Four Members of Parliament (MP) from the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) were spotted at the 2024 edition of Pink Dot.

Eric Chua, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community & Youth and Social & Family Development, previously attended Pink Dot in 2023.

So did Derrick Goh, MP for Nee Soon GRC.

This is the 16th edition of Pink Dot since its inception, and the second since the repeal of 377A, the law which criminalised sex between consenting gay men.

In the same year, Parliament also passed a bill amending the Constitution to enshrine the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

More MPs attended this year

Two other PAP MPs also showed up: Darryl David, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC and Carrie Tan, also for Nee Soon.

The MPs mingled with the crowd, taking selfies and photos with the other attendees.

Goh, David and Chua wore outfits with pink designs, with Tan wearing a light pink top, accompanied by her pet parrot, "Princess".

Reaction to IPS survey on growing acceptance of LGBT+ rights

Speaking to Mothership, David shared his thoughts on the recent IPS survey that indicated a growing acceptance of LGBT+ rights in Singapore.

"I think it's wonderful, I think we really need to be much more inclusive as a society and a community," he said.

Referring to his background in theatre and media, David said that in certain industries one meets people of different backgrounds, and one understands it's a "different way of living."

"Different isn't bad, it's just different. So I think it's great that we are progressing along that path to being a much more inclusive society, where we value and cherish differences."

David cited more examples of accepting differences, such as people with unique learning needs, neurodiversity and people who are differently abled.

"Different should be seen as precisely that. Not good, not bad, just different," he added.

Need for empathy

Goh also spoke to Mothership, commenting on the survey.

He said Singaporeans are "maturing in their own way" and since the repeal of 377A, there is greater acceptance, and he was happy to hear about the results.

Speaking to Mothership, Tan said it was an "encouraging sign."

"I think it's a signal that we are growing and getting more inclusive and open-minded as a society, which to me is an encouraging sign," she said.

"This matter can be very fraught and contentious, but I think the more people get to know individuals and real stories about the people and families impacted by stigma, I think we can forge empathy amongst all different segments to this issue," she added.

When asked about what she thinks is the most urgent issue faced by the LGBT+ community in Singapore, Tan said:

"I'm personally very worried about young people who are in distress, because of their LGBT+ identities causing them to lose out on opportunities that are very formative and important," she said, adding that this could lead to mental health challenges among youths.

"I think we need to have a more compassionate attitude towards [the community], as a society.

I don't think any lives should be lost, or any youth's potential should be lost because of their identity as an LGBTQ [individual]."

Protect Singapore scorecard

David also said that he wanted to check out Pink Dot, as he had never attended before.

He said that he champions issues related to community and youths, and he is in favour of inclusivity for people who are different.

Another reporter asked David about the recent "scorecard" put out by Protect Singapore, a conservative group ranking MPs according to their stances on marriage, family and LGBT+ issues.

"I wonder if there's a need to rank MPs stances on anything. When you start doing that...ultimately what is the aim of such rankings? Are you trying to show that some people are more or less supportive on a particular issue?

Rather than ranking it and start positioning people, why don't you...approach the issue more holistically, where you're able to build a better understanding?"

In 2020, an LGBT+ rights group called Sayoni put out a similar scorecard, "grading" Singapore politicians based on their stance on LGBT+ issues.

Top image by Andrew Koay