A morning downpour might have left most of Hong Lim Park in a muddy bog, but that did not stop thousands from dressing up in pink and attending Pink Dot to show their support for the LGBTQ community.
Held from 3.15pm to 8.30pm on Saturday, the annual LGBTQ rally featured 29 community booths from organisations providing different forms of support to the LGBTQ community and performances by local acts such as singer Marian Carmel, all men’s choir Sing Men’s Chorus and drag performance group Singapura Drag Royalty.
Several speakers also took the microphone during the event, including Anne Goh, a former national rugby player and volunteer for lesbian, bisexual and queer organisation Sayoni; drag artist Kira Moon, who was harassed and assaulted by a group of men in March; and Clarence Singam, co-founder of counselling organisation for the LGBTQ community Oogachaga.
Pink Dot spokesperson Clement Tan said this year’s theme – No One Left Behind – “encapsulates for us [in the LGBTQ community] the exclusions we encounter throughout our lives all the way from cradle to grave”.
This is the second Pink Dot since Section 377A, a decades-old law criminalising gay sex, was repealed.
Earlier this week, Protect Singapore – which describes itself as a group that aims to protect the values of marriage, family, children and conscience – released a scorecard grading politicians based on their stances towards LGBTQ issues.
The scorecard is to “help you evaluate whether your MP supports your values”, the group said in a Facebook post on Monday. Among the grading criteria includes never attending Pink Dot.
When asked about the scorecard, PAP MP for Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency (GRC) Darryl David questioned its purpose.
“To rank MPs on their stances on anything? I mean, when you start doing that, then I guess ultimately, what is the aim? What are you trying to show?” he said.
He added that he was attending Pink Dot as he “welcomes diversity”, having worked with people from “different backgrounds, different lifestyles, different preferences … different ways of living”.
Besides Chua and David, PAP MPs Carrie Tan and Derrick Goh of Nee Soon GRC also attended the event.
Workers’ Party MPs for Sengkang GRC Jamus Lim, Louis Chua and He Ting Ru were at the rally as well, speaking to organisers and attendees. They declined to speak to the media.
Progress Singapore Party (PSP) deputy organising secretary Jeffrey Khoo and assistant treasurer Lim Cher Hong were spotted with two members of the party’s youth wing.
In response to queries, a PSP spokesperson said: “We have learned that even after the repeal of 377A, LGBTQ Singaporeans still continue to face discrimination in the workplace and bullying at school.
“Everyone is different and we should all have mutual respect for each other. We may disagree on things but it is more important to focus on common grounds rather than our differences.”
Red Dot United also sent a delegation to Pink Dot, led by its chairman David Foo.
When asked about the scorecard, Tan of Pink Dot described it as “disappointing” and expressed his hope that it would not deter politicians from visiting the rally.
“For us, it’s always been an important message that when they come to Pink Dot, it’s not so much support for the issue per say. We see this as an opportunity for leaders in this country to come and understand the LGBTQ community,” he said.