• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
  • Volunteer
    • Internship with The Online Citizen
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • 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
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
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Govt’s reluctance to repeal homophobic legislation emboldens society’s policing of LGBT people

Singaporean playwright responds to Lau Pa Sat food outlet Pride flag incident

by The Online Citizen
19/01/2021
in LGBT
Reading Time: 5 mins read
9
Govt’s reluctance to repeal homophobic legislation emboldens society’s policing of LGBT people

The Singapore government’s apparent reluctance to repeal homophobic legislation such as Section 377A of the Penal Code emboldens the policing of LGBT people in the country by other members of the society, said Singaporean playwright Joel Tan.

His statement came after a CCTV footage of a man ripping a small Pride flag off the counter of a food outlet surfaced on social media, sparking shock and outrage among many commenters.

Grain bowl restaurant SMOL Singapore on Monday (18 January) took to Facebook to share the footage of the incident, which took place at its Lau Pa Sat outlet in the afternoon the same day.

According to SMOL, the man had asked the staff member what the flag represents, to which the staff member replied that it is a sign of support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The man then momentarily left the counter in a disgruntled manner before walking back and angrily telling the SMOL staff that “not everybody supports LGBT” and questioning them how they could display the Pride flag at a “public food court”.

He then ripped the flag off the counter and had forcefully flung it against one of the staff members. The man had allegedly told the staff: “You are the kind of people who are destroying Singapore! Go to hell!”

In a Facebook post on Tuesday (19 January), Mr Tan said that by stating that Section 377A — a provision with colonial origins that criminalises consensual sexual relations between adult men — is not enforced in Singapore, the implied message conveyed by the Government is that “enforcement becomes the job and passionate past time of ordinary citizens”.

“And then people get away thinking, ah at least no one is going to jail for being gay, as if going to jail is literally the only bad and traumatic thing that could happen to a queer person (spoiler: it’s not),” he said.

The Government’s decision to take a step back with regard to such issues, said Mr Tan, births “a demographic of citizen-enforcers whose qualifications include mainly being disgusted”.

“An amateur police force” such as the citizen-enforcers, he said, “is far worse”, as they are “given a lot more leeway because they’re not bound by processes of accountability”.

“And this police force is given power precisely by such state admissions as “this is a moral issue” or “there will be push back.

“The only thing this police force does not have is access to carceral justice. This would be their ultimate fantasy,” he said.

For the people Mr Tan branded as “citizen-enforcers”, the existence of LGBT people in public is “a menace” and “an indication that something is going very wrong in their world, because it’s always been their world”.

“Which is maybe why a middle aged man finds he must make a scene, must rid his world of rainbow symbols, must register his discontent. Obviously this is all speculation, and who really knows about the man? Is he unwell, is he deeply troubled? I don’t know. Does he have children, is he kind to them? I don’t know,” he said, likely addressing commenters who attempt to understand the motivations behind the man’s public outburst.

“One flawed individual may have a horribly sad story that leads him to become baddie of the day, but he’s only one stick in a bundle of sticks that makes up the fascist vanguard,” said Mr Tan.

“More importantly: what has been whispered into his ear, by whom, and for what purposes? Here is one purpose, and I’ll say it again: they do not want us to exist, they wish we did not exist.

“Anyway, one man is just one man, he will either be claimed or brought to some minor justice. The people who should take the blame are the Singapore government,” he concluded.

While it has yet to be revealed what had prompted the man to initiate the abusive actions seen in the footage, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam in March last year had announced new amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act which protect LGBT persons against religiously-motivated violence.

In a Facebook post regarding the matter, Mr Shanmugam said: “Everyone should feel safe in Singapore. We will not tolerate any threats made to physical safety.”

“No one should threaten someone because they were LGBTQ; and likewise, no one should threaten someone else, because of religious affiliation,” he added.

Mr Shanmugam in June last year topped NGO Sayoni’s Rainbow Scorecard for his engagement with LGBT groups.

However, activists have criticised Mr Shanmugam and other top leaders in government for a seeming lack of urgency in enacting laws that guarantee legal and social protections for LGBT people such as housing and marriage rights.

Beyond the question of repealing Section 377A, LGBT people in Singapore continue to grapple with the lack of concrete social and legal protections in areas such as housing and having legally recognised family units.

For example, the High Court last year rejected a bid for a man to name his same-sex partner as the guardian for his son and daughter, despite the fact that the children are raised as part of the family unit formed by the man and his partner.

Journalist Kirsten Han opined that the praise handed to Mr Shanmugam by certain segments of Singapore society regarding LGBT issues serve as “a slap in the face to people” such as a trans woman she previously interviewed, who — together with her wife — lost their home after their marriage was declared void on the grounds of her gender transition.

The trans woman and her wife were also denied the BTO flat they had paid a deposit for as a result of the voided marriage.

“It is a slap in the face to people like her when politicians from the very party in power are feted for supporting trans people, while she’d been put through hell,” said Han.

Civil rights activist and social worker Jolovan Wham –- among others –- argued that People’s Action Party (PAP) politicians such as Mr Shanmugam need “to be held to a higher standard” as they have greater power “to change things” with regards to LGBT rights in Singapore with a smaller risk to themselves than those in alternative parties.

“The consequences of someone like Shanmugam or TCJ [Tan Chuan-Jin] making LGBT affirmative statements is significantly different from opposition party figures like Paul Tambyah or Kenneth Jeyaretnam. We cannot assume a level political playing field in evaluating their position on LGBT issues,” said Mr Wham.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
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
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
9 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Recent Posts

  • S’pore to ban non-resident visitors from India starting 23 Apr, “until further notice”: MOH
  • S’pore, Hong Kong delay travel bubble announcement
  • When will Singapore return to normal given the continued imported cases?
  • HK Gov’t “appalled” by 80th rank on World Press Freedom Index and RSF report; what about SG?
  • India hits world record 1-day jump of 314,835 COVID-19 cases with new triple mutant variant appearing
  • Petition calls Singapore Government to ban travellers from India as COVID-19 cases soar there
  • Hong Kong journalist convicted over database search for mob attack probe
  • 11 more dorm residents of Westlite Woodlands test positive for COVID-19; 1,146 residents from same block will be sent to government quarantine facility for 14 days

Trending posts

WP MP Louis Chua encourages public to ensure their CPF nomination is in order, following recent encounter with a case which didn’t

MOH says entry-level nurses earn S$3,300 to S$5,200 monthly after allowances and bonuses; Frontline workers say Govt pays them 'peanuts'

Lawyer Kwa Kim Li to be referred to Disciplinary Tribunal over complaints of breaching attorney-client privilege, supplying “false and misleading information” and others

Netizens urge a ban on flights from India; slam experts who say it is not yet necessary

Why is S’pore still allowing workers from high-risk countries to arrive when other countries do not?

Expat from India discharged from hospital as recovered COVID case, who later goes on to infect 2 others

Petition calls Singapore Government to ban travellers from India as COVID-19 cases soar there

Mismanagement of public property at Sungei Api Api must stop; tax dollars down the drain

Singapore falls to 160 in 2021 World Press Freedom index; situation classified as “very bad”

Travellers from India arriving in Singapore to serve 21-day Stay-Home Notice starting 22 April

Load More
January 2021
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Dec   Feb »
  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • 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
9
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x