Can Singapore Reconcile Sexuality, Family And Faith? - Free Websites, Share News And Posts Publicly

Good morning.

When 377A was repealed, online reactions to the news showed a clear divide in society. The team knew it was time to tackle this fault line.

But once we got on the ground, we realised this would be the most difficult edition of Regardless of to make (we’d previously tackled race, class, religion and generation).

This issue is rarely discussed on national TV – so people we spoke to instinctively sized us up sceptically and wanted to know where we stood. Some from the LGBT community feared we would play down their lived realities; others, from conservative groups, thought we’d be “too sympathetic” to the former.

We were upfront with everyone that we needed to hear from all sides. We wanted to know about people’s difficulties and struggles, and we quickly realised that this divide cut the deepest on the personal front – in terms of their family and their faith.

Besides speaking to LGBT Singaporeans, we wanted to hear from parents who struggled with accepting a gay or lesbian child.

We found, from speaking to support groups, that this is the segment who find it hardest to seek help or make themselves heard. It took many rejections before we found parents willing to share their deepest thoughts, whether in writing or in an anonymous interview.

We also spoke to Catholic and Muslim religious leaders, such as the Mufti of Singapore (watch his extended interview here).

We are thankful to all who shared their stories with us. And we hope our documentary sheds some light on the struggles individuals and society face, on this deeply personal issue.

Tang Hui Huan

Senior Producer, Regardless of Sexuality