Never Too Late

I was too young for the historic JFK's "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country", or Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, but I was there for possibly one of Australia's most significant events this morning.

Delivered with eloquence, empathy and hope for the Aborigines Stolen Generation, Australia's Prime Minister Mr Kevin Rudd's "Sorry" speech was a moving experience for me. We were allowed to take time off work to gather at an auditorium for this historic moment and it was absolutely magical. Non-indigenous Australians - Caucasians, Asians, Middle Eastern people all gathering and sharing this moving apology and uniting as one Australian.

Today is a proud day for all Australians because we have moved forward. Moved past pride, and immaturity usually characterised by both sides of the governments, and working together as one. In a world where we are increasingly taught to divide, claim and think only of ourselves as individuals, this is an important lesson.

Even though there is still much to be accomplished, it is still a significant step towards a better, more loving and accepting world. A seed has been planted ...



For more information and full speech, please click link.

Gay Hope For Singapore

I must admit that I thought this day would come much later and definitely not from him, but someone younger. Reading this piece of news from the Daily Telegraph in Australia, Singapore's former PM Lee Kuan Yew has put forward a positive step towards accepting homosexuality as part of the society:

Article: Minister says gay sex should be legal

SINGAPORE'S powerful former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, has questioned the country's ban on sex between men.

He acknowledged the possibility of a genetic link to homosexuality.

"If in fact it is true, and I have asked doctors this, that you are genetically born a homosexual - because that's the nature of the genetic random transmission of genes you can't help it. So why should we criminalise it?" the Straits Times quoted Mr Lee as saying.

Under Singapore law, a man who is found to have committed an act of "gross indecency" with another man can be jailed for up to two years, though prosecutions are rare.

But Mr Lee - who is also a minister in the cabinet led by his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - said Singapore should not actively pursue homosexuals who engage in sex.

"Let's not go around like this moral police... barging into people's rooms. That's not our business," he said.

Authorities in Singapore have routinely banned gay festivals and censored gay films, saying homosexuality should not be advocated as a lifestyle. But, despite the official ban on gay sex, Singapore has a thriving gay scene.

I am particularly fond of his fascination with the "possible genetic link to homosexuality", though it has been very carefully phrased as "If in fact true ...". What would this mean for homosexuals in Singapore? Would the information gatekeepers finally allow true information to flow freely and open the gates of possible future acceptance. For many Singaporeans, if Lee Kuan Yew says it's true, then there must be an element of truth. At least this might instigate a new water cooler topic rather than the mundane TV talk.

Is this political talk or a genuine plea for a change in mind and attitude. Is there real gay hope? Will Singaporeans care?