Singapore pride:
No "kissing"

Singapore gays and lesbians launched their third annual Pride festival Wednesday, unbowed by a last-minute ban on their centerpiece photographic exhibit of same-sex kissing.

The city-state's government denied a permit for the show July 30, saying it "promoted a homosexual lifestyle," the Associated Press reported.

Organizers arranged instead for PowerPoint presentations of some of the banned images on nine nights of the 12-day festival.

"On these nine evenings, there will also be a photo corner set up where you can have your own kissing pictures taken," exhibit sponsors People Like Us said on their Web site.

The festival, dubbed Indignation, is a collaborative effort by Singapore's LGBT community, a brave effort in a country where homosexuality is still illegal. It includes queer youth and trans events, readings, and talks on relationships and international sexual-orientation law.

Sir Ian McKellen, in town with the Royal Shakespeare Company to play in King Lear (clothed, as per government order) and The Seagull, left a video message of support.

"I knew very little about Singapore until I came here, and I was immediately enraptured by the beauty of the place...and of course, being openly gay, I managed to meet a lot of gay people," McKellen said.

"And then we come to the one thing I don't like about Singapore, which is 377A. You know that law. It's a British law, and why the hell you've not got rid of it, I'm not quite sure. Well, I am sure, because it's taken us a long time in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world to deal with these old problems, these ancient attitudes which need to be removed if we're going to be part of the 21st century."

Event organizers said, "It is never easy organizing gay-related events in Singapore. Even when licenses are given, past experience has shown that intimidatory tactics from the police can still be expected. Indignation 2007 is the third in a row, and every year that we pull one off, it boosts the community's pride and increases our visibility a little bit more."

Gay sex in Singapore is now classified as "an act of gross indecency" and is punishable by up to two years in prison. Activists see hope in pro-gay statements this year by leading politicians: Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, a former prime minister, called gayness "a genetic variation" that did not warrant punitive measures such as 377A. He called for repeal of the gay ban, as did lawmakers Baey Yam Keng and Siew Kum Hong.

"Indignation seeks to capture this mood," organizers said. "Change is possible. We are not passive victims of ignorance and prejudice in an unchanging landscape. We are active citizens playing our part in making Singapore a better place." (Barbara Wilcox, The Advocate)