Background Vocals Queerness Mainstream Singapore Culture S Queerness

Background Vocals Queerness & Mainstream Singapore Culture S

Queerness & Singapore Culture S I. Subculture (1950 s-1980 s) S II. High Culture (1980 s-2000 s) S III. Mainstream Culture (2000 s? -)

June 4, 2015 PM Lee Hsien. Loong to Antonio Velasquez from ABS-CNN “No, I do not think Singapore is ready … In Singapore, there is a range of views. There are gay groups in Singapore, there are gay people in Singapore and they have a place to stay here and we let them live their own lives. And we do not harass them or discriminate against them. ” “There is a trend in developed countries. In America, they have gay marriage. It is state by state. Not all states have agreed. In Europe, some countries have done it. . . but there was big considerable resistance… Even in America, there is a very strong pushback from conservative groups against the idea. ”

Penal Code, Section 377 A S Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.

Chinese traditions

Indian traditions

Southeast Asian traditions Nation MTF term Cambodia Kteuy Indonesia Waria, banci, bénco ng Malaysia Maknyah Myanmar Meinasha Philippines Bakla, bading Thailand Kathoey Vietnam Bónglô

Sacred transgenders (Clockwise from top) - Bissu, Sulawesi - Dao Mau shaman, Vietnam - Nat gadaw,

I. Subculture (1950 s-1980 s) Bugis Street

Early gay spots S Criterion (1950 s-1960 s) S Boat Quay (1970 s-1990 s) S Hong Lim Park (1950 s-1990 s) S Esplanade Park (1970 s-2000 s) S Golden Venus (1960 s) S Shadows, Mamota, Legend, S Le Bistro and Pebbles Bar (1970 s) S Treetops Bar and The Hangar (1970 s-1980 s) Niche (1980 s) S Fort Road Beach (1980 s-1990 s S Shopping mall toilets (1970 s-)

First “sex-change” surgery, 1971 Dr SS Ratnam Dr Tsoi Wing Foo Benjamin Sheares

Women’s Charter Amendment, 1996 S • Avoidance of marriages between persons of same sex. 12. (1) A marriage solemnized in Singapore or elsewhere between persons who, at the date of the marriage, are not respectively male and female shall be void. (2) It is hereby declared that, subject to sections 5, 9, 10, 11 and 22, a marriage solemnized in Singapore or elsewhere between a person who has undergone a sex re-assignment procedure and any person of the opposite sex is and shall be deemed always to have been a valid marriage. (3) For the purpose of this section (a) the sex of any party to a marriage as stated at the time of the marriage in his or her identity card issued under the National Registration Act (Cap. 201) shall be prima facie evidence of the sex of the party; and (b) a person who has undergone a sex re-assignment procedure shall be identified as being of the sex to which the person has been re-assigned. [30/96] (4) Nothing in subsection (2) shall validate any such marriage which had been declared by the High Court before 1 st May 1997 to be null and void on the ground that the parties were of the same sex.

II. High Culture (1980 s 2000 s) Goh. Choo San

Queer plays of 1988 Ten Little Indians/ As If He Hears by. Chay Yew Jackson on a Jaunt by. Eleanor Wong Lest the Demons Get to Me by. Russell Heng

S “Homosexuality is portrayed as a natural and acceptable form of sexuality in the play. My ministry will not want to be a joint presenter of the play in its present form. This is in line with the government’s campaign against Aids [sic], and homosexuality is one of its main causes. Homosexuality in Singapore is objectionable. ” - Ng Yew Kang, Director, Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Cultural Development, 1988

LGBT texts 1989 -1995 1989: Rigor Mortis by Haresh. Sharma 1993: The Mouse Marathon by Ovidia Yu Liwatby Nizam. Rahman Sisterhood: New Moons in San Francisco 1990: Excuse Me, Are You a Model by Joash Moo by Bonny Hicks The Lady of Soul and Her Ultimate S-Machin Sisterhood: The Untold Story by Tan Tarn How by Joash Moo 1991: Glass Roots (Don’t Step on Them) Mergers and Accusations by Eleanor Wong Different Strokes by David Leo by Haresh Sharma 1994: Glass Cathedral by Andrew Koh Marrying by Ovidia Yu Bugis Street: The Novel Imagine by Ovidia Yu by Koh Buck Song and Tan Hwee. Hua 异族／Different Tribe by Otto Fong 1995: Purple by Goh Boon Teck �����/Akka by G. Selvanathan Wills and Secession by Eleanor Wong 1992: Peculiar Chris by Johann S. Lee A Language of Their Own by Chay Yew Three Fat Virgins Unassembled by Ovidia Yu Eston by Stella Kon Private Parts by Michael Chiang Abraham’s Promise by Philip Jeyaratnam Porcelain by Chay. Yew 后代／The Next Generation by Lim Soon Lan

Jimmy Ong, 1990

Josef Ng, 1993

The Substation/PLU

Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida

Internet, 1995 S Sig. Nel, 1997 S Red. QUEEN!, 1998 S Safe Haven/ Free Community Church, 1998 S Yawning Bread, 1998 S Sg. Boy/Trevvy, 1999 S Fridae, 2001

Kumar Tanjong. Pagar

Jason Wee Alfian. Sa’at

Loo. Zihan, Solos, 2007 Olivia Yan, 傻孩子/Silly Child, 2008

III. Mainstream Culture (2000 s-? ) Pink. Dot, 2009 -present https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=S 1 d. QCsf. EJ 5 o

Nation Party 2001 -2004 Indig. Nation, 2005 -present

Section 377 A challenges: 2007, 2011 -2014 Siew. Kum Hong M Ravi

S “De facto, gays have a lot of space in Singapore. Gay groups hold public discussions. They publish websites. I have visited some of them. There are films and plays on gay themes. In fact, sometimes people ask, “Why are there so many? Aren’t there other subjects in the world? ” But since we have allowed it in the last few years, maybe this is a letting off of pressure. Eventually, we will find a better balance. There are gay bars and clubs. They exist. We know where they are. Everybody knows where they are. They do not have to go underground. We do not harass gays. The Government does not act as moral policemen. And we do not proactively enforce section 377 A on them. ” - Lee Hsien. Loong

IPS Survey, 2014

Wear White Movement

AWARE Saga 2009 Penguin. Gate 2014

Vincent Wijeysingha Roy Ngerng

EU Day, 2014 Jean Chong