List of LGBT organizations in Singapore
Encyclopedia
Groups Active Both Online and Offline
- Yagga Yagga support group – the third, but most well known, of the initial support groups for gay men ever to be organised in Singapore. It had two sessions, Yagga Yagga 1 and Yagga Yagga 2, separated by several months. The previous groups were named Northern (something) and Forbidden Fruit. All were started by activist Alex AuAlex AuAlex Au Waipang, also known by his Internet nom de plume as Yawning Bread, is part of the Singapore gay equality movement.He is the author of a website, where he provides analyses of Singaporean politics, culture, gay issues and miscellaneous subjects.-Biography:Au, English-educated and of...
. The same format would be carried into future support groups such as the current and immensely popular Oogachaga. Yagga Yagga was targeted at men who embraced their sexuality late in life. Operational for 12 months, its last session ended in June 1999. Read Yawning Bread's round-up of the group's experiences:http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_1999/yax-147.htm
- Friends Like Us (F.L.U.S., pronounced "flas") http://www.friendslikeus.com.sg/index.shtml- an LGBT social enterprise which aspires to be the nexus between business, innovation and community work. They are committed to reaching out to diverse members of LGBT society with the primary objective to better lives through entrepreneurial and other community projects. Net proceeds from their ad hoc activities and events including Dragon Boat racing, inline skating, kayaking, movie outings, a dating club, gatherings and trips, are used to fund community service initiatives including their Caresports, Careout and Carefund programmes.
Non-Profit
- The online IRC community #AJ http://www.aj.sg/index.html, founded by channel owner YiJan in 2001. Although it started as a cyberchat service, it has since forged many friendships and formed real-world bonds. Channel #AJ is currently situated on the Galaxynet IRC Network. It can be accessed either with an IRC client or #AJ's downloadable customized mIRC.
- The Hong Lim Park Forum http://www.honglimpark.com/ opened its doors on 13 August 2004 and quickly became the premier discussion board for mature gay Singaporeans, with good participation from mature Asian men from around the world. For some time, it was touted as the world's largest English language-based online forum for mature Asian men, although Mandarin and Japanese language exchanges were not uncommon. However, interest waned and it ceased functioning in early 2006. It is now only a skeleton website.
- Maleculture http://www.maleculture.com/index.shtml – a website set up by entrepreneur Max Lim, closely affiliated with Raw sauna, providing information and support for gay Asian men. It is now inactive.
Groups Active Both Online and Offline
- People Like Us 3People Like Us 3People Like Us , is the main gay equality lobby group in Singapore. Having been twice rejected by the government board which approves or prohibits organisations, the Registrar of Societies, it is now in its third incarnation as "PLU3"...
(PLU3) http://www.plu.sg/main/index2.htm The first and still the main gay-equality advocacy group in Singapore, started in 1993 by Joseph Lo and later joined by activists Alex AuAlex AuAlex Au Waipang, also known by his Internet nom de plume as Yawning Bread, is part of the Singapore gay equality movement.He is the author of a website, where he provides analyses of Singaporean politics, culture, gay issues and miscellaneous subjects.-Biography:Au, English-educated and of...
and Dr. Russell Heng.
- Action for AIDS (AfA) http://www.afa.org.sg/- a gay-supported and gay-supportive AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
advocacy and AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
services charity started by a group of doctors in 1988. It organised successful campaigns to break down the 'only homosexuals get AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
' stereotypes, to change the 24-hour cremation rule and to create greater AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
awareness in school sex education. It publishes 'The ActThe ActThe Act was a popular and critically acclaimed Norwegian rock band in the mid 1980s. They toured extensively and released the album September Field.-Band members:*Bjørn Kulseth – vocals, guitars*Rune Krogseth – vocals, guitars...
', a free periodical which provides Singaporeans MSMs with safe-sex and AIDS-related information.
- Heartland http://www.heartlandsg.org/- the gay Singapore Buddhist discussion group spearheaded by activist Kelvin Wong in 2003.
- Safehaven http://www.oursafehaven.com/- a ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
group which has been gathering since 1998 for prayer, Bible study and fellowship. Gay affirmative and made up of different age groups, backgrounds and religious traditions.
- The Free Community Church http://www.freecomchurch.org/- a ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
network offering the support of small groups and a Sunday service at Century Technology Building. Inaugurated in 1999.
- Adventurers Like Us (ADLUS) http://www.adlus.org – the Singapore sports and outdoor activities network for gays and lesbians. It was started by Kelvin Wong, who later handed over its management to Ethan Lim. The mailing list is the main communication hub for the network. The website was revamped in September 2006 to become more user-friendly. ADLUS activities encompass many sporting activities and the group is also actively involved in promoting sports and outdoor activities in the GLBT community. The website also list major events in the Singapore sports scene. They were the network that helped send Singapore's first sports team to the Gay OlympicsGay OlympicsGay Olympics most commonly refers to the Gay Games which were originally named the Gay Olympics but were forced to choose a different name due to legal action by the International Olympic Committee....
in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
- Women's Nite http://women_snite.livejournal.com- Started by Charmaine Tan and Eileena Lee in 2002, Women's Nite provides a safe, neutral and alcohol-free space for lesbians and bisexual women in Singapore to gather and discuss the issues relevant to their lives. Talks and workshops are also held. It runs on the last Saturday of every month. Charmaine Tan, Eileena Lee, Tan Hui Yee, Amanda LeeAmanda LeeAmanda Lee may refer to:* Amanda Lee , Hong Kong actress* Amanda Lee , a fictional character in the medical drama ER* Amanda Lee, pseudonym used by Eileen Buckholtz and Ruth Glick...
, Gea Swee Jean and Sylvia Tan are the women working behind the scenes http://women-snite.livejournal.com/1818.html for The Women's Nite.
- Spaces centre for counselling and development http://www.ourspaces.com/- a private, non-profit counselling and development agency conceived in 2001 by counsellor and psychologist Clarence Singam. Its most active wing is now Oogachaga.
- Oogachaga support group http://www.oogachaga.com/- started by artist Jason Wee and friends Steve Wong and Kenneth Lau in 1999, its torch was handed to counsellor Clarence Singam in the early 2000s and is now carried by Bryan Choong, Mei Ling and Y.Y. Teh. Oogachaga is a counseling and personal development organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning ("LGBTQ") individuals. Oogachaga services are supervised by credible agencies. Oogachaga talks have become highly anticipated guidance and mutual revelation sessions for the gay community (see Singapore gay conferencesSingapore gay conferences-1st Singapore AIDS conference:The 1st Singapore AIDS conference was held on 12 December 1998 at the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, the landmark event was organised by Action for AIDS to coincide with its 10th anniversary, and the Communicable Disease Centre/Tan Tock...
). Oogachaga runs support groups for gay men and lesbians. On 18 Feb 2006, Oogachaga started the OCMSM (Oogachaga Men-who-have-Sex-with-Men) hotline, Singapore's first hotline manned by gay volunteers. And on 13 November 2010, Oogachaga launched its email counselling service. These community outreach services enable MSM to talk about issues regarding their sexuality issues or to find out more information on HIVHIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and STISTI-Institutes:*Sega Technical Institute*Semantic Technology Institute International, a scientific and research network; also some of its members call themselves STI*Southern Technical Institute—a university in Marietta, Georgia, USA...
. Oogachaga also conducts annual workshops for professionals such as educators and counselors in many LGBTQ-related fields.
- SAFE Singapore (Supporting, AFfirming and Empowering our LGBTQ friends and family; see http://safesingapore.blogspot.com/2006/10/our-website.html, Fridae article) – a support group founded in December 2006 by a team of 4 heterosexual women to provide information and resources for straight people struggling to accept their queer friends and relatives.
- Pelangi Pride Centre http://www.pelangipridecentre.org – Started by Dinesh Naidu, Charmaine Tan and Eileena Lee in Dec 2002 and currently managed by Charmaine Tan, Lai Nam Khim and Eileena Lee. Pelangi Pride Centre is a GLBTQ resource centre which provides a library/archives, information resources and a community space for sexual minorities. Pelangi Pride Centre is currently located at Free Community Church (FCC) and they operates every Saturday, 2pm to 6pm. Events are held regularly every 2nd Saturday of the month. For more information, email pelangipridecentre@yahoo.com or go to www.pelangipridecentre.org
- Sayoni http://sayoni.com/ – an online LGBT portal based in Singapore for Asian queerQueerQueer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
, lesbian, bisexual and transgender women. Founded in 2006 by a group of women from diverse backgrounds, age groups, economic status and ethnicity, it aims to empower queerQueerQueer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
women via a multi-pronged approach to encourage dialogue within the community and to educate the general public. They conduct regular non-profit events for queer women, including a highly successful annual summer camp. Today this portal has over 1800 members, and a diverse world-wide readership. Sayoni has pioneered and maintained research into queer women in Singapore, through their biennial surveys.
- SgButterfly http://www.sgbutterfly.org/,- Singapore's first and largest transgender web portal and support group founded by a heterosexual man, Daniel Kaw.
Non-Profit
- Blowing Wind gay forum http://www.blowingwind.org/forum/index.php?s=983f0dfecc71ea6c385159cb6b1b110b&act=idx - an online forum for gay men in Singapore to discuss any issues which concern them. However, it eschews political topics.
- Fabulous Asia http://www.fabulousasia.com/ – a platform based in Singapore for Asian queerQueerQueer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
, Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, FabulousAsia (www.fabulousasia.com) is an online LGBT Lifestyle portal. The main objective is create a safe place for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community to obtain information and interact. The web portal consist mainly original and 3rd party articles, a forum page, videos, a resident doctor contact form and latest LGBT news from around the world].
Commercial
- Trevvy.com (formerly www.sgboy.com) http://www.sgboy.com/- set up in March 1999 by its then 20-year-old founder when he was a national serviceman, Sgboy grew to become one of the most popular LGBT portals in Singapore. Widely known for its chat room and discussion boards which enjoy a high degree of participation and deal with a diverse array of topics, many young gay men "came out" and grew up surfing the pioneer Singapore gay portal. It underwent a major makeover, rebranding itself as Trevvy.com in August 2006, shifting its focus to the more mature 25 to 40-year age group of the local gay market and expanding it user base regionally. Trevvy held its launch parties entitled "Strawberries" and "Cream" at popular clubs Attica and Taboo respectively in December 2006.
- fridae.com http://www.fridae.com/index.php?6708&¬login- this large English-language LGBT portal has grown by leaps and bounds since its founding in December 2000 by scientist-cum-entrepreneur Dr. Stuart Koe. It organised the iconic "Nation" mega-parties until public gay parties were banned in Singapore in 2004. It underwent a major shift in focus towards LGBT advocacy in late 2006, announcing that it would no longer be organising large regional circuit parties.
- HerstoryHerstoryHerstory is history written from a feminist perspective, emphasizing the role of women, or told from a woman's point of view. Ii is a neologism coined in the late 1960s as part of a feminist critique of conventional historiography...
http://www.herstory.ws/ – a website for grrrls which organises real-world events like the annual Butch Hunt and Femme Quest contests. Other social activities include Grrrls Night Out parties, various sports and dance classes.