“Mr Leow Yangfa, executive director of Oogachaga, a community-based, non-profit, professional organisation working with the LGBTQ+ community, said it is difficult for male sexual assault victims to seek professional support or make a police report.

“This could be due to the fear of not being believed, a fear shared by female victims. There is also the shame about how he (the victim) may not have been ‘man enough’ to prevent the sexual violence.””

“Mr Leow said it might be helpful to reframe the perspective that gender-neutral toilets are only “important” to members of the LGBTQ community. Gender-neutral toilets are useful to people outside the LGBTQ community as well, added Mr Leow.

Gender-neutral toilets can be used by many groups of people, including trans and gender-diverse people, the elderly, parents with young children, wheelchair users and other people with disabilities.

“This is to avoid the popular misconception that ‘LGBTQ+ people are looking for special treatment’. We are not. It is an issue of accessing public facilities in order to fulfil a basic bodily function,” he said.”

“Leow Yangfa, its executive director, says inclusivity is a matter of commitment, effort and planning. Companies that wish to show their support should do so beyond the confines of Pride Month, he adds. “They need to recognise that their LGBTQ+ staff, consumers, suppliers and stakeholders are still queer the rest of the year, from July 1 to May 31.””

““There is research and professional experience to show that faith and spirituality can be an important resource for maintaining and improving mental health, especially for minority groups,” said Leow Yangfa, a registered social worker and executive director of Oogachaga, “a community-based nonprofit organisation working with LGBTQ+ individuals, couples and families.” Leow continued: “When such religious counselling crosses into the realm of pseudoscience and scientifically unproven practices, it becomes harmful and unethical. For example, when mental health practitioners choose to incorporate their religious beliefs into their professional practice, especially in their attempts to change the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of their LGBTQ+ clients.””

“Beliefs around gender identity are deeply personal. But LGBT+ rights groups say that just because you don’t agree with a colleague’s beliefs on gender identity doesn’t mean you can’t stay respectful and professional.

“This is called professional behaviour, and applies to any workplace,” says Leow Yangfa, executive director of counselling and support group Oogachaga. ”

“We can all be allies too
Unfortunately, we still live in a world where homophobia, biphobia and transphobia are very much prevalent. While we can collectively say that we want equality, simply uttering these words isn’t enough.

Sometimes, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of allyship while living life with cisgender privilege. We don’t get scrutinised and harassed for our behaviour, and we can engage in public displays of affection without the fear of being attacked. ”

“This year, fintech company Revolut decided to get in on Pride with a collaboration with local non-profit LGBTQ organisation Oogachaga which provides those in the LGBTQ community with emotional support services and counselling. The companies came together to launch a special-edition pride themed card called the Diversity Card.

In discussing the well-received collaboration, Leow Yangfa, executive director of Oogachaga said, “We attribute this successful collaboration to a variety of factors, including a conscientious effort by the global brand, in this case Revolut, to proactively reach out to and closely consult with a local community partner, in this case Oogachaga, in their implementation plans.”

“As a local non-profit that has been continuously supporting Singapore’s LGBTQ community since our founding in 1999, we are very much in tune with the needs and perspectives of our clients and community members, and as such we are able to advise our business partners whenever they approach us with ideas for collaboration that potentially benefit us,” he said.”

“Mr Leow said that more parents have sought support for their children from Oogachaga in 2022, especially as discussions arose around repealing Section 377A, a decades-old colonial law criminalising gay sex. The law was officially repealed in November 2022.

After interacting with them, he noticed that many of these parents were also seeking information and emotional support for themselves.

“‘My Family Matters is an opportunity for them to come together informally to learn, listen and love. We’re here to support (them), so that (they) can support (their) children and family members,” said Mr Leow.”

““Parents love, protect and care for their children. This becomes challenging when their child comes out as LGBTQ+ in an often unfriendly environment like Singapore’s.”

“I distinctly remember that one of the clients I’ve seen before was a man in his twenties,” Yangfa recalls, “He was in a relationship with another man. His mother, early 50s and not religious, looked me in the eye and asked why she should accept her son if the government says it’s illegal.”

Instances like these show how a seemingly innocent constitutional amendment translates into unjust consequences on the ground. Yangfa and Oogachaga exist to pick up the pieces and provide support where policies—or even society—have failed. ”

“Many have told Oogachaga about relationship difficulties with their family of origin: parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles. Many feel unsure about what to do when they discover a family member is LGBTQ+, especially the parents.
Some feel alone and unable to talk about it with others; others are worried, afraid, or ashamed. In recent years, Oogachaga has observed more parents coming forward to seek information and support.”

“Mr Alexander Teh, a youth counsellor at non-profit LGBTQ support group Oogachaga, said that it is unclear what evidence supports including “traditional values” in sexuality education.

He added that international evidence shows that when youth sexuality education is comprehensive and evidence-based, it is more likely to produce positive outcomes in adolescence and adulthood.

He said: “This may include understanding that one’s sexual orientation and gender identity cannot be ‘changed’ through external factors.”

He added that many sexually active gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men being counselled at Oogachaga report that they do not learn about sexual health practices that are relevant to them in school.

He said: “Many remember being told during class that homosexuality is illegal.”

Mr Teh added that lesbian, bisexual and queer young women, as well as transgender youth also report feeling marginalised and ignored during their school sexuality lessons.

He said: “All this unfortunately has the effect of discouraging these youths from prioritising their own sexual health practices, and coupled with the prevalence of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in wider society, can often lead to internalised shame about themselves and their behaviours.”.”