Ann Siang Hill: gay aspects

The back alleys of Ann Siang Hill were cruisy at night since the early 1990s, but became much less so after a landscaped sanctuary named Ann Siang Hill Park was built in 2004. This provided the dark passageways with adequate illumination so that clandestine activities were not so convenient as they could be easily spotted by residents living on the elevated floors on either side or by the occasional passerby. 

The popularity of Ann Siang Hill as a cruising ground may be partly attributed to its proximity to the gay clubs and saunas in Chinatown. In the 1990s and early 2000s, these included Happy, Why Not?, Babylon, Inner Circle, Spartacus, Stroke and Raw. Before the gentrification of Ann Siang Hill's back alleys, the latter were unlit and deserted at night, which made them conducive to such activities. There were also crude benches made of stone slabs scattered along the sides of the path leading to the summit that gay men could sit on. On Saturday nights, some drunken straight men could occasionally be spotted lying down on these benches in an apparent stupor, with their flies undone or rarely even completely naked, waiting to be serviced by the cruisers that walked by.

At the time that Raw sauna was operational, there was a wide, wooden swing on the timber deck at the summit of the hill which made it all the more welcoming. The swing faced the entrance of Raw so anyone who sat on it could observe the patrons entering and exiting from the place. From the hilltop, once could also glance down voyeuristically upon the adjoining back alleys of Telok Ayer to see the clandestine goings on there. In turn, sauna goers on the rooftop of Raw could spy on what was happening along the path leading to the summit because it directly overlooked the passage.

=See also=
 * Singapore gay venues: historical
 * Raw

=References=