By Abdul Hamid Roslan, Class of ’17
N.B. This letter is in response to the following article published here. In November last year, the Health Promotion Board published an online FAQ on sexuality that has recently gained attention for containing factual information about sexual identity. While some people have applauded the move and see it as a progressive step, others have questioned it and petitioned for its review and subsequent removal. That said, these are just my words – do a Google search, and find the information you need. Be an informed, active reader.
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Dear Pastor Khong,
It is easy to demonise – just simply lift an accusatory finger at the people who disagree with you, and tell them they are wrong. I wonder if it is easy for you to do it to someone who may be struggling with his or her sexuality, Pastor Khong.
The Health Promotion Board is not destroying society by putting up their FAQ on sexuality. The people there are doing a fantastic job collecting and posting timely, relevant and life-saving information to people who may be struggling with their sexual identity.
I know you are thinking about the families who will be mortified to see such “false information” touted as truth, but I can never put in words how much it might mean to someone who is struggling with his or her sexuality to have this information readily available. I only wish it happened sooner – that other young, LGBTQ people could find a source close to home that tells them it’s okay, that it’s not a biological fault, that they are not less of a human being because of who they are, decide to be, or who they decide to love.
Please don’t mistake this for blind idealism. An FAQ is simply a resource, a list of factual answers to questions, agreed upon by the scientific community. It isn’t anything new per se. And although words have been thrown, petitions have been filed, and voices, both of anger and grief, have come out in full force, I hope you remember the people whom this really concerns – those who actually struggle with their sexual identity.
In The G Spot here at Yale NUS, a few of our members identify as queer. Even so, our sexual identity is not an issue of contention at this college. We are incredibly lucky and fortunate to be part of a very inclusive and supportive environment here, and this spurs us to actively become the change that we want to see in our society. On some days it feels almost unreal compared to say, when I was younger, in a school that seemed entirely heterosexual.
You’re a stranger to being invisible, to being told that it is dangerous to be who you are through no fault of your own. We don’t stand for fear mongering. As a diversity group, we stand for equality and respect for everyone. No single group of people should have the right to impose their beliefs on another group of people, for whatever reason.
I wish I could tell you that beyond the veil of ignorance you peek out of is a world that can be inclusive, can love without boundary and can respect and accept every person regardless of his or her sexual orientation. Your beliefs do not make the struggles of these people any less real; this FAQ is definitely a good, first step for young LGBTQ people who need relevant, good information that could save their lives.
Yours,
Hamid
on behalf of The G Spot
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