Media advisory

13 July 2011

Singaporean lesbian, bisexual and transgender women’s concerns debut at UN review

On 22 July 2011, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women will review Singapore’s progress with eliminating discrimination against women during the 49^th CEDAW session at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

The State of Singapore and Non-Governmental Organisations have submitted reports and during the session, will engage in dialogue with the Committee. The Committee will then make its Concluding Observations, which identifies areas of concern and makes recommendations for progress.

For the first time, the concerns of lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LBT) women are represented by Sayoni during this process. Sayoni will highlight prevalent and systematic discrimination against women based on sexual orientation and gender identity across social, cultural, political and economic spheres of Singapore.

In exactly one month, on 18 June 2011, Singaporeans will, for the third year running, gather at Hong Lim Park to form a human pink dot in support of the belief that everyone deserves the freedom to love.

Sayoni Summer Camp '11 will be happening on Labour Day weekend, 29 Apr - 2 May 2011.

For those who are still considering whether to join us, we have asked previous campers what they have gained from the camp and put together the five reasons you should do so.

1. The Bonds Formed

Participants from both camps have formed lasting friendships that extended far beyond the three days they spent together. The camp's self-development workshops provide unique bonding opportunities so that women can grow together and learn about themselves and the community.