Asian Gays Party in Singapore Despite Tough Laws (Reuters)
8 Aug, 2004
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Some 6,000 people turned out for the start of a three-day gay and lesbian festival in Singapore -- where homosexual acts are still illegal -- making it Asia's largest gay event, its organizers said Sunday.
"Nation.04" -- a festival of international DJs, podium dancers, pumping music and muscular boys stripping off their tops on packed dance floors -- has increased in size every year since it was launched four years ago, said organizer Stuart Koe.
"Last night's turnout was really higher than expected," he told Reuters. About half the 6,000 were foreigners from other Asian countries and the United States, said Koe, who runs Fridae.com, Singapore's main gay and lesbian Web site.
The size made it Asia's largest known gay festival, he said.
The festival is at odds with Singapore's image as a strait-laced city state, but the government has turned a blind eye to the growth of an entertainment industry catering for homosexuals, quietly acknowledging the potential of the "pink dollar." Singapore still has a law that criminalizes consensual homosexual acts -- Penal Code section 377A states that acts of "gross indecency" between two men are punishable by up to two years in jail.
But in January the government said it planned to review its sex laws, and would probably decriminalize oral sex -- but only between men and women.
Nation.04 kicked off with a "Make Love Not War" party on Saturday, a politically loaded theme in a country where organized protests are illegal without a permit and where the government staunchly supported the U.S.-led war on Iraq.
"Singapore is making very big moves in liberalizing. People here feel a lot more empowered than before to take risks and to speak their minds," gay rights activist Alex Au told Reuters.
Most Singaporeans expect the gradual relaxation in social controls and official attitudes toward alternative lifestyles to continue, though relations between the gay community and the state remain awkward, partly because of the sex and censorship laws.
I have to say something about myself. Sometimes it is hard to introduce yourself because you know yourself so well that you do not know where to start with. Let me give a try to see what kind of image you have about me through my self-description. I hope that my impression about myself and your impression about me are not so different. Here it goes. I am a person who is positive about every aspect of life. There are many things I like to do, to see, and to experience. I like to read, I like to write; I like to think, I like to dream; I like to talk, I like to listen. I like to see the sunrise in the morning, I like to see the moonlight at night; I like to feel the music flowing on my face, I like to smell the wind coming from the ocean. I like to look at the clouds in the sky with a blank mind, I like to do thought experiment when I cannot sleep in the middle of the night. I like flowers in spring, rain in summer, leaves in autumn, and snow in winter. I like to sleep early, I like to get up late; I like to be alone, I like to be surrounded by people. I like country’s peace, I like metropolis’ noise; I like the beautiful west lake in Hangzhou, I like the flat cornfield in Champaign. I like delicious food and comfortable shoes; I like good books and romantic movies. I like the land and the nature, I like people. And, I like to laugh. I always wanted to be a great writer, like Victor Hugo who wrote "Les Miserable", or like Roman Roland who wrote "John Christopher". They have influenced millions of people through their books. I also wanted to be a great psychologist, like William James or Sigmund Freud, who could read people’s mind. Of course, I am nowhere close to these people, yet. I am just someone who does his thing his own way,But my dream is still alive.I believe that if your not busy living then you are busy not living. NB:Not interested in cam or hookups. I am real, you be real, too.
男性 | 34 | 5' 11"180cm / 165lbs75kg | 混血兒
New York City, New York, United States
對象為男生作為拍拖對象
在線上: 一分鐘前
saywhatyouwant
hi...
男性 | 43 | 5' 6"167cm | 菲律賓人
Los Angeles, California, United States
對象為任何人作為朋友, 拍拖對象, 傾偈對象
在線上: 一日前
warmheartiii
I'm a relationship oriented guy. Versatile, HIV-, no drugs, no drama. Love to laugh. Live right on a lake and enjoy the water. Love to explore, and the DC area has lots of interesting things to see and do. Looking for a decent looking guy, 24 - 39, whose mind is working, has a decent sense of humor and some adventure in him. Someone who says what he means and means what he says.