The morning downpour turned much of Hong Lim Park right into a muddy quagmire, but that didn’t stop hundreds of individuals from wearing pink and collaborating within the Pink Dot event to indicate their support for the LGBTQ community.
Held from 3:15 to eight:30 p.m. on Saturday, the annual LGBTQ rally featured 29 booths from organizations providing various types of support to the LGBTQ community, in addition to performances by local artists reminiscent of singer Marian Carmel, Sing Men’s Chorus and drag queen group Singapura Drag Royalty.
The event also featured plenty of speakers, including Anne Goh, a former national rugby player and volunteer with lesbian, bisexual and queer organisation Sayoni; drag queen Kira Moon, who was assaulted and harassed by a gaggle of men in March; and Clarence Singam, co-founder of LGBTQ advocacy organisation Oogachaga.
Pink Dot spokesman Clement Tan said this yr’s theme, No One Left Behind, “gives us back [in the LGBTQ community] exclusions that we encounter throughout our lives, from the cradle to the grave.”
This is the second Pink Dot for the reason that repeal of Section 377A, a decades-old law criminalising gay sex.
Earlier this week, Protect Singapore – an organisation that describes itself as working to guard the values of marriage, family, children and conscience – released a rating of politicians based on their stances on LGBTQ issues.
The scorecard is meant to “help you assess whether your MP supports your values,” the group wrote in a Facebook post on Monday. Among the standards for judging was not attending Pink Dot.
Asked in regards to the results table, Darryl David, PAP MP for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC), questioned its purpose.
“Judging MPs by their positions on any issue? I mean, while you start doing that, ultimately, what is the goal? What are you trying to indicate?” he said.
He added that he participated in Pink Dot because he “welcomes diversity,” having worked with people of “different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different preferences… different ways of living.”
In addition to Chua and David, PAP MPs Carrie Tan and Derrick Goh from Nee Soon GRC also attended the event.
Sengkang GRC Labour MPs Jamus Lim, Louis Chua and He Ting Ru were also on the rally, talking to organisers and participants. They declined to talk to the media.
Progressive Party of Singapore (PSP) deputy organising secretary Jeffrey Khoo and assistant treasurer Lim Cher Hong were spotted in the corporate of two members of the party’s youth wing.
In response to questions, a PSP spokesperson said: “We have learnt that even after the repeal of Bill 377A, LGBTQ people in Singapore continue to face discrimination in the workplace and bullying at school.
“Everyone is different and we should all have mutual respect for each other. We may disagree on certain issues, but it is more important to focus on the common ground than on our differences.”
Red Dot United also sent a delegation to Pink Dot led by its CEO David Foo.
Asked about the results, Pink Dot’s Tan described them as “disappointing” and said he hoped it would not discourage politicians from attending the rally.
“For us, the important message has always been that when they come to Pink Dot, it’s not so much about supporting the issue itself. We see it as an opportunity for leaders in this country to come and understand the LGBTQ community,” he said.
