The day of events included a nature bike ride and several events focused around health and wellbeing, including the opportunity to gain health advice and useful resources. The events are also part of ongoing actions aimed at advocating for GBT men’s health and the equality of the LGBT community.

For more information and updates on how Singapore marked IDAHOT 2016 please keep an eye out for our upcoming annual reports!

Oogachaga has therefore created a google form where everyone was invited to share their stories and thoughts. The campaign is titled #Our Stories Our Voices and you can submit your contribution here.

The submissions will be displayed at their community booth at Pink Dot on 13 June 2015, a non-profit movement in Singapore. Find out more about Pink Dot here.

Oogachaga is a community-based counselling, support and personal development agency for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals, couples and families. We come under the umbrella of SPACES Counselling and Community Limited.

In conjunction with the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) 2015, SGRainbow organised a photo campaign titled #thegayagenda. The campaign is a photo project that reveals what the gay agenda really is about.  It is hoped that these photos help to highlight the real hopes, aspirations and motivations of LGBTQ youth and allies.

Photos were released gradually over the next month on Facebook and Instagram at www.facebook.com/SGRainbow on Facebook and @sg_rainbow on instagram.

This sort of action could be done in both open contexts, as well as possibly in places more hostile to LGBTQI rights organising. It makes an interesting alternative to either a public march or demonstration, or to a rainbowflash balloon release. It’s also more environmentally friendly than releasing balloons.

The idea comes from an action for IDAHOT 2014 in Singapore, organised by Move Community (a local activity hub for LGBT individuals, and their families, extended families and friends). We asked one of the organisers to tell us more about how they did this action, where the idea came from, and what the impact was – and they told us this great story!

Where/how did the idea originate? What were the main assumptions behind the idea, the main expectations?

The idea sprung out from an event my niece participated in Malaysia. I was contemplating to create something similar to promote friendships, harmony, healthy living among LGBT and other communities for IDAHO day. Since many of our active members love kite flying more than running and we thought it is more interactive, so we changed it to kite flying.

What were the risks/threats/obstacles involved and how did you mitigate them?

As we were doing it in a popular public place for kite flying managed by Singapore government, there was a fear of being stopped by the authorities. I am happy that it didn’t stop there. I consulted Singapore Kite Association (SKA) for their advice. I called and went down to speak to the venue receptionist to find out some facts.

How did you get it done? How much time did it take? How much did it cost? How many people did it involve? What were the tactics that you used?

It took about a month’s time planning, meeting, and following-up with SKA, volunteers, printer and participants. We managed to engage SKA to teach us how to make kite on the event day. We formed 6 teams and printed different colored T-shirts (based on the 6 rainbow colors) for the event. We spent SGD480 (SGD16 x 30) for printing of the 30 t-shirts (about 280 Euros). About 27 people attended the event. We collaborated with another social group and invited them to join this event.

How do you rate the impact of this action, and how did you see its effects?

As we didn’t do any post event survey or feedback, we cant really measure the impact of this event to our communities at large. We were OUT, having fun flying kite in the public together with public – straight, family, local, foreigners. It was a great achievement to me personally as I overcame some of my fears, coming OUT to SKA, gained understanding, engaged and made friends. I also hope our members and friends feel more comfortable to be seen OUT in public (with an open gay group) after the event, which many people still do not wish to.

What advice would you give to other people who’d like to undertake this activity?

Be brave. Be OUT . Be yourself! Live OUT proud with Rainbow! no matter how small you are

If you did this action again, what would you do differently?

I have not really thought about it yet. There is a possibility of inviting different LGBT and non-LGBT groups to form teams.

You can view some more event photos here on facebook.

And you can find out more about Move Community here.

A rainbow kite flying event to celebrate gender and sexual diversities, an evening of storytelling and discussion, and actions by the staff of Credit Suisse marked the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia 2014 in Singapore

Kite Flying for Harmony

‘Kite Flying for Harmony 2014′ made for a wonderful and colourful start to the IDAHOT commemorations in Singapore this year. The event took place in Marina Barrage on Saturday, May 17 from 2.30pm to 6.30pm. The organisers, Move Community, explained that the kite flying day was organised to help foster social harmony, friendship and healthy living among LGBTI allies & communities in the country. Under the slogan “Flying Rainbow, Connecting Lives”  participants designed and made their kits, and wrote their ‘harmony statements’ on their kites, with guidance and support from Singapore Kite Association (SKA).

“Flying Rainbow, Connecting Lives” – community activists fly rainbow kites for IDAHOT 2014 in Singapore

Community Book Reading

Later on in the Day, at 7.30PM, at Books Actually, LGBTI communities and allies gathered together for another IDAHOT event – readings of “I will Survive Homophobia” and “Calling It Out – Singapore”, which were organized by Oogachaga.

“I will Survive Homophobia” is a collection of stories that brings together real-life experiences of love, grace, faith, dignity and courage from 21 ordinary gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Singapore who have survived extraordinary circumstances.  Calling it Out, on the other hand, is a campaign against homophobic bullying in schools.

The director of Oogachaga, Leow Yangfa, also honored the Day by expressing his view on homophobia and transphobia through an op-ed that was published by Yahoo Singapore on May 17.

Credit Suisse

The staff of Credit Suisse Singapore also joined the IDAHOT 2014 commemorations, with a series of internal events focused on LGBTI rights around the world and on the 2014 global focus on Freedom of Expression.

It’s a great way to meet other people, trans* and non-trans* alike, in a safe & wholesome environment.
Connecting people to form teams based on the colours of the rainbow. Participants are to make, design and write their harmony statement on their kites.

The event is free and will be held at Marina Barrage (Singapore) on 17 May 2014, 2.30pm to 6.30pm.
For more info please go to the Facebook page or visit the MOVE Community website.

This activity is supported by Singapore Kite Association, The Garden Slug & Dough Empire
Creative Partner: The Assembly Lab

‘I Will Survive: Personal gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender stories in Singapore’ will be celebrating its first anniversary of the printed book’s launch. The editor Leow Yangfa will be reading out of the book.

I Will Survive: Personal gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender stories in Singapore brings together real-life experiences of love, grace, faith, dignity and courage from 21 ordinary people who have survived extraordinary circumstances.

You can find out more about the book and event here.

The event will also include readings from submissions to Calling It Out! – Singapore, the online campaign to highlight homophobic bullying in schools.
Calling It Out! is an initiative started by university students from Yale-NUS, NUS, NTU and SMU and collects personal stories from LGBTI youth who experience discrimination and bullying. The stories are being published online. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr.

For more information on the project click here.

The event will take place on May 17, 7.30pm at the BooksActually (9 Yong Siak Street, Tiong Bahru)

I Will Survive, featuring life stories and experiences of LGBTQI people in Singapore

Leow Yangfa, the editor of the book, has spent most of his adult life involved in social services, including a previous job in a statutory organisation, and volunteer work with an HIV/ AIDS group in Singapore and a charity for the homeless in London. He is professionally trained in social policy and social work.

SPECIAL GUESTS :

Ovidia Yu, award-winning novelist, short-story writer and playwright. Among her many works are The Woman in a Tree on the Hill, Three Fat Virgins, Hitting (On) Women, and Miss Moorthy Investigates.

Tania De Rozario, award-winning writer and visual artist, whose latest collection of poetry Tender Delirium has just been published by Math Paper Press.

Leona Lo, who published her autobiography From Leonard to Leona, A Singapore Transsexual’s Journey to Womanhood in 2007 . This was staged as The Ah Kua Show in Singapore in 2009, & in New York a year later.

Ng Yi-Sheng, freelance writer & visual arts administrator. His publications include a collection of coming out stories SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, GASPP: a Gay Anthology of Singapore Poetry and Prose.

The International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia in Singapore will be marked by the presentation of the book “I will survive”, featuring life stories and experiences of LGBTQI persons. What is it like to be gay and experience bullying in school or National Service ? How do you deal with being rejected by your family and religious group because of your sexual orientation ? How are women’s experiences different or similar to men’s ? What does one go through in an abusive same-sex relationship, or when one loses a partner to suicide ? What does a transgender man or woman go through in Singapore ? When you have been diagnosed with a life-long illness, how do you continue living ?

Leow Yangfa, the editor of the book, has spent most of his adult life involved in social services, including a previous job in a statutory organisation, and volunteer work with an HIV/ AIDS group in Singapore and a charity for the homeless in London. He is professionally trained in social policy and social work.

SPECIAL GUESTS :

Ovidia Yu, award-winning novelist, short-story writer and playwright. Among her many works are The Woman in a Tree on the Hill, Three Fat Virgins, Hitting (On) Women, and Miss Moorthy Investigates.

Tania De Rozario, award-winning writer and visual artist, whose latest collection of poetry Tender Delirium has just been published by Math Paper Press.

Leona Lo, who published her autobiography From Leonard to Leona, A Singapore Transsexual’s Journey to Womanhood in 2007 . This was staged as The Ah Kua Show in Singapore in 2009, & in New York a year later.

Ng Yi-Sheng, freelance writer & visual arts administrator. His publications include a collection of coming out stories SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, GASPP: a Gay Anthology of Singapore Poetry and Prose.