Singapore—The times, as they say, are a-changing.
It seems that while the LGBT community may be gaining more acceptance in Singapore of late, as Taylor Swift put it, “Haters gonna hate, hate, hate.”
But there’s someone who’s ready to face this head on, and more than that, Fairul Edham Hirdayat—a local drag queen who’s also vying for the Mr World Singapore 2020 title, says he’s ready to conquer the world.
He’s one of the contest’s 24 finalists, with the pageant’s pinnacle coming in December.
And his not-so-secret weapon is his mother’s love and acceptance.
After a write-up about him in The New Paper (TNP) the 33-year-old Mr Fairul took to his Facebook page to post a link to the article, along with the following intro.
“Let the hate begin. ◡̈
I have my mothers love and blessing and that’s all that matters.
If you want to be shallow then that’s on you. Because I’m here, I’m queer and I’m ready to conquer!
Ps: religion doesn’t teach you to hate.”
And so far, he’s had nothing but love and support online.
TNP reports that Mr Fairul, whose Facebook bio says he is an animator/performer at Universal Studio Singapore, is also known as Farrah Shamrock at House Of Miss Joaquim, which prides itself as “The BIGGEST Drag House in Singapore.”
After overcoming initial qualms about telling Mr World Singapore’s organiser, Beam Artistes, about who his life as Farrah Shamrock, he made the leap during his interview that showed how different he really is.
TNP quotes him as saying, “I was afraid they would not accept me. That was a big obstacle and I asked myself, ‘What if they don’t want someone like me to represent?'”
But Beam seems to have wholeheartedly embraced him, tagging TNP on its Instagram and Facebook pages with a picture of Farrah Shamrock, with the caption, “Hot off the news stands. Our very own Fairul @todyshamrock is featured in @thenewpaper today! Read all about our first beauty queen in Mr World Singapore 2020 today! #beamsearch #mrworldsingapore2020 #beamartistes #workingwithbeautifulpeople“
https://www.instagram.com/p/CF8dW8pA2xb/
And with his mother’s support, Mr Fairul does not seem to care much about what the public may say, although he says there has not been backlash since he joined the pageant.
He told TNP what he wants to achieve.
“I want to give a voice to the LGBTQ community… If Mr World Singapore can accept me for me, the opportunities and platforms are endless for us.”
The Drag Queen/Mr World Singapore hopeful said that the LGBT community should “put ourselves out there for our stories to be heard. Whether the outcome is good or bad, it is better to be heard than not heard at all.” —/TISG
Read also: LGBT publication praises PAP MP Baey Yam Keng for open support of community
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