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)

SAFE Statement - Repeal of 377A

SAFE had issued a statement when the government had asked for feedback for the proposed amendments to the Penal Code in December 2006.

The Penal Code (Amendment) Bill will be read in Parliament a second time on 22 October. If there is enough debate, the Bill will go to a Select Committee where there will be more consultations and written submissions can be made by members of the public. Otherwise, the Bill will simply pass through to the Third Reading when it will be passed with little debate.

SAFE is firmly of the option that s377A of the Penal Code should be repealed together with s377 which criminalises oral and anal sex between heterosexuals. To repeal the law for heterosexuals but to retain it for
homosexuals is discriminatory and unconscionable. With Singapore's claim to be a "renaissance" and open city, there is no place for a law that regulates consenting adults' sexuality expressed in private.

Further, we are strongly against any law that makes the people we love and respect, that is, our gay sons, brothers, grandsons, nephews and male friends, "criminals" for loving another person of the same sex.

SAFE supports the website http://www.repeal377a.com/. Please sign the online letter to the Prime Minister calling for a repeal at AND download the petition, sign the signing page and return to one of the collection points by Sunday 14 October. Time is running out, please act now.

Whether or not s377A is repealed, it is important for our voice to be heard in a democratic process.

ST Forum: Whether Heterosexual or Gay, Treat All Equally

SAFE is a group of family and friends who affirm and support gay and transgendered people as persons with equal rights to respect, dignity, acceptance and empowerment in society.

We are writing to express our thanks to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for his recent comments at the dialogue with Young PAP and in the interview with Reuters.

We appreciate the two cogent points he made:

That homosexuality is a genetic variation, not an aberration.

That the law against homosexual acts is outmoded.

We at SAFE are hopeful that the law that criminalises homosexual acts will be abolished. Whether heterosexual or gay, we believe that all Singapore citizens and residents should be treated equally under the law.

We cannot agree with a law that proclaims our sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews, uncles, relatives and friends as criminals for a propensity that is not of their volition, is innocuous and part of their private lives. For far too long our gay loved ones from a young age have suffered deep internalised oppression, often resulting in the disintegration of family, compromised relationships, low self-esteem, stunted maturity and unavoidable deceitfulness.

We support the decriminalisation of oral and anal sex as proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and ask that it apply equally to all consenting adults.

Homosexual men and women enrich our lives through their participation in business, the professions, the arts and government. As we focus on the richness gay people bring to our lives and our love and support for them, we not only liberate them, but we also become a society committed to the Asian values of real family.

Susan Yap Siu Sen (Ms)
Founding member
S A F E
Supporting, Affirming & Empowering our lgbtQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, questioning) friends and family

SAFE Singapore responds to MM Lee on his comments in Reuters

PRESS RELEASE
27 April 2007

SAFE is a group of family and friends who affirm and support gay and transgendered people as persons with equal rights to respect, dignity, acceptance and empowerment in society.

We are writing to express our appreciation and thanks to MM Lee for his recent comments at the dialogue with Young PAP and the interview with Reuters.

We appreciate the two cogent points he made,
1. That homosexuals are born with this propensity and not by choice. It is a genetic variation, not an aberration.
2. That the existing criminal law against homosexual acts in the Penal Code is outmoded.

We at SAFE fully agree with and support these points and are hopeful that the law that criminalises homosexual acts will be abolished in the proposed amendments to the Penal Code. We see this as a logical and responsible next step.

As with all complex human traits and behaviours such as intelligence, homosexuality is probably a result of many factors. Rather than arguing about whether particular genes can be found for these traits and behaviours, we should continue to accept our fellow Singaporean citizens and residents who deserve the same rights to respect, dignity, acceptance and empowerment as everyone else, and to be treated equally under the law.

We cannot agree with a law that proclaims our sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews, uncles, relatives and friends are criminals for a propensity that is not of their volition, is innocuous and part of their private lives. For far too long our gay loved ones from a young age, have suffered deep internalized oppression, often resulting in the disintegration of family, compromised relationships, low self-esteem, stunted maturity and unavoidable deceitfulness.

We therefore support the proposed decriminalisation of oral and anal sex as proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs this past November, and ask that it apply equally to all consenting adults.

Since the 1970s, the law has been used in Singapore as an educational tool; we implore the Government to use it again for the same purpose. This will be a first step in educating the public on the nature of homosexuality, educating them to become more understanding, respectful and accepting of our human diversity.

The homosexual community is an essential element in the tapestry of peoples that make Singapore such a unique and cosmopolitan community. Homosexual men and women enrich our lives through their participation in business, the professions, the arts, and government. They are our sons and daughters, colleagues, neighbors, and friends.

Legal discrimination against homosexuals is unfortunate, outdated, and regrettable. It tells them that they are less than fully welcome; that their participation in Singapore life is subject to government forbearance. It diminishes the entire Singaporean community by allowing laws to stand that criminalise many of our fellow citizens. While contributing to intolerance it leaves the government and legal authorities open to the charge of being hypocritical for not enforcing a standing law.

As we focus on the richness gay people bring to our lives and our love and support for them, we not only liberate them, we also become a society committed to the Asian values of real family – strong, whole and committed to love against all odds.

AFP: Singapore firm claims cure for HIV, but told to hold tests

Singapore firm claims cure for HIV, but told to hold tests

January 21 2003

A Singaporean pharmaceutical firm specialising in traditional Chinese medicine said today that it was ready to test and market pills that can cure the virus that causes AIDS.

Richard Ong, managing director of Herose Pharma International, said trials conducted on AIDS patients in Cambodia five years ago using pills originally designed for skin disorders yielded positive results.

"We did some testing on AIDS patients in Cambodia in 1998," Ong told AFP.

"We found that it is positive ... the patients experienced recovery in their conditions," he said.

But health officials in the city-state have warned the company to hold off on planned human trials until it gets official permission.

The AIDS sufferers in Cambodia who took part in the testing experienced healthier appetites and became stronger after taking the pills used in treating psoriasis, a skin disorder that causes red scaly patches, Ong said.

The medication was developed by Tang Jianhua, a Chinese doctor, he said.

"It is his heart's desire to cure HIV," Ong said, referring to Human Immuno-deficiency Virus which leads to the deadly Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

But the company's attempt to carry out similar trials in Singapore has hit a glitch as it does not yet have approval from health authorities.

The company, which placed advertisements earlier this month asking HIV-positive volunteers to participate in a trial, has been ordered by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to stop doing so, Ong said.

"We really do not know (it was against the law) as it was just a clinical study," he said.

HSA officials could not be reached for comment but a spokesman was quoted in the Straits Times newspaper today as saying that "the company has not commenced the trial and was only starting to recruit volunteers".

"HSA has ordered the company to stop its advertisement as well as any other recruitment," the spokesman said.

The HSA last year ordered a Chinese-made diet pill to be taken off the market after it was linked to one death and several cases of serious illness.

The Straits Times said local AIDS activists were sceptical of the company's claims.

AFP