27/06/2020

Pink Dot 2020

Pink Dot 12

 Homes across Singapore light up in pink as annual Pink Dot rally goes online

 LGBTQ rally Pink Dot went digital-only for the first time in its 12-year history on Saturday (27 June), as the COVID-19 pandemic prevented its annual physical gathering at Hong Lim Park.

 Organisers livestreamed a one-and-a-half hour video programme hosted by actress Pam Oei and Pink Dot’s organising committee member Harris Zaidi. The show featured musical performances from queer artists and allies, and films that shared the stories of queer Singaporeans.

 Performers included 35 local drag queens as well as singers Chris Hong, Leon Markcus, Qyo, Mathilda D’Silva, Charlie Lim, Joanna Dong and the band The Apex Project.

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 Annual Pink Dot event goes online; organisers to rally LGBTQ community with virtual events
Pink Dot SG's organisers have arranged a series of online events on June 27, 2020. PHOTO: PINKDOTSG/FACEBOOK

 To adapt to the new realities of a global pandemic, this year's Pink Dot SG rally is going online, say the annual event's organisers.

 This year's theme, Love Lives Here, aims to celebrate and foster a spirit of inclusion and love by uniting the LGBTQ, or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, community and its allies digitally as the event celebrates its 12th edition.

 As they are not able to arrange for people to gather physically, Pink Dot SG's organisers have arranged a series of online events, including a livestream that will be held on the event's website from 8pm to 9.30pm on June 27.

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 3 ways to support pinkdot12 this year

 Pink Dot SG, Singapore’s landmark LGBTQ-affirming event will go digital to adapt to the new realities of a global pandemic. While we cannot physically be together, Pink Dot 12 aims to unite the community and its allies through digital activations that foster a spirit of inclusion and love.

 Like our queer counterparts around the world, LGBTQ Singaporeans have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. A majority (63.8%) of those surveyed by local LBTQ organisation Sayoni reported faced challenges with mental health, while almost half (47.3%) said they struggled with social isolation and inability to access support systems. Many (21%) expressed concerns about their identity being disclosed to families or said they (20.1%) were living in hostile family environments.

 This year’s theme, Love Lives Here, was chosen with these challenges in mind. We invite all Singaporeans and allies to:
  • Light Up by decorating your homes or businesses with pink lights during the month of June to show support to those who might not be able to do so. Watch our campaign video here to learn more.
  • Sign Up online now to leave messages of love and support, and form our first ever digital pink dot at https://loveliveshere.pinkdot.sg/.
  • Show Up on June 27 for our livestream and join in the celebrations on https://pinkdot.sg/.

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 Pink Dot SG latest local event to be called off
The annual Pink Dot event at Hong Lim Park has been called off, but organisers said supporters can tune in to their special livestream programme on June 27.PHOTO: ST FILE

 The annual Pink Dot SG event, slated for June 27 at Hong Lim Park, is the latest event to be called off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 In a Facebook post on Monday (March 16), Pink Dot SG said people can still mark the occasion by lighting up their homes and workplaces pink, and spend time with their friends and family.

 It is the first cancellation in 12 years.

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 No Pink Dot rally at Hong Lim Park due to coronavirus
FILE PHOTO: Pink Dot announced on Monday (Mar 16) that they will not be holding their annual rally in Hong Lim Park this year. (Photo: Lianne Chia)

 Pink Dot organisers said on Monday (Mar 16) that due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the event will not take place at Hong Lim Park this year.

 Instead, there will be a livestream event online on Jun 27.

 In a Facebook post, the organisers said: "The health and safety of our community and all Singaporeans are our foremost priority. As such, for the first time in our 12-year history, Pink Dot will not take place physically at Hong Lim Park.

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 Singapore's Pink Dot rally to be replaced by livestream programme
This is the first time in its 12-year history that the annual rally will not take place at Hong Lim Park

 Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rally Pink Dot, which usually attracts thousands of attendees, has been cancelled this year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

 In a post on Facebook on Monday (March 16), the event's organisers said that they would instead hold a special livestream programme at 6.30pm on June 27.

 “One can expect a meaningful line-up of performances and interactive discussions that will keep you and your loved ones entertained and engaged,” said the organisers, adding that details of the programme will be released at a later date.

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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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