In this episode of Semua Kita we hear about Christopher's experience of coming out as a trans man in the public realm. He describes "Some Reassembly Required" the unfinished film project which started that process, and some of the repercussions of being unprepared for that visibility. He also reflects on his advocacy journey, from personal causes to joining the organizing team of Pink Dot. But first, Christopher tells us about the importance of his experience at university in shaping himself.

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠ ⁠

⁠⁠#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In the next series of episodes of Semua Kita we speak to Christopher Khor, arguably one of Singapore's most prominent trans activists. In this episode he tells us about his childhood and, in particular, how the court challenges to Section 377A in the mid 2010s opened up a public conversation on the LGBTQ community which had not happened before. In turn, this put Christopher on the course to self-discovery: finding the right words to describe who he knew himself to be allowed him to navigate school, family and religious belief.Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠ ⁠⁠#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

Benni continues his thoughts on discrimination in Singapore, and whether terms like that are even useful. He advocates holding space for forgiveness and understanding because he feels that conflict is often driven by ignorance rather than malice and that differences can be bridged with pacifism and empathy.

In this episode of Semua Kita, Benni also considers what the greatest changes have been to the LGBTQ community in Singapore and asks what direction civil society is heading in? What does he feel should be the main focus now and how can this be achieved? He also talks about Pink Dot and the effect that the barriers have on participation and interaction between communities.

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠ ⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In this episode of Semua Kita, Benni discusses the value of familial acceptance and, importantly, how it is expressed. The language used is significant and concepts which are well elaborated in Western thought may not have direct analogues in Tamil for instance. At the same time, different generations will adapt words in a way which makes sense to them.

In the second half of this episode, Benni reflects on how his upbringing in a multicultural society has made him intolerant of all forms of discrimination, not just that directed at the LGBTQ community. He talks about how he has not experienced much personal racial discrimination himself, but is aware of systemic examples.

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠ ⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In this episode of Semua Kita Benni explains how an openly gay Indian Singaporean without a degree managed to build a career in a society obsessed with qualifications and a workplace lacking protections. He talks to us about his life after Action for AIDS, initially being in public relations, and then subsequently working for foreign representatives in Singapore, including the British High Commission, American Chamber of Commerce and the New Zealand High Commission. Was it just luck?

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠ ⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

One immutable part of many Singaporean men's lives is National Service. For Benni this was a mixed experience, starting with an episode of trauma. In this episode he tells us more.

After NS came the challenges of finding a job while also becoming more aware of his same sex attraction without actually acting on it or even knowing what being gay was, let alone whether it applied to him. Who could Benni ask in the early 90s?

Eventually Benni got involved with Action for AIDS. He describes what it was like being a volunteer and working with patients in the early days and how he eventually became AfA's administrator in the late 1990s, helping to run many of its programmes.

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠ ⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In the next series of episodes of Semua Kita, we speak to Benedict Thambiah as he talks through his very varied experiences of being Singaporean. We start with aconversation of being born in the late 60s, growing up in Singapore in a kampung, and then moving to an HDB estate as a child.

First, however, Benni talks about the important relationships in his life: family, his partner, work and close friends are important to him and give everything context. He reflects on how this changes with time.

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In the previous episodes of Semua Kita, Dominic and Nigel spoke of how they took their duties as guardians of the web portal for the LGBTQ community very seriously. Here, they elaborate their experience of on-line websites being centres of community building, and observe what the effect of the mainstreaming of the LGBTQ culture in Singapore has had. Trevvy was a self-professed side hustle, albeit one which was important, how did it eventually fade away? With such a storied history, what are Nigel and Dominic's fondest memories of running Sgboy and Trevvy? From the perspective of people who have been there, what challenges does the LGBTQ community in Singapore face today? And where do Nigel and Dominic think the future lies?

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In this episode of Semua Kita, Nigel and Dominic reflect on the growth of Sgboy, both in terms of its on-line services as well as in the real world. We also learn about how they saw activism, and the role that Sgboy played, beyond overt programmes like Trevvy Youth and sexual health awareness, in helping to bring people together to forge a community. This sometimes involved brushes with the authorities, but the precipitant came from a surprising source.

Almost since its inception, Sgboy had a component of real world meetups. Nigel and Dominic tell us more.

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore

In this first episode of Season 3 we speak to Nigel and Dominic who, in the late 90s, set up and ran the iconic website Sgboy. Their forum pages were a lifeline for young gay Singaporeans coming out for the first time as a place to meet, ask questions and find answers.

Before Sgboy was set up, what were the early days of the internet like for gay Singaporeans?

What was the motivation for a young NS man and JC student to set up a website for other young gay men, and how did they go about doing it?

Sgboy offered a service which was youth led and youth run, but where did reliable sources of information come from and how was it administered?

Other subscription, listening and following options here ⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita⁠

#queer #LGBTQ #oralhistory #Singapore