Minus all the noises raised about the recent HPB saga from the different camps, with different agendas and beliefs, I am writing in simply as a concerned Singaporean and most of all, a concerned parent.
Enough has been said about how some members of the public has raised concerns about the way the FAQ from HPB website approached the topic about homosexuality while others applaud it. What really make me sit up and decide to do something was the respond from MOH minister Gan Kim Yong's reply to MP Lim Biow Chuan where he was less concerned about highlighting the risk that homosexual faced but imply that same sex relationship is fine as long as couples are committed to one another! As a parent of two young daughters who’s utmost concerned about how they are brought up, there were many questions and concerns following these news… And the biggest one of them – what has happened to the Singapore I know?
I am a third generation Singaporean. I know how many others, like my parents and grandparents, have worked hard to contribute to our nation building. For one simple fact, I know I owe it to them to be even existing not to mention, living in a safe haven like Singapore. However, I have observed that through the recent years, many things have been changing. In recent years, divorce rates have skyrocketed, children have become disrespectful of their elders as well as the calls of the LGBT community for 'equality'. Before you start throwing words like homophobic at me, let me make something clear at this juncture. I am a normal heterosexual guy happily married with children. I work in the creative industry and I sometimes work with people who are homosexuals. Some have become my friends since we started off as clients/
colleagues. Others remained as acquaintance. Those of whom have become friends are some of the nicest people I have come across. We even have meals and coffee together. Although I do not agree with their lifestyle, I appreciate them for who they are. If I were to be homophobic, I would not even have interacted with them unless absolutely necessary.
However, like a protective lion over his cubs, I will not sit and do nothing when I sensed danger.
Recent events and response from the government about the LGBT issue had me reading and pondering about its implications on my children. And their children. Looking at countries around the Scandinavia and certain states in America where same-sex marriage are allowed, this is the usual 'cycle' which the LGBT activists employ:
Act 1. Raise awareness (that they are around)
Act 2. Decriminalisation (remove laws like 377A)
Act 3. Demands for equality (to have same rights as heterosexuals)
Act 4. Marginalise and even criminalize those who oppose homosexuality
Here in Singapore, we are at 'Act 1'. The pink dot movement has gained tremendous momentum over the past few years. And the LGBT activists have continuously portrayed themselves to the community that they are being discriminated towards. I have looked around myself and even asked my friends this... How have homosexuals in our midst been discriminated? I have not witnessed a single case myself. Have you? In fact, I have observed many homosexuals coming out into the public domain and showed their affection openly! It would not even have been possible if they were discriminated towards in this nation. The government has also made a stand to retain the 377A yet made it clear that they will not actively enforce it. I have heard about this in conversations that it's contradicting with many questioning the
logic. But to me, it's all about protecting the basic building block of our society – the family which consist of a male as father, female as mother and their children. With 'Act 2' (377A) gone, the LGBT activists are free to lobby for equality, calling for rights to be married like the way some countries have gone. Is this really the Singapore you and I want to live in? I shudder to think.
What am I going to tell my children then? That the way our bodies are formed as in some circumstances, not supposed to do what they were supposed to do? There are things that will not change, if science cannot explain it, how can I. And sexuality to me, is biology. And biology, is science. The north pole of a magnate will never come together with the north pole of another magnate instead it gets attracted to the opposite pole. A bolt is designed to join with a nut, only a key can open a door through the key hole. There is just no other way. All these seem perfectly logical to me. And this is why it bewilders me why so there's an increasing number of heterosexuals joining the LGBT movement. Befriending someone who has homosexual tendencies does not mean that I need to promote their lifestyle in public.
Now let me share with you what happens when it comes to 'Act 4'- the final act to an unimaginable future.
In July last year, an American man was arrested after he was caught on a London sidewalk preaching that homosexuality is a sin. About the same time, the court ordered a bakery in Oregan to either bake for homosexual weddings or face huge fines when they refused to do a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. It did not end there. Gay rights groups launched protests and pickets outside the family’s store. The bakery eventually had to close because gay rights groups launched protests and pickets outside the family’s store. They also threatened wedding vendors who did business with the bakery. Even the family’s children were the targets of death threats.
Beyond these examples, a number of schools in United States are teaching a book called "King and King" to first and second graders (these are Primary 1 & 2 kids). This book ends with two princes kissing in the final page at their wedding. In Massachusetts, parents filed a federal lawsuit that they felt it is inappropriate for seven year olds to be introduced to homosexuality. And the outcome? The judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying "Diversity is a hallmark of our nation."
Is this the Singapore I want to live in? Is this the Singapore you want to live in 10 years from now??
Many so-called 'sympathisers' thinks that we will never get there. Well, let me tell you. Once the curtain raises, the progress will be unstoppable. Consider United States again. Same-sex sexual activity was only legalised in 2003. Look how far they have come (or rather fallen) in just a decade.
Why am I writing this? Because if I don't stand up, I will surely regret if this beloved country go the same way of the examples above. Standing up does not mean discriminating the homosexuals and being homophobic. Rather it is standing up to the morality standards that should never change with time or trends. Just like how I owe it to my parents and grandparents for providing a safe and healthy environment to grow up in, I want to do the same for my children and their children.
I love this little red dot that our forefathers have so tirelessly built for us and I never want the day to come when our children inherit from us a big pink dot.
SK Pang
TRS Contributor