hey ... hope u had a good week

just wanted to ask if u have heard about the letter to Singapore's prime minister regarding the repeal of 377a?

you can find out more at http://www.repeal377a.com/

just wanted to say the issue at hand is really an issue of equality and i really do hope all people living and working in singapore, gay and straight, come together on this

there's a video supporting this as well which u can watch at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTGrzte9ZjQ

:-)

there's also the parlimentary petition which needs to be physically signed ... and this can be downloaded at http://www.repeal377a.com/ as well

if you've signed the letter or the petition ... or decided to sign... thanks

have a good weekend

Reposting this from orrh

I guess this has been one very busy trip for Sir Ian McKellen. Not only has he acted, he has been very candid about his sexuality on our TV and radio, spoken out against 377A and for us, been feted, moved by "Happy Endings - Asian Boys Vol 3" and now he has recorded a little video clip of support for Indignation '07.



http://www.plu.sg/indignation

Thanks Sir Ian, it's been great having you on our shores and having your support in speech, deed and spirit.

Ian McKellen wades into Singapore gay rights debate

By Sebastian Tong

SINGAPORE (Reuters Life!) - As Gandalf and Magneto, he's faced off fire-breathing monsters and superheroes, but actor Ian McKellen says he picks his battles when it comes to celebrity causes.

The Oscar-nominated thespian stepped into a brewing debate in Singapore about decriminalising homosexual acts just hours after arriving in the city state this week as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's touring production of William Shakespeare's "King Lear" and Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull".

McKellen, 68, was quoted in Singapore's pro-government media urging the state to repeal its laws that make sexual acts between men a crime.

The UK-based actor, who shot to global stardom with "The Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men" trilogies, called Singapore's prohibition -- a remnant of British colonial rule -- "personally offensive" and said it would put off people from moving to the country.

"I would not come to Singapore and comment on any aspect of its society but as a gay man invited here with the full cognisance of the government, how can they not notice that my right to have sex are inhibited by the country?" he told Reuters.

Q: You seemed to have stepped into a local debate about decriminalising homosexuality. Why did you do it?

A: "It would be impertinent of me to comment on Singapore society but this happens to be a law that I find personally offensive and I don't think it should be on the statute books because it inhibits my free behaviour as an openly gay man.

"I feel free to comment on behalf of people who do have to suffer laws which the British empire invented and left behind.

"It's easier for a foreigner to come in and speak to truth as he sees it."

Q: Were you aware that Singapore senior statesman Lee Kuan Yew has said it would be difficult to repeal the law on sexual acts between men because of popular opposition from the country's conservative majority.

A: "Yes. Then he must expect gay people not to come here, he must expect gay people to emigrate, he must expect no company to have their gay employees work here. Under that pressure he will change the law, I guarantee you. I'll take a bet."

Q: Do you think the public pays too much attention to what celebrities think?

A: "The press like to talk to actors. They mustn't be surprised when actors talk back to them. We are privileged that we have access to the media and our opinions sometimes are reported and I appreciate that. But I only speak on things that I am an expert on...You won't hear me talk about my politics, you won't hear me talk about my vegetarianism, you won't hear me comment on the Iraq war. You'll only hear me talk about being gay and being an actor. I am just public on those two issues."

Q: A film version of Tolkien's "The Hobbit" has been stalled because of a dispute between "The Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and film company New Line Cinema which holds the film rights to the book. Has there been any movement on the film development?

A: "I detect that there is movement and it's movement in the right direction. I'll be seeing Peter (Jackson) when we tour (New Zealand) next month. I hope it will happen."

Repressed Singapore Tells Ian McKellen: Don't Get Naked

Ian McKellen, who has fully disrobed during performances of King Lear in Britain, has been asked to avoid the display while performing in Singapore.

McKellen told the Associated Foreign Press: "It is King Lear doing it, not Ian McKellen doing it, so I don't take particular offence if I'm told 'would you mind not doing it?' But what would happen, I wonder, if I did take all my clothes off and instead of my genitalia, I was wearing a pair of false genitalia. Would that be thought inappropriate? Call it censorship, call it advice, it gets in the way a little bit. I think it's a little bit silly. I'd say, on the whole, people who come to the theatre to see Shakespeare expect to have the whole of life revealed to them -- and if that means a glimpse of an actor's naked body, so be it."

McKellen quipped that he had a remedy for the situation: "I got a rather fetching pair of underpants ... they say on the back, 'Hello Singapore.'"

The actor also spoke out on a local radio show, urging the government to drop its laws against homosexuality before giving a more significant interview to Reuters on the issue.

Said McKellen: It would be impertinent of me to comment on Singapore society but this happens to be a law that I find personally offensive and I don't think it should be on the statute books because it inhibits my free behavior as an openly gay man. I feel free to comment on behalf of people who do have to suffer laws which the British empire invented and left behind...The press like to talk to actors. They mustn't be surprised when actors talk back to them. We are privileged that we have access to the media and our opinions sometimes are reported and I appreciate that. But I only speak on things that I am an expert on...You won't hear me talk about my politics, you won't hear me talk about my vegetarianism, you won't hear me comment on the Iraq war. You'll only hear me talk about being gay and being an actor. I am just public on those two issues.

www.towleroad.com

Hundreds attended this forum on Sunday and I was glad there was a strong showing from the community.

Section 377A of the Penal Code currently provides for a 2-year jail term for “any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person.”

Why Does It Affect Us?
- it makes it illegal to be gay and any acts of gross indecency between 2 men is punishable with a jail term

- doesn't this make it easy for your enemy or a malicious colleague, employer or employee to make a complaint against anyone who is gay thus encouraging persecution (reference witch-hunts in Europe and the Cultural Revolution in China)

- if a student were to bring up the topic of whether homosexuality is acceptable, teachers must answer that it is "illegal" which permanently ends any further discussion on the subject. future generations are being taught that being homosexual is a crime and punishable in a court of law

- the word "abets" = to approve, encourage, and support; urge and help on. doesn't this mean condoning gay activities like a parent who knows about their gay son, allows him and his boyfriend to make love in their home, can be convicted in a court of law

The phrase "abets the commission of" really worries me because wouldn't this mean any Singapore citizen should report any homosexual act to the police? Wouldn't not doing so be tantamount to aiding and abetting.

Are we being told to send our friends, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunties, daughters and sons to jail?

What Can Anyone Do?
- help change mindsets
- spread the awareness about 377A and what it means (i can't believe that more than half of the people i spoke with had no idea what 377A was about)
- believe and share with people you care about that Gay identity is very fundamental, it is as fundamental as ethnic identity, as linguistic identity, as religious identity.*

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One thing I took away from the forum was a comment passed by a foreigner who has lived many years in Singapore. His observation is that those who believe that 377A should be repealed (both gay and straight) are fragmented and disorganised in their efforts and voice. Not only that, it seems the majority of gay people, whom 377A affects, remain silent about it.

Change of this nature, from historical examples like slavery, inter-ractial marriages and the women's vote, is never effected through silence and a hope that "things will get better".

If anything is to change, it needs to start from individuals (gay and straight) believing that 377A affects them personally and that they can do something, whether small or large, to effect change.

This is one of my efforts to help make a change.

I hope this will make you ponder over the issue of 377A.

I hope pondering over this issue makes you feel you want to do something.

I hope any small effort that you make towards the awareness of "377A and why it should be repealed" contributes to all the efforts out there.

And I hope our efforts will make a difference.

( Read More )

WildRice has organised a forum on 337A today (Sunday) at the Drama Centre 5pm with 2 MPs, a pastor and an activist.

Hope there will be a strong showing of attendance from the community.

I never expected 2 great performances this trip back.

The only thing I can think of to say is that it would be a crime if there is an empty seat in any of this show's performances.

The script is touching, honest, inspirational and so so much more. I don't know what words I to use to do describing it justice.

Watching the performance unfold, I felt such a range of emotions and identified with so many different aspects of the play that I walked out at the end ... teary-eyed, clensed, refreshed and with a feeling of hope.

The performances are heart-stirring. I have a super talented best fren!!! But seriously .... everyone was good. Everyone gave their all from their heart and the result is something truly special that only dedication, passion and love for their work and the piece they are doing can produce.

For anyone who's been in love ... whether you're gay or straight ... I highly recommend this show... the moments in this play speak to all of us.

For fellow gay people .... i really hope you'll be able to catch this really special piece of theathre coz there are so many messages that strike a cord in so many parts of our lives .... including 377A.

After the performance, I got to meet the playwrite and all I could think of to say to him was "thank you from the bottom of my heart .... thank you for creating something like this, for helping me relive so many memories, re-feel so many things and learn about myself again."



I've never maid it a point to watch a theatre performance again but ... I'm gonna catch Asian Boys again another 2 times (i hope) coz there are so many things I'm sure I'll catch that I didn't see the first time round.