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YOUR VIEW: Why homophobia affects us all

YOUR VIEW: Why homophobia affects us all

BY LEOW YANGFA
 
Leow Yangfa is a trained social worker and deputy executive director of Oogachaga. To mark the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) on 17 May, Oogachaga will be collaborating with BooksActually for an event called “I Will Survive Homophobia”, featuring readings from the book “I Will Survive: Personal LGBT stories in Singapore” and “Calling It Out – Singapore”, the campaign against homophobic bullying in schools.

Oogachaga is a professional, non-profit counselling and support agency based in Singapore, and adopts an affirmative approach in working with clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ).

The views expressed are his/the organisation’s own.
 
Homophobia, and transphobia, can, and does, exist in every aspect of our lives.

Homophobia generally refers to one’s fear or even hatred towards people who identify as gay or lesbian, and the discriminatory view that such people and their behaviours are sick, immoral or sinful. Similarly, transphobia refers to these attitudes when they are directed at transgender persons.

A real-life example of homophobia was experienced by 30-year-old Zakaria (not his real name). He was bullied during National Service for being gay. While asleep one night, he was abruptly woken when another recruit clambered on top of him, pinned him down and simulated a sex act. Everyone else in the room just laughed and did nothing in what was a deliberate attack.

In a Singapore-based survey conducted by Oogachaga in 2012, 60.2 per cent of respondents indicated they had experienced abuse and discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Transgender females reported the highest incidence of such experiences (94.4 per cent), followed by gay and bisexual males (62.5 per cent).

Vanessa Ho is programme manager of Project X, an advocacy group for the rights of sex workers in Singapore, including transgender female sex workers. She explains what it means to experience transphobia:

“It’s about unequal treatment. It can be institutions discriminating against transgender people, or acts by individuals, such as staff refusing service, or people using derogatory terms.”

Joe Wong, an advocate whose particular interest is in HIV/ AIDS, health and rights specific to trans-identified persons, works for the Asia-Pacific Transgender Network. He echoes the experiences of those in the region who have felt humiliated, intimidated and excluded, and sometimes have their identity exposed against their will. On his own, he handles transphobia with pragmatic resilience.

“The way I deal with [transphobia] is not complicated. I knew it was not going to be easy when I made that decision to transition [to become a man], and be true to who I really am. I don’t let it get to me. Instead, I choose to be confident and be with people who can accept and understand me, or at least those who try.”

Heterosexuals affected

Yet homophobia does not only affect LGBTQ (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning)-identified persons.

A former Oogachaga staff member, who is heterosexual, found herself in a situation where she was faced with allegations of being a lesbian, because she was working in an LGBTQ-affirmative organisation. Fortunately for her, there was support from colleagues and an understanding fiance to help her through the emotional time.

Sometimes, homophobia can hit much closer to home. Renee Ting and her partner Kenny Leck run the local independent bookstore BooksActually. When Renee’s sister came out as a lesbian to their religious group, they were both made to feel unwelcomed as members, and decided to leave. Her sister has since relocated overseas to live with her long-term partner.
 
“I take homophobia rather personally. My sister means the world to me, and I miss her very dearly. A word spoken against the [LGBTQ] community feels like a word spoken against her, which upsets me extremely,” says Renee.

Such is the experience of straight allies, who are usually non-LGBT persons who support equality and challenge homophobia and transphobia. Another ally is Toh Leh Lim, a long-serving volunteer and working mother of two. She started helping Oogachaga ten years ago as a favour for a close friend.

“Over the years, this part of my life has given me the opportunity to meet and know more LGBT people, who are doing so much to fight for an equal place in the world. Compared to what they do and the challenges they encounter, my role as a volunteer is really easy. As long as I can help and am needed, I will carry on,” explains Leh Lim.

Indeed, being an “ally” is more than a label, as it is also about actions that support their commitment. Oogachaga has collaborated closely with a number of corporate organisations with a clear diversity mandate, who also proudly identify as LGBT allies.

A responsibility

It has been said that Singapore, as a secular state, is a country governed by the rule of law. Yet the continued existence of section 377A in the Penal Code - which criminalises consensual sexual relations between adult men – remains problematic for the LGBT community.

But couples like Fabian Tan, 26, and his partner Scott Teng, 30, have found ways of countering homophobia in their daily lives.

“All it took for my family, friends, employers and colleagues to move past their homophobia was to interact with me and other gay people, and to open themselves up to understanding who I am as a person, beyond stereotypes. I didn’t actually have to do much, except to just be myself,” says Fabian, who works in research.

Scott adds that interaction and engagement are key, since that helps dispel the fear many have about homosexuality. After being together for four years, it has reached the point where those around them are asking when it is time to tie the knot, an indication of the overwhelming support they feel.

With those who continue to express homophobia, Fabian prefers to initiate a conversation to question their views.

“One thing I don’t allow is for homophobic comments to remain unchallenged, especially from people I know. I feel it’s my responsibility to show them a different perspective. They may not agree with me, but there is a chance they may empathise and co-exist with people who are different.”

Homophobia is rendered obsolete when we call it out for what it is. LGBT-identified persons can dispel homophobic hate with our visibility and personal life experiences. When we all work together with reason and evidence to challenge homophobia as unacceptable, these attitudes then become impotent.