Tag: Singapore

Joshua Simon, a gay radio DJ in Singapore, has refused to participate in a local TED Talk after its organizers asked him not to make “sensitive” comments about his sexuality, especially since male same-sex encounters are punishable by two years in prison in the predominantly Buddhist country. Simon had wanted to discuss coming out to his father and changing social attitudes towards LGBTQ people, but a spokeswoman for Singapore Polytechnic, the school where the TED Talk was hosted, told Reuters: “Joshua...

Hen Yirui (left) and Li Huanwu / Image via FacebookThe grandson of Singapore’s founding father has gotten married. Last Summer, Li Huanwu, a 31-year-old working as a general manager, came out as gay and introduced the world to his lover Heng Yirui. While this doesn’t seem too substantial at first, the moment became world news because of Li Huanwu’s family. Li Huanwu’s grandfather is Lee Kuan Yew. He was the founding prime minister...

A Singaporean pop singer has come out as gay. Willie Tay was considered a rising star in the Singaporean music scene just a year or two ago. But, his sexuality created a hurdle in his ascent to fame. Earlier this year, Tay decided to tell his family, friends, and record label about his sexuality. The latter didn’t handle the news well. As he told Billboard, “It was terrifying, because before I came out to my label, I was worried about losing my...

The story of openly-gay Malay couple Faliqh and Kaal living in Singapore evoked mixed reactions online Singapore’s internet went abuzz this week over a video of an openly-gay Malay couple. The short video, produced by Dear Straight People, tells the story of 30-year-old Faliqh and 41-year-old Kaal. Nearly 600,000 people have viewed the video on Facebook. It has almost 100,000 hits on YouTube. The majority of comments are supportive of the couple, but some users have condemned the same-sex relationship. Faliqh said on Facebook...

The High Court of Singapore made a surprising ruling that allowed a same-sex couple to adopt their child who was conceived through surrogacy in the United States, according to South China Morning Post. The couple was denied the right to adopt last year. A three-judge panel led by Sundaresh Menon ruled that the adoption bid should go through as it would “increase the child’s prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship and securing long-term residence in Singapore." The court considered Singapore's public policy...

Li Huanwu said LGBT people had a 'moral duty' to fight for their rights Ahead of Singapore Pride’s – Pink Dot- 10th anniversary bash, a very important person in the city nation has come out publicly as gay. Li Huanwu is the grandson of Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew. He is also the nephew of current prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong. The 31-year-old came out in a stunning photo shoot for the Out in Singapore exhibition. He features in the photoshoot...

The best friends turned boyfriends have finally got their happy ever after. They were one of the most popular couples in Hollyoaks history, and ‘McDean’ fans finally got their wish during last night’s episode of the Channel 4 soap when it was confirmed John Paul McQueen (James Sutton) and Craig Dean (Guy Burnett) have got back together. The star-crossed pair featured in one of the biggest gay soap storylines of the decade back in 2007 when the then-teenage friends came to...

Let us introduce you to ChuanDo Tan. The 50-year-old photographer is currently living in Singapore and one half of renowned duo ChuanDo & Frey. As well as working with the likes of Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, the pair have shot iconic images including Janet Jackson’s album Discipline back in 2008. Ohhhhh and he’s no stranger to the gym – serving us up some serious daddy issues. That body? That ass? We’re sold. Thankfully, his Instagram is packing some serious heat and can give...

Singapore has made a marriage void between a married couple after the husband underwent the harrowing operation to change her sex. The argument from local authority is that their marriage had become a same-sex union and therefore contravened the city-state’s laws on same-sex marriage. The couple were married as husband and wife in 2015, and after a few years of marriage, the husband made the decision to start living her life as a woman. She underwent the operation to change her biological sex, and changed her national...

A gay couple have faced homophobic abuse after an anti-gay article went viral in Singapore. An image, which shows the couple kissing on a Metro train in Singapore, was at the centre of a homophobic option piece written on a local news site. Melinda, the writer of the homophobic article, shared the image after she was ‘disgusted’ by the couple. She wrote: “I respect everyone’s rights, but this is simply disgusting in a public space. “What if my children saw this and asked...