Was MM Lee Kuan Yew asking a rhetorical question when he said, "Why should we criminalise it [homosexuality]?" Singapore's pioneer gay activist and Fridae columnist Alex Au picks his remarks and related media reports apart.
Should a recently circulated church statement, which called homosexuality "sinful, abhorrent and deviant" and for the criminalisation of lesbian sex, cause LGBTs to lose sleep? Fridae columnist and gay activist Alex Au weighs in on the issue.
The Internet has on many occasions been credited as a liberating force for LGBTs but is it really? Alex Au examines the two features of the Internet that may work against LGBTs in reducing visibility of LGBT individuals as well as audience fragmentation given that surfers choose what they want to read online.
2006 saw a bumper crop of gay-themed movies screened in Singapore. In light of the recent ban of gay Singaporean photographer's book on Asian stars in the citystate among other incidences, Alex Au examines the censors' rationale of its decisions.
If parents are able to choose the sexual orientation of their children, should they be permitted to? Should research enabling this be stopped? Alex Au has more on the recently reported controversy about 'gay sheep' experiments.
Starting 1 Dec 2006, World AIDS Day, a new national policy committee - chaired by Dr Balaji Sadasivan - will work to combat a rise in the number of HIV cases and provide guidance on all policy matters related to HIV/AIDS. Alex Au questions if the absence of gay representation on the panel will prove to be a serious weakness.
Following the government's clarification that gay sex laws have to stay on the books as "many religious groups also do not condone homosexual acts," Alex Au asks if it is legitimate to hold on to laws for its symbolic value and examines the government's sharp U-turn on child sex tourism laws and legalisation of casinos despite vigorous protests from various quarters.
In a high profile case, a gay Republican congressman resigned and was forced to come out last month after he was found to have sent sexually explicit instant messages to teenaged former pages. Alex Au asks if the gay community is doing itself any favours by embracing in our own way, the "don't ask, don't tell" mantra.
Short Circuit, the one-night showcase of short films with queer themes or by queer filmmakers, was a milestone for the Singapore gay community. Alex Au, co-founder of activist group People Like Us articulates the importance of a local filmmaking and why Singaporean gays and lesbians cannot rely on foreign cinema.
Singapore celebrates its second GLBT Pride Season from August 1-26. Fridae columnist and co-organiser of the festival Alex Au is happy for straight Singaporeans to lend their support and his retort to a gay person who thought it was a bad idea to hold a Pride Season.
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