PINK DOT-Singapore Supports the Freedom to Love

PINK DOT is an annual event in Singapore that allows the LGBT community to come together in open air and be proud of who they are. Think of a miniature gay pride event in pink but without all the craziness that occurs in local areas. This video makes me think of the organization PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gay) who support the well-being of homosexuality, though instead of having a board meeting, this meeting is out in public.

When my friend sent me this video, I was actually mad at myself for not finding this earlier. No one likes to be judged and this video is centered around gay Asians who struggle with their identity and hide so they won’t be judged. It made me think of when I was growing up hiding my sexuality because I was afraid that someone might ridicule me. I was afraid to be who I was because society was hell bent on associating gay people with diseases and drugs.

One of the characters is this video was asked “when is it going to be your turn?” referring to marriage. I’m quite sure a lot of mothers ask their children this sometime during adulthood. I was asked this once by my mother and I had to reassure her that I wouldn’t mind getting married, but I can guarantee that there will not be another smaller version of me roaming this earth.  That would just be hell on Earth.

This video is proof that any kind of love is beautiful, whether it be the love of a gay couple or the love of a straight couple. It made me think about my friends and the struggles of ordinary people fighting to be heard and accepted into this society.

Though this event takes place in Singapore, it also reflects on the USA as well. Gay men and women fight tirelessly for equality every day, they fight to be heard and sometimes to fight for their lives. It reminded me of when Prop 8 was overturned while I was in a local café in the Castro district of San Francisco and a few women came barging in celebrating their love for each other.

Truth be told, I think this video has a bigger universal message; don’t hide yourself from the world, because the world wouldn’t be beautiful without you.