29/06/2019

Pink Dot 2019

Pink Dot 11

Update 1 Jul 2019: ST edited their article to remove any mention of Lee Hsien Yang and family attending this year’s Pink Dot Rally
Here’s the screenshot of that section mentioning the Lee family

 Last Saturday (29 June) was Pink Dot’s 11th Rally. Hong Lim Park was painted pink as the local LGBTQ+ community gathered for the annual Pink Dot SG event to highlight the challenges and discrimination the community faces in Singapore. The theme this year was a strong call to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises sex between men.

 Following the rally, ST published a report on Saturday which noted that PM Lee Hsien Loong’s brother Lee Hsien Yang attended the rally with his family – his wife Lee Suet Fern, son Li Huanwu and his son’s husband Heng Yirui. Mr Li and Mr Heng just recently tied the knot in South Africa.
  • “PM Lee’s brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, was also in the crowd. He said he was attending Pink Dot for the first time and was with his wife, Mrs Lee Suet Fern, his son, Mr Li Huanwu, and Mr Li’s husband Heng Yirui.
  • The gay couple got married in a small ceremony in South Africa attended by their families in May. Mr Lee Hsien Yang said he decided to attend to show his support for Mr Li and his husband.”
Curiously, about an hour later that same report was edited to omit the mention of Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his family’s presence at Pink Dot. Looking at the report as it is now, you can clearly see that the entire section mentioning Mr Lee’s family and the photo of the four of them wearing Pink at the rally was removed entirely from the report. Everything written after that including quotes from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore was deleted as well.

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 ST edits out portion of Pink Dot story that said LHY and family had attended the rally

 Media outfits, including The Independent Singapore, carried the news of Lee Hsien Yang and his family’s and in-law’s attendance at the rally, including an initial story from The Straits Times (ST) which was published on Saturday night.

 But sometime afterward, the section that had contained mention of Mr Lee and his family’s attendance, along with a quote from Clement Tan, one of the members of Pink Dot’s organising team, had been edited out.

 Pink Dot wrote on its Facebook page,
*NOTE THAT A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE THAT QUOTED MR CLEMENT TAN, AND PM LEE’S BROTHER LEE HSIEN YANG ATTENDING #PINKDOT11 WITH HIS FAMILY HAS BEEN MYSTERIOUSLY EDITED OUT AFTER IT WAS PUBLISHED. WE ARE NOT SURE WHY.*
It then posted the portion of the article that had been edited out.

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 Pink Dot SG June 29 at 11:30 PM

 *Note that a significant portion of the original article that quoted Mr Clement Tan, and PM Lee's brother Lee Hsien Yang attending #PinkDot11 with his family has been mysteriously edited out after it was published. We are not sure why.*

 “Mr Clement Tan, a member of the Pink Dot organising team, said the initial plan for the light-up had been to spell out the word "together", but the team decided on Thursday to change it to read "repeal 377A" in response PM Lee's comment. Mr Tan said: "LGBTQ people face discrimination every day. This year, we made a very concerted effort to highlight stories of discrimination."

 PM Lee Hsien Loong's brother, Mr Lee Hsien Yang, was also in the crowd. He said he was attending Pink Dot for the first time and was with his wife, Mrs Lee Suet Fern, his son, Mr Li Huanwu, and Mr Li's husband Heng Yirui.

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 Pink Dot rally shines light on discrimination, Section 377A
The focus of this year's Pink Dot SG event was on the law that criminalises sex between men.ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Hong Lim Park was awash in shades of pink on Saturday (June 29) as the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community gathered for the annual Pink Dot SG event to highlight discrimination against them.

The focus this year was on the law that criminalises sex between men.

Organisers invited those who came to share photos of themselves holding up pieces of paper on which were derogatory names that had been hurled at them.

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 PINK DOT 11 CALLS FOR THE REPEAL OF S377A TO END LGBTQ DISCRIMINATION

 The 11th Pink Dot has been formed in Hong Lim Park. Despite initial thunderstorms in the afternoon before the event started, Speaker’s Corner is once again filled to capacity as thousands gather in a rallying call against discrimination towards the LGBTQ community in Singapore.

 The campaign for this year focuses on the many stories of discrimination faced by the different members of our community in all facets of Singaporean society – in the workplace, in schools, in public and online. “It has been a decade and yet our leaders seem to be selective in their listening when it comes to the discrimination that LGBTQ people face every single day,” says Paerin Choa, Pink Dot SG Spokesperson. “We continue to be made invisible and marginalised in Singapore where we are denied respect and dignity by the laws and the policies of this country.”

 Representing the next generation of Pink Dot SG organisers, Clement Tan, Pink Dot SG Spokesperson echoes these sentiments, “The rest of the world has moved on. We’ve seen Taiwan, India, Bhutan, Botswana, Ecuador – countries where the governments have taken steps towards freedom and equality for all their citizens – all in one year. As young Singaporeans who are contributing to our nation, we ask ourselves if Singapore is the place where we want to really lay down our roots, build careers, and start our families. It’s ridiculous that Singapore is left behind time and time again.” We also wish to thank our 118 Singaporean RD4PD sponsors for supporting Pink Dot 11 and everyone for coming down to Hong Lim Park to form Pink Dot 11.

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 Lee Hsien Yang and wife attend Pink Dot with their son Huanwu and his husband
Lee Hsien Yang (extreme right), his wife Lee Suet Fern (third from left) and their son Li Huanwu (third from right) attended Pink Dot 2019 on 29 June 2019 at Hong Lim Park along with Li's husband Heng Yirui (second from right) and Heng's parents (first and second from left). PHOTO: Pink Dot 

 Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and his wife Suet Fern attended this year’s Pink Dot Singapore (SG) event on Saturday (29 June) along with their newly married son Li Huanwu and his husband Heng Yirui.

 Heng’s parents were also with the Lees at the annual event at Hong Lim Park, held in support of Singapore’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

 Their attendance at the LGBTQ community’s most high profile event of the year came just slightly over a month after Li and Heng married in South Africa in the presence of their family members

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 Lee Hsien Yang turns up at Pink Dot with family while Lee Hsien Loong is missing despite open invitation

 Newly married Li Huanwu and his husband Heng Yirui attended 11th Pink Dot Singapore (SG) event along with both their parents today (29 June) in Hong Lim Park.

 Pink Dot SG shared a group photo of Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and his wife Mrs Lee Suet Fern, Mr Li Huan Wu and his husband Mr Heng Yirui along with his family, at the Hong Lim Park event this afternoon.
In comparison to Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his family’s open acceptance to same-sex relationships, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the elder brother who is the Prime Minister of Singapore, took a far-more conservative stance when he said that Section 377A “remains on our legislation, and it will for some time”. This was in response to a question from a member of the audience at the Smart Nation Summit at Marina Bay Sands on Wed (26 Jun) in regards to making Singapore’s legislation more inclusive for individuals who are not heterosexual.

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 Pink Dot SG Like This Page · 14 hrs

 #loveislove with newly wedded husbands - Lee Kuan Yew’s grandson Li Huanwu and Dr Heng Yirui, and their parents Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Suet Fern with us at #PinkDot11 standing #AgainstDiscrimination! — with Justin Nanaa, Jimmy Koh, Shirley Foo, Macneu Martin Nonis and Daphnie Goh.

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 Portrait Mode: The many faces of Pink Dot 2019 who braved the rain

 On June 29, 2019, Pink Dot marked its 11th anniversary at Hong Lim Park.

 It was first organised in 2009, where it drew approximately 2,500 participants. Over the years, however, the number of attendees has increased.

 This year, people gathered at Hong Lim Park from as early as 3:00pm despite the rainy weather.

 related: Lee Hsien Yang attends Pink Dot for first time with Li Huanwu & Heng Yirui

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 Pink Dot calls for 'acceptance and equality' for LGBTQ community
This year, the traditional light-up for Pink Dot spelled out a call to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men. (Photo: Cindy Co)

 Hong Lim Park was filled with shades of pink as Pink Dot held its 11th edition on Saturday (Jun 29), with its traditional light up containing a call for the repeal of a law that criminalises sex between men.

 This came in the wake of a petition to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code organised last year, which gained traction among members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

 Many attendees said Pink Dot was a place where they could find a sense of community. "It's home," said 21-year-old Desmond Pravin. "It's where I know it's okay to love no matter what it is."

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 These LGBTQ-friendly events in celebration of Pink Dot 2019 have us beaming with pride

 Love trumps all, no matter your sexual orientation, and these events around Pink Dot know what’s up.

 Let’s say it together: love is love – no matter your sexual orientation, and everyone has the right to love freely. As we celebrate Pride month and await Pink Dot 2019 (the 11th edition of Pink Dot!) on 29 June, there are plenty of talks, workshops, film screenings and panel discussions leading up to the city’s biggest LGBTQ affirming event.

 So what if the law restricts foreigners from Pink Dot at Hong Lim Park? Take your date to a romantic lunch or dinner followed by one of these events, and discover why pink is so in this month.

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 Activists challenge PM Lee’s remarks on 377A; “Very lacking of a moral framework” - Roy Ngerng
Taiwan-based Singaporean activist Roy Yi Ling Ngerng wrote on Twitter, “This is the quality of a leader who affirms discrimination and tells people to suck it up, while instead of tackling discrimination, is more concerned about attracting ‘talent' to grow the economy"

 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made some remarks on June 26, Wednesday, about the LGBT+ community and Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sexual acts among males, which have left activists in disagreement with the country’s leader.

 At the Smart Nation Summit, PM Lee said, “About inclusiveness, we are open. You know our rules in Singapore, whatever your sexuality orientation is, you’re welcome to come and work in Singapore. Some people have an issue with the 377A, which…remains legislation and it will for some time,” in response to a question from an audience member about inclusiveness for foreign workers.

 Mr Lee also said, “But it has not inhibited people from living. It has not stopped Pink Dot from having a gathering every year. And it’s the way this society is. We’re not like San Francisco, neither are we like certain countries in the Middle East. It’s something in between. It’s the way our society is.”

 related:
PM Lee: Whatever your sexual orientation, you’re welcome to work in Singapore
Pink Dot rebuts PM Lee’s views and invite him to attend the LGBT pride gathering

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 AN OPEN INVITATION TO PRIME MINISTER LEE HSIEN LOONG

 Our Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong was reported by TODAY to have made the following statement in response to a question on Section 377A:

 “You know our rules in Singapore. Whatever your sexual orientation, you are welcome to come and work in Singapore,” he said. “But this has not inhibited people from living, and has not stopped Pink Dot from having a gathering every year. “It is the way this society is: We are not like San Francisco, neither are we like some countries in the Middle East. (We are) something in between, it is the way the society is.”

 We disagree with PM Lee. Pink Dot’s existence is not proof of Singapore’s inclusiveness to the LGBTQ community. Pink Dot exists precisely because members of the LGBTQ community in Singapore continue to face discrimination and inequality in a multitude of ways, on a daily basis. This discrimination that we face is borne from Section 377A, along with its trickle-down effects to other laws and policies that govern our society at large.

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 377A will be around ‘for some time’, will not inhibit how S’pore attracts tech talent: PM Lee
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong taking questions from the audience after his speech at the Smart Nation Summit on Wednesday, June 26, 2019

 Section 377A of the Penal Code — the law that criminalises sex between men — will be around for some time, but this will not hinder Singapore's efforts to attract tech talent, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in response to a question on Wednesday (June 26).

 He was answering an unidentified audience member at the Smart Nation Summit, who had asked about how the country’s regulations can be made more diverse to attract tech talent, including those with other sexual orientations.

 On the issue of inclusiveness, Mr Lee said that Singapore has been open to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. “You know our rules in Singapore. Whatever your sexual orientation, you are welcome to come and work in Singapore,” he said.

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 RED DOT FOR PINK DOT

 In 2017, 120 local companies stepped forward to support Pink Dot when 13 multinational companies were told they could no longer do so.

 This year, we’re calling upon even more companies from our Little Red Dot to join in. Be a part of the movement that’s helping our society progress to be more open, understanding and inclusive.

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Pink Dot is now 11 years old. Here are photos (& GIFs) of every year’s Dot since 2009

The annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rally, Pink Dot, marked its 11th anniversary at Hong Lim Park on Saturday, Jun 29, 2019.

 Over the past decade, though, Pink Dot has come a long a way since it first started back in 2009.

In its first year, there were just 2,500 participants
2009 - The first time Pink Dot was organised, it drew an estimated 2,500 participants
2010 - The second time saw 4,000 people turning up for the event
2011 - At the rally, more than 10,000 participants turned up for the event, more than twice the number in 2010
2012 - This year was the first time Pink Dot was held at night, and some 15,000 people turned up for the event
2013 - As many as 21,000 showed up for the event, and they started spilling out of the main park area
2014 - In total, 26,000 people showed up to form the dot, in quite a prettily-coordinated light-up sequence
2015 - This time, a record of 28,000 people showed up for the Let Love Shine
2016 - This year saw Pink Dot briefly return to its original daytime format where the torch lights were replaced with placards written with messages of support
2017 - This year saw significant changes to the organisation of the Dot. Nevertheless, more than 20,000 people attended, with Pink Dot theming its event for the year as “Against All Odds”
2018 - Preceding the dot light-up was the light-up of the year’s theme: “We Are Ready”. What will next year bring for Pink Dot?
The 11th Pink Dot has been formed in Hong Lim Park. Despite initial thunderstorms in the afternoon

Pink Dot SG
Aerial photograph of the inaugural Pink Dot event held on Saturday, 16 May 2009 at Hong Lim Park.

Pink Dot SG, (more commonly referred to simply as Pink Dot) was held on Saturday, 16 May 2009.

It was Singapore's historic, first open air LGBT-supportive event. It established a record for the greatest number of participants to turn up for any congregation at Speakers' Corner, Hong Lim Park since the latter's inception.

The landmark gathering was accorded extensive coverage in the international and local media. In the years to come, similar eponymous events based on the original concept, values and messaging of Pink Dot would be held in cities all around the world.


Pink Dot SG
The LGBT community converging at Hong Lim Park in Singapore for Pink Dot SG in 2014

Pink Dot SG, known exonymously as Pink Dot, is an event that has occurred annually since 2009 in support of the LGBT community in Singapore. Attendees of Pink Dot events gather to form a "pink dot" to show support for inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love in the country. Pink Dot events typically include concert performances and booths sponsored by organizations that support the LGBT community and cause in addition to the event's name-brand formation.

The success of Pink Dot in Singapore has inspired similar events in several other countries, leading to the event to become known as Pink Dot SG — SG being an initialism for Singapore. It has been held each year in Singapore from 2009 to 2019 at the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park on a Saturday in the months of May, June or July. The 2020 and 2021 editions were held as online livestreams, in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 edition was held in-person once again in June.

In September 2008, the rules governing activities conducted at Singapore's Speakers' Corner at Hong Lim Park were relaxed, allowing demonstrations organised by Singaporeans to be held at the park, providing that all participants are either citizens or permanent residents. This allowed the first Pink Dot SG event to take place at the Speakers' Corner on 16 May 2009. A total of nine Pink Dot events have been held in Singapore, occurring annually on Saturdays in May, June or July. Many organisations around the world modeled LGBT events after the Pink Dot concept, often borrowing the "Pink Dot" prefix. For distinction, the Singapore events became known as Pink Dot SG. The design of the Pink Dot SG mascot "Pinkie", a personification of the pink dot, was provided by graphic designer Soh Ee Shaun.

Pink Dot SG
Straits Times article dated 25 September 2008

Pink Dot SG is a non-profit movement started by a group of disparate individuals. Dr Roy Tan, a medical practitioner with a passionate interest in archiving the history of Singapore's LGBT community, wanted to take advantage of the liberalisation, with effect from 1 September 2008, of rules governing activities that could be conducted at Speakers’ Corner, Hong Lim Park. He initially registered with the National Parks Board to stage a traditional pride parade on Saturday, 15 November 2008. The LGBT community's immediate response to the idea of a pride parade held in Singapore was less than encouraging. Tan’s promotion of the event on SiGNeL, a local LGBT mailing list, largely drew a blank. Slightly frustrated, he resolved to conduct a one-man pride parade with himself as the only person marching if it boiled down to that as he was determined to set a precedent that would facilitate the organisation of such events in the future. There was a real fear amongst closeted individuals that participating in a parade would be indirectly outing themselves to the world, especially with the intense media coverage that such a groundbreaking development in the conservative republic was expected to attract. Moreover, a pride parade was traditionally a form of protest and Singaporeans had become conditioned to being averse to protest marches after decades of authoritarian rule. As such, other community activists were concerned that the event might not gain the larger mainstream public acceptance that was its aim. Pink Dot SG evolved in the ensuing months out of brainstorming discussions by key stakeholders, rustled up by Tan with the help of his friend Dominic Chua.

The novel concept of forming a giant pink dot itself, never before employed in any LGBT-supportive event in the world, was the brainchild of Pink Dot organising committee member and Fridae's Chinese section editor Choo Lip Sin. However, it must be mentioned that the first activist-inspired public gathering of people dressed in pink was organised by Miak Siew and took place 1 year earlier, in 2007, during the Pink Picnic held at the Botanic Gardens during the third year of IndigNation, Singapore's LGBT pride month. Also, Bian Tan was the first person to suggest on SiGNeL that a gathering of people togged out in pink would have more broad-based appeal than a gay pride parade. The rationale was that a mixed crowd of both straight and LGBT participants dressed the same way to support a cause would circumvent the problem of outing oneself as it would mean that just because one was seen at the event, this would not necessarily signify that one was gay. The design of the Pink Dot mascot, affectionately named "Pinkie", was later provided pro bono by straight graphic designer Soh Ee Shaun. Soh's help was solicited by Dominic Chua, a personal friend of his. The crafting of the PR-friendly slogan "Support the Freedom to Love", which was a concerted attempt to move away from using the word "rights" and which later gained widespread currency both locally and internationally, was the work of Ash Lim. Dr Stuart Koe, CEO of Fridae.com, generously agreed to making his immensely popular and socially responsible LGBT portal Pink Dot's first corporate sponsor. Koe provided website information technology, creative, marketing and logistics support, the use of the Fridae office for meetings, and at least $2,000 to get the inaugural event off the ground.

Prior to September 2008, Pink Dot would have been an illegal event, with the police regarding it as a form of demonstration in violation of the rules governing the use of the Speakers' Corner. For 8 years since its inception in 2000, users of Speakers' Corner were required to register themselves at the police post and were prohibited from employing any audio amplification equipment or conducting themselves in a manner which may be deemed a public protest or demonstration. The status quo changed on 1 September 2008 when the Government decided to relax the rules to allow for protests, demonstrations and self-powered sound systems, all made permissible by just a simple online registration with the National Parks Board (NParks). However, this newfound right was secured through years of effort by activists to open up political space and to persuade Singaporeans to accept the idea of peaceful protests. It took arrests, fines and prison sentences suffered by activists, in particular Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) leader Dr Chee Soon Juan. Chee made a decision in 1999 to risk imprisonment by embarking on a long-drawn campaign of civil disobedience to bring the government to bear for its refusal to honour its citizens' rights to free speech and assembly.


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