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Out In Singapore

  • Home
  • Background
    • Vision
    • Our Team & Supporters
    • FAQ
  • Search Portraits
  • Order Prints
  • Contact Us
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Natalie Tai & Fikri Alkhatib

October 18, 2018

27 / 26

Female / Female

Queer / Queer

Born in Singapore / Born in Singapore

"We’re at the age when friends are starting to settle down, and it’d be a lie to say there isn’t some resentment at being left out. But we’re far from alone in this. And we’re not interested in a movement that centres the validation of our identities and our relationship — the “freedom to love,” so to speak — at the risk of further leaving behind everyone else who doesn’t fit conventional models of love and relationships.

Rights and recognition are fundamental. But they’re not enough, and that’s why we believe in centring instead the fight for a more equitable distribution of resources. We believe that queerness affords us the opportunity to imagine and create alternative futures, chief among them a society that prioritises building community-based networks of care over privatising the provision of our most basic human needs in isolated — and unequal — family units. We believe in love, sure enough, but more importantly we believe in justice."

 

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Laurindo Garcia & Alan Seah

July 08, 2018

45 / 55

Male / Male

Queer / Gay

Born in Australia / Born in Singapore

Inclusion Advocate & Founder, Be Inclusive / Ad man, Activist, Fundraiser

It was a dear mutual friend Sonny San who introduced us to each other when we were both in Kuala Lumpur for a weekend in 2004. Needless to say, we hit it off. So much so that after three months of long-distance correspondence via phone and Yahoo Messenger, we took a leap of faith — Laurindo moved to Singapore from Sydney. Together, we built up and ran Happy, the nightclub Alan opened with one of his best friends, Glen Goei.
After Happy closed in 2007 a new chapter for us opened as activists. Alan was one of the organisers of the 2007 Repeal 377A campaign. He later become a member of the Pink Dot organising committee in 2009. 
Laurindo worked with fridae.com to run HIV education programs and support the Southeast Asian response to fight AIDS. Later, he emerged as one the few openly gay and HIV positive voices from Asia, and was sought after as a speaker at regional and international forums. 
Our hearts were broken during the Christmas of 2009 when Laurindo was barred from entering Singapore because of his HIV positive status. He was told at Changi Airport that he would never be permitted into the country again. We mounted an appeal for Laurindo and hope was restored after we succeeded in gaining limited short visit privileges in 2010. While the law prohibiting foreigners living with HIV entering Singapore was quietly repealed in 2015, to this day non-Singaporeans living with HIV are still unable to gain employment in Singapore, meaning that Laurindo must constantly shuttle back and forth, in and out of the country.
Despite being unable to live together permanently in Singapore, after 14 years, we are now married. Our commitment to each other is renewed, emboldening us to face new challenges that lie ahead.
Our passion for advocacy continues, through Alan’s work at Pink Dot and Laurindo’s start-up Be Inclusive. Together we are on a mission to make the world a more inclusive place for all, by encouraging more businesses and services to be inclusive of people with disabilities, single mothers, diverse women and LGBTQ. We are thrilled to be a part of Out In Singapore, share our story and let the world know that hope is alive and well in Singapore.
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Audrey Nah

July 05, 2018

21

Female

Gay

Born in Singapore

Student

"I’m queer and I’m here"

 

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Magdalene Seet

July 01, 2018

35

Female

Lesbian

Born in Singapore

IT Specialist

May Tan & Afe Chua

July 01, 2018

40 / 38

Female / Female

Lesbian / Lesbian

Born in Singapore / Born in Singapore

Hairstylist / Real Estate Agent

"Living our lives to the fullest"

 

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Phoebe

July 01, 2018

23

Female

Lesbian

Born in Singapore

"Why does everyone assume I'm straight? #FemmeInvisibility

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Freddie Lacorte & Bjorn Yeo

July 01, 2018

34 / 38 

Male / Male

Gay / Gay

Born in the Philippines / Born in Singapore

Digital Marketing Professional / Designer

"Making time count is love."
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Ethan Koh & PY Chow

July 01, 2018

25 / 26

Quote

Transgender / Female

Bisexual / Pansexual

Born in Singapore / Born in Singapore

Business Analyst / Process Engineer

"You don't fall in love with the gender. You fall in love with the person."

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Edward Hsiao

July 01, 2018

26

Male

Gay

Born in Singapore

Executive

"Stay true to yourself!"
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Isabelle Chua

July 01, 2018

21

Transgender

Pansexual

Born in Singapore

Student

"After only 5 months of transition, I'm out and under the spotlight, for better or for worse, and whether people like it or not. I'm me."
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Ching S. Sia & Cally Cheung

July 01, 2018

35 / 23

Female / Female

Lesbian / Lesbian

Born in Singapore / Born in Singapore

PhD Candidate / Student

"We are waiting for Tinder to sponsor our wedding."
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Benjamin Berghaendler & Ken Siah

July 01, 2018

33 / 37

Male / Male

Gay / Gay

Born in Germany / Born in Singapore

Associate / Speechwriter

"6 years ago, we met in Chelsea market in New York and found love. Today, we hope that everyone in Singapore exercises their freedom to do the same."

 

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Huanwu Li & Yirui Heng

July 01, 2018

31 / 27

Male / Male

Gay / Gay

Born in Singapore / Born in Singapore

General Manager / Veterinarian

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Leroy Bakar

July 01, 2018

46

Transgender Women

Straight

Born in Singapore

Supervisor

"I am here"
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Sean Foo

July 01, 2018

27

Male

Gay

Born in Singapore

Content Manager

"You will never be able to truly live your life until you are true to yourself"
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Ade Yeo & Maja Wis

July 01, 2018

30 / 37 

Female / Female

Lesbian / Lesbian

Born in Singapore / Born in Poland

Art Director / Planner

"Lucky to have found each other, even though we had to cross half the world."
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Nur Lyana Ismail

July 01, 2018

31

Transgender

Bisexual

Born in Singapore

Self Employed

"Shine bright like a diamond"
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Casper Chew & Nicholas Lim

July 01, 2018

23 / 25

Male / Male

Gay / Gay

Born in Singapore

Student / Student

 

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Jane Tan

July 01, 2018

27

Female

Queer

Born in Singapore

Operations Manager

"The beauty of standing up for your rights is others see you standing and stand up as well."
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Jooyeon Lim

July 01, 2018

26

Gender Queer

Queer

Born in South Korea

Senior Performance Analyst

"It's important to participate in queer projects. Meaningful and fun guaranteed too!"
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