Orlando shooting gives LGBT Singaporeans an unlikely opening

A tragedy half a world away has created an unlikely opening for a repressed community in Singapore. The mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando, Florida, has galvanized LGBT people in Singapore, where a candlelight vigil was held on 14 June to express solidarity with the victims. In the process, they highlighted the predicament of their own largely underground community. A 36-year-old teacher, who only wanted to be identified as Jonathan, said: “It is important to show solidarity with the LGBT community around the world. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. There is little fear of gun violence in Singapore, but discrimination is discrimination around the world.”

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