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Will the Pink Dot grow bigger this year?

The Pink Dot formed last year was made up of an estimated 4,000 supporters. (Photo: Pink Dot)
The Pink Dot formed last year was made up of an estimated 4,000 supporters. (Photo: Pink Dot)

Organisers of the Pink Dot movement -- a peaceful gathering of supporters for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community -- are hoping for a spillover effect from the General Election concluded in May.

Under the Pink Dot event, now on its third consecutive year, participants come together dressed in pink to form a circular 'dot' in an attempt to dispel discrimination against the LGBT community in Singapore and raise awareness about the issues faced by their members.

Its theme for this year, an expansion of the theme for their first year, is "Support the Freedom to Love"-- a call on the larger straight open-minded community to support the freedom of every person to love anyone they choose.

The greater openness among Singaporeans to speak about controversial topics during the campaign period leading up to the 7th May election could motivate previously shy but open-minded citizens to step forward to support the event, said Pink Dot campaign spokesperson and legal counsel Paerin Choa.

"During the election, people who previously didn't dare to go for rallies and speak up are now more liberal and vocal with their views," Choa told Yahoo! Singapore. "People who were scared to be seen previously have hopefully been awakened (from the election), and are now braver to support us."

One sign that citizens are supporting more liberal views was the vehement reaction by netizens against the questions raised by a member of the People's Action Party about whether Singapore Democratic Party candidate Vincent Wijeysingha aimed to advance a gay agenda. Many citizens said online that sexuality should not be an issue in the election.

Meanwhile, a public figure's endorsement and a campaign video that has since received more than 204,000 views seem to have significantly boosted public awareness of the event, which will be held this Saturday, 18 June, at Hong Lim Park.

Organisers are hoping that the human 'Pink Dot' formed this year will be larger than in the two previous years, 2009 and 2010, it was put together, when about 2,500 and 4,000 people came forward to participate in the event, respectively.

Choa said he was surprised by how quickly the campaign video, directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Boo Junfeng, was picked up.

"This year's video was done slightly differently, in a PSA-style format," said the 35-year-old spokesperson. "It surprisingly caught on really quickly. Within three hours viewership rose rapidly." Choa added that the video was the event's main campaign medium.

Watch the video below:

Internet giant Google's Singapore branch has also thrown its weight behind the campaign, approaching organisers and offering sponsorship.

Other local celebrities have shown their support for the movement, including previous ambassadors Adrian Pang and Tan Kheng Hua, alongside actresses Pamelyn Chee and Janice Koh, who appeared in this year's campaign video.

This year's ambassadors for the Pink Dot movement -- the Dim Sum Dollies. (Photo: Pink Dot)
This year's ambassadors for the Pink Dot movement -- the Dim Sum Dollies. (Photo: Pink Dot)

In addition, this year's Pink Dot ambassadors are famous local musical trio Dim Sum Dollies, who will be performing at and taking the helm of an hour-long concert, another first for the Pink Dot.

One third of the Dollies, actress Selena Tan, told Yahoo! Singapore that the trio will be jointly performing two songs with fellow performers such as Rima S and Michaela Therese.

"We should all be allowed to live and love the same," she said, voicing the Dollies' strong belief in the Pink Dot's cause.

"Even when it gets tough, never be despondent, be full of love because there are many of us who believe you are not different or strange but just one of us. And we (the Dim Sum Dollies) love you all."

Other featured acts include all-male dance group Voguelicious, One Minute of Glory winner Jill Marie Thomas, Dave Tan from Electrico and Sebastian Tan as Broadway Beng.

If you want to be a part of this year's Pink Dot, here's what you need to know:

Date: Saturday, 18 June 2011
Time: Activities commence at 4:30pm, concert begins at 5pm, Dot is formed at 6pm
Venue: Hong Lim Park
Dress code: Pink
According to park regulations, only Singaporeans and PRs are allowed to participate in the formation of the Dot. However, foreigners are welcome to attend and participate in the other activities, and an observation area will be set up for non-Singaporean or PR supporters.

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