Dear Singapore, You Can’t Welcome Talented LGBTQ+ Tech Folks and Deny Them Queer Rights
This was written by Prout, an LGBTQ+ meetup and support platform to build a safer space for the community to find meaningful connections and seek support. Follow us on Telegram for LGBTQ+ news and events at t.me/proutapp and like us on Instagram and Facebook.
The report “Singapore’s Leader Welcomes LGBTQ People in Tech Talent Pitch” by Bloomberg’s Yoolim Lee has caused quite the stir online and for good reason.
Here was Singapore’s leader, PM Lee Hsien Loong, making a pitch at the virtual Singapore Tech Forum about welcoming tech talent into Singapore and there is even a push to bring 500 talented tech folks yearly into Singapore through a new visa scheme called Tech Pass.
In his statement, PM Lee welcomed LGBTQ+ folk to work in Singapore but said it was “unwise to force it, because there will be a push back and you’ll end up with polarization and be in a worse place than we are”, according to Bloomberg.
It’s not clear what “it” refers to but one can point to various statements mentioned by government officials about queer rights in Singapore in recent history as an indicator of what is at stake.
This did not go down well with others on Twitter; a choice selection of replies are here:
“Yes of course they are so valued they cannot
1) bring their partners in on visas
2) are told not to reveal their sexuality in many public institutions
3) see themselves on TV as people who aren’t sad, depressed or homicidal”
- Indu (tweet)
“Ok but what about 377A, lack of visas for spouses, no legal recognition of queer relationships and immigration discrimination against HIV+ people? You can’t expect us to do visa runs forever”
- Adrianna Tan (tweet)
The stance is clear. One cannot choose to parade the country’s prosperity as a ticket for LGBTQ+ folk to earn a living and at the same time deny them of the following rights:
- Right to a legal recognition of union which is a precedent for various other rights in Singapore
- Right to own public housing under the couples’ scheme
- Right to not be discriminated from entering Singapore if they are HIV-positive and undetectable
- Right to bring in same-sex partners to Singapore under spousal visas
- Right to allow companies’ employee resource groups to sponsor LGBTQ+ initiatives
… and much more.
We hope this message is sent loud and clear: capitalism is not the trade-off for social justice.
