| PlanetOut Network/ Gay.com
December 13, 2004
Singapore police stop gay holiday party
Police in Singapore have refused to grant a permit
for a gay holiday circuit party because it is "against
the moral values" of the country's population.
According to the Asian Web site Fridae.com, organizers
of the SnowBall dance party were denied a license despite
having obtained one successfully in 2002 and 2003.
Police said in a statement that there had been complaints
about same-sex kissing and "intimate touching"
during a similar event and that future applications
for such parties will be "closely scrutinized."
The SnowBall party was organized by Jungle Media, a
Singapore subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based Fridae.com.
Stuart Koe, chief executive officer of Fridae.com,
said, "In the four years that we have been working
with the police … not once have we been made aware
that there was anything illegal about our events."
He also noted that Nation, a similar annual party sponsored
by the company, received international attention and
generated $10 million in tourism revenue.
Koe has written to top government officials seeking
reconsideration.
Homosexual acts are outlawed in Singapore, but the
country lets openly gay people work in the government.
The SnowBall incident comes one month after a top health
official blamed the Singapore HIV/AIDS crisis on "the
promiscuous and unsafe lifestyle advocated and practiced
by some gays."
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