SINGAPORE: Marina and Jun walk hand in hand, stealing a kiss here and there. On Saturday the couple joined some 15,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists in demanding the Singapore government end the criminalization of the gay community. The couple, petite and dressed in tiny shorts and t-shirts proclaiming their demand for change in the Southeast Asian city-state, are optimistic about the future for the gay community in Singapore, despite a lack of any noticeable push by the government to amend legislation that continues to criminalize the LGBT lifestyle. “Definitely this is a great moment for Singapore," Jun told Bikyamasr.com as they marched through the streets. “Look at the light we are giving off. People are changing their perception of gay people and it is only a matter of time before Singapore will lead the region on these issues." She was referring to the massive “pink dot" that rose from mobile phones from the activists who had gathered to press for change. Cyndi Lauper's “True Colors" blared in the background as the joyous event marked the largest gathering for gay rights in the country's history. “What a sight to have here," interjected Marina, a 21-year-old university student who came out to her parents when she was 15-years-old. “They were surprised, but I was even more shocked when they said it was okay for them and that they would support me," she continued. “I had heard horror stories of families pushing their children out of the house when they came out, and I had already packed a bag just in case." But there is change in the air and for this young couple, it has shown that Singapore may finally be ready to accept their LGBT community and its people. “This is a beautiful, glowing Pink Dot but we need to go a step further beyond tonight and take this glow with us when we leave," said one of the event's ambassadors, actor Lim Yu Beng. “We need to love ourselves, love each other, and love the community we are going back into. Because as long as discrimination and prejudice, media censorship or 377A are around, we know that there's still a lot to be done in this society," Lim added in comments published by Gay Star News. Section 377A is the old colonial law that still criminalizes homosexual sex in Singapore. Former TV personality Sharon Au, one of Pink Dot's ambassadors said: “Straight people take family support for granted yet this may not be possible for many LGBT individuals. Imagine living in isolation, and not being able to share their pains, sorrows, hopes and aspiration." For Jun, who has struggled with her father's perception of lesbians, Saturday marked a turning point for her, personally. “Look at this," she said, pointing to a man in his late 50s standing beside her, holding a small rainbow flag in solidarity with LGBT rights. “This is my father. Two years ago, he would have yelled and told me how unnatural my life is, but now he is here, supporting me and my girlfriend. I couldn't be happier." Her father, Lee, told Bikyamasr.com that his love for his daughter and reading about the gay community has changed his understanding of his daughter. “I had been so ignorant, thinking that gay people choose how they want to live and that it was a choice, but once I read about the truth, I really felt bad," he said, showing that even those who were ardent opponents of the LGBT community are changing. While there is still a ways to go in Singapore before LGBT rights are recognized, this young couple believes in a better future for all Singaporeans. “We will have a country based on personal rights. I believe that. So this is just the beginning," said Marina.
