• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Constantly linking LGBT to ‘problems’ is a malicious form of defamation, says activist

by kathleen
20/06/2019
in LGBT
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0

K Shanmugam and Amrin Amin taking questions from participants at the discussion session with LGBTQ+ community. (Images from K Shanmugam / Facebook)

On 14 June, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam attended a discussion with representatives from several Singapore lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organisations to talk about anti-drug outreach efforts. Some of the organisations included Pink Dot SG, Oogachaga, The T Project, Free Community Church, CNB Drug Free SG, The Greenhouse SG, and Lifeline SG.

Sharing about the discussion on his Facebook page (19 June), Mr Shanmugam said “I told them that drug abuse is not just anyone community’s problem, or a specific problem relating to the LGBTQ+ community. MHA has reached out to different communities to come forward, and help in the fight against drugs. Likewise, MHA has reached out to the LGBTQ+ community, to help in the fight against drugs.”

During the discussion, he said participants also shared challenges they’ve faced as members of the marginalised community.

While the effort by the Minister in engaging with the LGBT community is commendable, it drew criticism from activists who pointed out that constantly linking the community to problems like drugs and HIV/AIDS does more harm than good.

In a comment on Mr Shanmugam’s post, activist Jolovan Wham asks: “First of all, how serious is the drug abuse problem among LGBT individuals? Are there any statistics?”

He pointed out that no public data is available to inform those queries. As such, he notes his skepticism of the tendency to associate drug abuse with the LGBT community, adding that a distinction also needs to be made between those who use drugs recreational versus those who are addicted to it and abuse it.

He continued, “If drug abuse is indeed a serious problem among the community, it’s important to understand that abuse is often linked to poverty, stigma and discrimination. We should work towards addressing these root causes, instead of narrowly focusing on anti-drug outreach efforts.”

The root of the problem, he proposes, is Section 377A of the Penal code which criminalises sex between men. Repealing that will be “an important first step in reducing stigma and should be seen as part of the battle against drug abuse among the community,” said Mr Wham.

Another person to point out this tendency to link LGBT people with drug abuse is Managing Editor of Shanghaiist Kenneth Tan who echoed Mr Wham’s critique.

Mr Tan said on his own Facebook page that while there is a need to address the problems faced by this community, the constant linking of the community to “nothing but problems” such as drug abuse and HIV is “an insidious, malicious form of defamation that feeds into continued discrimination against the community within the wider society”

He laments that Singapore’s leaders are unable to see how their own policies are affecting real people.

“It’s not rocket science. Remove the oppressive policies towards the LGBT community and watch problems related to drugs, mental health, suicide, etc. go down,” urged Mr Tan.

These criticisms are not new

Back in 2015, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) invited LGBT groups including Oogachaga, Pink Dot SG and Sayoni to participate in a Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council on the state of human rights in Singapore.

Focusing on the LGBT community, Sayoni released a statement detailing the systematic discrimination that people in this community continue to face in Singapore, first and foremost being the criminalisation of sex between men in the Penal Code.

In the statement by Sayoni on behalf of the LGBT communities in Singapore, Section 377A is described as a violation of a number of rights under international human rights law including the right to privacy and the right to equality and non-discrimination.

Sayoni said that while the government insists that 377A will not be enforced, gay men continue to live under the threat of harassment and enforcement of this law which also influences the formation of public policy that discriminates against the entire LGBT community.

Another point of contention was the right to freedom of expression or lack thereof. The Media Development Authority Act, the Films Act and the Broadcasting Act empower the Media Development Authority (now IMDA) to ban, classify, and restrict the content of various media. The MDA, in turn, has strict ‘guidelines’ which includes prohibition and restrictions on material with LGBT characters and themes, said Sayoni.

There is a lack of positive representation of LGBT characters in media while any speech that advocates for their dignity and rights are routinely cut out or barred, the organisation added.

These censorship policies contribute to the loss of positive role models for the LGBT community which reinforces low self-esteem which in turns makes them more accepting of discrimination and rights abuses.

This relates to the points raised by Mr Tan and Mr Wham that there is this perception of a negative image of the LGBT community that the government perpetuates.

Sayoni also noted that LGBT organisations have regularly been denied registration by the Registrar of Societies for reasons such as them being ‘contrary to the national interest’; same-sex marriage is still illegal; that there is a lack of protection and rights for transgender people; and that the law does not specifically prevent workplace discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

These factors are some of the main points that lead to the perpetuation of strong stigma against the entire LGBT community which effectively pushes them to the fringes of society without proper support and legal protection.

As Jolovan Wham and Kenneth Tan said, you need to tackle the root of the problem for any effort to be effective. After all, the root causes have already been identified.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023
Labour

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

28/01/2023
Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections
AFP

Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections

28/01/2023
UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin
Malaysia

UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin

28/01/2023
WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status
AFP

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023
AFP

Two years after Myanmar coup, UN says situation ‘catastrophic’

27/01/2023
Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health
Community

Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

27/01/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

Singapore warns slower economic growth in 2023

Less than 1 in 10 jobs created in first three quarters of 2022 went to Singaporeans?

28/01/2023
Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections

Peru Congress rejects president’s plan for early elections

28/01/2023
UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin

UMNO purging members as it sacks former health minister Khairy and suspended ex-defence minister Hishammuddin

28/01/2023
WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

WHO panel in talks on COVID emergency status

27/01/2023

Two years after Myanmar coup, UN says situation ‘catastrophic’

27/01/2023
Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

Grab driver supposedly earned $5,227.82 in a week prior CNY, netizens voice worries over his health

27/01/2023
Philippines to appeal ICC resumption of drug war probe

ICC grants new inquiry into Manila’s deadly ‘war on drugs’

27/01/2023
Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

Minister refutes claims of Malaysia consulting Singapore on housing policy due to its inefficient civil service

27/01/2023

Trending posts

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
36

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
23

...

Ho Ching breaks silence over Temasek’s write down of its US$275 million investment in FTX, says it “can afford to be contrarian”

US regulator questions VCs’ due diligence work prior to investing in FTX; Ho Ching says Temasek can afford to be contrarian

by The Online Citizen
24/01/2023
28

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
55

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
46

...

Constantly linking LGBT to ‘problems’ is a malicious form of defamation, says activist

by kathleen
20/06/2019
0

...

June 2019
M T W T F S S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
« May   Jul »
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz