Pink Dot: Singapore LGBT rally to go ahead online despite huge petition against it, organisers say

The rally, which has been held in the city state since 2009, will be marked online this year in a live-stream amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus

More than 28,000 people have signed a petition calling for viewing to be restricted as it would expose children to ‘homosexuality as a lifestyle’

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A participant dances with a rainbow flag during last year’s Pink Dot event held at the Speaker's Corner in Hong Lim Park. Photo: EPA

Published: 6:51pm, 23 Jun 2020Updated: 6:51pm, 23 Jun 2020

The organisers of Singapore’s annual gay pride rally vowed on Tuesday to push ahead with an online event after nearly 30,000 people signed a petition demanding restrictions and called the content “immoral”.

The Pink Dot rally has been held since 2009 under stringent public assembly laws at a park in Singapore, where gay sex between men can be jailed for up to two years under a law that is rarely enforced.

Like many other cities emerging from a lockdown to curb the novel coronavirus, the pride event will be marked online this year in a live-stream that would feature some 35 drag queens.

Calls to restrict viewings escalated after a petition over the weekend urged the government to limit the broadcast due for Saturday on Pink Dot’s website and social media.

But the organisers said they would go ahead, to support the LGBT+ community that struggled with social isolation during the recent lockdown that has since been eased.

“We hope that through our live-stream, the LGBTQ community can feel seen, heard and loved during these tough times,” the organisers said by email.