Fridae’s Feelin’ Good party, scheduled for Sunday 26 March, has been called off after the venue, Ministry of Sound received a telephone call from local police demanding that the party be cancelled.
Singapore – Feelin’ Good, a party organised by gay and lesbian media and events company Fridae, has been cancelled after the venue, Ministry of Sound, received a telephone call from local police on Friday evening demanding that they cease venue provision for the event.
According to Mr. Clement Lee, executive director of Ministry of Sound’s parent company LifeBrandz, Mr Kelvin Yeo, Compliance Management Officer from Tanglin Police called on Friday evening after office hours demanding that the club cancel the event, failing which enforcement officers would come to the club on Sunday to shut the party down. The reason given by the police to Mr. Lee over the telephone was that the party would “promote gay activities.”
Whilst Singapore laws prohibit gay sex, there are no laws against being gay. As recently as 2003, then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was interviewed in Time Magazine about the Singapore government’s non-discrimination policy for employment in the civil service, and was quoted saying gays are “just like you and me.”
Singapore has a thriving gay scene that includes more than dozen organisations, bars and establishments catering primarily to a gay or lesbian clientele.
Feelin’ Good would have been Fridae’s first party in Singapore in more than a year and a half, featuring popular Australian DJ Kate Monroe.
In response to previous criticism by current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that Fridae’s parties “should not be targeted at gays alone” (December 2004), Feelin’ Good has been actively promoted to the mainstream public through a variety of media, including Lush 99.5FM radio and local publications IS and Juice.
“The reaction from the police has been completely unexpected,” said Dr Stuart Koe, CEO of Fridae. “Feelin’ Good is simply a party, not unlike any party held at clubs all around Singapore. There is no legal justification for what the police has done. This is yet another example of institutionalised discrimination against gays and lesbians.”
Fridae regrets the turn of events and will offer full refunds to ticket holders. We would also like to thank the community and our sponsors for your continued support and understanding.
ENDS
About Fridae
Fridae is a diversified media and services company implementing an integrated strategy that covers the Internet, Publishing and Events. As the gay media leader in Asia, Fridae provides unparalleled reach to the valuable, yet diverse and hard to reach gay and lesbian communities in the region.
Fridae's innovative online portal (www.fridae.com) harnesses the distribution power and reach of the Internet to provide products and services to more than 250,000 unique visitors each month and more than 200,000 registered members. Fridae Events include parties held around Asia such as NATION (named one of the Top 10 Gay Events in the World by DNA Magazine), SNOWBALL and SQUIRT offering companies valuable offline exposure and marketing opportunities. Past and present advertisers include Air NewZealand, Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines, Ford Motors, Mini Cooper, Subaru, Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, Biotherm Homme, Dolce & Gabbana, Conrad, InterContinental, IBM, Motorola, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox and Visit Britain.