Singapore’s LGBTIQA+ communities held their annual Pink Dot event for the 15th time over the weekend, but this year there was one giant difference!
The annual protest has pushed for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the former British colony, but late last year the law’s changed and their goal was achieved.
Protests are only allowed in Singapore under strict rules. Speaker’s Corner in Hong Lim park is the only space when speaking against the government is permitted. Over the years the Pink Dot movement has led the way in showing what a peaceful protest can achieve, but it faced increasing pressure from authorities as its popularity grew.
Originally the event was held in the evening with participants shining pink coloured torches into the night sky to create the ‘pink dot’. In recent year’s authorities have clamped down on the event only allowing it to be held during daylight hours, banning non-Singaporean citizen’s from attending, and stopping multi-national companies from sponsoring the event. Organisers also faced huge fines if any of the strict rules are broken.
Undeterred Pink Dot Singapore continued on finding innovative ways to continue to spread their message.
This year the event returned to being a night-time celebration with the word ‘family’ being spelled out in the middle of the crowd.
While the laws against homosexuality have been appealed, politicians also inserted a new clause that defined that marriage would only be between a man and a woman.
Singaporeans spent Saturday night celebrating their win, but they also had a message about rainbow families being included. The choice of theme was also a clear message to opponents who have argued that decriminalisation would erode family values.
The organisation has not outlined how they will move forward in the future, saying they appreciate everyone needs a little time to breathe after their momentous win, but they will be continuing to advocate for LGBTIQA+ rights.
OIP Staff
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