Singapore—The next Pink Dot event has been set for June 27 of this year, according to a Facebook post from Saturday morning (June 18). As always, the venue for the rally, which is done in support of the LGBTQ community in Singapore, will be at Hong Lim Park.
The announcement sought to clarify that under a law passed in October 2016, only Singaporean citizens and Permanent Residents (PR) may attend the rally. At the end of the post it said, “Government say one, not we say one ah!”
No other details have been added as yet, although the public can expect more information about it to be revealed in the days and weeks leading up to the event.
https://www.facebook.com/pinkdotsg/photos/a.10152513982053304/10158098427223304/?type=3&theater
“Pink Dot SG is a movement for a stronger, more open and inclusive Singapore,” reads the about section of the organisation’s Facebook page. “The rally aims to raise public awareness about issues faced by LGBTQ Singaporeans and to signal to LGBTQ people here that they are loved and valued in Singapore. With openness and acceptance, we hope to bring LGBTQ Singaporeans closer to their family, friends and communities.”
Pink Dot’s last rally, which had an accompanying concert, was held on June 29, with thousands of attendees descending upon Hong Lim Park on the last Saturday of Pride Month, when support for the LGBTQ+ community was seen in big parades and demonstrations all over the world.
Significantly, last year’s rally was attended by the Prime Minister’s brother, Lee Hsien Yang, a fact that the media reported about. However, The Straits Times (ST) which originally mentioned that Mr Lee, his family and in-laws had attended the rally, edited out this portion in a later edition of the story, which Pink Dot called out on its Facebook page.
By all accounts, 2019’a Pink Dot 11, in spite of stormy weather, was well-attended indeed. The highlight of the evening was the message “REPEAL 377-A,” referring to the section of Singapore’s Penal Code that criminalises sexual activity between men, a holdover from the country’s colonial past. A similar section had been repealed in India just in 2018 giving rise to calls for Singapore to follow suit.
By early evening on June 29, Pink Dot’s had posted a photo on its Facebook page of Lee Hsien Yang, his wife, their son Li Huanwu and his husband, Dr Heng Yirui, along with Dr Heng’s parents, all dressed in pink to mark the occasion, standing in a group with their arms around one another.
Li Huanwu, the nephew of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Heng Yirui, a veterinarian, were married in South Africa on May 24, 2019.
In June of 2018, Mr Li came out publicly as a member of the LGBT community when he and Dr Heng were featured in the campaign called Out in Singapore, whose goal was to encourage acceptance and support for “LGBTQ persons who wish to come out to family, friends, and peers in the community.”
The couple posed in a black and white photo with their arms around each other. Previous to outing himself, he had been vocal in his support for Pink Dot, the yearly event starting from 2009 that supports the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Singapore. -/TISG
Read related: ST edits out portion of Pink Dot story that said LHY and family had attended the rally
ST edits out portion of Pink Dot story that said LHY and family had attended the rally