Govt leaders must draw ‘clear line’ on LGBT issue: pastor

SINGAPORE — Ahead of the annual Pink Dot gathering this evening (June 28), Senior Pastor Lawrence Khong of Faith Community Baptist Church fired his latest salvo, questioning the objectives of event organisers and the Government’s stance on the issue.

“I find it totally confounding that Pink Dot is allowed to promote its agenda,” Mr Khong said in a statement issued yesterday. “I find it even more disconcerting that the event is being used as a platform of public persuasion to push its alternative lifestyle.”

The pastor’s comments came after Pink Dot spokesperson Paerin Choa told TODAY this week that the event, now in its sixth year, was about changing “society’s attitude” towards the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Said Mr Khong: “This is no good for Singapore. Why then is our Government giving Pink Dot public space to push its agenda and grow its movement?”

Government leaders, he said, need to draw a clear line on where they now stand with regard to this moral issue.”

Adding that he felt sad at the thought of Singapore’s moral decline, Mr Khong said: “Pink Dot’s agenda goes against our national interests.”

His comments come as debate on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movement increases.

Over the past week, various faith groups, including the Catholic Church and the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, have expressed their positions on the LGBT movement.

Last week, Mr Noor Deros, a Muslim teacher, launched the Wear White movement, urging Muslims not to take part in the Pink Dot event today and wear white garments to prayers that night as they usher in the holy month of Ramadan. The campaign was publicly supported by Mr Khong who, in turn, urged his church members to wear white this weekend.

The issue has of late attracted comments from several civil society groups and activists. Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, also weighed in on the issue last Sunday, saying differences of opinion and personal choices should be expressed in a way that avoids dividing the society and community.

Below is the statement in full:

I find it totally confounding that Pink Dot is allowed to promote their agenda. I find it even more disconcerting that the event is being used as a platform of public persuasion to push their alternative lifestyle.

A spokesperson for Pink Dot publicly declared the organisers’ objective to “change society’s attitude”. He went on to say that “when society’s attitude has changed, all these laws (377A) and regulations will naturally also change ... Pink Dot has always been a social movement to change hearts and minds.”

This is no good for Singapore. Why then is our government giving Pink Dot public space to push their agenda and grow their movement? This simply

does not square with what Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his 2007 Parliamentary speech on 377A:

“Homosexuals work in all sectors, all over the economy, in the public sector and in the civil service as well. They are free to lead their lives, free to pursue their social activities. But there are restraints and we do not approve of them actively promoting their lifestyles to others, or setting the tone for mainstream society.”

So, why are we giving Pink Dot leeway to promote their alternative lifestyles in such a high profile way? I would like to see our government leaders draw a clear line on where they now stand with regard to this moral issue. The gay activists will not stop at just repealing 377A. They will push for more. Ultimately, they want to redefine Love, redefine Marriage, and redefine Family. Is this the kind of Singapore we can be proud of and want for our children? I feel sad at the thought of Singapore in moral decline.

In the past decade or more, our leaders have made considerable efforts to reinforce the Family Institution as basic and foundational to nation-building. They have worked hard encouraging heterosexual marriage and family formation to bring up the next generation, and ensure the continuity of this nation. Pink Dot’s agenda goes against our national interests. If they are allowed to continue, the day will come when we will no longer recognise the Singapore that we and our founding fathers have worked so hard to build.