Cover In the never-ending quest for true equality for the queer community, Pink Dot 2024’s campaign is ‘No One Left Behind’ (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
In the never-ending quest for true equality for the queer community, Pink Dot 2024’s campaign is ‘No One Left Behind’ (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
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In a bid to build a Singapore where every Singaporean matters, we find out from our nearest and dearest just what it takes for our country to be truly equal, after the repeal of Penal Code 377A
It is funny how it always pours before Pink Dot. As if it is heaven’s last-ditch attempt at cleansing the queer community from the trauma of yet another year of what seems like futile championing for basic equality. Especially when just a day prior, a vicious queerphobic attack was launched at the premise of one of Pink Dot’s event sponsors.
Local holistic wellness club, Trapeze Recreation Club on Tanjong Pagar Road, had its Pride flag forcibly removed and desecrated along with its mirrored storefront, which shattered in the process. And it is this act of hate, amongst others just this year alone, that is a not-so-silent reminder of why queer activism is more important than ever in the face of Singapore’s new premiership.
We speak to a few of Tatler Singapore’s community members who were present at the recent 16th annual Pink Dot rally at Hong Lim Park and discover how they define true equality in the new political landscape of Singapore.
Read more: From Pink Dot Hong Kong to The Harmonics Choir: 5 local LGBTQ+ organisations you can support today
“This year, Pink Dot’s campaign is about leaving no one behind; ensuring that Singapore is moving towards a more equal and inclusive future,” Pink Dot spokesperson Clement Tan told Tatler.
Above Pink Dot SG's official spokesperson, Clement Tan working double duty as one of the rally’s flag-bearers (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
Pink Dot SG's official spokesperson, Clement Tan working double duty as one of the rally’s flag-bearers (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
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“True equality looks like a future where every Singaporean; no matter our origins, the circumstances of our birth, our gender identity and expression, or our sexual orientation; all of us have a fair shot and opportunity at building a Singapore dream.”
Tan’s response is an open letter to our then Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s call for action.
“I ask each of you to join me in this journey. Share your ideas, share your passions and dreams. Work with me and my team. Together we can build a future that shines brightly for all Singaporeans. Your dreams will inspire my actions. Your concerns will guide my decisions,” said DPM Wong in a video address on April 2024, shortly after he was announced to be the next Prime Minister.
Above One of the mainstays at every Pink Dot, Pamela Oei often is tasked to rally up the troops before the lighting up (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
One of the mainstays at every Pink Dot, Pamela Oei often is tasked to rally up the troops before the lighting up (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
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“I define true equality as when everyone has equal rights in marriage, in housing, in family (construct), in insurance (policies), in Central Provident Fund (management), and even about who can visit you when you’re in the ICU,” said long-time ally and theatre performer Pamela Oei.
Above Never just an extra, Ivan Heng’s contribution to the queer landscape in Singapore is pivotal (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
Never just an extra, Ivan Heng’s contribution to the queer landscape in Singapore is pivotal (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
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“To me, true equality is being equal to the rest of other Singaporeans. And that’s having equal access to healthcare, housing, education, the freedom to adopt and make families of our own,” Tatler’s Asia’s Most Influential 2023 honouree Ivan Heng shared.
From airing grievances about restrictive heteronormative government policies that prohibit queer people from affordable housing to home-building, and even personal safety, the festivities at Pink Dot 2024 took a particularly emotional turn when drag performer Kira Moon took to the soapbox.
Above Drag royalty Kira Moon takes to the stage with her drag daughter at Pink Dot 16 to share about her harrowing encounter with queer violence (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
Drag royalty Kira Moon takes to the stage with her drag daughter at Pink Dot 16 to share about her harrowing encounter with queer violence (Photo: Courtesy of Pink Dot SG)
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A victim of a brutal queerphobic assault in early 2024, Moon spoke bravely of her gory ordeal with a group of men who also used transphobic slurs on her and her companions. Raising awareness of the dehumanisation of non-gender-conforming individuals in Singapore, she shares, “The incident has scarred me. It has triggered so much past trauma ... I deserve to feel safe in public or wherever I am, regardless of my gender, sexual identity, the line of work that I do, what I choose to wear. I deserve love. And most importantly I deserve to be in a country that protects me.”
We may now live in a time where the Penal Code 377A is a thing of the past, but if the hate crime against Moon, along with the recent vandalism outside Trapeze Recreation Club, is any indication of where Singapore is at when it comes to LGBTQ+ equality, it only goes to show that the road to true equality is far from over. And like what Ivan Heng says, “We have so much more to go. I think, the fight has just begun.”
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