I’m not gay or queer or transgender. I’m as straight as can be…but that doesn’t mean that events in recent days haven’t made me question the discrimination for LGBTQ people in Singapore.
From the transgender girl who claims MOE is bullying her to the uncle who went batshit crazy at SMOL because he saw the Pride Flag, it seems that Singapore still needs a ton of work to be the all inclusive society we all want her to be.
The latest spark in issue this seems to be coming from Facebook user Joel Tan and his post . In it, he contends that the SG Government needs to man up and support the LGBTQ community. It’s either that or outlaw them altogether. No middle ground.
It’s a hardline stance as any I’ve seen. It’s basically an ultimatum that gives no room for compromise.
I can’t say I agree with the statement but I’m not part of the LBGTQ community, so who am I to say? Perhaps things have truly gotten to the point that a line has to be drawn.
Unfortunately, his stance doesn’t seem to have the support of much of the community. Or at least there aren’t many who’d come out and say it outright. While there are a 120 shares at the time of this writing, there’s not been much talk in the comments section.
Then again, that too is telling.
With the condition that Singapore is in and the half-hearted support from the government currently, perhaps the majority of the LGBTQ community here have learned to just keep their heads down.
While there are times to be heard, wisdom dictates that not every fire has to be put out. Picking the right battles to fight, at the right time is better than going all in for everything.
It’s true that the comments themselves on the post has been sparse. It would be enlightening to find out what people think and their reasons for thinking that way.
However, there’s one comment that truly saddens me.
One can’t help but feel for Karuna Marsh’s revelation.
It’s honestly a sad state of affairs when the victim is blamed because he is gay. Even more so when it’s supposedly coming from the police!
Victim blaming or shaming is NEVER OK. Everybody should be equally protected under the law.
“We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people regardless of race, language or religion, to build a democratic society based on justice and equality so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.”
– The Singapore Nation Pledge
It’s something the nation’s built on. Justice and equality….right there in the pledge itself. You can’t get any more clear than that.
Once the pandemic is over and normalcy returns, I think it’s high time for us to take a step back. We need to look at our society and how we treat people from deemed ‘undesirables’.