People Like Us calls on the government of Singapore to recogise the significance of the judgement issued by the Delhi High Court on 2 July 2009, reading down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, thus decriminalising homosexual acts between consenting persons aged 18 and above, and to do the honourable thing immediately - to repeal Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code.

This Singapore law likewise criminalises homosexual acts and similarly suffers from the defects that the Delhi High Court found in India’s law. Continue reading ‘Singapore should repeal Section 377A immediately in light of the Delhi High Court’s findings’

A story of love, persistence and courage - that’s what a small audience heard from Madison Kelly on 19 April 2009. Madison’s 3-year journey towards sex-reassignment surgery was documented in the film Girl Inside, by Maya Gallus and Justine Pimlott, and shown at the Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) 2009.

For this work, Gallus won the Best Direction prize at Canada’s Gemini Awards 2008.

The Canadian High Commission sponsored Madison Kelly’s trip to Singapore in conjunction with SIFF, and People Like Us was proud to host a casual meeting over tea and coffee between Madison and members of LGBT communities. Continue reading ‘PLU hosts tea with Madison Kelly’

The Rascals Prize Organising Committee is pleased to announce that at its closing date on 31 January 2009, the Rascals Prize competition received 10 entries.

The research essays range over many facets of LGBT life in Singapore: classical music, literature, advertising, the law, to name just a few.

The Organizing Committee is encouraged by this level of response and wishes to thank all the participants for their support.

The entries will now go to the four judges and the winner will be announced at the launch of the 2009 Indignation Gay Pride Season in August 2009.

At the opening reception of Indignation 2008 held on 1 August 2008, Russell Heng, one of the founders of People Like Us, announced PLU’s newest initiative: The Rascals Prize. This is a biennial award worth S$2,000 for the best research work related to the subject of LGBT and Singapore.

The Prize rules can be found here. Submissions are invited for the first award, with closing date 31 January 2009.

PLU instituted this prize in keeping with its mission statement, in which one of the objectives stated is to promote informed understanding. PLU believes that encouraging research in this field will add to a body of knowledge that can only benefit discussion of GLBT issues. Continue reading ‘People Like Us launches the Rascals Prize’

For the fourth year in succession, Singapore’s LGBT Pride Season Indignation comes around. It begins tonight with an open house cocktail reception where our new project The Rascals Prize will be announced. Details of this prize will be provided at this site later.

The program for Indignation can be found at the Indignation website. It includes forums, art exhibitions, readings of plays and other works, celebrating once again the contributions of gay, lesbian and transgender Singaporeans to this society.

Notable this year will be the launch of SinQSA, the queer-straight alliance, on 2 August, in keeping with the theme of building bridges. Constance Singam, the President of women’s rights group AWARE, will also be speaking at another event.

For the first time in 4 Pride Seasons, there will be a forum focussing on the science of sexual orientation and another on the rising threat of HIV to gay communities.

This year’s Indignation has been made possible by the generous support from Fridae.com, 72-13 and Rupture Videography and Photography, as well as from other individual and corporate donors. People Like Us thanks them for all their help.

On 23 May 2008, Prof Emeritus Douglas Sanders finally got an opportunity to deliver his lecture that was originally meant for last August. He spoke at the National University of Singapore (NUS) which was hosting the annual conference of the Asian Law Institute (ASLI).

Last year, he was scheduled to deliver this lecture at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), until militantly anti-gay Christians, including former cabinet minister S Dhanabalan, got wind of it and pressed ISEAS to cancel the event, and the Home Affairs Ministry to ban Prof Sanders from speaking here. Continue reading ‘Prof Douglas Sanders delivers his lecture at last’

People Like Us’ Alex Au spoke at a forum organised by a Roman Catholic lay organisation on 15 May 2008, titled What’s Wrong With Homosexual Acts? Part I: Viewpoints from Psychology and Societal Implications. It was the second of 4 weekly forums under the umbrella title A Christian Response To Same-Sex Attraction.

The other speakers were Fr. Paul Goh Lian-Kok, a clinical psychologist, and Thomas Aqbal, a litigation lawyer. The session was moderated by John Ooi, from the Celebration of Life programme of the Family Life Society. Continue reading ‘Catholic forum: What’s wrong with homosexual acts?’

An overview of the reception

The gala premiere of the film Wilde, a fundraiser for People Like Us’ Indignation Pride Season, was a great success. Organised by Fridae for Indignation, it was held at Lido Theatres on 13 May 2008 to virtually a full house.

Nominated Member of Parliament Mr Siew Kum Hong gave a short keynote speech (thanks!), after being introduced by Miak Siew (no relation) of People Like Us. Continue reading ‘Wilde gala premiere a great success’

Statement to the media, 9 May 2008.

On 8 May 2008, the Straits Times reported [1] that Chan Mun Chiong was charged with committing an act of gross indecency, i.e. under Section 377A of the Penal Code.

His offence, to which he apparently intends to plead guilty, was to have oral sex with a 16-year-old boy when he knew he was HIV-positive. For that, Chan was also charged under the Infectious Diseases Act for endangering the health and the life of his partner.

People Like Us fully support prosecuting anyone, such as Chan, who acts so recklessly in spreading HIV.

But, however culpable Chan was in this regard, he should not have been discriminated against for having another male person as his sexual partner and should not have faced the additional charge under Section 377A. Continue reading ‘Chan Mun Chiong should not have been charged under Section 377A’

Fridae.com, in support of People Like Us’ Indignation gay pride season, is organising the Singapore premiere of the film ‘Wilde’ on Tuesday 13 May 2008, at the Lido theatres.

Directed by Brian Gilbert, this 1997 film tells the story of celebrated poet, novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde, who in 1895 was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ under a UK law that was the precursor of Singapore’s infamous Section 377A. Wilde was a martyr to the moral hypocrisy of his time, and which unfortunately still lives on in Singapore. Continue reading ‘Film premiere ‘Wilde’ in support of IndigNation’