It was an amazing Saturday. I even got my picture in the newspaper. Look mom … that’s me!
An anonymous visitor to my blog posted “Poster Boy for Pink Dot?” to one of my entries. I’m tickled pink by that.
We’ve come a long way since the mid-90s when I set up Out Loud & Proud, a website about my coming-out. The intent was to give hope to asian people who were gay and in the closet. To let them know that it is OK to love another guy openly. To show your love for the world to see.
I would have never imagined in my 20s that I’d be participating in something so significant in 2009.
Just wanted to share these moving words:
“i just hope for greater awareness and less prejudice … and everybody getting along and letting people love whoever they want to love” Selena Tan
“i hope that we become more open as a society and respect each other’s needs to love and so we can all just live togehter in harmony” Pam Oei
“we are born alone, we go to our graves alone, but there is no reason why any of us should have to live alone in this life without love purely because of intolerance and judgement” Neo Swee Lin
And as Swee Lin quoted “Be the change that you want to see in the world.” Mohandas Gandhi
See the pinkdot video taken on that day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9gDazG4cC0
The video encouraging people to come make pinkdot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDdoT7opmrg
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#1 by JermynToh on 28 May, 2009 - 9:28 am
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Re: Glad you liked the “Poster Boy” comment…
thanks for visiting my blog and for ur comments & suggestion
i’ve been following the discussion and research on conversion therapy for a few years since i’ve heard about it. i don’t believe it works and have read many disturbing
I just didn’t think it was something that is happening and prevalent in Asia / Singapore
let me do some more reading, research and then I’ll put a blog-piece together about it
#2 by Anonymous on 28 May, 2009 - 4:36 am
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Glad you liked the “Poster Boy” comment…
… and since you’re using your blog and website to let people know “it is OK to love another guy openly”, I wondering if you would also like to highlight the dangers of conversion therapy to those you’re trying to help.
I didn’t know about the dangers before but I’ve been following this sometimes annoying discussion on the AsiaOne forums and discovered that treatments like the one offered by Choices Ministry/COOS, apart from not being very effective, are actually considered dangerous by the mainstream medical community in the US and UK (including the AMA, APA and Royal College of Psychiatrists!).
I used to tell conflicted friends that it was really their own choice whether they wanted to accept their homosexuality or whether they wanted to try going heterosexual. I think I’ve even mentioned the Choices Ministry as an option to those who wanted to try changing. That’s why I was quite horrified to learn about the research findings and the official position of the medical community.
I’m not suggesting that Choices Ministry be shut down but, if they’re responsible, they should really post a warning label on their program. The one on cigarette packs which shows a rotting mouth seems a particularly appropriate one
#3 by andi_dreamz on 21 May, 2009 - 4:28 pm
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yeap… thanks for the encouragement… i m working towards the day where i can openly let all those around me kow i m gay!
also praying tat the special guy will appear to hold my hands…
#4 by ladyoracle on 20 May, 2009 - 1:32 pm
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That is completely awesome!
#5 by JermynToh on 20 May, 2009 - 10:47 am
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i’m sure u will have someone’s hand to hold soon
just think positively and be happy for everything u have in life. then wish for true love and in time … the universe will answer ur prayers
#6 by andi_dreamz on 19 May, 2009 - 4:26 pm
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Volunteering for the event makes it more meaningful…
Yeap, the turn-out was great, also glad to see that we LGBT behave properly in public, no overtones, nothing expicit.
Was glad to see some sex couples holding hands… wish i hav someone’s hands to hold too… lol
#7 by JermynToh on 19 May, 2009 - 3:42 pm
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i was just volunteering that day la.
organising team made up of Roy, Daniel, LipSun, Stuart, Alan and others had been doing this months before
i liked it that everyone was so cooperative, polite and supportive that day. it’s like the normal singaporean persona disappeared and what appeared was patience, tolerance, grace, acceptance and love
#8 by andi_dreamz on 19 May, 2009 - 3:28 pm
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Yeap, would definately say “Hi Jerm” when I next see you!
Thanks for being part of the organising team… I was happy to be there…
I luv the Singing and three cheers part!
#9 by JermynToh on 19 May, 2009 - 2:52 pm
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hey …. u shud have just said hi and introduced urself via ur LJ nick
i met a few LJ pple Sat as well as a few other pple when they said hi too
always nice to meet new pple or frens u only know online
#10 by andi_dreamz on 19 May, 2009 - 2:21 pm
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Saw you a couple of times at Pink Dot but was to shy to say Hi…
But it was a good event and looking forward to the next event… hopefully would hav enough courage to say Hi by then…
Cheers!
#11 by sorrie_bluez on 19 May, 2009 - 3:26 am
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i’m still quite pissed that they said only 1000 people,
which shows that they really didn’t bother to actually check out the attendance & probably got the numbers from the FB event site.
#12 by soveren on 18 May, 2009 - 9:55 pm
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can i get ur autograph