Tomorrow afternoon, our family will join thousands of people and their families at Hong Lim Park. We started going to Pink Dot ( http://pinkdot.sg ) since its inception in 2009 and we have gone every year since then. My mother has gone with us twice and Zoey attended her first Pink Dot when she was just 3 months old. Every year, we brave the crowds, heat and humidity to join everyone in supporting the Freedom to Love. Last year, we even appeared in the promotional video. I wish we didn't have to go to Pink Dot anymore.
While I love the excuse to have a picnic and meet up with friends and see the other familiar faces in the community, the stark reality is Pink Dot continues to exist because discrimination is very much alive and kicking in Singapore. We are still fighting for our rights and a big part of this is showing everyone that there is nothing to be afraid of. We are all someone's daughter, son, friend or colleague. We eat, breathe, work and play just the same like everyone else.
Ever since I started this blog in January this year, I've had a few posts that reached a wide audience. The last post ( http://olivia.thechiongs.com/2015/06/10/a-letter-to-our-favourite-hate-group/ ) was even featured on The Online Citizen ( http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2015/06/same-sex-parents-address-critics-from-their-favourite-hate-group/ ) and Buzzfeed ( http://www.buzzfeed.com/krishrach/a-same-sex-couple-had-an-amazing-response-to-a-strangers-par#.fj7epowDd ) . In the process, many people have reached out to us, sending supportive FB messages, emails and comments that clearly show there are people in Singapore who believe we deserve to be treated equally. At the same time, we have had others who wrote to us and shared how our story has inspired them to believe that there is hope for LGBTQ to build a future here in Singapore. In fact, yesterday I received a very lovely and touching message from someone who we met at Women's Nite ( http://women_snite.livejournal.com/ ) over a year ago and she shared how our story touched her so much and gave her hope. She also shared with me that she and her partner got married this January and were happily surrounded by family and friends. This gives me hope.
I believe change is coming and it is coming now. We are here, we are queer and we are not going to be swept under the carpet any longer. More people need to understand about the LGBTQ community and the only way this will happen is through interaction and education. The more people meet, know and care about someone who is LGBTQ, the less likely they will continue to discriminate and bully them. When everyone in Singapore knows someone who is LGBTQ, we won't need to have Pink Dot anymore.
So we will continue to brave the crowds, heat and humidity to meet more people at Pink Dot tomorrow. If you are still sitting on the fence on whether or not you should attend, please do come join us. It's important. We plan to set up a picnic right next to our Rainbow Parents SG banner. If you see us, don't feel shy! Please stop and say Hi! :)
