News and Opinions

‘Saving Face’: the day i considered fake marriage

Written by AnJ on . Posted in Coming Out

 

CNY-2010

I love Chinese New Year [CNY].
Every CNY, i would disappear among the crowds at Chinatown where the New Year bazaar takes place. How i love the hustle and bustle. A myriad of colors- red dashes everywhere and fruits of every kind. A gamut of goods- pastries, hair accessories, lucky charms and all. Away from the bazaar, the family would get ready with all things new. Two changes of clothes, a pair of new shoes and a bag are necessities for each member of the family. Spring cleaning beckons... the kitchen floor receives its most rigorous scrub of the year amidst squabbles about doing it right.

This year, i went home for 3 days. During the short stay, we went out for a Chinese movie ‘True Legend’ together... where i spent much of the 2 over hours shrieking [every time i think the protagonist was going to plummet to the ground from an enemy’s sword slash or iron fist punch], much to the annoyance of my little sister. The family outing was heart-warming, and a rare treat for a father who works seven days a week.

Outside of the immediate family is where a fresh set of challenges lies.

 

Ending the War

Written by Indu on . Posted in Faith

Image from Glenkirk

 

"Fridae has been told that a total of 85 people including filmmakers Sun Koh and Royston Tan have lodged police reports over the long Chinese New Year weekend about pastor Rony Tan's offensive comments concerning gay men and lesbians in an online video."

Read the rest of the article here.

 

Freedom of religion is a tricky thing. Take it too far and you can justify theocracy, give it too little and you have oppression. When freedom of religion and freedom of speech attempts to go together, it becomes even more of an unnavigable thicket.

Did Pastor Rony Tan make a mistake? Of course he did. He said things that were both ignorant and arrogant, as well as extremely bigoted. He acted in a way that no religious leader should have, in openly disparaging another religion, especially without much basis. Very few people would say that what he said was completely acceptable. And he has been reprimanded for it, by the ISD no less. The implications on this being considered a national security issue are for another author to debate thoroughly, but this author believes the use of the ISD to be heavy-handed and to send a chilling effect on political discourse and legitimate criticism of religion.

The ground gets more slippery when one considers his remarks against the queer community. I watched the video and found myself rolling my eyes at his ignorance. But what's new? He is only echoing what every other pastor says, when they might choose to speak on the issue. I am not sure he has had the opportunity to know better, and even if he hasn't, whether he even realises the damage he is doing. After all, he is doing what a lot of religious leaders do: latch on to one issue of moral significance and use it to gain popularity and following.

New site launch!

Written by sayoni on . Posted in Announcements

 

Four years after we first opened the doors to the world, Sayoni is proud to present our spanking new renovated site. We didn't just renovate the apartment -  we built a mansion and moved in all the old furniture, installed a pool and a tennis court, and added a gym just for good measure. Why? All to make your visiting experience so much better.


So what's new? Here are the main highlights.


Under One Roof!

No, not just the lamest sitcom in Singapore history. All the various components of the old site is under one banner, and you can browse the forum and articles without leaving the main site, as well other check out other features, such as the Queer Women Survey and Summer Camp. You are also able to search the entire site now.


Profile

We have expanded the profile section such that you can add as much or as little information as you want. Want to find out if that smart-sounding girl on the forum is single? Check her profile!


Friends

Along with an expanded profile, you can now add certain members as friends, giving them the ability to communicate with you by Private Message. Yes, our onerous (to everyone, including us) system of granting PM privileges manually is gone! We are giving YOU the control over who is allowed to talk to you.


Events

Events organisation has been moved out of the forum - now there is a dedicated Events section, which is easier to access and keep track of. The Events room in the forum is closed with immediate effect.


Classifieds

Classifieds is also its own section now. However, the classifieds room in the forum will remain open for a short while. You are encouraged to move your ads to the section before it is closed!


Advertisement

Want to reach our 1800+ and growing network of women? We are now open for in-page advertising. Contact us.


Lost?

We now have a user guide, if you are completely clueless as how to navigate this site. However, if you are stranded on an island after a plane crash, we really can't help you.

And there is so much more. We are here to serve YOU, so if you have feedback, or feature requests, head on over to our forum, or just contact us privately.

Correction: Sayoni Survey Report 2008

Written by sayoni on . Posted in Announcements

We would like to note that there has been a correction made to the report on page 33, as there was a decimal place error made in the field for respondents who live with their immediate family in an HDB flat. The data was previously 5.7%, it has now been corrected to 57%. You may download the corrected report here:

Oogachaga Women Support Group

Written by Indu on . Posted in Announcements

Sign up to receive announcements and updates