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Thousands gather for first Pink Dot LGBTQ rally since repeal of Section 377A

SINGAPORE — In spite of dark clouds and a brief drizzle, thousands gathered for the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rally Pink Dot on Saturday (June 24) —  the first one to be held since Section 377A, a decades-old law criminalising gay sex, was repealed in November.

The formation of the word family using torchlights at the Pink Dot event at Hong Lim Park on June 24, 2023

The formation of the word family using torchlights at the Pink Dot event at Hong Lim Park on June 24, 2023

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  • Thousands gathered for the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rally Pink Dot at Hong Lim Park on Saturday (June 24)
  • It was the first Pink Dot since Section 377A, a decades-old law criminalising gay sex, was repealed in November last year
  • The event ran from 4pm to 9pm, and featured community booths, as well as an evening of performances and speeches by members and allies of the LGBTQ community
  • Also in attendance at this year’s rally were political leaders from different parties including the ruling People’s Action Party, the Workers’ Party and the Progress Singapore Party

SINGAPORE — In spite of dark clouds and a brief drizzle, thousands gathered for the annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rally Pink Dot on Saturday (June 24) —  the first one to be held since Section 377A, a decades-old law criminalising gay sex, was repealed in November. 

Saturday’s rally, which was held at Hong Lim Park from 4pm to 9pm, was the 15th iteration of the event.

This year’s Pink Dot featured community booths, with initiatives targeted at supporting families in the community, as well as an evening of performances including a dance item by queer collective Bottom to the Top, and live music performances by M1LDL1FE and Jean Seizure, among others.

There were also speeches by five speakers: Siew Kum Hong, former Nominated Member of Parliament who filed the first citizen’s petition for the repeal of Section 377A; Medli Dorothea Loo, theatre-maker; Robin Lim and Linda Foo, the parents of a gay child; Cally Cheung, director of Prout, a group championing connections within the LGBTQ+ community; and Azfar Anwar, co-founder of Quasa, a queer advocacy and support group for LGBTQ+ minorities.

In his address at the opening of the rally, Mr Siew said: “I always believed repeal would happen in my lifetime. Finally, last year, love overcame prejudice.”

Speaking to the media before the event, Pink Dot spokesperson Clement Tan said that this year’s rally is centred on the theme of family to dispel the notion that the repeal of 377A would lead to the disintegration of family values. 

“In the lead up to repeal (of 377A), we saw a lot of people in society – particular groups – put out their campaigns that called for the protection of family as an institution… The constitution was amended to block any legal challenges against the definition of marriage. 

“We saw a lot of our political leaders also taking the floor in Parliament, talking about how LGBTQ equality was somehow a threat to family values,” said Mr Tan.

In November last year, Parliament passed two Bills to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code while concurrently amending the Constitution to protect the definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Beyond the biological families that they were born into, Mr Tan said that there were also “chosen families” within the LGBTQ community.

“The chosen families that we find within the community, or the families that we were born into – these are families that deserve recognition, support, validation. It shouldn’t really matter what families look like in Singapore – most certainly not what the Government defines as worthy of recognition,” he said. 

POLITICIANS SPOTTED AT RALLY

Mr Tan said, without giving figures, that he was also “pleased” with the turnout on Saturday.

Among those who attended the rally were politicians from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), along with opposition politicians from the Workers’ Party (WP) and the Progress Singapore Party (PSP).

Last year, Kebun Baru Single Member Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Henry Kwek was believed to be the first PAP politician to attend the Pink Dot in an official capacity. Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) MP Jamus Lim from the WP was also present at last year’s rally, in his personal capacity.

This year, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Eric Chua was there with paralympic athletes Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh. He said he was there in his personal capacity to support his friends. 

Mr Chua, who is a PAP MP, said: “We really want to represent the broad swathe of what Singapore society represents. I think that's part of the process of engagement.” 

Nee Soon GRC MP Derrick Goh said he was also at the rally to support his friends. Mr Goh, who spoke briefly to the media, said it was his first time attending Pink Dot.

Two WP MPs, Ms He Ting Ru and Mr Louis Chua, from Sengkang GRC, were also spotted at the rally.

Non-Constituency MP Hazel Poa, who was representing the PSP, said that she and her fellow party members were there to better understand what sort of difference the repeal had made to the people in this community and also what other challenges remain.

This was Ms Poa’s first time at a Pink Dot rally as a PSP representative. 

Also attending the event for the first time was Ms Neo Kai Lin, a system administrator.

The 23-year-old said that her friend had invited her to the rally and she was struck by the “unity and inclusivity of the community”.

Meanwhile, Mr Jonathan Poh, 43, an architect, had been to Pink Dot before but this was the first year he was volunteering at the event.

He said it was “heartening” to know that the rally was supported not only by volunteers from the LGBTQ community, but also by those who did not identify as LGBTQ.

Ms Ruth Chan, 22, a student who has attended Pink Dot annually since 2018, said the rally was a place of “no judgement”.

“I think I’ll cry here every year. Every time, during the light-up, I cry,” she said. 

She was referring to the event’s signature light-up at the conclusion of the rally where Pink Dot attendees raise flashlights to form an illuminated word. 

On the emcees’ cue, attendees to the rally counted down to this year’s formation – which lit up to spell the word “family” in colours of the rainbow.

 

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