Reuters: Gay Culture in Singapore

Sun Mar 7, 2004 12:07 AM ET
By Sophie Hares
SINGAPORE (Reuters)

In the dark studio at Singapore's spiky-roofed Esplanade theatre, 200 people packed tightly on to benches to watch a witty and poignant tale of gay life, love and loss being played out on a minimalist stage.

The content would barely raise an eyebrow in New York, London or Sydney, but the sell-out play featuring nudity and kissing signals the tentative start to a more liberalised era in strait-laced
Singapore.

With its soaring skyline and high-tech living, Singapore has claimed a place among the world's most modern cities, but government policy and social mores in the wealthy, multi-cultural island state are famously conservative.

There are signs, however, of low-key policy changes and budding tolerance for a thriving gay community in a country whose censorship laws are so strict that even brief glimpses of nudity are routinely cut from commercial movie releases.

"The scene has blossomed over the past five or six years, as the government has chosen to close one eye to the development of an entertainment industry catering to the gay crowd," said Alex Au from gay group People Like Us, which Singapore refuses to register as a society.

Podium dancers, pumping music and muscular boys stripping off their tops on packed dancefloors have long been a feature of busy gay clubs around Singapore's Chinatown.

But now gay-oriented karaoke lounges, saunas, cafes and bars are opening, and businesses are fast realising the so-called "pink dollar" is a lucrative market waiting to be tapped.

Airlines, car and credit card firms, and property developers promoting upmarket apartments have launched subtle marketing strategies to court gays and lesbians, who are often perceived as
high-earners with plenty of disposable income.

Among the bolder signs of change are a growing calendar of plays with themes of alternative lifestyles played out in mainstream venues such as the new Esplanade theatre, nicknamed the "durian" for its resemblance to the pungent, spiky fruit.

"The audiences do see in these plays the dilemma of what it means to be gay in straight Singapore," said Ivan Heng, director of "Landmarks: Asian Boys Vol.2", which opened at the theatre in early February.

"There seems to be much more freedom than there used to be, but as long as laws criminalise consensual acts between adults, it's still got some way to go."

LEGAL HURDLE
Some now talk of Singapore usurping hedonistic Bangkok as Asia's gay capital after the wealthy island hosted a dance party known as "Nation" in August that drew nearly 5,000 people from around the world, an event unimaginable just a few years ago.

"Singapore's a very functionalist society. I don't think it has anything to do with issues of morality or anything like that," said Charmaine Tan, 27.

"In the end, the issue of economics will always override everything else."

Singapore quietly admitted last year that gay people could now be employed in the civil service without fear of discrimination -- another move almost unthinkable in the past.

But while there may be encouraging signs of change, the gay community in Singapore enjoys few of the freedoms of cities such as Sydney, with its huge Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade, or Amsterdam, where same-sex couples may marry and adopt children.

And there are no signs it will remove controversial section 377A from its Penal Code which says acts of "gross indecency" between two men are punishable by up to two years in jail.

There are no laws specifically targeted at lesbians.

"I think the government could do a lot more in terms of being courageous enough at least to invite debate on the issue," said one gay man who declined to be identified.

"Saying things like it's too sensitive, or we are an Asian society, are really euphemisms for intolerance."

PASSIVE RESISTANCE

Hiding their sexuality from friends and work colleagues for fear of recrimination is still par for the course for many gays and lesbians in Singapore.

"Because Singapore is primarily Chinese, there's the issue of filial piety, there's always the pressure to get married and perhaps it's even more so in an Asian country," said Tan.

Resistance by gay organisations to the government's policies is surprisingly passive as some fear outspoken protests could spark a crackdown on the small concessions already won.

"Singaporeans as a whole are not a very vocal, politically inclined bunch of people. Because they're not outspoken, there isn't the same kind of backlash," said Stuart Koe, head of Fridae.com, which runs Singapore's main gay and lesbian website.

"People aren't going to march on the streets. I don't think there's ever going to be a gay pride march here in Singapore."

Despite the slow pace of change, many remain optimistic the government will eventually be forced to make more concessions to the gay community to bring Singapore into line with other modern states.

Although how long that takes, will be anyone's guess.

"When we see 50 percent of people under 30 have a gay friendly attitude, we know that time is on our side. The biggest problem is that this government doesn't answer to the people," said Au of People Like Us.

365Gay.com: It’s a Crime to Be Gay but Singapore Wants Our Money

By Peter Hacker, Asia Bureau Chief

Singapore—Homosexuality in Singapore is punishable by up to two years in prison, but, a government run bank says it is going after the pink buck.

The DBS Bank announced this week it is looking into issuing a special credit card targeting the gay market. The bank points to studies showing that gays are “affluent” and that they support brands that touch them personally.

“If the market is big enough, we will consider it,” said Edmund Koh, head of consumer banking at DBS.

The Singapore government’s investment arm, Temasek Holdings, owns 28.8% of DBS.

Singapore’s government has recently refused to let the country’s largest gay rights group register as a society. Last month the government ordered Singapore’s only gay rights organization to disband.

Nevertheless, several mainstream Singapore businesses have begun chasing gay market and are pitching their services and products to homosexual customers.

The island’s Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong said that despite the official line, his administration would hire openly gay people.

AP: Singapore denies association rights to gay support group, orders to cease activities

Singapore denies association rights to gay support group, orders to cease activities

by Gillian Wong
Singapore - The Singapore government has denied freedom of association to a gay advocacy group and warned it to halt all activities, the group said Tuesday. The organization, People Like Us, has demanded that the government explain why it considers a support and advocacy group for gay people "unlawful, prejudicial to the public peace" and "contrary to the national interest," co-founder Alex Au said. "The world can rightly perceive Singapore to be an intolerant place that's refusing to move with the times," Au said.

The government warned in its formal rejection notice that the group must cease all activities, warning that members of unregistered societies face heavy punishments under the law, Au said. However, it did not specify the penalties. The Home Affairs Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

The group tried to register as a society in 1997 and was also refused, Au said. The group would follow the government's instructions and not hold further meetings, but as individuals they will continue to argue for equal rights, he said. The group will also appeal the decision to the home affairs minister, he said. People Like Us - which claims a membership of more than 1,000 - has been using the Internet to push for gay rights in the tightly controlled city-state. Singapore bans gay sex, defining it as "any act of gross indecency" - that is punishable by a maximum two years in jail - but there have been few prosecutions of homosexuals and Singaporeans are largely tolerant of gays.

ST: Finding love on the pink map--Gay Play 'Landmarks'

Finding love on the pink map--Gay Play 'Landmarks'

by Clarissa Oon
'Vampiric' is an unusual choice of word to describe the profession of a writer, but it suits Alfian Sa'at, who says he had been carrying around the skeleton of his latest play long before he actually wrote it. The heartfelt gay-themed stories in Landmarks, which opens on Wednesday, were drawn from 'a bit of me, a bit of my friends - men, women, gay, straight as well as asexual people'.

The 25-year-old National University of Singapore undergraduate adds with a grin: 'I do offer a consoling shoulder to friends who confide in me, but there are also the naughty moments when I do some note-taking at home later.' Landmarks' director Ivan Heng thinks far more people than just Alfian's mates will recognise themselves in the production, billed as a more poignant sequel to the playwright's burlesque hit from 2000, Asian Boys Vol 1.

Sure, the stories in the upcoming work will take audiences on a journey across Singapore's pink map, from the gay saunas of Ann Siang Hill to the cruising spots of Raffles City and Fort Road. But Heng, 40, thinks the play 'will reach out not only to the gay community but to anyone who has been in love, longed for it or got hurt by it'. The artistic director of Wild Rice theatre company had been a fan of Alfian's work since picking up his maiden poetry collection, One Fierce Hour (1998).

Heng approached the writer two years ago to create a new work together, and the outcome was Landmarks, which first appeared on the director's table in Feb last year. If Vol 1 attempted to rewrite Singapore history from a gay perspective in camp, tongue-in-cheek fashion, the sequel was inspired by geography, or what Alfian calls 'private and public spaces charged with encounters'.

Hopes, heartbreak and humiliation emerge from these eight stories, each lasting between eight to 18 minutes. They include the tantalising encounter of a 50-something uncle and a haughty young stud in a bathhouse, and the reflections of a man and woman whose lives are changed by the actual 1993 arrests of 12 gay men cruising off Fort Road.

Veteran actress Nora Samosir, who starred in Vol 1 as the fantasy goddess Agnes, joins the 17-member all-Singaporean cast of the sequel playing a mother trying to come to terms with her son's sexuality. Another highlight of the production is the use of stills of different locations in Singapore, taken by photographer Chris Yap. Despite ongoing gay-related controversies such as whether Section 377 of the Penal Code and its criminal prohibition of oral sex should be repealed, Alfian says Landmarks is driven by its characters, 'and if there are issues, they are inextricably a part of the character's lives'.

Topicality aside, Heng believes there is a universal quality to Alfian's writing. He says: 'It's very easy to say our plays must be 'global', but what exactly is that? 'As the playwright George Bernard Shaw said, 'The man who writes about himself and his own time, is the only man who writes about all people and all time'.' . Landmarks is on from Wednesday to Feb 15 at 8pm at the Esplanade's Theatre Studio. Tickets at $38 each available from Sistic (tel: 6348-5555).

ST: Gays' letter on oral sex fails to convince MPs, Legislators advise: Drop emotional approach

Gays' letter on oral sex fails to convince MPs, Legislators advise: Drop emotional approach

by Soh Wen Lin and Sue-Ann Chia
An emotionally charged appeal by a gay-rights group to decriminalise homosexual oral sex, made in an open letter to all MPs, has not swayed the legislators into changing their stance.

Several among the nine MPs contacted about last week's letter from the People Like Us activist group said society may not be ready for the group's agenda to be pushed, and that using tactics that played on emotions could dilute the issue. 'Such appeals from special interest groups are no surprise, but... these groups cannot push ahead of what wider society is able to support,' said Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines GRC).

Mr Arthur Fong (West Coast GRC) said that as the Government opens up, individuals and groups may try to raise particular issues. But he added: 'Those who use this avenue must respect the space of others as well.'

The group sent letters on Jan 21 to all MPs using Parliament as the mailing address. So most of those contacted yesterday had yet to read the mail. But copies were sent to the media and the letter was also posted on the group's website. In it, the group noted that changes being considered to the law banning oral sex between men and women appear likely to 'leave oral sex between two persons of the same sex as a criminal offence'.

In appealing for decriminalising oral sex between gays, the group took the approach of asking MPs to consider gays who might, it suggested, be family members. 'This does not apply to me or my family - we are all apt to say. We know our children are not gay - parents are apt to say. But the law of probability tells us some of you are going to be proven wrong,' said the letter.

'Supporting the continued criminalisation of homosexual sex between consenting adults is a violation of your love for your own children,' it concluded.

Dr Teo Ho Pin (Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC) said he would regard the letter as feedback which, if constructive, would be discussed. 'From there, the Government will have to take a position, in the interest of the whole community. As society progresses, new norms will develop. But we will still need to strike a balance and know where to draw the lines.'

But he did not think the reference to children of MPs, even if meant as an illustration, was 'the right way to do it'. 'Should we ask for 20 lifeguards for a swimming pool, because children drown and MPs also have children?' he asked. Said Mr Gan Kim Yong (Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC), who has two daughters, aged 12 and nine: 'Its main argument is there will be some homosexuals among us and our children, given statistical averages.

'However, I think the mere statistical presence of homosexuals among us does not make it the right thing to do and certainly does not imply fundamental shifts in societal norms.' Added Mr S. Iswaran (West Coast GRC): 'Using statistical probability, why stop at homosexuality? If there is a statistical probability that a certain percentage of people will be pick-pockets, that will include MPs' children and relatives as well. So then what?' Mr Gan also said the writers' personal approach showed they were 'trying to appeal to the paternal instinct of the reader rather than rational reasoning'. Mr Alex Au, one of the letter's three signatories, said they adopted the approach as a foil to what he described as the 'calculative, esoteric and clinical' arguments usually used in such debates.

'There are going to be gays in our circle. How do we face these loved ones, and justify ourselves?' he said. The MPs acknowledged that as social norms evolve, such appeals should be taken in stride. As Minister of State (Community Development and Sports) Chan Soo Sen put it: 'MPs are quite use to receiving such emotionally charged letters, it is part of democracy. As a policymaker, it is beneficial to listen to all views. It is our aim to cultivate an open political culture. But we cannot rule by consensus.'

BT: Catering to the trendy, well-heeled and the gays

Catering to the trendy, well-heeled-- and the gays:
High tea party at Lincoln Modern targeted at gay and lesbian singles and couples a first

by Andrea Tan and Daniel Buenas
Singapore - Simon Cheong's Lincoln Modern project has broken new ground - for the first time in Singapore, and probably Asia, a property developer is openly targeting its project at the gay community.

Mr Cheong's SC Global and Fridae, which bills itself as Asia's Gay + Lesbian Network, are jointly organising a 'special exclusive viewing' of the Newton condominium for the gay community. Singles and couples in the gay and lesbian community in Asia will be invited to the Sunday high tea party on Nov 23.

Apart from this, a private viewing can also be arranged through marketing agent Colliers International. Owning a piece of Lincoln Modern does not come cheap. The 30-storey, 56 'ultra-modern' units are designed by Chan Soo Khian of SCDA Architects. The two-bedroom units are priced at $1.3-1.5 million while three bedrooms go for $1.4-1.8 million, or an average price tag of $1,100 per square foot. The project was first released at the end of 2000 at just under $1,200 psf average.

There are 33 units left. Commenting on its marketing tack, an SC Global spokesman told BT: 'We have a duty to our shareholders to reach out to all segments of the market and to maximise the sales of our development, and it would include this community.' The Lincoln Modern is targeted at the 'trendy, glamorous and well-heeled urbanite'. Fridae said on its website that strong interest has been recorded by gay and lesbian individuals, expatriates and affluent Singaporeans.

'The Lincoln Modern as a product was conceived as a recognition that singles and couples who want housing that is well designed and fits their expectations of quality and lifestyle,' the SC Global spokesman added. 'We're just trying to reach a very specific segment of the market with this product. There's a very good match here.'

Lincoln Modern is inspired by the late architect Le Corbusier's signature interlocking system and has a six-metre high loft space in the living areas. Are there plans for such future events for other SC Global developments like The Ladyhill and BLVD at Boulevard? 'We have no organised marketing programme to target this community specifically,' the spokesman said. Other developers which have attracted the gay community's attention have been very discreet about their marketing activities.

'We don't particularly target this segment but a lot of the projects that we've done appeal to this group,' said property agent Hampden managing director Michael Ng. 'We do see quite a lot of alternate lifestyle people coming by. It's modern city-living in happening locations and near amenities.'