Fridae

It's a term much bandied about and as the pride season draws to a close in the US and elsewhere, San Francisco-based Tan Chong Kee takes closer look at what it means to feel “pride”.

Inspired by Singapore's MM Lee Kuan Yew's recent reference to a magazine article about the English university having openly acknowledged gay love for almost 400 years which influenced the statesman's views that Singapore has "no option" but to decriminalise gay sex, columnist Dr Tan Chong Kee finds proof of same sex love being recorded throughout 2,000 years of Chinese history. Part 2 of 2.

Inspired by Singapore's MM Lee Kuan Yew's recent reference to a magazine article about the English university having openly acknowledged gay love for almost 400 years which influenced the statesman's views that Singapore has "no option" but to decriminalise gay sex, columnist Dr Tan Chong Kee finds proof of same sex love being recorded throughout 2,000 years of Chinese history. Part 1 of 2.

Fridae columnist Tan Chong Kee 'fesses up to being a bitch during testy Chinese New Year family interactions in his younger days and ponders what his comebacks would be to those all too familiar questions this year.

It is the time of the year where we find ourselves wanting to connect with and appreciate our friends; a time to have a conversation with them about things that really matters to us... Tan Chong Kee shares what he has learnt about the secret of love.

Singapore is a non-signatory of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights although 152 countries other have signed it. Tan Chong Kee explains why the denial of the right of homosexuals to love is linked to the denial of many other rights for everyone and how Tasmania - the last Australian state to decriminalise homosexual sexual acts - finally repealed its laws.

HIV/AIDS is hitting Asia in a big way, and MSM are now bearing the brunt of it. Dr Tan Chong Kee urges all MSM to ask ourselves what we can do to stop the spread of HIV among the community.

Defined as being the "practice of having a single mate during a period of time," monogamy has been a passionately debated concept within the gay community and whether the practice can be used as a benchmark of commitment and/or morality.

Stigma greatly compromises the effectiveness of any HIV prevention work anywhere. In the second of his essay, Dr Tan Chong Kee looks at successful examples of pragmatic public health policies worldwide and what Singapore - both the government and the people - can do. Part 2 of 2.

De-stigmatisation campaigns, aimed at changing attitudes towards homosexuals and People Living With HIV and AIDS (PLWHA), are what Singapore needs to better combat the spread of HIV because stigma greatly compromises the effectiveness of any HIV prevention work, says Dr Tan Chong Kee. Part 1 of 2.