Approved Press Statement on the Rejection of Snowball.04 Application
Singapore Police Force,
December 8, 2004
Public Affairs Department
Police News Release
On 20 Oct 2004, Police received an application from
Jungle Media Pte Ltd for a public entertainment licence to organize an indoor
party at the former Warehouse Disco. The party, to be known as SnowBall.04,
was planned to be held from 9pm on 25 Dec 2004 to 6am 26 Dec 2004.
After careful consideration, Police have rejected the
application. Police’s assessment is that the event is likely to be organized
as a gay party which is contrary to public interest in general.
Jungle Media Pte Ltd was the same company which organized
the Nation.04 events this year. These included an indoor Opening Ball at
Suntec, an outdoor party on Sentosa, and a Closing Party at Zouk. Jungle Media
was also the same organizer for previous Nation events on Sentosa. Despite the
organiser’s assurance to the Police and the public that these events were
not organized as gay parties, the Police note that:
a) The promotion materials were widely advertised on
fridae.com, a known gay portal;
b) Observations during the Indoor Opening Ball at Suntec
showed the patrons of the same gender were seen openly kissing and intimately
touching each other. Some of the revelers were cross-dressed, for example,
males wearing skirts. Patrons were also seen using the toilets of the opposite
sex. The behaviour of these patrons suggested that most of them were probably
gays/lesbians and this was thus an event almost exclusively for gays/lesbians;
c) A number of couples of the same sex were seen hugging
and kissing in public after the event almost exclusively for gays/lesbians;
d) Several letters of complaint were received from some
patrons about the openly gay acts at the Ball.
The above were taken into consideration in rejecting the
application for a public entertainment licence for snowball.04.
The Police recognize that there are some Singaporeans
with gay tendencies. While Police do not discriminate against them on this
basis, the Police also recognize that Singapore is still, by and large, a
conservative and traditional society. Hence, the Police cannot approve any
application for an event which goes against the moral values of a large
majority of Singaporeans. Future applications for events of similar nature
will be closely scrutinized.
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