WSJ: For Its Own Reasons, Singapore Is Getting Rather Gay-Friendly

[question everything]

Tourist Dollars Are Part of It, But There Still Are Limits; Renaming a 'Military' Ball

By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
October 22, 2004; Page A1

SINGAPORE -- This famously stodgy city-state is becoming an unlikely center of gay culture in Asia. Nearly 8,000 gay men from around the world flocked to a beach resort here in August for an all-night party timed to coincide with Singapore's National Day. Laser lights played across the bodies of revelers, many shirtless and some stripped down to their Speedos, as they danced through the humid tropical night. Gay bars, dance clubs and about a half-dozen bathhouses have sprung up. This past summer, the national art museum even featured an exhibit of homoerotic photos.

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The driving force behind this change appears to be economic. One consideration: reaping so-called pink dollars from gay tourists. The August dance party and related events, including plays and art exhibitions with gay themes, pulled in about 2,500 foreign visitors and about $6 million, according to event organizers.

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Singaporeans have long accepted a high degree of social control in exchange for state-delivered prosperity. But that is evolving as more Singaporeans are being exposed to the outside world through the Internet, travel and the globalized media. Those same forces have awakened gay people in Singapore and across Asia to the greater acceptance of homosexuals in the West and elsewhere, encouraging more to live openly and demand civil liberties. Once a taboo topic in Singapore, homosexuality has had a lot of attention in the local press. The cover of a weekly magazine recently touted the feature "Queer Eye for a Straight Nation." One commentator in the article suggested the new prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, could improve his look by opting for a wardrobe of "all white leather."

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The government has also refused to register a group campaigning for equal rights for gays, saying that it is "contrary to public interest to grant legitimacy to the promotion of homosexual activities and viewpoints." Under Singapore law, societies must register with the government. Recently, censors banned a Taiwanese film about two gay teens, saying it "conveys the message that homosexuality is normal."


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A spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs says: "Many Singaporeans continue to voice their objections to displays of homosexual behavior. There are certain things that homosexuals want which are not feasible now," including the setting up of a society.

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Write to Gordon Fairclough at [e-mail]

URL for this article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB109840969859652896,00.html

[kikiek]

1. Just think how gay marriages would help the economy. Weddings

cost thousands, add in gifts and honeymoons. This would help the economy more than anything Bush has done in 4 years. I am all for it.

[On the Road]

2. Well, The Gay Community is Certainly Tidy Enough to Fit In

They won't get caned for throwing gum on the sidewalk.