“Local social acceptance” needed: Little impact for Caitlyn Jenner’s reveal in Singapore

By: Sheryl Teo

Caitlyn Jenner just broke the Internet, but figures in and outside the Singaporean lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community say much more needs to be done to improve transgender acceptance and visibility here.

Announcing her gender change to the world by appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair on Jun 1, former Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner re-introduced herself as Caitlyn Jenner.

Already, Jenner has become America’s most famous celebrity transgender, reaching one million followers on Twitter in four hours - a record unmatched by any figure worldwide.

Although the online world and many other celebrities worldwide have been supporting Jenner, readers Yahoo! Singapore spoke to say the reaction in Singapore has been far from pleasant.

Marcus (not his real name), a 21-year-old gay man who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he hasn't come out of the closet yet, said he “was very disappointed” when he saw “transphobic” comments on a Facebook post of Jenner by national broadsheet daily The Straits Times.

Comments on The Straits Times’ Facebook page, included a reader saying he “feel(s) uncomfortable to call (Jenner) by the new name” and another claiming there is “a confused man inside of 'her'.”.

Some commenters were still addressing Jenner by the male pronoun, despite her coming out as a transgender woman.

“It's 2015 and Singapore keeps priding itself as a modern city, but it's obvious that some of us still seem to be sorely stuck in our backwater roots, unable to accept that not everyone has the privilege of being able to identify with the gender they were assigned with at birth,” said Marcus.

He was moved by what Jenner did, saying that her “inner strength” makes her “a great role model”.

Sharon Tan, a 24-year-old who identifies as straight, said Jenner’s coming out had more impact for a country like the United States than Singapore since the West were on the ball regarding LGBT equality.

“Sure, it may cause a ripple effect to the rest of the world, but I don’t think our government will be changing Section 377A just because a new transgender appeared on a magazine cover.”

Section 377A is a statute in Singapore’s Penal Code that criminalises sex between two males as acts of gross indecency.

Daniel Kaw, founder of SgButterfly, Singapore’s first transgender community portal, told Yahoo! Singapore that transgenderism is legal in Singapore despite the societal stigma that is attached to it.

“Medically, a psychological assessment is needed, with some years of real-life experience before sexual reassignment surgery can be performed in Singapore. Parental or guardian consent is required if the patient is below 21,” said Kaw.

He added that after the reassignment surgery is completed, the post-operation individual can submit his or her change of gender to the Immigrations and Checkpoints Authority, with the proper medical certification from the surgery.

“Their new gender will be reflected on his/her identification card and passport. Legally, only the identity card and passport can be changed. Birth certificates cannot be changed,” said Kaw.

Unfortunately, Daniel Kaw thinks the Jenner episode may have little or no significant impact on the transgender community in Singapore.

“Caitlyn Jenner was a former American track and field athlete and currently, a television personality. Besides being an inspirational figure, there is really nothing much her coming-out will affect the transgender community in Singapore,” said Kaw.

“The lives of transgenders in Singapore are only affected by local social acceptance and adaptability.”