authorities. Crossdressing is a crime
under the Syariah court system for Muslims and the penalties are
severe. But it wasn't always so. How did Malaysia become so
heavy-handed on the transsexual community?

Almost 30 films will be shown from Fri - Sun, details here:
http://freedomfilmfest.komas.org/about/screenings

TodayOnline.com: If Double Standards Can Apply to Gays, What about to HOTA? (Sept 10)

If double standards can apply to gays, what about to Hota?

Wednesday • September 10, 2008

Letter from Tan Yen Ling

LAST year, there was campaigning by both the pro-repeal gay community
and the anti-repeal Christian camp.

As a result of this, Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State
for Law and Home Affairs, said that Singapore will keep the ban
although the authorities would continue to not actively enforce
the provision banning gay sex between consensual adults.

Such an arrangement would be akin to the authorities allowing
"consensual" organ trading while the Human Organ Transplant Act
explicitly forbids it. Surely, such an arrangement would make a
mockery of the Rule of Law.

And as it now stands, men who have same-sex sexual relations are
committing a crime but are "above the law" as they will not be
prosecuted — as assured by the authorities.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/275027print.asp

TodayOnline.com: Sexual Orientation Not a "Right" (Sept 10)

Sexual orientation not a `right':

Just because the rest of the world allows it, doesn't mean Singapore
should

Wednesday • September 10, 2008

Letter from Koo Xun Zhao

I REFER to "Stop making a mockery of Rule of Law: Let's accept gays"
(Sept 8) and would like to point out several fallacies inMr Ho Kwon
Ping's reasoning.

First, contrary to what he says, the Government has not said it would
not prosecute those who breach the law — just that it would not pursue
those who breach it.

This is a fundamental difference which does not result in what he
calls "a mockery of the Rule of Law". It can be just as easily argued
that we can avoid what Mr Ho calls our current "schizophrenic"
situation by actually enforcing the law on gay sex.

After all, it was the Rule of Law before the Government decided to be
more open to gays.

Mr Ho also compares the so-called "persecution" of gays with racial
discrimination. Sexual orientation or preferences, however, are not
"rights".

Hence the question of discrimination does not arise. Mr Ho also cites
proponents of the Rule of Law advocating the decriminalisation of gay
sex, "something which the rest of the world has longdecriminalised".

Using what the rest of the world does as the basis for establishing or
repealing a law has no grounds in law-making.

The same goes for the argument that Victorian laws be removed as there
are important laws in our books today that exist from those times that
are still relevant: For example, the law against incest.

Mr Ho claims that it is only "the most feverishly fundamentalist
Christians or Muslims" and the "homophobic" who care about whether the
law against gay sex is kept. In this, he is misinformed since there
are even gays who feel that the statute should be kept.

Moreover, The Straits Times reported on Sept 20 last year that a
survey by Nanyang Technological University found that seven in 10
Singaporeans frown on homosexuality.

I urge Mr Ho to speak to non-gays who are also knowledgeable, if not
experts, in the law and who are for criminalising gay sex to get their
perpectives on the issue.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/275026print.asp

TodayOnline.com: There Is Simply No Need for Anti-Gay Law (Sept 10)

TodayOnline.com: There Is A Reason for the Law (Sept 10)

TodayOnline: Don't send mixed signals (Sept 9)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Don't send mixed signals

Tuesday • September 9, 2008

Letter from Felicia Tan Ying Yi

I REFER to the commentary "Stop making a mockery of rule of law: Let's
accept gays" (Sept 8). I fully agree with Mr Ho Kwon Ping.

The Government's stand on homosexuality in Singapore seems to pander
to religious fundamentalists who are vocal.

Such an attempt to pacify those who believe that it is their place to
impose their value system on others should not happen in a country
that prides itself on openness, secularism and pluralism.

It is all too convenient for the Government to "appease" the gay
community by not taking action against them, while at the same time
continue to pacify the conservatives by keeping the law in name.

However, this merely cheapens what the rule of law means. Laws should
not be made or retained to reflect the views of a vocal minority; in
fact, their purpose should not even be to reflect the views of the
majority.

Instead, they are there to protect the rights of the citizens. In this
way, section 377A of the Penal Code achieves nothing.

I feel that the Government should be courageous enough to finally
decide that everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race
or religion, has an equal right to privacy, and this right should
never be superseded by the moral posturing of any group, regardless of
how vocal or influential.

Or, if the Government should still choose to retain this archaic law,
then it should enforce it instead of sending mixed signals.

But it should also be ready to expect the exodus of not only the gay
community, but also of liberal, tolerant people like me, who refuse to
settle down and start families in such a country.

TodayOnline: What's next? Same sex marriages? (Sept 9)

What's next? Same sex marriages?

Tuesday • September 9, 2008

Letter from Anton Chan

MR HO Kwon Ping is wrong to propose the acceptance of gays into
Singapore society because accepting a gay lifestyle would have a
tremendous impact on society as a whole in terms of religious beliefs,
social well-being and families.

As a Christian, I oppose legalising a gay lifestyle in Singapore
because it's against my beliefs. As a father of three teenagers, I
care because I don't want my children to be affected by such a lifestyle.

Imagine if we allow the acceptance of such a lifestyle in Singapore.
What next? Legalise same sex marriages? Legalise adoption of children
for gays?

Where are we as a socially-conservative society heading towards?

Soon gays will claim the right for social acceptance in all areas
including education, welfare et cetera. What effect will this have on
the next generation of children and parents who wish that their
children will grow up normally and produce children in the normal
course of their being?

The only strong contention in Mr Ho's proposal is the so-called gay
leading edge in the "creative class". Doesn't our society have many
other people to develop and nurture? Why are we so eager to promote
creative class talent in Singapore? So that we can become a more
tolerant society to accept whatever lifestyle these bring? Definitely no.

I would like to borrow a similar argument by Attorney-General Walter
Woon regarding the Human Organ Transplant Act (Hota). In "None above
the law" (Sept 8), he said: "If Dr Lee (Wei Ling) disagrees with Hota,
she is at perfect liberty to campaign to have it amended ... But until
Parliament amends or repeals the Hota and the Oaths and Declarations
Act, they remain the law of Singapore."

If anyone disagrees with the law for gays as enacted by Parliament,
he/she is at perfect liberty to campaign to have it amended ... But
until Parliament amends or repeals the law of Singapore for gays, it
remains the law of Singapore.

TodayOnline.com: What's Next? Same Sex Marriage? (Sept 9)

TodayOnline.com: Don't Send Mixed Signals (Sept 9)

AsiaOne: When Papa became Mama (Sept 8 2008)

Monday, September 8, 2008

When Papa became Mama

When Frankie first told his friends that he was changing his name to Fanny, most were stunned that he was going to change his sex.
Wong Kim Hoh

Mon, Sep 08, 2008
The Straits Times

TWO months ago, a former first sergeant who served 10 years in the Singapore navy sent a mass SMS to all his friends.

It said: 'Dear friends, I have changed my name from Frankie to Fanny.'

Some laughed it off as a prank. Others called up Frankie Ler, 34, and were stunned when he told them he had decided to become a woman.

The divorcee and father of a 10-year-old girl told them he had started 'transitioning': He had grown his hair, was taking female hormone pills, and had begun wearing women's clothes.

'I didn't want them to get a shock if they bumped into me on the street,' said the administrative assistant, sitting in a Rowell Road Cafe with her daughter.

Her face is powdered, and she is wearing light eyeshadow and lipstick. Her broad shoulders fill out a conservative black blouse which she complements with a knee-length patterned skirt and sensible pumps.

Half an hour earlier, Fanny was the main 'attraction' at My Wife, My Kids, one of several events in this year's IndigNation - the local gay community's annual pride season.

Facing an inquisitive audience of more than 60 people, she explained why she had to change sex so late in life, after marriage and fatherhood.

Fanny - who has a younger sister - claims her transsexualism surfaced only last year. Her late father was a factory worker, her mother, now 56, is a retired washerwoman.

'I never thought I had any problems, I just thought I had an abnormal hobby,' she says in a mixture of English and Mandarin. That hobby was a penchant for dressing in women's clothes. She discovered she liked it while trying on her mother's clothes at 10, and continued to furtively cross-dress until she got married at 23.

The Yio Chu Kang Secondary School alumnus - who signed up with the navy after a brief stint as a security guard - met and fell in love with her wife on an Internet chatline.

They got married three months later. Their daughter was born the following year. 'Just before I got married, I threw out all the shoes and dresses I had bought over the years. We were a very normal couple during our marriage. I was not gay and I did not have any interest in men,' says Fanny.

The marriage broke up seven years later in 2004. The couple have joint custody of their daughter.

'We just drifted apart. It had nothing to do with cross-dressing,' she says.

One day in June last year, she typed 'men who love to dress up as women' in Google. The search engine threw up many links, one of which led to sgbutterfly.org - a resource site for local transsexuals.

She trawled through the site's many articles and discussion threads, and even posted questions, on transsexual issues - from identity struggles to hormone treatments and make-up tips. 'I was so happy. I finally found the answers to so many of the questions in my head,' she says.

Two months later, after she was convinced that she was a woman trapped in a man's body, she spoke to the person closest to her: her daughter.

'I wanted to be a woman but I had to be sure it wouldn't hurt my daughter. So I decided to ask, not tell, her if I should transit. If she had said no, I wouldn't have done this.'

The Primary 4 pupil (whom we are not naming to protect her identity) says she was 'a little bit surprised that he should ask this question'. Fanny carefully explained what she was going through and why she felt the way she did.

The precocious little girl gave her approval. 'His physical looks will change but he is still my father. He has always been very caring, and is always teaching me to be brave,' she says, adding that she has told two of her closest friends but sworn them to secrecy.

Fanny felt a big load taken off her shoulders. 'My mind was very clear. I was divorced and I've been given a second chance to live my life right.'

She went for psychiatric evaluation which confirmed she had gender identity disorder (GID). She started her hormonal therapy late last year. Her sister, parents and friends were told next. They were shocked but took it well save for just one friend who has cut off all contact.

The last to know was her former wife.

'She was very upset but I explained that I found it hardest to tell her because we had such a close relationship,' says Fanny who plans to have her operation in Singapore next year.

'To her credit, she joined sgbutterfly to try and understand why I had to do this,' says Fanny, who adds that the former spouse occasionally takes her shopping for women's clothes.

Fanny happily lets on that she recently found a job in a construction firm. Her boss and her colleagues are aware of her status.

She does not harbour grand plans such as marriage for the future. 'I just want to focus on my daughter.'

The latter ponders when asked what it's like to have two mothers. 'It's okay to have two mummies. I can still enjoy both their love.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 6, 2008.

TodayOnline: Stop making a mockery of rule of law: Let's accept gays (Sept 8)

Stop making A mockery of rule of law: Let's accept gays

Why keep such an archaic statute when there's no intention to prosecute?
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/274653.asp

Monday • September 8, 2008

HO KWON PING

news@newstoday.com.sg

SINGAPORE is known to be economically liberal, but socially
conservative. It is a rules-governed society with clear parameters for
behaviour, whether political, economic, or social. And within the "OB
markers" (out-of-bounds markers) of these do's and don'ts, it is a
transparent and fair social order, with no favouritism for anyone
operating outside the parameters.

This state of affairs governed the issue of homosexuality in Singapore
for many years. Not only was gay sex illegal, but every manifestation
was openly discouraged — some would say suppressed — and
discrimination against gays in the public domain (the civil service,
the military, the police, schools, and so on) was commonly accepted.
Indeed, because it was public policy to promote heterosexual family
life as the only norm, any other lifestyle was considered deviant and
handled accordingly. Repressive though it certainly was to gays, it
was at least very predictable.

Today, official attitudes towards homosexuality in Singapore are quite
different. They are certainly ambivalent and ambiguous — some would
even say, schizophrenic. On the one hand, many gay Singaporeans are
feted and lauded for their creative contributions to Singapore, and
warmly accepted by even senior figures of the establishment. On the
other hand, gay sex remains a criminal activity, even after much
public debate on the issue, and any kind of activity which is seen to
promote a gay lifestyle remains off-limits.

To those who believe that the non-persecution of gays is already
something to be grateful for, one could argue that allowing a black
person to sit in the front of the bus while legally forbidding it, is
something to be grateful for. Or, in an analogy closer to home for the
supposedly homophobic heartlanders, should a Chinese person be
grateful if the edict forbidding Chinese and dogs to enter parks in
Shanghai in the '20s were relaxed in reality, but maintained in the
law?

At another level, my gay friends argue cogently that non-prosecution
(or non-persecution, for that matter) signals, at the most, simple
tolerance of them, and nothing more. There is a difference between
being tolerated because gays are seen to be at the leading edge of the
"creative class" — which Singapore is trying to develop as part of its
new knowledge-based, creativity-oriented economy — and being accepted
because of the recognition that fundamental human rights and the
dignity of the individual extends to gays as much as to anyone else.

The somewhat schizophrenic decision to not prosecute an illegal
activity has ramifications beyond the gay community, and has disturbed
some sections of the larger community, which is not particularly
interested in gay issues.

To many thoughtful citizens, Singapore has always openly claimed that
the Rule of Law, possibly even more than the formal mechanisms of
democracy, is a vital component of good governance. Yet, to
criminalise gay sex and, in the same breath, state that anyone
breaching this law will not be prosecuted, makes a mockery of the Rule
of Law.

Minor though this violation of the principle may be, the proponents of
the concept that the Rule of Law is a sacrosanct pillar of the
Singapore ethos lament that the Government did not take the bold step
to simply decriminalise something which the rest of the developed
world has long decriminalised; which most Singaporeans (except,
perhaps, the most fervently fundamentalist Christians or Muslims)
don't care that much about one way or the other; which the police,
courts, and legal community would welcome simply to remove an archaic,
Victorian-era statute; and finally, which the gay community would
embrace as an important signal that their right to privacy — a
fundamental human right — is considered to be more important than the
right of anti-gay groups to proselytise about morality.

Optimists hope that the decriminalisation of gay sex — a yawn to
anyone except the homophobic and the gays themselves — will eventually
occur. In reality, rather than in law, gays in Singapore today have
never had it so good, and should within a short time, become
fully-accepted — not just tolerated — members of an increasingly
diverse, and therefore vibrant, Singapore community.

But if we pat ourselves on the back for being so "bold" as to accept
casinos and Formula 1 events into staid Singapore, why can't the
boldness extend to a simple act to enable gays to realise their dream
— indeed, their simple right — to be normal Singaporeans like anyone
else, no more and no less.

The writer is chairman ofSingapore Management University,executive
chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and chairman of MediaCorp.

TodayOnline.com: Stop Making A Mockery of Rule of Law: Let's Accept Gays (Sept 8)

Stop making A mockery of rule of law: Let's accept gays

Why keep such an archaic statute when there's no intention to prosecute?
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/274653.asp

Monday • September 8, 2008

HO KWON PING

news@newstoday.com.sg

SINGAPORE is known to be economically liberal, but socially
conservative. It is a rules-governed society with clear parameters for
behaviour, whether political, economic, or social. And within the "OB
markers" (out-of-bounds markers) of these do's and don'ts, it is a
transparent and fair social order, with no favouritism for anyone
operating outside the parameters.

This state of affairs governed the issue of homosexuality in Singapore
for many years. Not only was gay sex illegal, but every manifestation
was openly discouraged — some would say suppressed — and
discrimination against gays in the public domain (the civil service,
the military, the police, schools, and so on) was commonly accepted.
Indeed, because it was public policy to promote heterosexual family
life as the only norm, any other lifestyle was considered deviant and
handled accordingly. Repressive though it certainly was to gays, it
was at least very predictable.

Today, official attitudes towards homosexuality in Singapore are quite
different. They are certainly ambivalent and ambiguous — some would
even say, schizophrenic. On the one hand, many gay Singaporeans are
feted and lauded for their creative contributions to Singapore, and
warmly accepted by even senior figures of the establishment. On the
other hand, gay sex remains a criminal activity, even after much
public debate on the issue, and any kind of activity which is seen to
promote a gay lifestyle remains off-limits.

To those who believe that the non-persecution of gays is already
something to be grateful for, one could argue that allowing a black
person to sit in the front of the bus while legally forbidding it, is
something to be grateful for. Or, in an analogy closer to home for the
supposedly homophobic heartlanders, should a Chinese person be
grateful if the edict forbidding Chinese and dogs to enter parks in
Shanghai in the '20s were relaxed in reality, but maintained in the
law?

At another level, my gay friends argue cogently that non-prosecution
(or non-persecution, for that matter) signals, at the most, simple
tolerance of them, and nothing more. There is a difference between
being tolerated because gays are seen to be at the leading edge of the
"creative class" — which Singapore is trying to develop as part of its
new knowledge-based, creativity-oriented economy — and being accepted
because of the recognition that fundamental human rights and the
dignity of the individual extends to gays as much as to anyone else.

The somewhat schizophrenic decision to not prosecute an illegal
activity has ramifications beyond the gay community, and has disturbed
some sections of the larger community, which is not particularly
interested in gay issues.

To many thoughtful citizens, Singapore has always openly claimed that
the Rule of Law, possibly even more than the formal mechanisms of
democracy, is a vital component of good governance. Yet, to
criminalise gay sex and, in the same breath, state that anyone
breaching this law will not be prosecuted, makes a mockery of the Rule
of Law.

Minor though this violation of the principle may be, the proponents of
the concept that the Rule of Law is a sacrosanct pillar of the
Singapore ethos lament that the Government did not take the bold step
to simply decriminalise something which the rest of the developed
world has long decriminalised; which most Singaporeans (except,
perhaps, the most fervently fundamentalist Christians or Muslims)
don't care that much about one way or the other; which the police,
courts, and legal community would welcome simply to remove an archaic,
Victorian-era statute; and finally, which the gay community would
embrace as an important signal that their right to privacy — a
fundamental human right — is considered to be more important than the
right of anti-gay groups to proselytise about morality.

Optimists hope that the decriminalisation of gay sex — a yawn to
anyone except the homophobic and the gays themselves — will eventually
occur. In reality, rather than in law, gays in Singapore today have
never had it so good, and should within a short time, become
fully-accepted — not just tolerated — members of an increasingly
diverse, and therefore vibrant, Singapore community.

But if we pat ourselves on the back for being so "bold" as to accept
casinos and Formula 1 events into staid Singapore, why can't the
boldness extend to a simple act to enable gays to realise their dream
— indeed, their simple right — to be normal Singaporeans like anyone
else, no more and no less.

The writer is chairman of Singapore Management University,executive
chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings and chairman of MediaCorp.

FCC Sunday Service (Sept 7 2008), Speaker: Joshua Tan

Sunday, September 7, 2008

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

Speaker
JOSHUA TAN
Face(t)s of God Series

Worship Leader - PAUL WANG
Vocals - LIONG WAILING, SHANE LOO
Keyboards - GARY CHAN, VICTOR LEE
Guitars - RICK PRICE, PAUL B
Drums - JIMMY TAN
Audio - QING LONG LUO
Video - VERON TAN
Prayer - JORG DIETZEL
Communion - JONATHAN FOONG
Service Pastor - SUSAN TANG
Children Sunday School will start at 10.30am inside the reading room.

Project Sista Magdalene

A repost from the FCC Mailing List...

Just to reiterate the details for the upcoming pre-project Sista Magdalene mentioned in church this morning. Please note the changed venue for the doc screening & discussion.

1. Sat, 20 September * 4pm * Post Museum, 107 Rowell Road.
This short documentary will highlight pertinent issues and raise important questions regarding the Sex Workers industry. It will be followed by a discussion on the topic. This will be very useful for clarifying our own understanding on "why/how/should we" reach out to the sex workers.

2) Fri, 26 September * 9pm * meet at FCC
Geylang Walk-About
This will give us a first-hand feel of the circumstances and conditions of sex work in Geylang. This will most likely raise more questions which we will discuss at church after the walkabout.

3) Wed, 1 October (Hari Raya Puasa) * 12 noon * FCC
Makan and Mingling
Women who currently frequent the Womens' Care Centre at Lor20 will be invited along with their friends to a simple friendly lunch get-together.

4) 7 Mondays, 13 October – 24 November * 2.30-3.30pm * FCC
Conversational English lessons led by Yock Leng
Si

ST Saturday Special Report - Once a Tourist Attraction, She is Now a Tai Tai (Sept 6)

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Sep 6, 2008
transformed
Once a tourist attraction, she is now a tai-tai
FACE TO FACE WITH... SELVI WIDMER, ex-Bugis Street transsexual
By Wong Kim Hoh
HER long tresses are swept up in a stately bun and threaded with
elaborate hairpins and strands of jasmine.

She wears a silk sari in a majestic shade of jade and an aubergine
blouse with gold trimmings.

On her neck hang three necklaces - her thick gold wedding thali, a
string of pearls, and a $42,000 choker studded with pearls, rubies and
diamonds.

It may be an outing to the temple but it is also an opportunity for
Selvi Widmer, 49, to mark her standing as a respected elder in the
Indian transsexual community.

She has come a long way from her dancing days in the 1970s and 1980s.
Then, the ebony-skinned, long-limbed transsexual was - along with
scores of exotic transwomen - a tourist attraction at the infamous
Bugis Street.

The exotic nightspot was torn down to make way for urban redevelopment
in the mid-1980s.

'They used to call me Miss Black Beauty. I would dress up in mini
skirts and hot pants, wear high heels and tourists - ang moh, Japanese
- would pay $20 to take a picture with me,' she recalls coquettishly.

'Eh, we were famous, you know, long before the Thais,' she says,
lamenting how Thailand's transwomen have since superseded their
Singaporean counterparts in the fame stakes.

Selvi was born the only son of a Public Works Department foreman and a
housewife, who had three daughters.

Selvi says that from young, she knew Mother Nature had made a mistake
with her. Her late father would hit her to make her mend her feminine
ways.

After completing Primary 6 at Newton Boys' Primary School, she ran
away from home.

'I wanted to be a woman but since I couldn't be one at home, I decided
I would live on my own,' she says.

She bunked in with other transsexuals in a room in Little India,
paying the $3 daily rent with money she earned as a worker in sari
shops and factories.

From her group of 'sisters', she learnt how to take hormone pills,
grow out her hair, dress up and apply make-up.

Visits to several psychiatrists when she was 17 confirmed for her that
she was indeed a woman born with the wrong body.

She started dancing in Bugis Street to earn money for the operation.
The money was easy.

She claims she did not need to sleep with men then.

'I could make $200 a night, just dancing and posing for photos. That
was nearly $6,000 a month, a lot of money in those days,' says Selvi,
adding that she often helped her family out with her earnings.

A German tourist told her she could make a lot of money dancing in
Europe. Being young and fearless, she did just that.

She worked as an exotic dancer in many European cities, and at 19, she
had saved enough for her operation - which cost her $19,000 at
Gleneagles Hospital.

'My mother had to sign the form for me, I was underaged then. She also
looked after me when I was recuperating,' she says, adding that she
reconciled with her estranged father two years before he died in 1981.

She continued performing in Europe for many years after her operation.

It was while dancing in a club in Locarno, Switzerland, that she met
her realtor husband, now retired, in 1988.

'I told him only three years after meeting him. I thought I had better
tell him, especially since he has a gun, a real gun,' she says with a
loud cackle.

He took it well. 'He told me not to talk about the past. He also said
I didn't look like a transsexual.

'He's a simple man who loves my traditional ways and only insists that
I dress up in saris and carry myself well,' says Selvi, who now speaks
German fluently.

Now 78, Mr Hans Walter Widmer also paid for his wife to attend several
make-up and beauty courses, and even opened a boutique for her in
Singapore. Unfortunately, the business did not take off.

The couple have three homes - one in Wintherthur (a bustling city just
18 minutes by train from Zurich), one in Locarno and one up in the
Alps. They also have a three-room HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio, where she
stays when she comes home for her annual holidays.

'What more can a woman want? I have seen the world three times,' says
Selvi, showing pictures of her with her husband in Egypt, Paris and
other exotic locations.

Brassy, well-spoken and charismatic, she also makes yearly pilgrimages
to India where she has many friends in the hijra or transgendered
community.

Quite the tai-tai, but she has not forgotten her local sisters.

In 1986, she set up an association called the Hijadah Pan with a
fellow transsexual from Malaysia.

Functioning like a social network, it rallies members - who number
several hundreds in both countries - for both happy and sad occasions
like weddings, operations and funerals.

'We are all blood sisters, we need to help each other.'

kimhoh@sph.com.sg

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275763.html

ST Saturday Special Report - Face to Face (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
transformed
He decided against operation
FACE TO FACE WITH... KRIS H, counsellor
FOR six years in the 1990s, Kris H, 39 walked the streets, offering
sex while dressed in women's clothes.

He charged between $30 and $300 during the 1990s in red light areas in
Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The sixth of nine children of a railway officer and a housewife, he
used to endure beatings as a child from his father and two elder
brothers for being effeminate.

At 12, he was sexually abused by an adult he knew.

He befriended a group of transsexual and transvestite sex workers
while doing an electrical engineering course after his O levels.

Before long, he was taking hormones and wearing dresses. When they
found out, his brothers threw him out of the house.

Left to fend for himself, he became a sex worker. In his 20s and known
as Sheela, he started saving up to go for sex reassignment surgery (SRS).

He also had a three-year relationship which ended when the man left
him for a woman. Heartbroken, he decided to go for the sex operation,
but a friend hauled him to a counsellor instead.

The counsellor asked him if he was sure, telling him that a sex
operation would not magically change his life.

Dr Calvin Fones, consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre,
says he has seen several patients who have regretted changing sex.

'Quite often, these are people who have experienced failed
relationships. They latch on to the idea that the operation would
totally change their lives and solve all their relationship woes.

'It won't. And they can't go back; SRS is totally irreversible.'

Indeed, research has shown that many transsexuals become depressed and
suicidal because they cannot cope with many post-operative challenges.
In Malaysia, where Kris lives, these include the inability to change
their civil status, to marry a person of the opposite sex or to adopt
a child.

After several soul-searching sessions, Kris abandoned the idea.

Determined to leave his old world behind, he took up a course in
counselling and became a coordinator with Wake, the Women and Health
Association of Kuala Lumpur.

He now presents himself as a male and counsels people afflicted with
Aids, as well as transsexuals.

Having come from the streets himself, he is passionate about steering
transwomen from the sex trade.

Kris says: 'Some do it for survival, others because they like sex and
that's the only way they can meet men who want them and make money at
the same time.'

And there are also those who want to cling to their boyfriends or
husbands who are their pimps.

'Unfortunately, at least 80 per cent of these relationships never last
because these men just want their money and will leave them for real
women.'

In private, Kris still occasionally puts on dresses and make up. 'I am
who I am,' he says resignedly.

WONG KIM HOH

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275762.html

ST Saturday Special Report - When Papa Became Mama (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
transformed
When Papa became Mama
FACE TO FACE WITH... FANNY LER, ex-navy sergeant
TWO months ago, a former first sergeant who served 10 years in the
Singapore navy sent a mass SMS to all his friends.

It said: 'Dear friends, I have changed my name from Frankie to Fanny.'

Some laughed it off as a prank. Others called up Frankie Ler, 34, and
were stunned when he told them he had decided to become a woman.

The divorcee and father of a 10-year-old girl told them he had started
'transitioning': He had grown his hair, was taking female hormone
pills, and had begun wearing women's clothes.

'I didn't want them to get a shock if they bumped into me on the
street,' said the administrative assistant, sitting in a Rowell Road
Cafe with her daughter.

Her face is powdered, and she is wearing light eyeshadow and lipstick.
Her broad shoulders fill out a conservative black blouse which she
complements with a knee-length patterned skirt and sensible pumps.

Half an hour earlier, Fanny was the main 'attraction' at My Wife, My
Kids, one of several events in this year's IndigNation - the local gay
community's annual pride season.

Facing an inquisitive audience of more than 60 people, she explained
why she had to change sex so late in life, after marriage and fatherhood.

Fanny - who has a younger sister - claims her transsexualism surfaced
only last year. Her late father was a factory worker, her mother, now
56, is a retired washerwoman.

'I never thought I had any problems, I just thought I had an abnormal
hobby,' she says in a mixture of English and Mandarin. That hobby was
a penchant for dressing in women's clothes. She discovered she liked
it while trying on her mother's clothes at 10, and continued to
furtively cross-dress until she got married at 23.

The Yio Chu Kang Secondary School alumnus - who signed up with the
navy after a brief stint as a security guard - met and fell in love
with her wife on an Internet chatline.

They got married three months later. Their daughter was born the
following year. 'Just before I got married, I threw out all the shoes
and dresses I had bought over the years. We were a very normal couple
during our marriage. I was not gay and I did not have any interest in
men,' says Fanny.

The marriage broke up seven years later in 2004. The couple have joint
custody of their daughter.

'We just drifted apart. It had nothing to do with cross-dressing,' she
says.

One day in June last year, she typed 'men who love to dress up as
women' in Google. The search engine threw up many links, one of which
led to sgbutterfly.org - a resource site for local transsexuals.

She trawled through the site's many articles and discussion threads,
and even posted questions, on transsexual issues - from identity
struggles to hormone treatments and make-up tips. 'I was so happy. I
finally found the answers to so many of the questions in my head,' she
says.

Two months later, after she was convinced that she was a woman trapped
in a man's body, she spoke to the person closest to her: her daughter.

'I wanted to be a woman but I had to be sure it wouldn't hurt my
daughter. So I decided to ask, not tell, her if I should transit. If
she had said no, I wouldn't have done this.'

The Primary 4 pupil (whom we are not naming to protect her identity)
says she was 'a little bit surprised that he should ask this
question'. Fanny carefully explained what she was going through and
why she felt the way she did.

The precocious little girl gave her approval. 'His physical looks will
change but he is still my father. He has always been very caring, and
is always teaching me to be brave,' she says, adding that she has told
two of her closest friends but sworn them to secrecy.

Fanny felt a big load taken off her shoulders. 'My mind was very
clear. I was divorced and I've been given a second chance to live my
life right.'

She went for psychiatric evaluation which confirmed she had gender
identity disorder (GID). She started her hormonal therapy late last
year. Her sister, parents and friends were told next. They were
shocked but took it well save for just one friend who has cut off all
contact.

The last to know was her former wife.

'She was very upset but I explained that I found it hardest to tell
her because we had such a close relationship,' says Fanny who plans to
have her operation in Singapore next year.

'To her credit, she joined sgbutterfly to try and understand why I had
to do this,' says Fanny, who adds that the former spouse occasionally
takes her shopping for women's clothes.

Fanny happily lets on that she recently found a job in a construction
firm. Her boss and her colleagues are aware of her status.

She does not harbour grand plans such as marriage for the future. 'I
just want to focus on my daughter.'

The latter ponders when asked what it's like to have two mothers.
'It's okay to have two mummies. I can still enjoy both their love.'

WONG KIM HOH

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275759.html

ST Saturday Special Report - Why He Set Up Portal For 'Sisters' (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
Why he set up portal for 'sisters'
No sleaze, please. Straight guy just wants to give transsexual
community a space for bonding
By Wong Kim Hoh
DANIEL Kaw deflates expectations of how a champion for Singapore's
transsexual community should look.

The 36-year-old assistant project manager with a water engineering
firm is stocky and burly. Not surprising, since he is a lion dancer
and a certified wushu instructor.

Despite the ponytail, he is also 100 per cent male, straight and
married. And a father to boot.

So why did he set up sgbutterfly.org, Singapore's only Web portal for
the transgendered community in Singapore?

He grins as he sips his iced coffee in an Orchard Road cafe.

'Why do you do charity?' he volleys back.

'People think it costs a lot of money to host a Web portal. It
doesn't, it costs me just $10 a month,' says Mr Kaw, who studied
industrial electronics at the Japan-Singapore Technical Institute.

However, the youngest of three children of a businessman and a
housewife forks out more than just money. He invests at least four
hours daily to make sure the portal - which will celebrate its third
anniversary next month - runs smoothly.

The portal has - among other features - news clippings, discussion
forums and resource lists on transgender issues.

Its membership has grown from about 500 in the first year to about
1,600 now, and the site attracts between 40,000 and 80,000 hits a month.

Mr Kaw - who works on the site with three other volunteer moderators -
also organises monthly outings for its members, as well as talks to
raise awareness of transsexual issues.

His first encounter with a transsexual took place on an IRC channel
called Singapore 30something more than 10 years ago.

'Her name was Victoria, and she was very open about who she was and
the issues she faced,' he recalls.

Intrigued, he started talking to others on the Internet. He even met
some of them.

He explains his fascination: 'They are human. Like everyone else, they
want to live a normal life.'

He is used to people questioning his intentions.

'Even my wife, who knows what I do, once asked me if I was transsexual
myself,' he says with a laugh.

'But she's supportive and has even met some of them,' adds Mr Kaw, who
declines to reveal more about his family in order to protect their
privacy.

The martial arts exponent decided that he would set up a Web portal
for his 'sisters', the way he did for wushu and lion dance fans a few
years earlier with sgwutan.com.

He started discussing the idea with his transsexual friends, including
outspoken activist Leona Lo.

While there are several sites frequented by transgendered prostitutes
for sexual hook-ups, there was none which properly addressed the
issues the community faces or gave its members a space to bond and
socialise.

'Before I set up the site, I spent at least four hours nightly over
three months reading up on transsexualism issues,' says Mr Kaw,
reeling off the names of world-renowned experts and researchers in the
area such as American computer scientist Lyn Conway, and Associate
Professor Sam Winter from the University of Hong Kong.

It was not all smooth sailing.

'I spent a lot of time initially throwing out and banning people who
thought it was a sleazy 'ladyboy' sex portal,' he recalls grimly.

The portal has settled into a smooth groove now. A visit to the forums
shows spirited, well-articulated discussions on issues such as whether
transsexuals should pursue activism.

The founder observes: 'The focus of the portal has changed. When we
started, we wanted to build awareness. Now, we want to reach out to
the community.'

That's why he started monthly outings.

'I hope these outings will send out the message that they are not alone.'

Held mostly at Newton Hawker Centre or coffee shops around town, these
excursions attract between five and 25 people.

'We occupied almost six tables at Starbucks in Plaza Singapura on one
such outing last year,' says Mr Kaw, adding that one member wrestling
with his sexual identity even took along his mother.

Mr Kaw and members of the portal will be celebrating its third
anniversary next month with a party at a yet-to-be-confirmed venue.

The unlikely activist is gratified to see more new members coming into
sgbutterfly.org to ask more questions.

As a moderator, there is one principle he abides by.

'I do not help them make decisions. I do not tell them if they should
go for sex reassignment surgery, I also do not tell them if they are
transsexuals or not.

'Those are issues they sort out with the experts.'

kimhoh@sph.com.sg

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275761.html

ST Saturday Special Report - What's The Difference (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
translate
What's the difference?
THE ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) is a coding of
signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances
and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World
Health Organisation.

In the ICD-10, the definition of TRANSSEXUALISM (F64.0) has three
criteria:

1 The desire to live and be accepted as a member of the opposite sex,
usually accompanied by the wish to make his or her body as congruent
as possible with the preferred sex through surgery and hormone treatment.

2 The transsexual identity has been present persistently for at least
two years.

3 The disorder is not a symptom of another mental disorder or a
chromosomal abnormality.

Dual-role TRANSVESTISM (F64.1) has three criteria:

1 The individual wears clothes of the opposite sex in order to
experience temporary membership in the opposite sex.

2 There is no sexual motivation for the cross-dressing.

3 The individual has no desire for a permanent change to the opposite sex.

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275760.html

ST Saturday Special Report - Trans Singapore (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
Trans Singapore
A new study suggests that there are at least 1,500 transsexuals in
Singapore, higher than previously thought. They come from all kinds of
socio-economic backgrounds, and many - debunking stereotypes of lowly
educated sex workers - are high-earning professionals in both the
corporate and public sectors. The majority prefer to lead invisible
lives because transphobia is still very prevalent in Singapore.
By Wong Kim Hoh
A DEGREE from Curtin University, Western Australia, and a regional
management position in a large logistics organisation.

While laudable, Juliet's achievements are not likely to make most
people sit up and take notice.

Until, of course, the 40-year-old tells them she is a transsexual.

'When you say transsexual, a lot of people immediately think of Changi
Village and Desker Road,' she says, referring to two of Singapore's
most notorious vice haunts.

'People harbour so many stereotypes. Not all of us are prostitutes. In
fact, a lot of us lead and want to lead very normal lives,' says the
articulate professional whose company and colleagues know of her status.

Transsexuals - people who do not identify with the gender they are
born in and sometimes change their bodies through surgery or hormone
therapy - in Singapore have Bugis Street to blame for this albatross
hanging around their necks.

Before it made way for urban development in the mid-1980s, the street
- and nearby Johor Road - was world-famous for its transgendered
denizens peddling their bodies for profit.

The stereotype still dogs Juliet and members of her community,
although many hold down respectable jobs in law firms, engineering
companies and government departments.

They live with many other tags, including widely held beliefs that
they are mentally sick and sexually deviant.

Make-up artist Lynette Leong aka Ginger, in her 30s, says the
community has to put up with many derogatory names, including ah kwa
and bapok.

The Singapore Polytechnic graduate, who has a diploma in mechanical
engineering, says: 'Even the Chinese newspapers describe us as ren yao
(human monsters). How can society accept us when they perpetuate this
nonsense?'

Not surprisingly, many transsexuals choose to live their lives as
privately as possible. This makes it hard to determine how big the
community is.

In 1988, psychiatrist Tsoi Wing Foo - Singapore's foremost authority
on the subject - carried out a study on the prevalence of
transsexualism in the country.

That study suggested that the prevalence rate for male-to-female (MTF)
transsexuals was 1 in 2,900, and female-to-male (FTM) transsexuals, 1
in 8,300.

However, a new statistical study by two renowned researchers last year
indicated that the rates are higher.

Using data from Dr Tsoi's study, Professor Femke Olyslager from Ghent
University and Professor Lynn Conway from the University of Michigan
extrapolated that the MTF prevalence here is 1 in 2,000, and FTM, 1 in
4,000. This means the little red dot is home to at least 1,500
transsexuals.

Singapore was once famous for sex reassignment surgery (SRS), thanks
to the late Professor S.S. Ratnam who did the first one in the then
Kandang Kerbau Hospital in 1971.

About 1,000 SRS were performed here until 1987 when the authorities
asked hospitals to phase them out for fear that hospital staff might
be exposed to Aids. The objection was lifted in 2001. By then, cities
like Bangkok and Seoul had overtaken Singapore as an SRS hub.

Currently, the National University Hospital still offers such
operations. Professor A. Ilancheran, a senior consultant in the
department of obstetrics and gynaecology, says the hospital has
performed 15 in the last five years. It costs between $8,000 and
$9,000 for an MTF operation, and from $15,000 for an FTM one.

Compared to many other Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand,
Singapore has fairly enlightened laws about transsexualism. It has
allowed transsexuals - who have undergone SRS - to change their gender
on their identity cards since the 1970s, and to marry since 1997.

These legal provisions, however, have done little to banish
discrimination against transmen and transwomen.

In 2005, someone named Javier put up an online petition for SBS
Transit to ban transsexuals on buses the way they ban animals.

Last year, Singapore's most famous transsexual Leona Lo was denied
entry to a Clarke Quay nightspot which did not welcome 'ladyboys'.

Indeed, all the 15 or so transsexuals interviewed by The Straits Times
have experienced transphobia socially, at work and even in the family.
Almost all of them have attempted suicide because they cannot cope
with the rejection.

Mr Daniel Kaw, 36, who founded sgbutterfly.org, a resource portal for
transsexuals, says: 'I see scars on the wrists of many of the
transsexuals I know. They've gone through the kind of sadness that you
and I will never understand.'

Rare are the likes of Juliet, Ginger and Leona who have stepped
forward to dispel the 'culture of shame' enveloping their community.

Several of those who spoke to The Straits Times wanted to go public,
but were dissuaded by their families or fear that they would lose
their jobs.

Ignorance surrounding the condition is one of the main reasons why
transsexualism is a taboo subject in Singapore society. Dr Tsoi, 75,
who has counselled more than 700 transsexuals over three decades, says
many people do not know that transsexualism is a medical condition,
not a sexual perversion.

The main symptom is dysphoria, an intense feeling of anguish and
anxiety about having been assigned the wrong sex at birth. To seek
relief, many transsexual persons 'transition' - through surgery and/or
hormones - and begin to live their lives in their target genders.

Before SRS, transsexuals here have to be evaluated by two
psychiatrists, and undergo RLT (real-life testing) where they have to
live and dress as their target gender.

Almost all the transsexuals interviewed by The Straits Times say their
families reacted harshly when they outed themselves.

The father of civil servant Ivan (not his real name) threatened to
disown him and did not speak to the 24-year-old for over two years
after his SRS.

S.L., a 37-year-old MTF regional manager for a public-listed education
company, was thrown out of the family home. At least three other MTFs
were beaten up by brothers and/or fathers.

Many of them underwent their SRS without their family's blessings.
Ivan - who has two older sisters - did it in Bangkok last year,
accompanied by a friend.

After the operation, the surgeon handed him his removed womb. 'I
thought: 'I will never have children' and I remember feeling really
sad and alone.'

Psychiatrist Calvin Fones, 37, counsels about 30 transsexuals each
year. He says: 'Most parents have dreams for their kids, and normal
dreams include them having their own family and children.'

The working world is even more unforgiving.

Ivan, a National University of Singapore arts graduate, applied for a
teaching job last year. Even though he already had his gender changed
in his identity card, he came clean when asked why he did not do his
national service.

'They then asked if I would influence my students because of what I
am,' he says. He did not get the job, and is now an administrative
officer.

Leona, 33, says transsexuals often have to lie about their NS status,
or whether they have gone for operations, when filling up employment
forms.

'That's why I decided to strike out on my own. I am hired and can hire
on my own terms,' says the entrepreneur who owns a public relations
agency, Talk Sense.

Five years into her job as a regional manager, S.L., who holds a
master's degree in sociology from the University of Wollongong in
Australia, says her employer has no inkling she used to be a man.

'I've worked too hard to get where I am. I can't risk coming out
because I know it will jeopardise my career,' she says. Her paranoia
stems from an unpleasant experience. She used to be the operations
manager for a local restaurant and oversaw its expansion from one to
four outlets.

Her decision to 'transition', however, had dire consequences. 'One
day, when I was on leave, a letter was delivered to me, telling me I
need not report for work the next day,' she says.

Juliet, too, knows the odds that are stacked against transsexuals in
the marketplace. To get hired, she went for no fewer than 60 interviews.

'Many times, I could tell that the interviewers thought I was suitable
for the job.'

But when she told them about her sexuality at the end of each
interview, suddenly 'their faces would change'.

Fortunately, Fanny Ler, 34, fared better. Several months ago, the
administrative assistant sent out 60 resumes, all of which made clear
she was a transitioning MTF.

She got three interviews, and was offered a job by a construction
company which picked her over 50 others.

Her employer Betty Oh, 43, says: 'No one would want to do what she did
if they had a choice. I picked Fanny because she had the relevant
experience. I'm not paying her a free wage. She has to do her work,
which she has done very well.'

But Fanny, who was once married and has a daughter, is not too hopeful
that she would fare as well in love.

While they have heard of cases of happily married transsexuals, those
interviewed, particularly the MTFs, say finding a partner here is near
impossible.

Leona - who will be giving a talk on transsexualism at the Pelangi
Pride Centre at 9, Kreta Ayer Road on Oct 11 - says she has yet to
meet a local man who dared to date her publicly. Juliet, meanwhile,
echoes the sentiments of many when she says: 'Many men just want money
and sex from you.'

The FTM cases seem to fare better.

Dr Fones says: 'Women tend to look less at the physical and overtly
sexual attractions. Many can be happy with FTMs as emotional partners.'

The Straits Times knows of several FTM transsexuals who have become
happy husbands. But none was willing to give his real name or be
photographed.

'We've gone through too much to get here, we can't risk compromising
our happiness,' says businessman Andrew (not his real name), 45, who
has been married for over a decade.

Juliet understands. She says: 'Many transsexuals are afraid of losing
the comfort zone they fought so hard to get.'

The feisty woman adds: 'I was paranoid too, but now I guess I just
want to do what's right.'

kimhoh@sph.com.sg

http://www.straitstimes.com/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275758.html

Journal of Communication Inquiry: It's the Gays' Fault

This version was published on October 1, 2008
Journal of Communication Inquiry, Vol. 32, No. 4, 383-399 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0196859908320295

It's the Gays' Fault

News and HIV as Weapons Against Homosexuality in Singapore

Debbie Goh
Indiana University, Bloomington, dgoh@indiana.edu

As homosexuality in Singapore is illegal and suffers from social stigmatization, the local media avoided the topic until recent acknowledgment by a top-ranking official of the presence of gays in Singapore opened the floodgates for media publicity. The flourishing underground gay scene triggered the international media to name Singapore as Asia's new "pink" capital. Although it acknowledges homosexuals, the Singapore government still does not condone their activity and public declaration of Singapore as a gay haven spooked the government, who sought a subtle approach to discipline and control the public behavior of homosexuals: through discourse about homosexuality in the national newspaper. Drawing from Foucault's repressive hypothesis on sexuality, this article examines news coverage of the government's blaming of homosexuals for the rise of HIV/AIDS cases in Singapore and argues that Singapore's national daily, in framing homosexuality as promiscuous and contrary to traditional values, served as a platform for the government to reestablish control and subvert homosexuality in Singapore.

Key Words: news framing • homosexuality • control • Singapore • Foucault

ST Saturday Special Report - Goddess of the Third Gender (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
Goddess of the third gender
IN INDIA, the Bahuchara Mataji is the patron goddess of the famed
hijras. Also known as the third gender, they include transsexuals,
transvestites, hermaphrodites and eunuchs.

Wikipedia and several websites such as TranSpiritual.com throw up many
myths surrounding the goddess' origins. One says she was a princess
who castrated her husband when she found out that he preferred
cross-dressing in the forest to jumping in their bed.

Another suggests she was a princess who jumped into a temple pond and
emerged a prince.

Yet another has her as a woman who, when threatened by rapists in the
forests of Gujarat, sliced off her breasts. She said she would offer
them to the attackers if they did not touch her.

She died, and was reincarnated as a goddess. She would appear before
impotent men and command them to cut off their genitals and become her
servant. If they did not, they would become impotent for their next
seven lives.

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275766.html

ST Saturday Special Report - Yearly Revelry to Worship Goddess (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
transfixed
Yearly revelry to worship goddess
By Wong Kim Hoh
THE muted sounds of animated chatter reverberate along the corridor on
the ninth floor of the Crystal Lodge Hotel in Port Klang.

The door of room 989 opens, letting out a heady scent of perfume,
incense and jasmine. A portly matron in a blue sari dashes out,
hairdryer in hand, and frantically races down the passageway.

Inside, confusion reigns.

Seven transsexuals in various states of undress create cacophony as
they beaver away at the business of making themselves beautiful. They
have enough gold and bling on them to light up Little India.

Saris in brilliant hues of red, yellow and green are laid out on the
two single beds and draped over chairs. Several big bags - containing
metres of jasmine garlands - sit on the vanity table, alongside an
assortment of make-up and beauty brushes.

In a corner, on a small makeshift altar, sit framed pictures of
several Hindu deities, including the elephant-headed Lord Ganesh and
Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.

The scene is repeated in at least two other rooms along the corridor.

Indeed, for five days each year, the Crystal Lodge and other hotels in
Klang are invaded by hundreds of transwomen from Malaysia and Singapore.

Decked out in their finest, they gather to worship the goddess
Bahuchara Mataji, enshrined in a small temple in this bustling port
town, about 30km west of Kuala Lumpur.

The presiding deity for transsexuals and other members of the
transgendered community, the goddess is often depicted sitting on a
rooster. She has four hands - the upper right hand carries a sword,
the upper left, scriptures. She has a showering of blessings in her
lower right hand, and a trident in the left.

Many myths surround Bahuchara Mataji. One suggests that she was once a
princess who castrated her husband upon discovering that he preferred
dressing up as a woman and going to the forest instead of coming into
their conjugal bed.

In India, Bahuchara Mataji's original temple was built in 1783 in
Gujarat and attracts about 1.5 million pilgrims each year.

The shrine in Klang - situated in the compound of a house - was set up
about 11 years ago by Ms Asha Devi, matriarch of transsexuals in Malaysia.

The 65-year-old transwoman, who underwent traditional castration in
India in 1972, has been visiting the temple in Gujarat annually for at
least two decades.

She set up the shrine so that the closely-knit Indian transgendered
communities in Malaysia and Singapore would have their own place of
worship too.

The occasion is not only an opportunity for them to worship, but to
bond and celebrate their uniqueness.

The scale of the festival has grown over the years, and now draws even
Indian transsexuals who have settled abroad. This year, at least three
of the devotees returned from Switzerland and Germany for the
celebrations.

The festivities last five days but reach fever pitch on the fourth.

In the morning, a whip-wielding priest leads a procession of at least
100 transsexuals - dressed in green saris - from a nearby shrine to
the temple. They carry urns of milk and earthen pots of fire as
offerings for the goddess, walking in unison to the heady din from a
group of musicians working the tabla, cymbals and clarinet.

The rhythms hit a frenzy as the procession reaches the temple. Several
devotees start to go into a trance, prompting fellow worshippers to
restrain them.

Some manage to break free, yelping and rolling up their eyeballs
before throwing themselves to the floor. They writhe like serpents
with their tongues sticking out. Others bow before the shrine,
chanting prayers as priests start bathing the goddess with the urns of
milk.

More elaborate rituals take place in the evening. With much fanfare,
the deity is borne aloft in a gaily-lit float which winds its way
around the town centre. The four-hour procession, which attracts a
huge crowd of devotees and onlookers, is the highlight of the
festival. Half a dozen whistle-blowing security officers clear traffic
and maintain crowd control.

It is quite a spectacle: hundreds of elaborately made-up transsexuals,
dressed to the nines and dripping with jewellery.

Some walk with hands linked. Others break into feisty dances while
balancing pots on their heads, and yet others twirl their colourful
skirts as they execute nifty moves with wooden sticks.

More prayers, riotous dancing and singing take place after the
procession returns to the temple.

It's past midnight.

A gaggle of transwomen with damp hair, streaked mascara and sweat
patches on their saris troop along the corridor on the ninth floor of
the Crystal Lodge.

They open the door to room 989, throw off their dancing shoes, and
take off their make-up and finery to retire for the night.

kimhoh@sph.com.sg

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275768.html

ST Saturday Special Report - Crossover Celebrities (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
transformed: CROSSOVER CELEBRITIES
Making it in the mainstream
SINGAPOREAN transsexual activist Leona Lo has a dream: To become a TV
talk show host.

'If Eunice Olsen can have her own talk show on TV, why can't I?' says
the PR practitioner, referring to the former beauty queen and
Nominated Member of Parliament who currently hosts Rouge.

Leona thinks she is made of the right stuff for the job: decent looks,
gift of the gab and grey matter. After all, she has a degree in
English, as well as a master's in qualitative research from York
University in Britain.

But she is grounded enough to know that the dream is not likely to
come true, not if mindsets and discrimination do not change.

Which is a pity, she says, because transsexuals have made great
strides in showbusiness.

Indeed, they have. They include:

# Candis Cayne: She plays Carmelita, the transsexual mistress of New
York Attorney-General Patrick Darling (William Baldwin) in the TV
series Dirty Sexy Money.

Essentially, the role means that the 1.78m tall actress is the first
transsexual to play a transsexual in prime time.

Born Brendan McDaniel in Hawaii, the classically trained dancer gained
public attention as a female impersonator in popular gay bar Boy Bar
in New York City. She later landed roles in a number of movies
including To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar; and Stonewall.

She transitioned in 1996 and has a boyfriend, DJ Marco.

# Jin Xing: A former army colonel who became a ballerina,
choreographer and now owner of a contemporary dance company Shanghai
Jin Xing Dance Theatre, in China.

Now 41, she joined the People's Liberation Army at nine, became a
member of the military's dance troupe and worked her way up to the
rank of colonel.

She left for New York to study modern dance in 1987, before travelling
and performing in Europe. She had her sex operation in 1996 when she
was 28, and later went to Shanghai to be a choreographer. She and her
German husband now have three adopted children.

# Rose: The first transgender TV host in India, Rose's talk show
Ippadikku Rose discusses contemporary social issues including
traditions, sexuality and taboos. It is watched by millions in Tamil
Naidu.

The former Ramesh Venkatesan started dressing up as a woman in her
early 20s. Now 28, she used to work as a Web designer in the United
States and has a master's in biomedical engineering from Louisiana
Tech University.

Her family has yet to come to terms with her sexuality.

# Nong Toom: Thailand's most famous kathoey (male-to-female
transgendered person) is a multi-hyphenate: a muay thai champion,
model and actress.

She started learning Thai boxing as a young boy, determined to win
matches to help support her poor parents and fund her sex change
operation.

She came into the public limelight when she was 16. Wearing make-up,
she floored a much bigger opponent in Bangkok's Lumpini Stadium.

She was to win many more matches before retiring in 1999, when she had
her sex operation. She became an actress, nabbing roles in plays and
movies such as Mercury Man.

Theatre and film director Ekachai Uekrongtham turned her life story
into a movie Beautiful Boxer in 2003.

# Abigail Chay: Born Caesar Chay Tuck Kwong, this Anglo-Chinese alumna
became Abigail Chay after sex reassignment surgery at the age of 22.

Her late mother Yau Chung Chii - beloved by Singaporeans as the
McDonald's granny - got the former tutor to audition for TV shows.
That's how she landed up as single, desperate and ugly Aunty Abigail
in the comedy Under One Roof.

Chay has since appeared in other TV series such as Maggi And Me and
The Legendary Swordsman on both Channel 5 and 8, and in movies such as
Money No Enough.

The reed-thin actress came out as a transsexual only in 2006, and
revealed that she got married in her early 20s, only to get divorced a
year later.

WONG KIM HOH

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275765.html

ST Saturday Special Report - A Life of Tribulations, but He Has No Regrets (Sept 6)

Sep 6, 2008
transformed
A life of tribulations, but he has no regrets
FACE TO FACE WITH... JORDAN, branding manager
HIS colleagues and bosses know Jordan (not his real name) as a happily
married fellow with a pretty wife.

What they do not know is that the branding manager was born female. Or
that he and his wife went through many trials and tribulations to be
together.

He has kept his past secret not because he is embarrassed.

'There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I just don't want this to
have an impact on my career,' says the 38-year-old who works for a
training company.

Jordan - who became legally male after undergoing sex reassignment
surgery (SRS) more than 10 years ago - has run into people who know of
his past.

'But no one has exposed me,' he says with a big smile.

The elder of two children born to a civil servant and a housewife, he
knew very early on that he was different.

'The mirror and my body told me otherwise but in all my dreams, I was
always male, never female.'

In Primary 1, he confided in his best friend. Alas, it got back to his
mother who gave him 'the whacking of my life'.

'That was when I knew that what I was feeling was very taboo. From
then on, I learnt not to betray what or how I felt,' he says.

Puberty - with its attendant physical changes - was traumatic. So were
teenage infatuations. However, he never acted on them.

'I could not imagine having a physical relationship when I had the
body of a female,' he says.

When he made it to the National University of Singapore, he felt free
for the first time as he could live the life and wear the clothes that
he wanted.

'That was when the repression of being was lifted,' says the arts
graduate, adding that he took on many male roles in varsity musicals.

After graduating with his basic degree, he started work with a public
relations company.

'I guess it was a last-ditch attempt to be normal. I wore suits with
skirts and really went the whole hog but drew the line at make-up.'

His misery was compounded when a colleague proposed marriage. 'I
really didn't know where that came from,' says Jordan, who then
decided to go back to university to do his honours degree.

By then, he had read up enough on the subject and was convinced he
wanted to undergo SRS after graduating.

He then met his future wife on campus. He shocked himself by telling
her all about himself three days after knowing her.

'I was just drawn to her and I didn't want a relationship to develop
under false pretences.'

She decided to be his girlfriend although she had other suitors.

After graduation, Jordan had his transsexualism confirmed by two
psychiatrists. Not long after, he had his SRS done in Mount Elizabeth
Hospital for about $25,000.

His father was sad; his mother refused to talk to him for a long time.

More challenges loomed ahead.

When his wife's father found out, he hit the daughter he had never hit
in his life, and threatened to disown her and 'ruin' Jordan.

He even got the couple kicked out of the church they went to.

The couple stayed firm and got married, five years after meeting.

Attempts to get a pastor to solemnise their wedding failed. They
finally got married in a ceremony officiated by a Justice of the
Peace. They still go to church.

Jordan says: 'I don't think God makes mistakes. I think he has handled
me differently and he may have a purpose for me, one I don't know and
may not know while I am on this earth.'

Meanwhile, Jordan's father-in-law came around one year after the marriage.

'I think he's sometimes closer to me than to his daughter,' he says,
chuckling.

Life has happily settled now. Children are, however, not on the cards.
His wife told him: 'If they're not yours, I wouldn't want them.'

The branding manager says: 'I owe my wife a great debt of gratitude.'

And, he adds, with great satisfaction: 'We genuinely love each other.'

http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Saturday%2BSpecial%2BReport/Story/STIStory_275764.html

Women who Love Women Documentary: Screenings in September

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Sinema is bringing the documentary, Women who Love Women: Conversations in Singapore back for the month of September as part of their new series of featuring women directors every Friday.

Catch this documentary on lesbians in Singapore on:
- Friday, 5 September, 9.30 pm (no talkback)
- Friday, 12 September, 9.30 pm (talkback with Lim Mayling - director, & Gea Swee Jean - featured in docu)

Venue: Sinema @ Old School (11B Mt. Sophia Road)
Tickets: $8 each
Ticketing Hotline (Sinema): 63369707
[Tickets to be reserved over the ticketing hotline; payment and collection of tickets only at Sinema itself]
For more information: www.sinema.sg

For more information on the Documentary, visit our blogsite: womenwholovewomensingapore.blogspot.com

cheers, take care and please help spread the word around!

Come join us for our first Saturday at DYMK (6th September, 4-8pm)

Hi all

PPC@DYMK will be open for our FIRST Saturday of operations this Saturday, 6th September from 4-8pm.

Come by to chill out and enjoy the collection of books whilst sipping fine teas/coffees and so on!

Special beverage/cake deals for PPC users (through the kindness of our friends at DYMK)

$2 for Soft Drinks (Normally $5)
$3 for Juice (Normally $6)
$5 a cup of Coffee (cos expensive beans) (Normally $8)
$5 a pot of Tea (cos expensive bag) (Normally $8)

Tea time special - Any cake with coffee/tea $8

The address of PPC@DYMK is 9 Kreta Ayer Road, Singapore 088985

To come by train, exit at Outram Park or Chinatown Station

To come by bus,
Neil Road - 166,197
Kreta Ayer Road - 80,145
New Bridge Road &
Eu Tong Sen Street - 2,12,33,54,63,124,143,147

See you on Saturday!
The PPC Team (Eileena, Nam Khim & Charm)

Patterns of Brain Activation during Visually Evoked Sexual Arousal Differ

4: AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2008 Sep 3; [Epub ahead of print]

Patterns of Brain Activation during Visually Evoked Sexual Arousal Differ
between Homosexual and Heterosexual Men.

Hu SH, Wei N, Wang QD, Yan LQ, Wei EQ, Zhang MM, Hu JB, Huang ML, Zhou WH, Xu Y.
Departments of Mental Health and Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital, College
of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; MD Anderson Cancer Center,
Virginia Harris Cockrell Cancer Research Center, University of Texas, Austin,
Tex; and Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University,
Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Nowadays the mechanism of homosexuality is little known.
Few studies have been carried out to explore the brain functional changes of
homosexual men during sexual arousal. We used functional MR imaging (fMRI) to
determine whether the patterns of brain activation in homosexual and
heterosexual men differed during visually evoked sexual arousal.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: To all the subjects (10 homosexual and 10 heterosexual), real-time
visual stimulation was provided by 3-minute exposure to 3 types of erotic film:
heterosexual couples (F-M), male homosexual couples (M-M), and female homosexual
couples (F-F) engaged in sexual activity, during which time fMRI was used to
determine the patterns of brain activation. Self-reports of level of sexual
arousal were collected immediately afterward. RESULTS: Statistical parametric
mapping showed that viewing erotic film excerpts that induced sexual arousal was
associated, in both groups, with activation of the middle prefrontal gyrus,
bilateral temporal lobe and postcentral gyrus, thalamus, insula, vermis, left
precuneus, occipital cortex, parietal cortex, and cerebellum. In homosexual men,
the left angular gyrus, left caudate nucleus, and right pallidum were activated;
in contrast, heterosexual men showed no activation in these regions. However,
heterosexual men showed activation in the bilateral lingual gyrus, right
hippocampus, and right parahippocampal gyrus, areas not activated in homosexual
men. In both groups, region-of-interest analysis revealed no correlation between
the magnitude of amygdala or thalamus activation and the reported level of
sexual arousal.

CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that different neural circuits
are active during sexual arousal in homosexual and heterosexual men and may
contribute to a better understanding of the neural basis of male sexual
orientation.

PMID: 18768725 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Sinema bringing back Women who love Women: Conversations in Singapore in September

TodayOnline: Softly spoken at the Corner (Sept 2 2008)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Softly spoken at the Corner

Tuesday • September 2, 2008

Tan Hui Leng

huileng@mediacorp.com.sg

THUS was a milestone in free expression marked: A lone businessman putting up posters to draw attention to failed overseas investments, and a group staging an express demonstration on the plight of abused maids.

But if such fledgling efforts at public demonstrations were disappointing to some who turned up expecting far more fire, at least, it was not the no-show that had been expected originally.

At about 9am yesterday — the first day that rules were relaxed at Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park — 52-year-old businessman Teng Liang Huat registered to put up an exhibition that afternoon.

And at the last minute, non-profit group Hearers of Cries, which had earlier registered its evening event as a speech, decided to change this into a demonstration instead, complete with banners.

Much fanfare had led up to the liberalisation of rules: A police permit was no longer needed to speak at the park, visual aids were allowed as were sound amplifiers. Scenarios such as the burning of political effigies or a gay pride parade had seemed real possibilities, with authorities not objecting when these were suggested to them.

So it was that many, like retiree Roger Poh, 61, dropped by in keen anticipation yesterday evening, to see what would take place.

Mr Poh, who came all the way from Jalan Kayu, felt short-changed by the 22-minute ‘demonstration’ from Hearer of Cries – it began with founder Mike Goh appealing for whistle-blowers on maid abuses, after which a volunteer dressed up as an abused maid (complete with paint-on bruises and neck brace) appealed for help.

The speeches lasted less than three minutes in all.

“I’m very disappointed, I expected more,” Mr Poh told TODAY. “I was hoping for demonstrations at the last minute on more controversial topics such as ERP, ministerial salaries and cost of living. This (maid abuse) issue is innocuous. It’s an anti-climax.”

Alan Tan bemoaned the turnout of about 30 to 40 persons. “I though all of Singapore knew, why are they not here?” asked the 50-year-old teacher. “It’s Teacher’s Day today – we should see more students and teachers. Are they scared or are they just not interested?”

And where was the opposition, or other local activists, some wondered.

As Mr Poh said: “It’s the first day and all the media is here; it’s the perfect opportunity to be heard.”

SUBHD: ‘Hopefully someone can help me’

Some expressed pessimism over whether interest in Hong Lim Park could be sustained.

One or two in the crowd were heard mumbling that it would likely “die a natural death” – the same way that Speaker’s Corner had opened on Sept 1, 2000 with a bang that quickly sizzled out, some said largely due to its out-of-the-way location.

Architect Foo Siew Mun, for one, believes that the Internet is now the focal point as a new-age discussion forum and real live demonstrations have become less effective in pushing causes.

But for individuals like Mr Teng – who literally put his name in the record books when he registered to put up posters yesterday – it was a way to vent his frustrations.

Between 1pm and 5pm, he put up hundreds of notices in Chinese typeface, expounding on Singapore businessmen’s misadventures overseas and the bureaucratic red-tape faced. He had apparently run into legal issues when investing in a property overseas.

“I’m using this as a platform to voice my concerns about issues and hopefully, somebody can help me out,” said Mr Teng, who had learnt about the looser rules at Speakers’ Corner only the day before.

He was approached by members of the media, curious tourists and other passers-by, like law student Kerushnan who had dropped by with friends to see if there was “any action”.

Mr Kerushnan, 38, was upbeat about the opportunity for the man in the street to voice his opinions and concerns. Unfortunately, the second event of the day ended too early for the student who had classes in the evening – Hearer of Cries had registered for their demonstration to end at 9pm, but started packing up before 7.25pm.

The seven-member group, which set up a website in 2002, encourages the public to report maid abuse and offers vouchers as rewards. Founder Mr Goh appeared a tad overwhelmed by the keen media attention and declined to elaborate much on the organisation, refering reporters instead to its website.

“Everyone of us here can play apart to prevent maid abuse,” he said, and yesterday’s demonstration was a small start – the group intends to use Speakers’ Corner as a regular platform to spread its message.

After all, as architect Mr Foo put it succintly: “It’s a start.”

And a soft one at that.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Watch the Documentary! Now Online!

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