The 49th Revolution

When my partner told me he was involved in a GLBT campaign in Singapore, I was surprised. Both that there was a large scale demonstration being planned in Singapore, not traditionally known for its tolerance of dissent – but also that he was involved ( not really his area ).

The Pink Dot Campaign is an initiative of straight and accepting Singaporeans to spread a visible message of peace and acceptance of Gay and Lesbian people in the Singaporean Community. The project was to get hundreds of Singaporeans to turn up at Hong Ling Park on May 16th, dressed in pink, to form a giant Pink Spot of which arial photos would be taken. The pink spot symbolises love and inclusion, as the combined colours of the Singaporean Flag.

On the day, they didn’t get hundreds of people turning up for the event – they got approx. 2,500 people.

The most impressive part of this campaign for me, apart from the resounding success it turned out to be, is the tolerance and acceptance being expressed from a religious perspective. The media I’ve seen and the content put out by religious organisations largely reiterated the point that they believe religions should be seperate from politics, and that just as they don’t want gay people to force their beliefs on them, they also don’t believe in forcing their religious beliefs on others. Even in Australia and many western societies with legislated rights for GLBTI people, we rarely see this sort of statement or expression from religous organisations.

Congratulations Singapore, for an inspirational and moving campaign.