Semua Kita - all of us

What happens when love gets in the way of work? Is the decision always either / or? In this episode Selena tells us about her experience of this situation and the choices she had to make. In the late 2000s, Selena decided to both travel and work in the United States of America. As she explains, for a Singaporean, it was an eye-opening time for her living in a different country and meeting a wide r...

In this episode of Semua Kita, Selena tells us more about her process of transition, what finally made her decide to go for top surgery, and the career path she decided to follow after that. In particular she talks about running her own business in the 2000s and what it took to attract clients. Other subscription, listening and following options here: ⁠https://bit.ly/m/semuakita ⁠ #queer #LGBTQ #o...

In the next few episodes of Semua Kita we hear from Selena, a transwoman and former sex worker, about her experience of being queer in Singapore. She tells us about how shenavigated being different in a place with dominant gender norms, what options for work and life she felt were open to her and whether she regrets the path she followed. In this episode she tells us about some of the challenges s...

In the last of our series of episodes featuring Max Lim, we hear more about the closure of his sauna, the complete change he made to his life when that happened and how he found a new purpose after that. He shares some of the memories of his brief stint at a drag cabaret in New York and how he has found companionship in his later years. Other subscription, listening and following options here: htt...

In this episode of Semua Kita, Max talks to us about the challenges he faced with tempremental venues and greedy landlords. We hear more about how he moved into venues of his own, including his sauna Spartacus and its successors, Stroke and the legendary Raw located on Ann Siang Hill which also hosted regular cabaret shows. Other subscription, listening and following options here: https://bit.ly/m...

In the next series of episodes we speak to Max Lim, serial entrepreneur, Sunday night gay club promoter and, amongst other venues, the founder of Singapore's first gay sauna, Spartacus in South Bridge Road. Here, however, we hear about what it was like growing up in a kampung in Hougang then discovering his same sex attraction. How did he meet other like-minded men when he didn't know what...

In the last of this series of episodes featuring Russell Heng, he talks to us about the tensions which arose between his duties in the workplace and his role as a gay activist. What happens when these objectives are framed as clashing? How does one make the choice between integrity and survival? As someone who has been an active participant in civil society, Russell's interests are not limited to...

It is the new millennium and as Russell describes it, it was a time of great change for the LGBTQ community in Singapore. Not only was the community visibly larger and better connected, there was increased interest from academia to document the changes which were taking place. This opening up of the public realm was reflected in the arts and even in the political sphere, creating a space for great...

In this episode of Semua Kita we hear about the decision to register People Like Us as a society and the hurdles faced in the process. Registration was important in order to give the group validity and to keep it legal, but it was also a declaration of existence to the authorities and put the ten responsible people who were listed on the form in a vulnerable position. What concerns about an LGBTQ...

In this episode Russell tells us how he navigated his working life as an out gay man. He reflects on how financial independence shielded him from many of the worst aspects of homophobia. Beyond his professional life, however, Russell was starting to meet other gay people. This served as the basis of a budding community and was important when the Rascals incident occurred. It facilitated an organiz...

Russell Heng has lived many lives in Singapore but is probably most well known as one of the key members of People Like Us, and the playwright of the ground-breaking work "Lest The Demons Get To Me" a play which explored the clash of cultures in a modernizing and cosmopolitan city. In this episode we hear from Russell about his life as a Teochew boy growing up in the 60s and 70s, his exp...

Welcome back to Semua Kita, a podcast about queer lives in Singapore from the 80s until the decriminalization of homosexuality in 2023.Season 2 features interviews with even more LGBTQ Singaporeans as we talk about our childhoods and growing up on the island. How did we find each other in the days before the internet and apps? How did we navigate our lives in a relatively conservative environment?...

In this episode, the final one of this season of Semua Kita, Lip Sin tells us about the early Pink Dots. We also hear about the Bear Project, at the time one of the largest LGBTQ groups in Singapore. It reflected the new diversity in the queer community in which multiple different identities were encompassed by the LGBTQ umbrella. These groups were an essential contribution to the success of Pink...

As Lip Sin tells us, the retention of Section 377A after the penal code review in 2006 was a setback to the LGBTQ community in Singapore, but it also set in motion conversations about how to respond, and an exploration of what other means were available to the community to actively seek its repeal. At the same time, Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park became available as a place for speeches and dem...

In this episode of Semua Kita we discuss the penal code review of 2006 which led to the removal of Section 377 but the retention of Section 377A which specifically targeted the gay community. The rising tide of hatred this unleashed, channelled through the advent of social media, transformed the web from a place of safety to one of harm for many LGBTQ Singaporeans. Yet, as Lip Sin tells us, this a...

In this episode of Semua Kita, Lip Sin talks to us about Fridae.com, the Nation Parties and their place in Singapore's queer history. He describes their impact on the LGBTQ community here, and how their banning led to the formation of IndigNation. The mid 2000s also saw a change in the political climate for these Singaporeans who were increasingly marginalized. Other subscription, listening and fo...

As an active member of most of Singapore's modern queer groups since the 90s, including being part of many of the groups and events we have heard mentioned in the course of these episodes, like ATLUS, Nation Party, Fridae.com, IndigNation, Pelangi Pride Centre, Oogachaga and more, Choo Lip Sin has had a front row seat in observing how the LGBTQ+ community has grown in the last three decades. In th...

In this episode of Semua Kita, we continue our conversation with Miak, this time to understand his personal journey of coming out. He tells us how he found a gay community which strengthened his affinity for LGBTQ activism, and how he was eventually drawn to Christianity which led to his current involvement with the Free Community Church, an LGBTQ-affirming church in Singapore. Other subscription,...

One of the key events of IndigNation was the Pink Picnic, so named because LGBTQ people could gather in the Botanic Gardens on National Day. In this episode Miak tells us about what was, in many ways, a precursor to Pink Dot. As has been mentioned, IndigNation was organized in response to the banning of Nation, a circuit party which was held on Sentosa. Miak talks about gay and lesbian advocacy in...

Miak Siew is well known as the currrent executive pastor of the Free Community Church, but he has been involved with gay and lesbian advocacy in Singapore for over a quarter century. In that time he has been a member of groups we have already heard about, like People Like Us, and participated in many of the on-line spaces which have been mentioned, like SigNel, Sintercom and Blowing Wind. In this...

In this episode of Semua Kita we delve into Eileena's personal story, including the process of self-realisation, coming out and then finding a role as both counsellor and activist. First, however, she tells us about how she realised that she was a lesbian. Eileena tells us how she got into counselling, specifically for the LGBTQ community in Singapore. She describes some of the situations her pati...

In this episode we talk to Eileena about her experience of LGBTQ activism, in particular how it has changed under different leadership, and with the increasing expectations of successive generations of Singaporeans. Before that, however, Eileena tells us more about Pelangi Pride Centre, the free queer library, how it was set up and how it still manages to operate with absolutely no budget, relying...

Please note: this episode mentions suicide. In previous episodes of Semua Kita, we heard about the importance of SigNeL, the Yahoo group which introduced many LGBTQ Singaporeans to each other for the first time in the 90s. But this on-line space catered mainly to gay men; what about lesbians? In this episode we talk to Eileena Lee who set up Red Queen, initially as a virtual bulletin board, and th...

In this episode of Semua Kita, instead of discussing the past, Bryan reflects on his experience of queer activism in Singapore over the last few decades and the lessons he has learned. In the wake of the decriminalization of homosexuality, where does he think he can contribute going forward, particularly in terms of organizational growth? Sustainable organizations need to adapt and be reenergized...

In this episode of Semua Kita we talk to Bryan about his experiences in challenging Section 377A, the law which criminalized homosexuality in Singapore. He tells us about his early involvement, from drumming up signatures for a parliamentary petition to review the penal code, to the wildly successful fundraiser for the initial challenge to the law. Becoming one of the named litigants himself, howe...