Newly married Li Huanwu and his husband Heng Yirui attended 11th Pink Dot Singapore (SG) event along with both their parents today (29 June) in Hong Lim Park.
Pink Dot SG shared a group photo of Mr Lee Hsien Yang, the younger brother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and his wife Mrs Lee Suet Fern, Mr Li Huan Wu and his husband Mr Heng Yirui along with his family, at the Hong Lim Park event this afternoon.
“#loveislove with newly wedded husbands – Lee Kuan Yew grandson Li Huanwu and Dr Heng Yirui, and their parents Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Suet Fern with us at #PinkDot11 standing #AgainstDiscrimination!” Pink Dot SG wrote on their pages, attached with the family photo.
Li and Heng married in South Africa just a month ago, in the presence of their family members. Some netizens expressed thanks for the family photo that was taken during the wedding as a sign of solidarity to LGBTQ community.
In comparison to Mr Lee Hsien Yang and his family’s open acceptance to same-sex relationships, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the elder brother who is the Prime Minister of Singapore, took a far-more conservative stance when he said that Section 377A “remains on our legislation, and it will for some time”. This was in response to a question from a member of the audience at the Smart Nation Summit at Marina Bay Sands on Wed (26 Jun) in regards to making Singapore’s legislation more inclusive for individuals who are not heterosexual.
Section 377A criminalises the act of sex between two males, a law that was left behind by the British colonists and preserved in Singapore law.
PM Lee stressed that by retaining the particular piece of legislation does not mean Singapore is hostile towards the LGBTQ community, as Section 377A “has not stopped Pink Dot from having a gathering every year”.
“You know our rules in Singapore. Whatever your sexual orientation, you are welcome to come and work in Singapore.” said PM Lee
In response to this comment by the Prime Minister, Pink Dot SG voiced its disagreement on its Facebook page:
Pink Dot’s existence is not proof of Singapore’s inclusiveness to the LGBTQ community. Pink Dot exists precisely because members of the LGBTQ community in Singapore continue to face discrimination and inequality in a multitude of ways, on a daily basis. This discrimination that we face is borne from Section 377A, along with its trickle-down effects to other laws and policies that govern our society at large.
Judging from PM Lee’s response, he might not have a full understanding of the discrimination that takes place in Singapore. This year, Pink Dot 11’s campaign tells stories of discrimination that the LGBTQ community experience in our country. We invite PM Lee and our leaders to come down to Hong Lim Park this Saturday and truly make an effort to understand what the LGBTQ community go through on a daily basis.
Despite the invitation from Pink Dot SG, PM Lee is nowhere to be seen in Hong Lim Park by the end of the event. Instead, his brother was there with his family to show support to the cause.
