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