Pink Dot: how Singapore’s LGBT movement became a ‘tangible force’ where others struggle to survive

Despite opposition, Singapore’s annual Pink Dot rally has not only managed to survive for more than a decade, its crowd numbers keep growing

This year’s rally, its 11th edition, will be held on June 29

Reading Time:4 minutes

Singapore’s Pink Dot rally, which started in 2009, has attracted large crowds despite a backlash from conservative groups in a state where protests are strictly controlled. File photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 3 Jun 2019Updated: 3:09pm, 4 Jun 2019

It was an obvious choice for Manda Foo when she was asked to sign a pledge in April to reduce discrimination faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in Singapore.

The founder of education and events company Bollywood Adventures said: “As a business that believes in being inclusive, it was a no-brainer for us.”

We have never discriminated against people based on their sexual orientation.”

Foo is among 17 companies, including Dell and Spa Esprit Group, that have signed the so-called Inclusive Business Pledge.

Manda Foo: ‘As a business supportive of the inclusive movement, it was a no-brainer for us’. Photo: Bollywood Adventures

The pledge – a collaboration between Singapore’s LGBTQ movement Pink Dot and social enterprise Be Inclusive – is part of 10 changes the movement is calling for as it marks its 11th edition on June 29.

Other changes include having more positive and uncensored portrayals of LGBTQ people in mainstream media and repealing Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x