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1 Aug 2008

Singapore's Indignation begins Aug 1

For the fourth year in succession, Singapore's LGBT Pride Season opens tonight with an open house cocktail reception. The 2-week long event will run till Aug 19.

Featuring 17 events including forums, art exhibitions, readings of plays and other works, the festival will see the launch of SinQSA, the queer-straight alliance on Saturday, Aug 2. The event will be followed by a night hike organised by Adlus from midnight till dawn.

The Unofficial Pink Picnic - so termed because the event was banned by the National Parks Board Saturday last year - will be held at the Botanic Gardens on Singapore's National Day, Aug 9. Despite the ban last year, over a hundred people turned up to have a picnic which went on without a hitch.

For the first time in four Pride Seasons, there will be a forum focussing on the science of sexual orientation on Aug13.

In another first, the festival will feature a panel of four Malaysians - Prof. Farish A. Noor, a Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University; Jerome Kugan, a writer and musician; Jac sm Kee, a feminist writer, activist, poet and occasional painter; and Pang Khee Teik, Arts Programme Director of The Annexe Gallery and former editor of the online arts magazine Kakiseni.com - who will share their personal stories about love and loss on Aug 16.

Constance Singam, a social activist and the President of women's rights group AWARE, will speak about the role of queer women within the feminist movement in Singapore on the same day.

A Charity Art Auction will be held on Aug 16 as TheBearProject, a local gay community group of stocky and big-sized men (and the guys who love them), hopes to raise funds for The Necessary Stage's Triangle Project which provides opportunities for the less privileged to watch theatre.

On Aug 19, Daniel Tung from Action for Aids will give an overview of trends in Singapore and the neighbouring countries in light of rising HIV infection rates in many Asian countries while Thomas Ng, a lawyer, will give an update on changes to the Infectious Diseases Act.

Visit www.plu.sg/indignation for more details and an extensive list of events.

Fridae is proud to a principal sponsor of Indignation. A movie fundraiser organised by Fridae in May helped raise S$10,000.


At a glance:

Welcome reception
Friday, 1 August 2008, 7 pm, at 72-13

Ancestors on the beach - an art exhibition by Jimmy Ong
Friday 1 August 2008 to Wednesday 20 August 2008. Time: 6-10pm (Tue-Fri), 12-10pm (Sat+Sun), closed on Mon and public holidays, at Post Museum

From fag to friend, a forum by the Queer-straight alliance
Saturday, 2 August 2008, 3:00 pm, at 72-13

From classoom to comics, by Otto Fong
(See article link below: Singapore teacher removes coming out blog under ministry pressure)
Saturday, 2 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at 72-13

Adlus night hike
Saturday, 2 August 2008, 11:30 pm to dawn, start location to be advised. Registration required @ www.plu.sg/indignation

Cruising through history
Sunday, 3 August 2008, 3 pm, at the Post Museum

Silence and aching hearts
Private event. Registration required @ www.plu.sg/indignation
Tuesday, 5 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at 72-13

Tong bu tong 2 - Another tribe
Rated M18
Wednesday, 6 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at 72-13

Opening of art exhibition - Jimmy Ong: Ancestors on the Beach
Thursday, 7 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at Post Museum

ContraDiction IV
Rated M18
Thursday, 7 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at 72-13

The Unofficial Pink Picnic
(See article links below: The pink non-picnic and Singapore bans gay picnic)
Saturday, 9 August 2008, 4:30 pm, Botanic Gardens Symphony Lake

Brain surgery - what's inside the heads of homophobes?
Tuesday, 12 August 2008, 7:30, at 72-13

Too often ignored: The science of sexual orientation
(See article link below: No place for scientific illiterates in the gay debate)
Wednesday, 13 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at 72-13

My wife, my kids...
Friday, 15 August, 7:30 pm, at Post Museum

Heartbreak heroes: Four Malaysians on surviving love, loss and a hostel in Singapore
Private event. Registration required @ www.plu.sg/indignation
Saturday, 16 August 2008, 3 pm, at 72-13

TheBearProject Charity Art Show
Saturday, 16 August 2008, 7 pm, at Play

Queer women within feminist Singapore
Saturday, 16 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at 72-13

Is HIV becoming an Asian disease?
(See article link below: New asia pacific statistics reveal an alarming incidence of HIV in MSM)
Tuesday, 19 August 2008, 7:30 pm, at Post Museum

Singapore

Reader's Comments

1. 2008-08-02 09:36  
This indignation programme is wonderful. For gay people in Singapore it must be very encouraging. If one didnt know better, one would think that Singapore is a free and accepting country towards homosexuality as many other countires are. It must be confusing for the general population as well as for the gay community. But hey, maybe 'tolerance' of such activities must be sending a message to all in Singapore.
Goodluck with 'Indignation' and have a wonderful time. Wish I could be there.
2. 2008-08-03 09:33  
More than 24 hours after I posted my last comment, there are NO other comments. Is it because most people are not interested in gay cultural events in Singapore ? I find this very strange and disapointing.
I would have thought there would be at least some messages of support, or excitement.

Goodluck 'Indignation'
3. 2008-08-03 11:07  
Dear Jupiter,
To tell you the truth, gay friends ask me why I don't choose Singapore as my travel destination, I tell them I see no prospect in living an authentic gay life there.
Fridae and Nation Parties seem to be the best part of SG gay culture.
I really love men more but a truth is a truth.
4. 2008-08-03 17:36  
Dear Chironaros,
Well, that is a shame. I think that the gay community should get behind such events, especially as it is allowed by the authorities. By boycotting Singapore as a travel destination is probably not doing the gay cause any favours. The will always be a singapore. There will always be gay people in singapore. By supporting our borothers and sisters there is a way of showing the government that it is impossible to supress progress, and that acceptance and 'rights' is inevitable. It will also give gay people in singapore encouragement to press on.
I will continue to travel to singapore for holidays and hope others will also. Its almost the last frontier of first world countries regarding gay rights.
5. 2008-08-03 20:59  
Dear Jupiter,

You are my hero.
Another 24 hours have passed. There's still only you and me. Maybe it's saner to save your travel expenses for another country?
Oh, why not my country?
6. 2008-08-03 23:28  
well.. being a small red dot on the world map, it's quite amazing how well singapore has performed in so many areas such as tourism, economy etc...
if ur intent in visiting the country is to understand the culture etc, there's a lot to see... but for the purpose of GLBT events, there's a limit to what u can see as there're restrictions bounded by the government...
But i must say the organisers have often than not put together the best they can..
7. 2008-08-04 06:31  
Dear Chinonaros,

ha ha yes, another 24 hours passed and no comments until then. ( Your my hero also) Maybe all the gay men have left.
Good to see that after 48 hours we DO have a comment by somebody, and great to see the her comments are positive. I agree that Im sure the organisers have done a good job judging by the programme.

Welcome to our private forum here Percee.

I have never been to Taiwan Chinonaros, maybe I will stop by there also. :)
8. 2008-08-04 07:37  
Dear Percee,

Really, there's no indignation whatsoever against the SG glbt community. And I trust your efforts in organizing Indignation.
The indignation is against your government for it is not supposed to collect one cent of my airport tax, tarriff or my money spent in SG or YOUR tax when it is not taking care of your needs and my needs.
9. 2008-08-04 17:20  
Quite a lot happening this year by the looks of it; have a good one!
How about an unofficial pink swim at one of the pools, e.g. Buena Vista?
10. 2008-08-05 12:41  
Jupiter & Chironaros, you're not alone ;)
11. 2008-08-05 19:11  
Thanks destino, Im glad we are not alone in this particular forum anymore. But it was 48 hours with just Chironaros and myself !! But we welcome you, But I trust this will be last message on this particular forum.

Cheers
12. 2008-08-07 10:15  
And the "MSM 19 times more likely to be infected with HIV, says AIDS group" story hhas attracted ZERO comments despite it being the feature story for 2 days...
13. 2008-08-07 11:15  
ha ha Kellen, yes I know.... Im a little bit ' commented out/fatigued' . I bet if it was about latest swimwear fashion, the message board would be full-up. Priorities, priotrities.
14. 2008-08-10 07:08  
Hope all my gay brothers and sisters are having a great time during Pride...cheers
Bob

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