SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century

Otto Fong, RI science teacher, comes out

2007-09-10T03:32:00.000+08:00

Wow. Let's hear it for Otto!

http://ottofong.blogspot.com/2007/09/open-letter.html

Also check out the comments - his students have written back in support.

UPDATE: The letter has been taken down under orders of MOE, but it's been copied elsewhere on the Internet - check out Fridae and The Online Citizen. Also, RI is not going to fire this teacher - do send an e-mail of thanks to Bob Koh, the Principal of RI, at headmaster@ri.sch.edu.sg.

INDIGNATION 2007!!! (already three things kena banned!)

2007-08-03T04:15:00.000+08:00

Can you believe it's been a year already? See the calendar here.

Singapore may have to legalise homosexuality, April 24, 2007

2007-04-25T01:18:00.000+08:00

http://news.asiaone.com.sg/a1news/20070424_story24_1.html

SINGAPORE, April 24 (Reuters) - Singapore may eventually have to legalise homosexuality, particularly if it wants to foster creativity and become more cosmopolitan, Minister Mentor Le Kuan Yew said on Tuesday.

"Let's not pretend it doesn't exist," he said in an interview with Reuters, adding that he saw "no option" for Singapore but to decriminalise homosexual sex.

"They tell me that homosexuals are creative writers, dancers. If we want creative people, then we have to put up with their idiosyncrasies," Lee said.

Mr Lee, who this week publicly questioned the city-state's ban on sex between men, said the country would still need to respect the views of its more conservative citizens.

"We are not promoters of it and we are not going to allow Singapore to become the vanguard of Southeast Asia," Mr Lee said.

Under Singapore law, a man who is found to have committed an act of "gross indecency" with another man can be jailed for up to two years, though prosecutions are rare.

In November, the Ministry of Home Affairs said it was considering decriminalising oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexual adults, but not between homosexuals.

The authorities have banned gay festivals and censored gay films, saying homosexuality should not be advocated as a lifestyle. But, despite the official ban on gay sex, Singapore has a thriving gay scene.

MM Lee's comments come at a time when many groups, such as Singapore's Law Society, are clamouring for a review of the laws against homosexual sex, which they view as outdated and archaic.

Seen in Popular bookstore:

2007-04-01T08:21:00.000+08:00

Singapore section. We are the mainstream. Hell, we're next to Lim Boon Keng!!!

SQ21 in Europe?

2007-03-04T00:24:00.000+08:00

Just got an e-mail from Louis aka Irwan!

Hi, Greetings From Switzerland.. I was in Amsterdam With my Hubby and
suddently......

I SAW SQ21! i didnt know you guys published it in Europe too. Wow.. Not
bad!! and Nice Displays right at the entrance! hahaha! for 1 second i felt
like i am at kinokuniya singapore :P

Its a great feeling and just wanna shae it with u guys.. next time i will
bring a chair and sit right nest to the books and wait for people to ask for
my autograph, hahaha! anyway, My hubby and me will be in Singapore this
coming Saturday! for 1 month. kiss, Louis.

Asia Magazine

2007-02-26T00:15:00.000+08:00

Hey! Bryan Choong of Oogachaga just sent me scans of the coverage we got in Asia Magazine.

The magazine can be found in all Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf outlets, ComicMarts, as well as at the Images of Singapore Bookshop on Sentosa, the National Library, the Gallery Hotel, the Pan Pacific Hotel, The Ascott Apartments, SPCA, HiltonHotel KL, Shangri-la Beijing, The Kerry Centre Hotel Beijing, ThePortman Ritz Carlton Shanghai, The Pines Shanghai, The American ClubTaiwan and onboard airlines SIA, SilkAir, Sri Lankan Airlines.

Woot! Pan-Asian outreach! Rock never die, babe.

In other news, I saw a copy of the book selling in the branch of Popular bookstore near my home. How Heartland!

UPDATE: Hold on a gosh-darned minute! My dad did NOT stand up with tears in his eyes at a launch at Borders! It was at the launch at Mox, and he didn't cry either - all he did was wave clownishly to say "yeah, yeah, I'm the one who sired this crazy brat". But I do still appreciate the gesture. :)

What’s plu.edu.sg?

2007-02-17T12:33:00.000+08:00

It's a group for GLBT teachers and educators set up by SQ21's Dominic Chua... read on!..Set up in Oct 2006, plu.edu.sg is a group of queer teachers and educators from a whole range of institutions and backgrounds. We offer support to our members through regular meetings and social events; the group’s primary focus is on professional and social networking. We’ve had more than 10 gatherings so far, and we’re going strong!

Our long-term mission is to achieve a situation in Singapore schools in which each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.

For more details (venue, etc), please get in touch with me via email at plu.edu.sg@gmail.com.

Best wishes,

Dom.

Regardless of Race, Language, Religion and Sexual Orientation

2007-02-16T23:09:00.000+08:00

That's the immensely long title given to the short film that Quak Ren Yin, Zhong Yizhuang, Chu Jialin and Tan Kaili made for their project at NTU mass comm! It's on experiences of homophobia and the gay (male) experience in Singapore. They've interviewed me, Dr Khoo Hoon Eng and Alex Au for the video.

If you want to see the project yourself, I can lend you the DVD... or perhaps we should encourage the girls to Youtube it? (They're all straight girls, btw - just very cool).

B).

Today newspaper, Thursday Feb 8 2007, pp42-43

2007-02-09T18:03:00.000+08:00

SQ21's been featured in Today again - this time as a self-publishing success story. Yay pink capitalism - now go buy a membership from Fridae.com, a wifebeater from New Urban Male, and a baggy T-shirt from Instant Karma.

Quote:
And if you happen to be a writer with a niche audience, such as a poet, or one writing on taboo topics, as was the case with SQ21’s authors, your chances of being taken on by a publisher are slimmer. “The publishers we approached thought it was a sensitive subject and that the book wouldn’t sell, that people would avoid it,” said Jason Wee, a poet who had a hand in the book. “They wanted to take a high-percentage commission and charge us quite a bit just to print the book to cover that risk. So we decided to just publish it ourselves and it turned out quite well.” The book sold out its first 2,000-copy print run and its second run of some 3,000 copies has been selling steadily.

Maia!

2007-02-03T03:05:00.001+08:00

How come no-one told me that ex-Singapore Idol constestant and celebrity blogger Maia Lee had come out as pansexual? It's on her STOMP blog, here. Kudos to the gal. We need more out celebrities.

Human Relations

2007-01-28T01:00:00.000+08:00

A couple of days ago, I got this e-mail from Prof Khoo Hoon Eng (the mother of two gay sons and co-founder of SAFE Singapore) :

Hi all,

I just discovered that my story in SQ21 is supplementary reading for
this NUS course called Human Relations:
http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/behaviour/uhb2201/index.html

I think this is great as I hope that the students would then read all
your other stories (and maybe we can sell more copies) too since they
are so interesting! I certainly hope that they are not photocopying
just the few pages of my story!

Also, I hope someone in NUS will one day be able to make SQ21 required
reading for a course :)

Hugs,

Hoon Eng

Hoon Eng's story is also up on the SAFE Singapore website. They're looking for more stories from parents of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender parents. Feel free to write to them.

SQ251?

2007-01-22T02:53:00.000+08:00

I'm rather puzzled, you know, that people keep on visiting this blog. I've been horribly tardy about getting a scanner to scan in the whole of the New Year's article. But since you're reading already, I might as well be mercenary and advertise the new play I'm doing for Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble about a scandalous bisexual Singaporean woman who wasn't afraid to talk about it over ten years ago... Annabel Chong.

I've started a blog for my upcoming play, 251 at http://251play.blogspot.com. And the press has been reporting it - but sigh, they didn't talk about my queer identity reasons for doing the play.

Sorry, I just hate to see a blog of mine go inactive.

Best Non-Fiction Book of 2006???

2006-12-30T19:02:00.000+08:00

I quote editor Jason Wee's SMS to me (I'm in Bangkok right now, being chaste yet cultural).

"We're the ST best non-fiction book of the yr! We beat out cholera, 9-11, big macs and the entire subcontinent of india."

Woohoo! Many thanks to whoever at the Straits Times did the picking. If someone's got a transcript of the article, please do send me a copy! Won't be back till next Wednesday. :) Btw, if you're having trouble finding a copy, I believe they're still out in force at Kinokuniya, though Borders has been bled more or less dry by Christmas sales.

Btw, I've been extremely lazy about updating the SQ21 blog. In other news: Safe Singapore finally has its website up. Check it out if you haven't already.

Update: Hooray! I'm still on vacation, but Boo Junfeng has scanned in the photo for our viewing pleasure. Korp kun krap, JF.

Sat 9 Dec: Launch of SAFE, a group for straight friends and family of GLBT Singaporeans

2006-12-09T10:31:00.000+08:00

Update 7 Dec 2006: This is now an RSVP event. To be granted admission, e-mail your real name to pelangipridecentre at yahoo.com.

Here's the details of the launch of SAFE, next Sat on 9 December, founded by our own Dr Khoo Hoon Eng from the book with three other women: Susan Tang, Susan Yap, Ong Su-Chzeng and Tan Joo Hymn. The opening was first announced in September.

9th of December 2006 @ PELANGI PRIDE CENTRE
we’re celebrating with launch of "SAFE"
****
about SAFE -
Supporting, AFfirming & Empowering our lgbtQ friends
and family

provides a support network where parents, family
members and friends of gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender people and those who are questioning their
sexuality can come for information and resources,
learn from accepting families, share stories and
experiences, keep communication channels open, and
most of all to build strong and close relationships
with loved ones. With these activities, SAFE hopes to
promote a society with a healthy respect for human
diversity that will in turn build up the well-being of
all gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and
questioning people.

website: (to be launched on 9th Dec 2006)
****

... and everyone’s invited!

WHERE?
MOX BAR & CAFE
21 tanjong pagar road #04-01
map - http://www.mox.com.sg/contact.htm

WHEN?
saturday, 9th december 2006, 4–8pm

PLUS...
COMMUNITY FAIR
with ECA-style recruitment booths from different gay +
lesbian groups
-- come meet the peeps from ADLUS, PLUME, Free Community
Church, Oogachaga, RedQuEEn!, Women's Nite and SAYONI--

DONATION...
we welcome book donations.
if you have a favourite glbt book to share with the
community, bring it along to the launch.

Enquiries: pelangipridecentre at yahoo dot com

Penal Code discussion with Government today!

2006-12-04T03:35:00.000+08:00

Just got this off Signel!

Hi Guys,

On 4th December, which is today, there will be a focus group discussion on proposed penal code amendments. It will be held at the Grassroots' Club, Function Room 1 (190, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, beside the Yio Chu Kang MRT Station) at 7:30pm. The target audience are the young adults, religious organizations and grassroots leaders. I wonder if any of you are going / interested to go. If you are interested to go but did not receive the invitation, you can just drop by and register at the door step. I expect that a large part of the discussion will be focused on section 377a and sections in regard to woman's rights. Hope to see you there.

With Regards,

----

Online gay youth unite!

2006-11-25T04:50:00.000+08:00

Fridae's finally published my little article about youth-led gay initiatives in Singapore!

One of SQ21's participants, Nicholas Deroose, is involved in both the Queercast gay podcast as well as Plume.sg. Check it out.

Off the charts

2006-11-19T03:42:00.000+08:00

Well, we've spent three months on the best-seller list, but all good things must come to an end. I believe we're still selling well at a discount at MPH, though I'm rather less inclined to urge people to shop there since they didn't create a space for us to do a reading (miffed).

Things to look forward to, however, include the launch of SAFE Singapore, a group for family and friends of GLBT Singaporeans - that'll be in December. And don't forget Alex Au of Yawning Bread, who's celebrating his site's 10th anniversary on Thursday 30 November - click on the link for more details.

And in other news, Yangfa's taken up my dare of putting his face to the cause of legalisation of gay acts in Singapore.I can't wait for Imedeen to start suing. (cackle cackle).

If Zoe can do it, so can I!

2006-11-15T03:48:00.000+08:00

I'm so pissed about this Penal Code business that I've made a poster. Seriously, would it work? If enough gay men came out and pointed out that their lives are affected by these laws... well, I've made a start at a campaign:

Feel free to post the image on your blog to spread the word. Otherwise, send me your photo and I'll paste it onto Zoe's face for a customised protest. (Obviously, this makes sense if you're a gay or bisexual man rather than a woman.)

Also, write in to the Ministry of Home Affairs:
http://www.reach.gov.sg/olcp/asp/ocp/ocp01d1.asp?id=3683

And to your MPs (check their e-mail addresses here):
http://www.parliament.gov.sg/AboutUs/Org-MP-whomp.htm

And of course, to all the newspapers you can think of.

Penile Code

2006-11-13T07:31:00.000+08:00

Or should it be senile code? I think a lot of us are very pissed at the fact that the government's ignoring gay rights while they're legalising hetero-buttsex.

SQ21 participant Dominic Chua wrote an open letter to MP Ellen Lee about this. Check it out. Send out some letters yourself!

http://www.yawningbread.org/apdx_2006/imp-294.htm

Also see Alex Aw's article on the same issue:
http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2006/yax-676.htm

And most importantly, write to those b*ggers before 9 December to let them know what you think!

http://www.reach.gov.sg/olcp/asp/ocp/ocp01d1.asp?id=3683

Falling in

2006-11-12T11:46:00.000+08:00

Oh well, it had to happen. SQ21's fallen in the best-seller lists... also, they've started listing me as "editor". What's that all about?

Non-Fiction
1. (1) Why We Want You to Be Rich by Donald J. Trump
2. (2) Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
3. (3) The Innocent Man by John Grisham
4. (5) Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Adam Khoo
5. (4) Retire Rich in 30 Days by M. Kishore
6. (6) Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
7. (10) One Business 99 Lessons by Nanz Chong-Komo
8. (9) Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
9. (7) SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century by Ng Yi-Sheng (editor)
10. (8) Ten: A Lean and Sculpted Body in Ten Weeks by Vincent Ng

Never mind - I expect sales will pick up in time for Christmas. SQ21 makes a great stocking-stuffer. ;)

Unpopular

2006-11-01T17:59:00.000+08:00

We won't be doing a book promotion at Popular. The staff at the Bras Basah branch are eager, but management deems us too controversial.

:`(

Sunday Times again

2006-10-30T11:58:00.000+08:00

Sadly, both the MPH and the Popular readings seem to be on hiatus. If you wanna complain, call the bookshops up and bug them. :D

I'm rather thrilled, though, that we're Number Two on the bestseller list at MPH! They give all their bestsellers 20% off, so that's probably the best place to buy a copy (ordinarily I'd be peeved and say they're giving unfair advantages to books which don't need any more boosts in their sales, but this time I'll make an exception. ;))

Also well well well, we're number 4 again on the Sunday Times bestseller lists!

Sunday Times 29 October 2006 edition of LifeStyle, L24

Non-Fiction
1. Why We Want You To Be Rich by Donald J. Trump
2. The Innocent Man by John Grisham
3. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
4. SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century by Ng Yi-Sheng
5. Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Adam Khoo
6. Retire Rich in 30 Days by M. Kishore
7. Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
8. Ten by Vincent Ng
9. The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey
10. One Business 99 Lessons by Nanz Chong-Komo

Aw crum. This blog will get pretty boring if it's just ranks and stats every week, won't it? Btw, have you noticed how almost all the books here have something to do with money or getting rich? Except for Grisham's book, which is about crime. And almost half of the titles have numbers in them.

So next time y'all want to write a best-seller, entitle it "7 Effective Habits for Becoming a Millionaire Bisexual Jewel Thief before the Age of 12". Come on. Tell me you wouldn't buy a book like that.

Coverage at Trevvy.com

2006-10-25T03:44:00.000+08:00

There's some discussion of SQ21 in this article on Singapore's gay website Trevvy.com about me and my book of poetry. It mentions the recent controversies over celebrity, but irritatingly doesn't say anything really useful about the contents of the book itself. (shrug)

Two months on the bestseller list!

2006-10-22T23:05:00.000+08:00

Wow. Thanks you guys... I'm amazed that we've managed to keep our position in the top 10 for so long - and we still haven't dropped from No. 4! Being a Singaporean, I can't help caring about rankings ;).

Check out the previous bestseller lists. You'll notice that over the past six weeks, we're the only book that hasn't ever fallen in the rankings. Some books thrive on hype but have no substance: they're released with a bang and then they fade away (Get Rich With Water???). But so far, it looks like the people who've bought the book are recommending it to other people - demand just isn't slacking.

I hope all this outreach actually means that more people are becoming aware of gay, lesbian and bisexual people's experience in Singapore. But for all I know, it's the same twenty people buying all the copies to use as paperweights.

Thanks to the people who came to my poetry book launch for "last boy"! Hope more of you can stop by this coming Friday!

Sunday Times 22 October 2006 edition of LifeStyle, L30

Non-Fiction
1. Why We Want You To Be Rich by Donald J. Trump
2. The Innocent Man by John Grisham
3. Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Adam Khoo
4. SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century by Ng Yi-Sheng
5. Ten by Vincent Ng
6. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
7. Social Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
8. Get Rich With Water by Lillian Too
9. The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
10. Making Globalization Work by Joseph E. Stiglitz

The final frontier???

2006-10-18T23:40:00.000+08:00

KNN!!! We've been invited to read at the Bras Basah Popular books.
I had to blog about this as soon as I heard about it because Popular bookstore isn't known for stocking a wide variety of literature or for doing authors' readings - they're more known as a family thrift bookstore where you can buy your stationery and exercise books before the school semester begins. So for SQ21 to read there is a terrific signal of acceptance. It means that gay people in Singapore are as normal as pencil sharpeners.

(Seriously though; Popular is a really nice locally-owned store with materials at very affordable prices. Go there.)

In other news, we've also been hearing a bunch of criticism from within the gay community recently. (Obviously the conservative straight community's saying a few things too, but we're not hearing about it... though we'd love to know.)

There's been a point made about how the people in the book have become "accidental heroes". That's completely true; our real heroes are long-standing queer activists like Alex Au, Eileena Lee and Kelvin Wong, who weren't featured in the book - those guys are the real heroes we should be paying homage to, the ones who fought for gay rights back when the issue was truly taboo.

The book's trying to capture the experiences of ordinary people who've come out - and there are lots of people in Singapore like that. We didn't expect the book to be this successful, but it is, and the 16 of us have become sort-of-famous because of that.

We're not trying to be heroes, but some of us are trying to do some good. Which is why I'm so glad that Dominic's putting together a queer teachers' group, Hoon Eng's doing a friends and family of gay people's group, and Nicholas has started his gay podcast - being in the book may have given them a little kick-start to their future work. Some of us, like Cyrus, Petrina and Yangfa, have been involved in activism and social work already. Some of the rest of us will just get on with our lives - why shouldn't we? We haven't all become Mother Theresa.

I'd also like to underscore the fact that most of us in the book did not know each beforehand - we weren't a gang of friends who tried to promote ourselves with a single text. We're in part a rather random group of different people brought together by a certain project. A lot of us have just made friends afterwards. :)

And as for the criticism that the book's lacking in something - that we didn't feature enough of a certain type of people, or that we're not really breaking new ground with our stories, or documenting enough of our gay history - well, okay! Write your own book! Seriously, we need more books about gay identity from different perspectives in Singapore!

You can even convince your publisher that it'll be a best-seller by pointing to SQ21's success. Go ahead. No-one's stopping you. ;)

SQ21 luvs Kino...

2006-10-16T01:16:00.000+08:00

... and Kino luvs SQ21.

A big thank you to everyone who came out for our Kino book signing - including the families with children who scuttled by cautiously during our hour-long presentation. I know some of you were only in there to escape from the haze, but your presence was truly important.

The project of SQ21 is to represent the gay community in public spaces that aren't already demarcated as gay-friendly (eg. a bar or club) - to truly engage in outreach. It looks like we're succeeding there - Hoon Eng and Dominic worked together to create a box where people could drop leaflets, pledging to fight against unjust discrimination based on gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.

Afterwards we took a few photographs for the upcoming SAFE website to show straight friends and families (and Kino workers) together supporting gay people. (I know it's a bit kua zhang, like we're talking about Palestinians and Israelis, but simple gestures like that are a real comfort for people who're still struggling to come out of the closet.)

In the meantime, more photos are up on Queercast, which is SQ21 participant Nicholas Deroose's gay-oriented podcast. Go hear him talk, y'all.

A poetry book launch

2006-10-13T06:40:00.001+08:00

SQ21's author Ng Yi-Sheng is having a launch for last boy, his first collection of poetry.

Friday 20 October 2006
7:00pm (schmoozing starts at 6:30pm)
Tanglin Camp (Singapore Biennale exhibition site)
Canteen area (Federico Herrera's Hamacario).
73 Loewen Road, Singapore 248843
Guest-of-honour: Alfian Sa'at
RSVP required - e-mail the author at ng.yisheng@yahoo.com.sg

If you're coming by taxi, tell the driver it's the old CMPB. If coming by public transport, I'd recommend you take the free shuttle service from City Hall or the old National Library, details here.

mmmph?

2006-10-10T23:39:00.000+08:00

There's a good chance we'll be doing a reading at MPH Raffles City on the last Saturday of October. Stay tuned for more updates!

UPDATE: Looks like it'll be the first week in November now. Pencil in Saturday 4 November, but wait for confirmations.

Number FOUR, suckas!

2006-10-09T02:24:00.000+08:00

Yangfa just posted this on SiGneL:

=======================
according to the Sunday Times 8 October 2006 edition of LifeStyle, "SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century" has gone up to the number 4 spot in the list of non-fiction bestsellers.

it's the only book in the top 5 without a financial/business element, & beating "Singapore: The Encyclopedia" (at no. 7 - in which homosexuality is not given a single mention), "Ten" (by Vincent Ng, at no. 8) & Neil Humphreys at no. 9.

"We can do no great things; only small things with great love." ~ Mother Teresa

Yangfa

UPDATE: Here's the list!
Bestsellers - Non-fiction
==========================

1. Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Adam Khoo
2. Get Rich with Water by Lillian Too
3. One Business, 99 Lessons by Nanz Chong-Komo
4. SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century by Ng Yi-Sheng
5. Freakonomics by Steven D Leavitt & Stephen J Dubner
6. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
7. Singapore: The Encyclopedia edited by Tommy Koh et al
8. Ten by Vincent Ng
9. Final Notes from a Great Island by Neil Humphreys
10. Marley & Me by John Grogan

============================

Pretty incredible, huh? Last month it was no.6, and I was already amazed at that. It's especially thrilling to me that we beat a book with a bare-bodied wushu champion on the cover - but then again, Get Rich With Water?????

B).

Wo hui yong Youtube!

2006-10-08T23:59:00.000+08:00

I've finally figured out how to upload videos on the blog!

And at the risk of running copyright lawsuits, I'm going to create a link to the work of Cloudywind and Beng, a super-supportive straight woman and man who made a viral commercial for the SQ21 project's story gathering process all the way last year. Note, of course, that gaytothebone is no longer working - it's been change to Plume.sg.

The link is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z3hkmmBHFs, btw!

Promotion at Kino!

2006-10-07T14:00:00.000+08:00

Yup! It's the long-awaited promotion at Kinokuniya bookstores! This is all lifted from their own report on their site, actually:

7th October 2006 (Saturday)
2:00pm – 3:00pm
Kinokuniya Singapore Main Store, Crossroads

"Join the authors of SQ 21: Singapore Queers In The 21st Century as they share their life experiences from the book in this book signing event .

SQ 21: Singapore Queers In The 21st Century shows an unabashed straight-forward honesty and celebrates the life of these ordinary Singaporeans. Written in a light, readable style, these inspirational stories will touch the hearts of readers gay or straight,
Singaporean or otherwise."

(Btw, if you stick around Taka and go to the fountain outside at 530pm, you should see Yi-Sheng and his capoeira group doing pugilistic demonstrations.)

Movie Mania!

2006-10-07T02:07:00.000+08:00

Just came back from Short Circuit, a screening of short gay Singapore films, held at the Substation. I was extremely impressed by a film entitled Pink IC, a documentary made at the height of Remaking Singapore, including interviews with five queer female Singaporeans and Vivian Balakrishnan. It's an investigation into everyday lives in a fashion not unlike SQ21 - it just hasn't been screened in a lot of places yet because of discretion. :( Must check with the director before I can mention her name on the blog.

Festival curator and filmmaker Boo Junfeng also did us the honour of creating an advertisement about our project, using footage from our launch at Mox. Here's the video:

Forward it to your friends with the following link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WOJ7ED-_wM

Hope we'll be seeing you guys at Kinokuniya tomorrow!

Landscapes: A View of the Ground

2006-10-03T14:44:00.000+08:00

Our editor, Jason Wee, has a solo photography exhibition opening on Thursday night!

Thursday 7 October
7:00pm
Utterly Art
229 A South Bridge Road

Be there for the free nosh - fasting ends after 7pm!

YO! Singapore Dreaming just won a prestigious award in the San Sebastian Film Festival!

2006-10-02T01:38:00.000+08:00

Woo Yen Yen and Colin Goh, who wrote the foreword for SQ21, have just won the prestigious Montblanc New Screenwriters Award in the acclaimed San Sebastian Film Festival!

Their movie, Singapore Dreaming, was the the first Singapore film to ever make an appearance at the festival. It's still showing in GV cinemas, though opportunities to watch it are fading out fast. Catch it if you can - it's heartbreakingly accurate in its depiction of materialist Singapore society.

Get more news about the event on their blog:
http://singaporedreaming.com/blog/

B).

Jason Wee's Singapore Biennale talk

2006-09-27T05:01:00.000+08:00

Last minute post! Our editor, Jason Wee, is giving a talk with the Singapore Biennale this Friday evening. See Encounters 27: Secrets & Confessions: An Artist Talk by Donna Ong & Jason Wee for details and invites.

Singapore Dreaming

2006-09-25T08:40:00.000+08:00

I'm reposting this because I've realised this is the last week they'll be showing this movie. And it's good; the climax is really heartbreaking and it really captures what Singapore pressure is about. Go and get a ticket before Thursday!

I haven't received the go-ahead to do a review of Singapore Dreaming for Fridae.com, so I'm going to post an advert here instead. We owe a lot to the filmmakers Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen - as a straight couple, they wrote a really touching foreword for our book, and they also gave us a chance to sell a batch of the books one day after our launch, at their TalkingCock in Parliament event.

The excerpt's lifted from young filmmaker Boo Junfeng's blog.

This will probably be the last weekend to catch Singapore Dreaming! It is certainly the most moving and unpretentious Singapore film I have seen. Please do catch it if you haven't already!

* * *

"...the best movie this little red dot has produced in a decade." - Neil Humphreys, TODAY

“Funny, moving, intelligent and true. Singapore Dreaming is the best Singapore movie I’ve seen.” - Ivan Heng

“one solid movie about Singapore, about families, and about life in our little island.” - Mr. Brown

“The most authentic and affecting Singaporean film I've ever watched.” - Alfian Sa’at

“radiantly honest” - Catherine Lim

“The most moving Singaporean film I’ve ever seen.” - Hong Minghua, Lianhe Zaobao

“a terrific film... A must watch for Singaporeans.” - MovieXclusive.com

“The film guarantees a lot of laughs as well as deeper, meaningful messages on love, life and relationships.” - ChannelNewsAsia.com

“...one of Singapore’s best films ever.” - FiRST magazine

“It is life in its reality.” - President S.R. Nathan

* * *

And here's the trailer of the movie that got banned because of overuse of Hokkien. Aiyah, what's Singapore coming to? Gay book they don't ban, lesbian scene by Royston they don't ban, straight couple movie project trailer then they ban...

According to Colin and Yen Yen, the movie's has so far made more than ‘Be With Me’, ‘Love Story’, ‘Perth’ and ‘4.30’ combined. It has even overtaken critically-acclaimed Korean blockbuster ‘The Host’. This is a huge achievement for an indie, non-Raintree and non-Jack Neo film, and very encouraging for the film community in S'pore.

So, please continue the strong support!

Celebrity endorsement

2006-09-25T02:54:00.000+08:00

Hehehe. Found this on Jadeite's blog:

"This is what I call good product display.

In a local bookstore. I found Vincent Ng’s latest book - showing himself extremely cut and ripped and very half-naked - next to Ng Yi-Sheng’s anthology of stories about gay men in Singapore. I suppose the Vincent Ng will attract the right customers who will then notice the yellow book and hopefully purchase both. Hurhur.

If anyone does buy SQ21 let me know? There are stories in there about personal friends of mine and I’d like to read them."

Note: Jadeite's friends did indicate to her in the comments section that the book is meant to appeal to gay and bisexual women as much as to men. :)

QueerCast: Singapore's first gay radio show

2006-09-23T08:54:00.000+08:00

And a further plug: one of our interviewees, Nicholas Deroose, has set up an online gay-oriented podcast! Read below:

Hey people

the first esp of queercast is finally up! Well what is queercast, well it's Singapore's first and only gay radio show! YOu can go to www.queercast.blogspot.com to download the first esp on mp3 format! We'd love to hear from you too, you can e-mail us for any comments or suggestion. :)

So go download the show and let the rainbow flow to your ears.

Your friendly podcasters

Nick&Ian

Party politics

2006-09-20T16:59:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday night the participants of SQ21 got together at Clarence's house, where he treated us to delectable vegetable curry and gourmet mooncakes.

And while we were carousing and exchanging dirty jokes, a question came up: What next? What can we do now for the community that can make an impact?

Khoo Hoon Eng is starting SAFE, a group for family and friends of GLBT people. And most of the rest of us operate in different fragments of the community - HIV outreach, religious counselling, women's issues, the arts world. What do we do next?

Comment if you can! In the meantime, some schmoozy photos of our supper.

More books!!!

2006-09-20T15:58:00.001+08:00

Did you, perchance, arrive at a bookshop recently, only to discover all copies of SQ21 were sold out?

Well, never fear! A second print run of 1,000 has been issued at the beginning of the week; it should be in the stores as we speak. (I rather enjoy how we're shelved in the "Culture" shelves of the Takashimaya Kinokuniya, together with all the World War II POW sagas. You'll have to check the far end of the shelves, though.)

Furthermore, if you're ever in doubt that we have invisible friends at the National Library, just click on the below link:

http://vistaweb.nlb.gov.sg/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?fullRecord+10493+3002+12759734+2+2

That's right. Three copies per library, including regional and community joints (except library@esplanade, since we're not a filmscript); almost all in transit and some already available for lending.

And since there are 23 branches, they've bought precisely 69 books.

That's right, go on and giggle. :-p I'm just happy they've become so openly accessible.

Today, Weekend Edition, September 16-17, 2006, p38

2006-09-17T00:35:00.000+08:00

We've got a mention in this article by local poet Felix Cheong. I've got mixed feelings about how we're featured in the context of erotica, but you be the judge of the writeup yourself. It also mentions the play I'm writing for Toy Factory Theatre. :)

P.S. It's also pretty cool that we've got a lesbian love scene on the pages of a national newspaper.

Penetrating Academia

2006-09-15T04:59:00.000+08:00

Another missive from Yangfa:

hello hello

as it turns out, looks like NUS Central Library has
got copies of the book on hold (which means they are
on order I think) -- see attached screenshot from the
online catalogue.

Yangfa

UPDATE: Dr Khoo reports that the book's already available at the NUS library - all copies are checked out and reserved for future reference, but happily, there's an extra copy with a red sticker in the Singapore/Malaysia reference section. Check it out, literally. B).

A few photos from our reading at Borders

2006-09-11T00:21:00.000+08:00

Check the Sunday Times today.

2006-09-10T05:38:00.000+08:00

It's in the books section, under Lifestyle.

SQ21 is the Number 6 best-selling non-fiction title in this past week. We actually beat Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie!

Our effervescent Yangfa had this to say in response:

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved in the book (that's US!), which made it to no. 6 on the list this week.

This was probably unexpected - who would have thought that it would be so well-received, & that we'd even be talking about a second print run/ edition? many of my straight friends & colleagues have said some very positive & encouraging things after reading our stories -- I certainly hope each of us have our own
personal "SQ 21 anectdotes".

my social work lecturer (to whom I gave a signed copy) liked how everyone, in their stories, shared their own ways of coping as they were coming out. she even asked
for another copy for a colleague. I'm now even thinking of passing a copy to a friend who's brother is another newly-elected PAP MP. another straight friend sold his own copy to someone else, & wants me to sign a couple more for him & his friends.

Non-Fiction

1. Ten by Vincent Ng
2. Final Notes from a Great Island by Neil Humphreys
3. Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Adam Khoo
4. One Business 99 Lessons by Nanz Chong-Komo
5. Freakonomics by Steven J. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
6. SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century by Ng Yi-Sheng
7. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
8. Marley & Me by John Grogan
9. Making Globalization Work by Joseph Stiglitz
10. The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

For the time being, my mum's taken away the page itself to scan it in. :)

Running on empty...

2006-09-09T01:01:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Clarence told us that the distributor only had 300 books left.

No panic attacks, please. As much as I'm enjoying the idea of PLUs frantically bombarding Borders and Kino with demands for more of our Yellow Pages, you'll also have to remember that the distributor passes the books to the bookstores - and the bookstores still have a nice fat bundle of the tomes in their stock-rooms.

In any case, we are quite seriously thinking of a second edition right now. With fewer grammatical errors (yet all of the colloquialisms!) and a few more footnotes for the puzzled non-Singlish speakers.

Gay Teachers Unite!

2006-09-07T01:21:00.000+08:00

A little e-mail from Dominic Chua, a gay teacher who's featured in the book...

Yi-Sheng - I really like the blog! It's got a fun, zippy vibe. Now all we need are downloadable SQ21 wallpapers. Kidding!!! :)

I just wanted to share that there's been a lot of good energy surrounding SQ21 - and hopefully more good things emerging from that energy. [Name deleted] approached me with the idea of setting up a group for gay teachers, and we're going to have a first preliminary meeting next Saturday.

If any of you guys are gay teachers, get in touch with the author/webmaster and he'll refer you to Dominic. B).

The Border Patrol!

2006-09-04T22:02:00.000+08:00

In other news, our Borders liaison sent us some good tidings:

Hi Yi-Sheng,

Hey you! Good news .... U are no.1 on our best seller non-fiction list! The sales of last weekend's event well performed even better than Neil Humphreys' new book :)

Regards,
farokh

In fact, a few evangelicals have already turned this to their advantage. We've been told by someone who was just reading SQ21 at the store that two guys came up to him and asked him if he'd like to go to their church on Sunday. He suspects that their Presbyterian church is targeting guys who're buying the book - no proof of course, but if it's true, it's a simple testament of the efficiency of Singapore's strategists. ;)

Liberation at the Library

2006-09-04T21:56:00.000+08:00

One of my cool dyke librarian friends just sent me this message:

hey,
just wanted to drop u a note of thx for writing (or as u mentioned
"compiling") the book... i believe it's an very impt step forward
btw it'll be in the libraries soon, saw it in our monthly list of sg titles
on order, so hopefully it'll really get out to the masses..

Not available yet but here's the catalogue record!
Title SQ21 : Singapore queers in the 21st century / Ng Yi-Sheng ; edited
by Jason Wee.
Author Ng, Yi-Sheng, 1980-
Publisher Singapore : Oogachaga Counseling & Support, c2006.
Physical Description p. cm.
Other Authors Wee, Jason, 1978-
Search by Subjects Gays Singapore Biography.
Homosexuality Singapore.

I know this news might hurt sales, but I feel like it's worthy news - I've been approached by people who're worried that if they buy it, they won't be able to hide it from their parents. My advice to them was to use wrapping paper, but it's also important that the book should be accessible to all.

Sunday Times, 3 September 2006, Main Section p13

2006-09-03T22:55:00.000+08:00

Before you give your newspapers to the rag-and-bone man, check today's Sunday Times for the report "Support group started for those with gay children".

Dr Khoo Hoon Eng is one of the contributors to our book and a straight mother of two gay sons. In the report (which we'll be scanning in soon), she explains how she's starting her new support group so that parents can put aside their prejudices and accept their gay children. People can get more info by writing to her at safesingapore@gmail.com.

I'll be scanning in the article itself soon! In the meantime, here's the text, courtesy of saltwetfish.

Support group started for those with gay children

Sep 3, 2006
By Sarah Ng

WHEN her 15-year-old son told her that he was gay, Dr Khoo Hoon Eng wished she had guidance from other parents in similar situations.

Now, 10 years later, she is starting an online support group for parents with gay children, providing a platform for them to share their stories, understand homosexuality better and discuss their experiences.

With the help of friends from various non-profit organisations, she hopes to get it ready by the year end.

She told The Sunday Times: ‘At that time, I would have liked it if there were other parents I could talk to so that I would have an idea of what to expect.’

Dr Khoo’s story was recently documented in a new book called SQ21: Singapore Queers In The 21st Century. Her account of how she found out that both her sons were gay is one of 15 stories featured in the book.

She said: ‘I want parents to know that it really does get easier to accept…as you think, read and talk more about it.’

Dr Khoo, 55, a biochemistry lecturer and researcher at the National University of Singapore, says she is fairly liberal. When elder son Shin Ming told her he was gay, her immediate concern was that he might face a life of discrimination.

Then, three years later, her second son Shin En, by then also 15, told her he too was gay.

Dr Khoo learnt that their confessions did not mean they were sexually active. She also never wondered if she and her husband had caused their homosexuality.

Her husband, however, did not react well. He continues to love and support them, said Dr Khoo, but he is also disappointed.

When they separated three years ago, he told her: ‘Good. Now that I have the chance to marry another woman, maybe my future children will not be gay.’

Dr Khoo stressed that their sons’ homosexuality was not the reason her 25-year marriage broke down.

Her older son Shin Ming, now 25, graduated in philosophy from Stanford University and is currently reading law at Hastings Law School at the University of California in San Francisco. His brother Shin En, 22, is an undergraduate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

With her support group, Dr Khoo hopes that other parents can put aside their prejudices and try to accept their gay children.

As she wrote in the book: ‘Why be afraid of them? They really are still the same children you loved the day before they outed themselves.’

To find out more about Dr Khoo’s support group, e-mail her at [e-mail not printed, to avoid mail harvesting on the web - click above to get her contact].

B).

Shameless plugs

2006-09-03T06:23:00.000+08:00

Thanks to everyone who turned up at Borders for our re-launch on Saturday! Phew, what a speaker feedback problem! (I'm talking about the sound system :))

Anyway, I figured I'd advertise a couple of events. The editor of SQ21, Jason Wee, has his artwork exhibited at City Hall as part of the Singapore Biennale. And I'm having my poetry book launch with a bunch of other Singapore poets - a couple more of whom are gay and lesbian (guess which!) with a guest of honour who is utterly fabulous.

FIRSTFRUITS Joint Book Launch

Featuring 6 new titles by Eleanor Wong, Boey Kim Cheng, Paul
Tan, Yeow Kai Chai, Cyril Wong and Ng Yi-Sheng, this firstfruits
annual launch once again spotlights a dazzling chorus of incisive
voices.

9 Sept (Sat) - 7.00pm - 9.00pm
SAM Glass Hall

Guest of Honour: Dr K K Seet

"Earlier" by Eleanor Wong
"After the fire" by Boey Kim Cheng
"Pretend I'm not here" by Yeow Kai Chai
"Like a seed with its singular purpose" by Cyril Wong
"First meeting of hands' by Paul Tan
"Last boy" by Ng Yi-Sheng

For queries, kindly contact Enoch Ng.
Singapore Art Museum(SAM) - 71 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189555
Organised by Singapore Art Museum
and FIRSTFRUITS publications

B).

SQ21@Borders!

2006-09-02T04:04:00.000+08:00

We've secured a time-slot next week to promote the book at Borders: Books and Music at Wheelock Place in Orchard Road.

Come down and help us promote the book! The timing we've got right now is:

Saturday, 2 September
2pm (until about 2:45)
Borders, near the DVD area

The co-ordinator sounded pretty enthusiastic. All he wanted was more books, because they're been flying off the shelves so far, and an assurance that we could get publicity out and ensure that an audience of at least 10 people is present. Hope you'll be there - there'll be plenty of the contributors present, pens ready for autographs.

More good news

2006-09-01T04:05:00.000+08:00

The books are in the stores! And it's not just Borders, Kino and Select - we are officially available in all major bookstores (i.e. if you don't find it at your favourite bookshop, you tell them to get it).

Two bits of good news

2006-08-31T05:45:00.000+08:00

1. MDA (The Media Development Authority) has called us up to tell us they've got no problems with the book. They're being sensible; they'd just look silly banning it anyway, and we'd have just distributed it as a pdf.

2. Our complete print run will be transported to Borders and Kinokuniya by Friday, so they'll have no excuses for not holding the book by then. And if MPH and Popular want to come knocking at our door... we'll just have to do a second edition. :-D

Also, our editor Jason Wee will be exhibiting his artwork soon at the Singapore Biennale. Artlovers should go over to the City Hall exhibition space from Monday onwards.

International Shopping Spree!

2006-08-28T22:41:00.000+08:00

Woot! If you're not in Singapore and you want to buy a copy of this book, you can now buy it from the Fridae shop at http://www.fridae.com/shop/cart/home.php?cat=272!

(Also open to those of us in Singapore who can't wait for new copies to be delivered to Borders and Kino. Turns out Kino does in fact have plenty of copies - they're just delayed in moving them from their warehouse to the bookstores itself. Can we bug them already?)

Parliamentary influence

2006-08-28T22:00:00.000+08:00

I received the following e-mail from Leow Yangfa, who's one of the chirpiest guys I know and one of the intevriewees in SQ21.

hi all !

some of you may remember Dr Lim Wee Kiak [pictured to our right], the newly elected MP for Sembawang GRC but more infamously of the comment:

"I'm a doctor and I do not think that homosexuality is natural." [click here for more background.]

well some of you may also know that he's a family friend of mine, & we met at a family function today, Sunday. thought I'd give him a personalised present, & this is how it went:

Me: "Hi Dr Lim, congratulations! & here's a thank you gift, for attending to my both dad & my aunt recently."

WK: (looks surprised) Oh thank you! What is it?

Me: It's a book for you (WK sees book title: "SQ21 -Singapore Queers in the 21st Century"), I hope it will open up your eyes to new perspectives.

WK: Oh thank you! (still looking surprised)

At the bottom of my photo on page 186, I had also autographed the following personalised message:

"Dear Dr Lim Wee Kiak,

These are real life stories of real people, and all natural. I should know, because I’m a social worker. Enjoy! Yangfa, 23/08/06"

now beat that for positive action! heh.

& I can't wait to see you all again at Borders on
Saturday.

Yangfa

-how badass is that? :) ¡Viva la revolución!

Accolades from Alex Au!

2006-08-28T04:57:00.000+08:00

Singapore's strongest gay rights activist, Alex Au, has given us a review from his acclaimed blog Yawning Bread...

"The first-hand accounts are not just deeply touching, but for anyone who is not gay, probably mind-blowing. In the stories, you'll get to walk a little way in their shoes, negotiating space and relationships with family, friends, colleagues, even strangers."

In the meantime, my sister tried to get a book from Taka Kinokuniya... they went and told her they'd better check in mid-September for a copy, because they were clean sold out. Another friend got one from Bugis Kino, though, so the situation's not desperate - but rest assured, it will not be a two-week wait; we will get more books over there sooner than that.

In other news, Roy Tan just sent me the complete video recording of the launch... I've added the links to the post on photographs for the sake of continuity.

The launch pictures, as promised!

2006-08-25T13:32:00.000+08:00

Read the article about our launch at the PLU website!

Stuff about the launch which I didn't get to say before:

Attendance: a capacity crowd of 200-300 people (of various orientations, may I add).

Sales: not 200 books, but 250 books.

Distinguishing features: SQ21 is not only the first book of coming out stories in Singapore - it is the first book of coming out stories with both real photographs and names in the whole of Asia. Singapura boleh, right?

And as promised, the photographs, taken by the indomitable Roy:

part of the crowd at Mox.

The compere, Sam Wu, and the author, Ng Yi-Sheng.

Okay, from the top: the editor, Jason Wee, and interviewees Lu Huen, Dominic Chua, Nicholas Deroose, Jeremy Kwok and Sheila Rajamanikam.

And a shot of all 14 of us (minus Louis, who's in Switzerland getting married to his boyfriend), just before our big autograph-o-rama. My hands are waving because I'm speaking in sign language to Daniel Lim. (I only wish the photographer caught the interpreters trying to figure out how to sign "packing".)

A fun quote from the PLU website:

"The book is based on interviews by Ng Yi-Sheng (above right) over the past year. Even transcribing the interviews was a transgressive endeavour, undermining a lifetime of social courtesy. Yi-Sheng recalls an encounter from Chinese New Year with an 80something year old widow and neighbour.

Neighbour: These are nice pineapple tarts.

My mother: Yes, why don’t you tell Mrs Gan about the nice book you’re writing?

Yi-Sheng: Yeah, um, it’s a book on homosexuality in Singapore.

(Uncomfortable pause)

Neighbour: Oh my. Is it rampant?"

(UPDATE: we've got video of the event, courtesy of Roy Tan. It's in parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. You can also take your time to look at some of the still frames.)

Oh yeah, and the TalkingCock event rocked. Alex Au, Hossan Leong, Mr Brown and Mr Miyagi also spoke... although the highlight, and the best-applauded moment, was probably the review of the different accents of English by my friend and teaching scholar, Ruby Pan (American =>British =>Singapore educated =>Singlish => Filipina. :)) Don't believe me? Just have a look a the video.)

We, the Citizens: TalkingCock in Parliament

2006-08-24T14:58:00.000+08:00

More SQ21 books will be available at the below event!

Singapore's GLBT Pride Season comes to a close this week with We, the Citizens: TalkingCock in Parliament, a light-hearted forum for people of all orientations, hosted by husband-and-wife filmmakers and satirists Colin Goh and Woo Yen Yen (who also wrote the foreword for our book!).

Thursday Aug 24, 8pm
Arts House (Old Parliament House)
1 Old Parliament Lane.
Admission is free, but seats are limited. Come at 7.30pm or earlier to mingle.

Sam Wu (last night's compere) and Teng Qian Xi (our proofreadress) will also be giving speeches!

See the IndigNation calendar writeup or my Fridae.com article for details. Also see TalkingCock.com and Singapore Dreaming for more info on the organisers.

Da Launch!

2006-08-24T00:44:00.000+08:00

First of all, some pretty serious business. At about 5pm today, an anonymous woman called the printers and ordered them to cease distribution of the book until it had been reviewed. Fortunately, we had our legal eagles on hand: we knew that in order for a book to be banned, it must be gazetted before parliament. The woman (who did not reply when called back) had no case.

A ploy of intimidation, not unlike the police threats during other IndigNation events? No idea. In any case, if they ban the book, it'll make them look silly and drive people to buy the book over Amazon. But just in case, buy the book while it's still on the shelves.

And boy, does this book fly off the shelves! We'd been informed that usually only around 70 books are bought at book launches. Tonight we sold all 200 of the books we brought. We didn't even have complimentary copies left over for the contributors - those'll have to be delivered later. :)

With our adorable MC Sam Wu and sign language interpreters Daniel Tung and Yen Feng, we had a kickass kickoff event at Mox - 30% off all drinks - with speeches by author Ng Yi-Sheng (that's me) and editor Jason Wee. In between, we had a panel discussion featuring Nicholas Deroose, Lu Huen, Dr Khoo Hoon Eng and Dominic Chua - with short readings by Jeremy Kwok, Sheila Rajamanikam and Khoo Hoon Eng.

And my dad came! Everyone was so impressed at how supportive he was. Sure, my big sis was there too, but sisters are always goddesses. (My mum was in China and my brother was in the States, though, so they have valid excuses for absence).

And then everyone descended on the contributors for autographs... all 15 of us ended up with sore wrists (we're 16 peple in the book, but one of the boys was getting married to his partner in Switzerland).

For those of us who couldn't get books, don't worry - by the end of the week they'll be in Kino and Borders and Select. And if you want them in Popular, just make phone calls and ask for them. They'll have to pay attention eventually. :)

Pictures coming soon!

Sunday Times, 20 August 2006, Lifestyle p22

2006-08-22T23:37:00.000+08:00

Interestingly enough, they also had me interviewed for a "Bookends" segment on my favourite books - and then apologised because they couldn't mention any gay books. So no-one got to hear me sing the praises of my Dykes to Watch Out For comic book collection. Oh well, they don't call it the Straights Times for nothin'.

Press Coverage!

2006-08-21T05:46:00.000+08:00

Woot! On 20 August, SQ21 got featured by Kristina Tom in the Sunday Times and by Sylvia Tan in a Fridae.com article . Together with a very small image of the cover:

Now someone explain to me how to upload that so it always appears on the top of the screen.

One cool thing is that Sylvia asked two of the interviewees some smart questions about their perspectives on gay issues - plus a few personal questions that didn't make it into the stories:

æ: Who was the first person you told and how long did it take since you first realised?

Sheila: I told my best friend and my cousins (I come from a close knit family) and they all embraced me and accepted me readily. I told my parents before I left for overseas and they came to their understanding in the years I was away.

Nicholas: There really wasn't a person because the first time I came out was attending the support group's outing. I think the first person I actually said the actual words to would be to my good friend of more then 10 years who happened to be in the group as well. It's so funny because we have been friends since we were young but when we discovered we were both gay it was as if we had to start all over again and the last ten years was thrown out of the window or something.

Sheila and Nicholas will both be on the panel at Mox Bar for the book launch. Seeya there.

Book launch: SQ21 - Singapore Queers in the 21st Century!

2006-08-20T05:13:00.000+08:00

Here's the blurb for the event! Come one, come all!

What is it like for men and women to grow up here, to come out their families, to find love and work and meaning? What are their stories? For the first time in Singapore, the book SQ21 - Singapore Queers in the 21st Century answers these questions.

Fifteen men and women including a mother of two gay sons and a hearing impaired gay man share their stories, and their photos (yes photos - this is a real coming out book), showing their true faces and celebrating their against the odds of living full lives as gays and lesbians in Singapore. Written in a light, readable style, these inspirational stories will touch the hearts of everyone, young and old, single or in love, Singaporean and otherwise.

SQ21 is published by Oogachaga Counseling & Support and will be sold at a discounted price at the launch.

Date: Wednesday, 23 August 2006
Time: 7:30 pm
Admission: Free
Venue: Mox bar and cafe, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #04-21

Sign interpreting available
More info on the IndigNation gay pride festival available at http://www.plu.sg/indignation.

2006-07-25T15:58:00.000+08:00

Yay! We've sent the book to the presses!