Furniture retailer IKEA Singapore was caught in a bind recently after it was revealed that its membership programme, IKEA Family, is one of the supporters of magician-pastor Lawrence Khong’s upcoming performance in July.
Gay rights groups are unhappy, as Khong is known for his strident views against homosexuality.
IKEA S'pore then said it would review this matter, which in turn sparked unhappiness from some pro-family netizens.
Following its review after the public outcry, IKEA S'pore announced that it will continue offering its members a discount for Khong's magic show.
Behind sandwiched between pro- and anti-LGBT groups has thrown up some interesting public relations lessons, three of which I'll cover here.
1. IKEA S'pore handled the online furore deftly with speed and openness
Here are three things IKEA S'pore did right:
i) It took the public feedback seriously and conducted an internal review immediately.
It entertained media queries openly and clarified with international LGBT news portal Gay Star News that it was not funding the show.
IKEA S'pore also met with the show's organisers soon after and informed The Straits Times that its management was assessing the situation.
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IKEA fans, we at IKEA Singapore recognise that the promotional collaboration with the Vision show has raised...
ii) Within a day, IKEA updated its stake-holders and stuck to its initial decision to continue its tie-up with the magic show.
Knowing that its decision will draw opposition from gay rights activists, IKEA Singapore struck a conciliatory tone to the LGBT community by saying that it "respects the diversity and equality of all people living in our community".
To remind the angry netizens that it was a magic show and not a "wear white" movement, IKEA S'pore concluded with the following remark:
"We also respect that all individuals have a right to their opinions and personal choices, including the freedom to choose their preferred entertainment".
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IKEA fans, thanks for your patience while we took time to come to an informed decision on an issue that has raised...
iii) IKEA S'pore revealed to The Straits Times that it reviewed all the promotions under its membership programme.
Why was this a smart move?
This is because one of the promotions IKEA S'pore supported was a Wild Rice production of Public Enemy, helmed by a prominent gay man, Ivan Heng.
Heng is also a supporter of the Pink Dot Sg, a non-profit movement started by a group of individuals to support the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
Many Pink Dot Sg supporters will wear pink on the day.
Without saying much, IKEA had shown that it was fair and inclusive towards the choice of initiatives that it supported.
2. The usually outspoken Lawrence Khong kept his own counsel.
Pastor Khong, usually vocal about LGBT issues, has been unusually silent over the brouhaha.
According to Channel NewsAsia, "attempts to reach Mr Khong on Tuesday were unsuccessful. Gateway Entertainment, the company that manages Mr Khong’s magic shows, declined to comment".
Instead of defending himself online, Khong chose to focus on the magical performances instead.
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they say, (magic) birds of a feather flock together! Priscilla and I had a great time catching up with Tony and Joe this past weekend @ SG Magic!
And this approach has done wonders for him this time.
3. Some individuals in the LGBT community kept things civil while others have over reached.
The LGBT community is understandably disappointed when a global brand disagrees with how the issue should be handled.
Bryan Choong of advocacy group Oogachaga, which provides LGBT counselling services, told CNA that he was disappointed by Ikea S'pore’s decision, given the firm’s “international track record” of being LGBT inclusive.
Jean Chong from women gay rights group Sayoni told CNA that while she respected "Ikea Singapore’s right to choose how it wants to conduct business, it is obvious it does not hold the same values as Ikea worldwide. A lot of awareness still needs to be done to promote the rights of the LGBT community.”
Some in the LGBT community felt that IKEA S'pore supported a group that promoted homophobia, while IKEA S'pore viewed the contentious issue as an entertainment decision.
But several pro-LGBT netizens have clearly taken things too far, with its nasty name-calling of IKEA, its call to boycott all IKEA products for its decision, and their demands to sponsor Pink Dot Sg event as compensation.
In fact, things on IKEA S'pore Facebook page got so awry that IKEA S'pore has to step in to manage the heated tussles.
It is also instructive that the Pink Dot Sg organisers, perceived by many as the spokesperson on LGBT issues in Singapore, has chosen to stay silent on this matter.
It may be wiser for the Pink Dot Sg organisers to lead the LGBT community in its call for openness, understanding and tolerance.
While it is wrong for the LGBT community in Singapore to be subjected to bigotry, it is not right for the more extreme LGBT supporters to subject people who disagree with them to cyber-bullying and discrimination.
Of course, there is no moral equivalency between the homophobes and the extreme LGBT supporters.
But both sides, in a wise man's saying "should always respect the right of others to differ, that we will never lose sight of our own fallibility, and that we will view ourselves with a sense of perspective and a sense of humor".
April 22, 06:22 PM 
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