377A repeal: Singapore turns page on dark LGBT history

 | 
12/03/2022

Standing in Singapore’s tranquil Esplanade Park, Russell Heng pointed to the spot where he was once caught by the police – just for being gay. It looks like any other tree-lined corner in the city. But back in the 1980s, before the age of the internet and Grindr, it was a popular meeting spot for gay men in a country where homosexuality was effectively criminalised. Nicknamed the Feet of Five Trees, the spot’s towering raintrees provided cover and seclusion, recalled Mr Heng, a playwright and activist. “We were roaming about that night. And then suddenly, there was a loud voice – a plainclothes policeman – who started shouting at us,” he said. The men were forced to line up in a row as the policeman fiercely berated them. “He said ‘You should be ashamed of yourself’. “We were just walking in the park,” he said. “You felt psychologically that maybe you did something wrong… basically it was bullying.”

Regions: ,

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 09/21/2023
09/20/2023
The 69 suspects who were arrested in Nigeria last month in connection with an alleged gay wedding have been released on bail. Over 200 people …
Added on: 09/21/2023
09/20/2023
The country’s first female, and youngest-ever, president was in the LGBTQ+ community’s good books earlier this year when she vetoed an inhumane bill that would have …
Added on: 09/21/2023
09/20/2023
The U.S. Census Bureau asked the Biden administration Tuesday for permission to test questions about sexual orientation and gender identity for people age 15 …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Other News from ,

Added on: 09/18/2023
In a society that prides itself on rapid technological progress and embracing modernity, it’s striking how resistant certain facets of South Korea remain towards …
Added on: 09/18/2023
Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital opened up India’s first transgender Outpatient Department (OPD) on Sunday inching towards an inclusive and easily accessible healthcare system …
Added on: 09/17/2023
From Lebanon to Iraq, politicians in the Middle East have stepped up their anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, raising concerns about an increase in homophobic violence and …