Now maybe I am being rather ingenious or possibly the original reporter was trying to be ambiguous because it implies that LHL would take part in Gay Pride Parades overseas. Is there something he wants to tell us?
Joking aside though, Lee Hsieng Loong doesn't seem to be very comfortable discussing homosexuality. And I have often noticed that I get extremely few comments on the topic. The reporter who asked the question appears to have really taken him by surprise.
Reuters
Oct 6, 2005 — SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore will not allow gay parades to be held in the city-state because it clashes with the views of many conservative Singaporeans, the prime minister said on Thursday.
Homosexuality is illegal in Singapore and the government has outlawed some gay events in the past, prompting activists to accuse the authorities of being homophobic.
"I don't think we're homophobic. I agree…that homosexuals are people like you and me. [That's nice of him isn't, you mean there are people who don't think gays are people] But there's some segment of Singaporeans who vehemently disagree with that and we have to be aware of that," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in response to a question at a Foreign Correspondents Association lunch.
Singapore has moved in recent years to shatter its prudish image, turning a blind eye to the growth of an entertainment industry catering for homosexuals and hosting a gay and lesbian festival that attracted about 6,000 people last year.
But Lee said he did not want to see gays parading on streets because it would offend conservative Singaporeans.
"Gay pride — well, you can do that in Sydney, in London, in San Francisco. But I'm not sure if I want to do that in Singapore.
"I think it would be offensive to a large number of Singaporeans and will be very divisive. And I think from a government's point of view therefore, it is not a wise thing to do."
In June, the authorities banned one of Asia's largest gay and lesbian festivals held annually in Singapore after deciding it was "contrary to public interest." A junior health minister said last year's festival may have led to a surge in the number of local AIDS cases, a remark that outraged gay activists.
Copyright 2005 Reuters News Service.
9 comments:
soci, we can and should find the other two previous interviews where reporters sprang the gay question at Minilee and Papalee. I wonder if we can find a consistent policy?
What a crock. Singapore has a fairly large gay population, and as far as I can tell, few Singaporeans care about who is straight and who is gay. The laws should be changed, no matter the homophobic fears of Lee and others. Gays are people too and deserve full rights, and not treated as outcasts.
Let's have Singaporeans put it to a vote. I'll bet they would vote to drop all these anti-gay laws.
friskodude > the people whom you claim to be open to or do not mind homosexuality are probably not the majority, most singaporeans are by and large conservative. Judging by a poll conducted by the ST almost half a year ago on the concept of racial purity, more than half of those polled agreed that racial purity should be preserved. What do you think they will vote for when it comes to anti-gay laws then?
la idler, I don't give credence to ST polls. Unscientific and poorly conducted.
I think those who are the most ardent conservatives are those fucking butts in Desker Road.
I have only ever seen ONE survey conducted by a psychologist that claimed that Singaporeans are conservative. It was widely published even though it had serious methodological issues in terms of how it divided the demographics of Singapore.
It broke Singaporeans into Married, Single, Young, old, and ethnicity. Which resulted in heterosexuals dominating the survey, completely ignoring the possibilty that homosexuals might actually exist in Singapore.
I have taught Research methodolgy for over 3 years and would not have passed it for an undergraduate essay, yet it is constantly referred to by Singaporean politicians.
Isn't it a coincidence that just in the time after Richard Florida came out with his book 'the rise of the Creative Class' the government seemed to be opening up to gay people.
(in short: Florida analysed succesful cities/regions in the US and what made them succesful was the ability to attract creative people. His creativity index seemed to overlap with the presence of a gay community)
A 2003 article in Time Asia reported this:
Singapore will do "whatever it takes" to attract talent, says Vivian Balakrishnan, the government official in charge of the Remaking Singapore Committee. As part of that effort, repressive government policies previously enforced in the name of social stability are being relaxed. The city now boasts seven saunas catering almost exclusively to gay clients, for example, something unthinkable even a few years ago. There are a sprinkling of gay bars, and many dance clubs set aside one night each week for gay customers. Prime Minister Goh says his government now allows gay employees into its ranks, even in sensitive positions. The change in policy, inspired at least in part by the desire not to exclude talented foreigners who are gay, is being implemented without fanfare, Goh says, to avoid raising the hackles of more-conservative Singaporeans. "So let it evolve, and in time the population will understand that some people are born that way," Goh says. "We are born this way and they are born that way, but they are like you and me."
...everything for the economy...
akikonomu > I too do not give credence to ST polls, but sometimes, as flawed as they may be, it is hard to ignore things like these because you never know if they truly are right or wrong.
Pro-Truth > I fully support the Government's approach in being sensitive to conservative Singaporeans. That is the right thing to do.
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