Gay Party No-Go ‘A Signal Not to Push Limits’
Sunday
Times, December 19, 2004
By Tracy Quek
THE recent police decision to deny
a licence for an annual gay Christmas party could be seen as a signal to the
homosexual community not to push things too far when it comes to high-profile
events that seem to promote alternative lifestyles.
Sociologists, MPs and members of the gay community
contacted said events where homosexuals engage in public displays of
affection, as seen at last year’s SnowBall indoor party, may have taken the
opening up of Singapore a bit further than what the authorities are prepared
for.
The party, which was scheduled for this weekend, would
have been the third annual Christmas party organised by Jungle Media, the
Singapore subsidiary of Hong Kong-based fridae.com and said to be the
region’s largest online gay portal.
Jungle Media had applied for a licence in October and was
told by the police on Dec 8 that the application was rejected on the grounds
that the event is ‘contrary to public interest’.
The police also said that it does not discriminate
against gays but recognises that Singapore is still a ‘conservative and
traditional society’.
After the Government said last year that it is open to
hiring gays, there has been a on and off debate about the status of
homosexuals in Singapore and their rights. Parties organised by fridae.com and
the economic spin-offs of gay events have been widely reported in the media.
Mr Charles Chong, a Member of Parliament for Pasir
Ris-Punggol GRC, said: ‘The gay community must realise that in trying to
move society at too fast a pace, it may cause a backlash.’
Mr W.K. Chan, 38, a legal counsel, who has attended
parties organised by Jungle Media, said it is clear that the authorities are
sending this message: ‘We’re fine about gays in society but please don’t
shove it down our throats.’
‘It’s a sign to the community to take things slow,’
he added.
But some members of the gay community think that the
episode may send out conflicting signals. Why, they asked, was there now a
toughening of attitude towards gay activities when Jungle Media had been
granted licences for seven parties in the last three years?
Mr Alex Au of gay activist group People Like Us said:
‘It was one step forward when there was talk about being a progressive
society and opening up, but this incident is like taking two steps back.’
The police had said last week that they had approved
parties such as Nation.04, usually held in August, after receiving assurances
that the events would not be ‘organised as gay parties’.
Mr Viswa Sadasivan, who heads The Right Angle Media
production company, said: ‘Do we want to emphasise a stance on moral values
or be pragmatic? Singapore has become more neutral towards gay lifestyles.
Some have used this opportunity to entice the pink dollar. So now what do
people take this to mean? That we want your money but don’t want you?’
Other observers such as constitutional law expert Kevin
Tan said the denial of a licence could be linked to the recent warning that
HIV infections among homosexuals shot up from 54 cases last year to 77 in the
first 10 months of this year.
Those who welcomed the police decision, like counsellor
Tan Thuan Seng, president of charity group Focus On The Family Singapore,
said: ‘We don’t want them to encourage young people who have some degree
of gender confusion to make the mistake of going into a gay lifestyle.’
Dr Stuart Koe, chief executive officer of fridae.com,
said the incident would not stop the company from applying for a licence for
the Nation party it plans to hold next August.
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