Opposition politician Dr Vincent Wijeysingha [1] posted on Facebook [2] that he is gay making him the first openly gay politician [3] in Singapore. He is a member of the Singapore Democratic Party member and a former parliamentary candidate. In a subsequent post, he explained his reasons [4] for coming out:
Coming out is not the toughest bit. Well, eventually it becomes easier and easier as more and more people do. The harder thing is to begin and sustain the long and dedicated work that society needs to overcome the oppression that LGBT people experience everyday.
[5]Dr Vincent Wijeysingha. Image from Facebook
Commenting on Facebook, Choo Lip Sin praised [6] Dr Vincent:
I now feel Singapore can be the place to grow up and grow old in, in a country bonded by kindness and fairness. You have lifted many dying souls from despair by putting yourselves in their shoes and through the hardships they face everyday.
Anyhow Hantam also congratulated [7] him:
The reception to this disclosure has generally been very warm with many praising him for ‘coming out’. In fact he went further to state that he doesn't have any ‘gay agenda’. Personally I felt it was a very gutsy decision on his part and congratulated him personally for admitting such a personal issue just in order to silence the critics.
simple & gayforward [8] is thrilled to learn that Singapore now has an openly gay politician:
Oh wow, we now have an openly gay politician. How amazing is that? This is huge. Needless to say (but saying it anyway), it is incredibly brave of him to do so. He has so much to lose, so much more hardship and obstacles now to face as a consequence, but he did it anyway. Major balls. I hope his family, friends, colleagues, and everyone else who know him personally especially, all rally round him and give him further strength and motivation.
But Barrie wanted the young politician to reveal if he has a ‘gay agenda’ [9]:
I have no problem if there's a gay MP in Parliament. Just like I have no problem if the MP is a Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or an atheist. My problem with Dr Wijey is that he is the man the LGBT group is putting up, so that he could introduce unwholesome lifestyles into society through legislation. One of them is the legalizing of underage sex.
The Independent noted the importance [10] of the LGBT community in Singapore politics:
From a political perspective, the change in government attitude reflects the new Singapore reality. The gay community and those who support their cause are generally anti-establishment and as the support for the ruling party at the elections continues to erode, this is a pressure group the establishment cannot afford to ignore
The Sun Shines on Singapore thinks that Dr Vincent’s coming out is a “double-edged sword” [11] and warns that it would affect the Singapore Democratic Party in the 2016 elections.