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Agence France-Presse
14 September 2003
Singapore emerging as Asia's new gay
entertainment capital
by Gail Wan
SINGAPORE, Sept 14 (AFP) - Singapore is slowly emerging
as Asia's gay entertainment hub, with a slew of gay-friendly
clubs, saunas, restaurants and fashion outlets appearing
in the city state over the past three years.
The conservative country, better known for the government's
tight rein on social values, is now the focus of "enormous
buzz and excitement" for Asia's gay community, said
Stuart Koe, the chief executive of leading regional
gay website Fridae.com.
Koe told AFP Singapore's reputation as a shopping haven,
combined with a burgeoning club scene and the proliferation
of entertainment venues catering for gays contributed
to the lure of Singapore.
"Gays enjoy the entertainment scene of clubbing and
shopping, so Singapore has the potential draw for such
tourists," Koe said.
"Singapore's previous image was a conservative and
strict society where you get caned, you cannot chew
gum and jaywalk, but people are now hearing how fun
it can be... the momentum is only going to build with
positive roll-offs.
"Mainstream tourists will hear about Singapore from
gays, and how it is a lot more hip."
And although homosexual acts are still outlawed, Prime
Minister Goh Chok Tong signalled his government's increasingly
tolerant approach to the issue by announcing this year
that gays are allowed to work in the civil service.
One event that is fast becoming a signature celebration
for gays in Singapore and elsewhere in the region is
the Nation party.
Held on the eve of the city-state's national day holiday
in August, it is increasingly being regarded as Asia's
answer to the gay Mardi Gras events in Western countries.
Only in its third year, Nation03 attracted 5,000 revellers
last month, twice as many as Nation02, including 1,200
foreigners who were mostly from Asian countries.
"Those that came to Nation had a good time. They were
from places like Taiwan, Japan, Korea and knew about
the event through word-of-mouth," Koe said.
"Travellers are of the same breed, those who are able
to travel have a certain level of disposable income...
gays tend to spend more money on their travels and appreciate
the finer things of life."
There are many gay clubs and bars in Singapore, many
of which are in the central business district.
The hottest place to be on Fridays and Saturdays is
the Taboo bar while Sundays have traditionally been
gay club nights at Centro, a popular nightclub that
supermodel Naomi Campbell visited on a tour here last
week.
Aside from the nightclubs, Koe said there were about
20 karaoke bars and saunas that catered for gays in
Singapore.
While there were some places a few years ago, there
are many more now and they operate much more openly,
he said.
Masters graduate Sam Chan, 28, goes to many of the
gay clubs and says that while he and his friends are
still conscious of the conservative nature of Singapore's
society, they are enjoying the increasing freedom.
"Being gay in Singapore is an underground business
where things are spread by word of mouth, but with the
proliferation of the Internet, you get to know about
gay-friendly clubs and restaurants," Chan told AFP.
He said he has many foreign friends "who think it is
getting exciting here" and locals can finally find shops
that cater to their needs.
"I have (Singaporean) friends who used to have to go
to Bangkok to shop for clothes and go clubbing there,"
Chan said.
Koe agreed that Bangkok used to be the undisputed gay
capital but said it has lost its shine after Thai Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra clamped down on the entertainment
industry with bars being forced to close at 2:00 am.
In contrast, the Singapore governnent this year relaxed
entertainment laws by expanding the number of bars that
are allowed to open 24 hours a day.
Koe said mainstream businesses in Singapore were also
gradually becoming more open about pitching their products
and services to gays, with the pink dollar industry
tipped to boom over the next five years.
"The pink dollar in Singapore definitely exists. It
is not a myth, it is a fact," Koe said, adding there
were businesses with 40 percent of clients who were
gay.
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