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More parties wade into debate over HPB sexuality FAQ

SINGAPORE — As more parties waded into the debate over the FAQ on sexuality the Health Promotion Board (HPB) posted on its website — including another petition that counters an earlier one criticising the board’s move — the HPB said yesterday it would take into account feedback from various quarters in the “continual review” of its public education resources.

SINGAPORE — As more parties waded into the debate over the FAQ on sexuality the Health Promotion Board (HPB) posted on its website — including another petition that counters an earlier one criticising the board’s move — the HPB said yesterday it would take into account feedback from various quarters in the “continual review” of its public education resources.

However, the board did not answer this newspaper’s query on whether it had, as alleged by some, removed the links to a few support groups in that online resource in response to criticism, including from Faith Community Baptist Church Pastor Lawrence Khong.

The HPB said: “We will take into consideration relevant inputs we have received to see how we could further improve in our communications as well as better reach out to Singaporeans in our health promotion educational materials.”

The debate — sparked by an FAQ section on sexuality the HPB posted on its website in November last year, and which later went viral — grew after several other individuals entered the fray.

In an interview with MyPaper, Mr Khong said he had written a seven-page response to the FAQ, noting that it represented a “pro-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) view”.

He could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Separately, an individual who only wanted to be known as Aaron, also started an online petition against the FAQ section that urged the Health Minister to conduct a “thorough, non-biased, comprehensive review” of it.

As of last night, it had garnered more than 1,700 signatures.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, he said the HPB’s article was “questionable and objectionable”.

He added: “I hope through my petition, the Health Ministry will take this opportunity to thoroughly examine the FAQ, not just the expressed words, but the implicit, underlying values that drive it.”

At the other end of the debate spectrum, a counter-petition was set up by 20-year-old student Melissa Tsang on Tuesday.

She claimed that the HPB had edited the FAQ section to omit some links to counselling and support groups, such as those to the websites of LGBT counselling service Oogachaga; a support group for parents with gay children, SAFE (Supporting, Affirming, Empowering, LGBTQ family and friends); and advocacy group Action for Aids (AFA).

While the HPB did not answer TODAY’s queries on whether it had removed these links in response to objections to the article, it said yesterday that visitors to the website had generally found the information “useful and educational” and reiterated that “family remains the basic building block of our society”.

Ms Tsang, who is also part of LGBT advocacy groups The G Spot and Purple Alliance, said she started the petition to counter the one by Aaron.

She added that she believed in the “power of a collective statement” through the petition and that the article provided “life-saving information” for LGBT individuals.

More than 1,200 people have signed the petition so far.

When contacted yesterday, the three counselling and support groups said it was up to HPB to decide what to post on its website.

Oogachaga added that it hopes the HPB will “also consider the supportive views and constructive feedback from the intended audience which the FAQs are meant to target”.

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