From an pennt cema to a bnch favoure, nnect wh the LGBTQ+ muny beyond the ual gay bars
Contents:
- IS OKAY FOR GAY TEACHERS TO E OUT CLASS? GAY TEACHERS LIST QUALMS, PARENTS URGE UTN
- WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COME OUT SGAPORE, WHERE GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL
- 'THE STAK ARE TOO HIGH': GAY TEACHERS SGAPORE ON CHALLENG OF G OUT, AND HOW PARENTS WILL REACT
- [ST] - IS OK FOR GAY TEACHERS TO E OUT CLASS?
- GAY TEACHERS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO HI WHO THEY ARE
- GAY SGAPORE SGAPORE CY GUI
- I AM NOT WHAT THAT UNSELLOR TGHT YOU: OPENLY GAY HWA CHONG ALUMN & SCIENCE TEACHER SPEAKS OUT
IS OKAY FOR GAY TEACHERS TO E OUT CLASS? GAY TEACHERS LIST QUALMS, PARENTS URGE UTN
“I thk 's fely weird to hi stunts om the existence of gay people... ’s also important to acknowledge and teach stunts that LGBTQ+ exists and ’s NOT okay to stigmatise them,” — Sgaporeans * gay teachers singapore *
The were the ways one teacher let his stunts know they uld talk to him about lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) issu. Followg Parliament’s repeal of S377A, which crimalised gay sex, November 2022, The Sunday Tim spoke to several tors on the challeng they face, and ncerns parents have about their children beg tght by openly gay teachers. Yet while teachers weled the new legal clary on nsensual sex between men, they told ST the l about beg openly gay at their school workplac are far om clear.
Andrew said that while may be all right that some stunts know he is gay, he is ncerned about what uld happen if such disclosure beme more wily known. Such wars is mon among gay teachers, given the lack of clary the l and protectns they would have at school. Another gay teacher, Darren (not his real name), said that while was clear to him that beg gay the civil service was not an issue, tors fd themselv walkg on eggshells.
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COME OUT SGAPORE, WHERE GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL
* gay teachers singapore *
He add that while stunts do not know he is gay, he is worried about parents fdg out and whether the school would fend him should they take issue.
“I know that will really be great to let stunts see that this is a gay teacher, he’s jt like any other teacher.
When asked what protectns there are for gay teachers and if teachers are allowed to e out to their stunts, the Mistry of Edutn (MOE) reerated that s tn polici and curriculum rema anchored on Sgapore’s prevailg fay valu and social norms. “Beg gay is somethg that is very fundamental to me. “Not only did I realise that the stunts didn’t re, but they were very happy to hear that their teacher was gay.
'THE STAK ARE TOO HIGH': GAY TEACHERS SGAPORE ON CHALLENG OF G OUT, AND HOW PARENTS WILL REACT
Sgapore's Mistry of Edutn is notorly homophobic s polici regardg the hirg and ployment of openly LGBT teachers. The suatn has not changed much even after the then Prime Mister Goh Chok Tong's announcement Time (Asia) magaze 2003 that henceforth, openly gay... * gay teachers singapore *
“(The stunt) was aaid the police would tell his parents he was gay and that was a no-go for me bee that should not be an obstacle to jtice, ” said John of the crimal se, which is pendg before the urts.
The 34-year-old said the culture schools do not give this much attentn, but at the same time, teachers face societal prsure to keep their homosexualy unr wraps.
[ST] - IS OK FOR GAY TEACHERS TO E OUT CLASS?
He said that jt as how a teacher who go clubbg on the weekends or is the midst of a divorce would not tell their stunts, beg gay is personal rmatn that teachers may not want to share. He said tors should not put their personal beliefs, as well as those of gay stunts, above those of relig or nservative stunts. Takg a different view, mother of five Junia Tan, 44, said havg a gay teacher who was out uld strengthen the teacher-child bond bee of s honty and lead to greater unrstandg and clivy of the gay muny.
GAY TEACHERS SHOULDN’T HAVE TO HI WHO THEY ARE
“There still has to be a lot of wisdom om the gay teachers; they n’t talk about their pas jt like how straight teachers shouldn’t be talkg about theirs as well. In 2017, I found out my teacher was gay.
“I would like if my school were ready to step and fend any stanc of bullyg and homophobia, but I really hontly n’t image that happeng. “The Mistry of Edutn (MOE) said to take down the blog post and apologise, ” he says, “I suppose an unapologetic gay man is sry for many people to ntemplate.
How furiatg this mt have been for an angry homophobic parent. He also speculat that “MOE seems to operate a blacklist of gay teachers, and polici fely exist on the hirg, ployment and treatment of LGBTQ teachers, but as wh virtually all of civil service policy, ’s hidn behd and protected by the Official Secrets Act. Only Kenh*, a 34-year-old gay teacher, bucks the trend; he’s the only queer Sgaporean teacher I enunter who’s e out publicly.
GAY SGAPORE SGAPORE CY GUI
“Sexualy tn is meant to teach stunts that beg gay is wrong.
But he’s heard of prospective teachers beg blocked om jog the service bee an terview panellist was “openly homophobic” and refed to pass applints wh “effemate behavur”. He’s also heard that beg spected of homosexualy is reason enough for superrs to judge your annual performance negatively.
While the queer teachers I spoke to are all unaware of any official guile or policy that MOE has, they’ve all heard of cints and mours: om beg left to hentak kaki whout promotn to Domic’s speculatn of a ‘blacklist of gay teachers’. When sexualy tn still teach that homosexualy is illegal bee of 377A? “Homosexualy is ced durg the sexualy tn programme only terms of “current legal provisns ncerng homosexual acts Sgapore”, as a legal terrence.
I AM NOT WHAT THAT UNSELLOR TGHT YOU: OPENLY GAY HWA CHONG ALUMN & SCIENCE TEACHER SPEAKS OUT
If there’s no directive place to nsult when a homosexual teacher is acced of sexual harassment by a fellow lleague, then you get plete powers to ci. In fact, the strong associatn between men and sex Sgapore, upled together wh unsavoury mastream media reprentatns of gay men may generate more stigma towards gay male teachers than female lbian teachers.
One mon false argument agast queer teachers is that homophobic parents are aaid they will ‘fluence’ children wh their queerns, and ‘turn them gay’. If such posive trends ntue, then maybe Ren’s sire for a clear official stand agast homophobia, transphobia, and queerphobia general—jt like how racism and sexism have bee taboo schools—seems much more possible.
I’m not sure how far away we are om 377A beg repealed, but the terim, I have to agree wh her as well, that an explic statement agast unfair dismissal, blacklistg, glass ceilgs, and queerphobia—perhaps like the 2003 statement then-PM Goh Chok Tong ma support of hirg gay civil servants—would go a long way assurg queer teachers that they are valued society, jt like anyone else.