Homosexuality in Singapore
Encyclopedia
There are no statistics on how many gay people there are in Singapore or what percentage of the population they constitute. Section 377A of the Penal Code (Singapore) criminalizes "gross indecency" between men which includes consensual, private, adult homosexual acts. The penalty is up to two years' imprisonment.
-positive status, thus giving a face to an affliction which mainstream society considered remote from possible encounter. He came out on 12 December 1998 during the First National AIDS Conference in Singapore. He identified his orientation as bisexual
. His plight was dramatised in a play called "Completely With/Out Character" produced by The Necessary Stage
, directed by Alvin Tan
and written by Haresh Sharma
, staged from 10–17 May 1999. He died on 21 August 1999, shortly after the play's run ended.
personalities and cross-dressing
artistes are listed in the main article Transgender people in Singapore
.
A non-denominational
church which welcomes all people regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or economic status. It conducts Sunday services at 10:30 am.
Singapore's first GLBT Centre for sexual minorities used to operate out of Bianco (above Mox Bar & Cafe) every Saturday from 4-8pm. However, after the closure of these venues in April 2008, it relocated to a terrace house in Rowell Road, in the Serangoon area. Specially organised events are held every 2nd Saturday of the month. Email contact@pelangipridecentre.org for more information. PPC features an extensive library of local and international gay literature, whose catalogue can be searched online
, and an archive of Singapore gay history
and culture.
Founded in 1990 by the late Kuo Pao Kun
, it is Singapore's first independent contemporary arts centre, centrally located in the civic district. Its sub-sections include a black box theater
, a gallery, a dance studio, the Blue Room and two multi-function classrooms. It was the venue for the nascent PLU Sunday meetings in the early 90s. The historic PLU 2 pre-registration discussion was also held in the Blue Room in 2003.
The topmost floor is a vault-like loft under the same management as MOX Bar & Café. It seats up to 150 people and is suitable for exhibitions, fashion shows, and performances. It was the former location of the Sunday services of the Free Community Church (from 2002 to 2004) and Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble http://www.toyfactory.org.sg/index2.htm(from 2004 to 2005). Currently, it houses Bianco
which contains a small bar and has an all-white decor. Dr. Russell Heng's talk When Queens Ruled! A History of Gay Venues in Singapore was held here on 16 August 05 as part of IndigNation.
It provides exhibition space and management services to local and Asian artists, and photographers. Utterly Art was the venue for the opening event of IndigNation - an exhibition of paintings by artist Martin Loh entitled Cerita Budak-Budak, meaning 'children's stories' in Peranakan
Malay
. The event was followed up with Contra/Diction - A Night with Gay Poets held on 4 August 05, Singapore's first public gay poetry reading session which was attended by over 70 people, with standing room only.
Paddy Chew
Chew was the first Singaporean to publicly declare his HIVHIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
-positive status, thus giving a face to an affliction which mainstream society considered remote from possible encounter. He came out on 12 December 1998 during the First National AIDS Conference in Singapore. He identified his orientation as bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
. His plight was dramatised in a play called "Completely With/Out Character" produced by The Necessary Stage
The Necessary Stage
The Necessary Stage is a non-profit theatre company with charity status in Singapore. Formed in 1987 by current Artistic Director Alvin Tan, The Necessary Stage has been identified as one of the Major Arts Companies by the National Arts Council. The company is also the organiser and curator of the...
, directed by Alvin Tan
Alvin Tan
Alvin Tan is Founder and Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage and co-Artistic Director of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. Under Alvin, TNS has grown from a society in 1987 to one of Singapore’s most prominent and respected theatre companies...
and written by Haresh Sharma
Haresh Sharma
Haresh Sharma is a Singaporean playwright. To date, he has written more than fifty plays that have been staged all over the world, including Singapore, Melbourne, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cairo and London. Sharma has a BA from the National University of Singapore as well as an MA in Playwriting from...
, staged from 10–17 May 1999. He died on 21 August 1999, shortly after the play's run ended.
Arthur Yap
Yap was arguably Singapore's finest poet, influential amongst the later generations of Singaporean writers. He won the 1983 Singapore Cultural Medallion for Literature. He died of laryngeal carcinoma on 19 June 2006, bequeathing $500,000/-, part of his estate which included his apartment off Killiney Road, to the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCSS) where he was a patient. http://www.todayonline.com/articles/264684.asp- Read Yawning Bread's article on Yap's life:http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2006/yax-618.htm
Contemporary
The following categorisations are arbitrary as most of the LGB individuals listed are active in more than one field. TransgenderTransgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
personalities and cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
artistes are listed in the main article Transgender people in Singapore
Transgender people in Singapore
The history and subculture surrounding Transgender people in Singapore is substantial. Not immediately apparent to Singapore's mainstream society is the fact that the gay community sees itself as a totally separate entity from the transgender communities...
.
Arts personalities
- Cyril WongCyril WongCyril Wong is the author of nine volumes of poetry and one collection of prose.- Biography:Born in 1977, Cyril Wong attended Saint Patrick's School, Singapore and Temasek Junior College, before pursuing a doctoral degree in English literature from the National University of Singapore...
, poet.
- Alfian Sa'atAlfian Sa'atAlfian bin Sa'at is a Singaporean writer, poet and playwright. He is a Muslim of Minangkabau, Javanese and Hakka descent,. He is known for his provocative works and is often referred to as his country's enfant terrible.-Early life:...
- writer, poet and playwright. He has a weekly column on gay website TrevvyTrevvyTREVVY started in August 2006 through a re-branding exercise of Singapore's first gay portal . has over 120,000 registered users and counts renowned international brands such as Nivea, Nike, New Balance, Sony BMG, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, L'Oreal and British Airways amongst its growing slate...
titled, "Iced Bandung".
- Ng Yi-ShengNg Yi-ShengNg Yi-Sheng is a Singaporean gay writer. He has published a collection of his poems entitled "last boy" and a documentary book on gay, lesbian and bisexual Singaporeans called SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century in 2006....
, writer and performance artist. Ng is the author of "SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century" and Last Boy, a collection of personally written poems including gay-themed ones. He also contributes articles to Fridae.com on a regular basis (see bibliography) and is currently working on several plays.
- Royston TanRoyston TanRoyston Tan is a Singaporean filmmaker.Tan is a graduate from Temasek Polytechnic, where he took a course in Visual Communication. He first came into prominence through his short films: Sons , Hock Hiap Leong , 48 on AIDS , Mother and 15...
, the highly acclaimed and award-winning enfant terrible of Singaporean cinema.
Singapore gay venues
(See the main article Singapore gay venues: contemporary for more information, photographs and links. For a discussion of places where gay people used to socialise or cruise, see the article Singapore gay venues: historical).Non-commercial/non-sexual venues
- The Free Community Church http://www.freecomchurch.org/
A non-denominational
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
church which welcomes all people regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or economic status. It conducts Sunday services at 10:30 am.
- Pelangi Pride Centre (PPC)http://www.pelangipridecentre.org/
Singapore's first GLBT Centre for sexual minorities used to operate out of Bianco (above Mox Bar & Cafe) every Saturday from 4-8pm. However, after the closure of these venues in April 2008, it relocated to a terrace house in Rowell Road, in the Serangoon area. Specially organised events are held every 2nd Saturday of the month. Email contact@pelangipridecentre.org for more information. PPC features an extensive library of local and international gay literature, whose catalogue can be searched online
ONLINE
ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....
, and an archive of Singapore gay history
LGBT history in Singapore
-Pre-Colonial period :Relatively little is known about pre-colonial Singapore, let alone the history of homosexuality during this period...
and culture.
Arts venues
The following list consists of exhibition and performance venues where many works dealing with LGBT themes or by LGBT arts practitioners have been held. However, they are not exclusively used for such purposes.- The SubstationThe SubstationThe Substation is Singapore's first and only independent contemporary arts centre. It was founded in 1990 by Kuo Pao Kun.The Substation is centrally located in the city's civic district. Venues at The Substation for hire include a black-box theatre, a gallery, a dance studio, the Random Room and...
(website)
Founded in 1990 by the late Kuo Pao Kun
Kuo Pao Kun
Kuo Pao Kun was a playwright, theatre director, and arts activist in Singapore who wrote and directed both Mandarin and English plays. He founded three arts and drama centres in Singapore, conducted and organised a number of drama seminars and workshops, and mentored Singaporean and foreign...
, it is Singapore's first independent contemporary arts centre, centrally located in the civic district. Its sub-sections include a black box theater
Black box theater
The black box theater is a relatively recent innovation, consisting of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor.-History:...
, a gallery, a dance studio, the Blue Room and two multi-function classrooms. It was the venue for the nascent PLU Sunday meetings in the early 90s. The historic PLU 2 pre-registration discussion was also held in the Blue Room in 2003.
- A growing arts, entertainment and lifestyle block managed by Guan Seng Kee Pte Ltd, which houses the following establishments:
- Space 21: an unrenovated 1950 sq ft (181.2 m²) art space and multi-function hall situated on level 3, the second home of Utterly Art.
- MOX Bar & Café (website) on level 4.
- BiancoBiancoBianco is a town and comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria,in southern Italy. It is a seaside town and a popular tourist resort. The main attractions are the remainings of an old...
(formerly known as The Attic).
The topmost floor is a vault-like loft under the same management as MOX Bar & Café. It seats up to 150 people and is suitable for exhibitions, fashion shows, and performances. It was the former location of the Sunday services of the Free Community Church (from 2002 to 2004) and Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble http://www.toyfactory.org.sg/index2.htm(from 2004 to 2005). Currently, it houses Bianco
Bianco
Bianco is a town and comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria,in southern Italy. It is a seaside town and a popular tourist resort. The main attractions are the remainings of an old...
which contains a small bar and has an all-white decor. Dr. Russell Heng's talk When Queens Ruled! A History of Gay Venues in Singapore was held here on 16 August 05 as part of IndigNation.
- Utterly Art (website)
It provides exhibition space and management services to local and Asian artists, and photographers. Utterly Art was the venue for the opening event of IndigNation - an exhibition of paintings by artist Martin Loh entitled Cerita Budak-Budak, meaning 'children's stories' in Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
. The event was followed up with Contra/Diction - A Night with Gay Poets held on 4 August 05, Singapore's first public gay poetry reading session which was attended by over 70 people, with standing room only.
See also
- LGBT history in SingaporeLGBT history in Singapore-Pre-Colonial period :Relatively little is known about pre-colonial Singapore, let alone the history of homosexuality during this period...
- Human male sexualityHuman male sexualityHuman male sexuality covers physiological, psychological, social, cultural, and political aspects of the human male sexual response and related phenomenon...
External links and references
- The Yawning Bread website: http://yawningbread.wordpress.com/,http://www.yawningbread.org/index2.htm
- TrevvyTrevvyTREVVY started in August 2006 through a re-branding exercise of Singapore's first gay portal . has over 120,000 registered users and counts renowned international brands such as Nivea, Nike, New Balance, Sony BMG, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, L'Oreal and British Airways amongst its growing slate...
(formerly SGBOY): http://www.trevvy.com/ - Fridae.com: http://www.fridae.com/index.php?6708&¬login
- Utopia's Singapore listings: http://www.utopia-asia.com/tipssing.htm
- An archive of local and international LGBT-related video and newsclips shown on Singapore television on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E024DF324928BFDC and Google VideoGoogle VideoGoogle Videos is a video search engine, and formerly a free video sharing website, from Google Inc. Before removing user-uploaded content, the service allowed selected videos to be remotely embedded on other websites and provided the necessary HTML code alongside the media, similar to YouTube...
: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6415708530651271619, and video recordings of LGBT events held in Singapore: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=B8A7F3D4B67630E5. - Profusely illustrated original versions and backups of deleted Wikipedia articles regarding Singaporean LGBT culture on SgWiki: http://www.sgwiki.com/wiki/Homosexuality_in_Singapore
- Blowing Wind Gay Forum: http://www.blowingwind.org/
- Sayoni: http://www.sayoni.com/ - Singapore-based organisation for Asian queer women
- Singapore sexual slang
- Lee Kuan YewLee Kuan YewLee Kuan Yew, GCMG, CH is a Singaporean statesman. He was the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore, governing for three decades...
's views on homosexuality: http://www.sgwiki.com/wiki/Lee_Kuan_Yew%27s_views_on_homosexuality