Singapore LGBT organisations

=Historical=

Real world

 * Yagga Yagga support group - the third, but most well known, of the initial support groups for gay men ever to be organised in Singapore. It had two sessions - Yagga Yagga 1 and Yagga Yagga 2, separated by several months. The previous groups were named Northern (something) and Forbidden Fruit. All were started by activist Alex Au. The same format would be carried into future support groups such as the current and immensely popular Oogachaga. Yagga Yagga was targeted at men who embraced their sexuality late in life. Operational for 12 months, its last session ended in June 1999. Read Yawning Bread's round-up of the group's experiences:


 * SiGNeL gatherings - informal social meetings of the Singapore Gay News List for the then-nascent Internet gay community. The first was organised by list owner Alex Au at a local Chinese restaurant several months after SiGNeL's founding. Its first anniversary was held on 15 March 1998 at Goodwood Park Hotel and organised by activist Kelvin Wong. Gatherings in later years were held at the pub EMOH at Upper Circular Road, organised by Miak Siew and at the Centrepoint food court, organised by Patrick Lee.


 * The NUS weekly tea group for womyn - a women's discussion group started in 1985 at the National University of Singapore in which Madeleine Lim, Singapore's first lesbian activist became actively, facilitating the weekly discussions and writing articles for their newsletter.


 * Singapore Lesbians and Naughty Girls (SLANG) - a social group for lesbians operating around 1996 to 1997. It was set up by a night spot manager who later went on to become a local entertainment icon. T-shirts and caps with the group's logo were printed for members.


 * Plu.edu.sg - founded by J. Koh and Dominic Chua in the mid-2000s, it was a group of gay, lesbian and bisexual educators and supportive colleagues, comprising Singaporean or Singapore-based teachers and educators from a whole range of institutions and backgrounds.. They offered support to their members through regular meetings and social events. Their long-term mission was to achieve a situation in Singapore schools in which each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Gay teachers who were interested in joining this group could apply to join via e-mail at plu.edu.sg@gmail.com.


 * One In Ten - a non-profit organisation initiated in July 2002 by Fridae, inspired by Hong Kong's Fruits in suits. It sought to facilitate networking opportunities for gay and lesbian professionals and to foster economic interdependence to build a strong, cohesive and supportive LGBT community. The group met on the 3rd Thursday of each month, and sessions typically began with a speaker on a topic of general interest, and concluded with an interactive segment to meet others in the group. Participants were reminded to bring lots of business cards for registration and interaction. Former website: . Former e-mail address: oneinten@fridae.com. It met with a poor response, probably because the concept was too ahead-of-its-time for the relatively closeted LGBT business community in 2002, and ceased to function after a few months. It was the forerunner to the successful 5Degrees.


 * Friends Like Us (F.L.U.S., pronounced "flas") - an LGBT social enterprise which aspired to be the nexus between business, innovation and community work. They were committed to reaching out to diverse members of LGBT society with the primary objective to better lives through entrepreneurial and other community projects. Net proceeds from their ad hoc activities and events including Dragon Boat racing, inline skating, kayaking, movie outings, a dating club, gatherings and trips, were used to fund community service initiatives including their Caresports, Careout and Carefund programmes. Address: Blk 1 #01-13 Yishun St 23 YS-ONE Singapore 768441. Tel: 96315540. They ceased functioning in the late 2000s.


 * CACTUS (Community Action for Us) – a non-profit social group for LGBT people in Singapore founded by Kelvin Wong. It aimed to function like a community club, having its members actively volunteering to organise social events and activities. Its goal was to improve the social well-being of its members and the gay community at large. It ceased operations in the early 2010s, superceded by other social activity groups like Rainbower.


 * Pink Polo - a backpacking and independent travellers' social group for gay Singaporeans started in October 2008 via an announcement on SiGNeL. It aimed to provide a social platform for all gay travellers and backpackers from Singapore to share their experiences as well as to meet up with others who shared their interest. It enabled exotic travel tales to be exchanged, new friendships to be forged and perhaps even romance to blossom between like-minded people. However, it has been inactive since February 2012. Many of its members continue to meet and share with other straight travellers at contemporary mainstream venues like the Singapore Travel Cafe.


 * Rainbower – a social group for gay men set up by former Oogachaga 5 support group member, Andrew Chan, supported by J. Chew. It seeks to organise social, strictly non-sexual, outings once a month to foster bonding, friendship and support between homosexual men in Singapore. It ceased functioning in 2013 after Chan decided to set up MOVE Community (see below) and handed the organisation of events to P. Lam who gave the group a new name.

Non-profit

 * SinGLe (Singapore gays and lesbians) - a short-lived, unmoderated newslist set up in the late 1990s by a renegade moderator from SiGNeL, the Singapore gay newslist (see below). It suffered a premature demise after a few months due to unregulated postings of a large amount of rubbish.


 * Auntie Teck (also known as AuntieTeck.com) - a website connecting lesbian and bisexual women in Asia set up in 1997 by an elusive lesbian called "Auntie Teck". It closed down in the mid-2000s.


 * FTMs in Asia - a now-defunct website for female-to-male transgender people in Asia. It was founded by Jael, a Malaysian FTM transsexual working in Singapore.

Commercial

 * fluffboy.com - believed by many to be a spin-off from SgBoy after the latter's first run-in with Media Development Authority in 2004 although Sgboy has officially denied any links. In September 2004, the MDA objected to "raunchy pictures" and explicit sexual language on the SgBoy site. This led to a fine of S$5,000 (US$2,940) in November 2005 and SgBoy was asked to remove "offensive" content. Fluffboy.com was banned in late 2005 by the MDA for allegedly promoting homosexual promiscuity. This was done by blocking access to the site by Singapore-based Internet surfers.
 * Cream – an LGB portal, modelled after Fridae.com which hoped to carve a niche by offering to host videos of local gay events. It closed down in early 2007 due to poor response.

=Contemporary=

Advocacy

 * People Like Us (PLU) - the first LGBT-equality advocacy group in Singapore, started in 1993 by Joseph Lo and later spearheaded by activists Alex Au and Dr. Russell Heng.


 * Sayoni - a Singapore-based platform for Asian queer women, comprising a blog, and a forum . Founded by a group of women from diverse backgrounds, age groups, economic status and ethnicity, it aims to empower queer women via a two-pronged approach to encourage dialogue within the community and to educate the general public. Both its media are open to public view.

Subsidiary websites of Sayoni:


 * COuCH (Couch.sg; Come Out, Come Home), - a national movement to encourage LGBTQ persons and allies who are ready to come out and feel at home in Singapore. It was launched during the opening event of IndigNation 2012.

When one is ready, coming out to the people around oneself has a major impact on changing society's perception of the LGBTQ community in Singapore. COuCH is a movement which will give LGBTQ persons considering coming out the encouragement to do so, thereby changing society's perception of the LGBTQ community. It is also about the people who love and support their LGBTQ family, friends and colleagues, enabling them to ʺCome Outʺ and show that there are accepting people out there.




 * Pink Dot SG ,, – a non-profit movement promoting "the freedom to love" which evolved from Roy Tan's intention to hold Singapore's first gay pride parade at Hong Lim Park in November 2008. After discussions with stakeholders, the concept of forming a giant pink dot, suggested by Choo Lip Sin, was unanimously approved of and Singapore's historic, first, open-air LGBT-supportive event was held on Saturday, 16 May 2009 at Hong Lim Park. The concept proved to be so popular that in 2011, Pink Dot events were replicated in various cities all over the world.

Minor
Singapore Straight People for Repeal of 377A - a Facebook page set up on 11 April 2013 for straight Singaporean men and women to state their support for the repeal of Section 377A, a law that was introduced into the Singapore penal code by the British in 1938. 

This is the Agenda - a Facebook group formed on 17 February 2014 committed to promoting civil discourse, religious plurality, and the rejection of anti-LGBTQ hate speech in Singapore. 

Research

 * Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Research Institute (SOGIRI) - an initiative by J. Ho, one of the founding organisers of Pink Dot which aims to perform credible, scientific research and surveys on Singapore's LGBT community.

Religious

 * Heartland - the gay Singapore Buddhist discussion group spearheaded by activist Kelvin Wong in 2003.


 * Safehaven - a non-denominational Christian group which has been gathering since 1998 for prayer, Bible study and fellowship. Gay affirmative and made up of different age groups, backgrounds and religious traditions. On Saturday, 10 January 2004, it organised a Family Reunion Dinner hosted by Rev. and Mrs Yap Kim Hao. The aim of the inaugural dinner was to help its members and their families deepen their relationships. It was co-organised by the then 26-year old Alphonsus Lee who attended the gathering with his father. Safehaven is now one of the ministries of the Free Community Church.


 * The Free Community Church, - inaugurated in 1999, the Free Community Church holds weekly worship services on Sundays at 10.30am at 56 Geylang Lor 23, Level 3, Century Technology Building, directly opposite Aljunied MRT Station. The church is a congregation of diverse individuals and families gathering to worship and grow as a Christian community. During its Sunday services, members worship and listen to various interpretations of The Good News, while on weekdays, followers in diverse cell groups study God’s Word, share their lives and support each other.(See Fridae interview with chairperson, Jean Chong in 2004:).


 * 2 small and largely inactive Buddhist social groups were started by Chan CW on Facebook in 2011: Singapore GLBT Buddhist Social Group and Singapore Gay Buddhist Social Group.

The group recognises that people can be both queer and Muslim at the same time, as they strive towards greater consciousness of Allah in their lives. They also advise and educate LGBTQI Muslims to find and understand themselves through the positive teachings of the Holy Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad's tradition. All memberships are screened, to protect their existing members and to keep out unwanted and destructive individuals from entering the discussion group. They hope that members find salam in their own lives, through the friendships, networking and support that they gain through the forum, Insha'Allah. 
 * As-Salam Singapore - a Yahoo! Groups news list set up in May 2004 dedicated towards helping LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning) Muslims living in Singapore reconcile their sexuality with their faith through a safe and peaceful platform, i.e. a place of 'as-salam'.

They can also be visited on their other platforms: All names will be kept confidential and the site is not affiliated with nor presented by any organisation, cause or political party. 
 * Safe House SG - created on 24 February 2013 on Facebook to provide a safe haven for all LGBTQ Muslims in Singapore. Members are encouraged to send their stories and anything else they wish to share to 'The Caretaker' at the following email address: proj.safehouse@gmail.com or via the Contact Form. Their mission is:
 * to provide a platform where all LGBTQ Muslims can feel safe to share stories about about their sexual orientation, experiences, questions and problems.
 * to create a channel which allows people to exchange religious views and opinions harmoniously.
 * most importantly, to build a sanctuary where Muslim brothers and sisters could feel belonged and understood.
 * Twitter: @ProjSafeHouse
 * Instagram: @projsafehouse
 * Tumblr:

Business

 * 5Degrees, - an LGBT business networking group inspired by Hong Kong's Fruits In Suits founded by W. Chan, R. Lian, N. Rasmussen, C.A. Tin and others in 2008. It provides an effective business platform that brings together LGBTQ professionals to network, exchange ideas and tap potential opportunities. It aims to raise awareness of business issues, drive business-related activity and greater commercial co-operation within the LGBTQ community and help foster a greater sense of solidarity through such interaction. With over 1,000 members, 5Degrees is the largest business-focused organization for the LGBTQ community in Singapore, and seeks to nurture a self-perpetuating and conducive business environment for LGBTQ-friendly individuals, organizations and enterprises through regular workshops, networking sessions and discussion groups. 5Degrees also organizes special projects and charity initiatives in aid of the LGBTQ community.


 * Spectrum, Singapore - Barclays bank's LGBT employee network set up locally in 2011.


 * Gayglers, Singapore - Google's LGBT employee network set up locally in 2011,,,.


 * Arup Singapore - a UK-headquartered LGBT-friendly multidisciplinary engineering and consulting firm,,.




 * P•INC - a springboard for gay businesswomen. Members can make connections to advance their business, learn more skills and gain knowledge from a safe circle of people like themselves. It set up its Facebook page on 10 January 2013.

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Social
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 * Adventurers Like Us (ADLUS) - the Singapore sports and outdoor activities network for gays and lesbians. It was started by Kelvin Wong, who later handed over its management to Dr. Ethan Lim. Lim relinquished his leadership in 2009 and the group has been much less active since then, maintained by several volunteers. ADLUS has both a website and an active mailing list . The mailing list is the main communication hub for the network. The website was revamped in September 2006 to become more user-friendly. ADLUS activities encompass many sporting activities and the group actively promotes sports and outdoor activities within the GLBT community. The website also list major events in the Singapore sports scene. They were the network that helped send Singapore's first sports team to the Gay Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

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 * Women's Nite - Started by Charmaine Tan and Eileena Lee in 2002, Women's Nite provides a safe, neutral and alcohol-free space for lesbians and bisexual women in Singapore to gather and discuss the issues relevant to their lives. Talks and workshops are also held. It runs on the last Saturday of every month. Charmaine Tan, Eileena Lee, Tan Hui Yee, Amanda Lee, Gea Swee Jean and Sylvia Tan are currently the women working behind the scenes for Women's Nite.

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 * MenAfterWork (MAW) - a group that organises strictly non-sexual social outings for gay men. Formed by Shenzi Chua in the 1990s. It currently appears to be inactive, with some of its activities taken over by Friends Like Us.

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 * SAFE Singapore (Supporting, AFfirming and Empowering our LGBTQ friends and family) – a support group founded in December 2006 by a team of 4 heterosexual women to provide information and resources for straight people struggling to accept their queer friends and relatives (see Fridae article).

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 * The Bear Project, - a Singapore-based, gay community of bears, cubs, Gmen, stocky, big-sized guys and their fans. They aim to exchange ideas, go on organised outings and mingle with each other.

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 * SinQSA (Singapore queer-straight alliance), - a group founded by Sam Ho, Jennifer Teo, Kelly Then and Jean Chong to bridge gaps between queer and straight people, thereby contributing to the creation of a harmonious, compassionate Singaporean society, where there is substantive equality, regardless of individual differences such as gender identity and sexual orientation. Its objectives are to:
 * provide an open, inclusive platform where queer and straight persons can engage in meaningful communication,
 * promote substantive equality regardless of individual differences such as gender identity or sexual orientation and
 * raise awareness of gender or sexuality-based discrimination, harassment and violence.

It updates the community about news and events, and in late 2012, started producing videos to strengthen the appeal of its messages. <br style="clear: left"/>
 * Congregaytion - a website set up in 2012 by Oogachaga for all issues that fall under the LGBTQ umbrella, reaching out to neglected demographics not previously served in its programmes such as mature men, youth and transgender people. It revolves around the themes of working together as one community to build a sense of belonging and cohesiveness. Its purpose is to:
 * create a sense of bonding among the LGBT communities
 * encourage community involvement to strengthen this spirit by mobilising interaction amongst individuals and raising awareness of the LGBTQ-friendly resources available in Singapore
 * Provide local and relevant information on sexual health and sexuality

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 * MOVE community, - started by Andrew Chan, founder of the now-defunct gay men's social group Rainbower after he left his job at Oogachaga in early 2013, MOVE is a social initiative and activity hub for LGBT individuals, families, extended families, and friends. It aims to promote an active, caring and sustainable LGBT community. It publishes a programme of monthly events which include gatherings featuring LGBT community organisations, smaller groups and personalities.


 * 7for7 - a group which organises speed dating events for gay men to complement online dating.

Singapore LGBTQ Alliance,, - an independent organisation for global Chinese 'comrades' including tongzhi groups from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Its websites are in Chinese and its Facebook page was set up on 21 November 2013. Activities organised include: <br style="clear: left"/>
 * gay personals / exchange programmes
 * gay film appreciation and seminars
 * book club, various tongzhi interest groups and academic research
 * outings to participate in the Singapore Arts Festival, Writers' Festival and Pink Dot held annually at Hong Lim Park;
 * tongzhi financial, investment, business consulting and guidance
 * outdoor sports, dinners, etc.
 * video recordings of tongzhi events

Special interest
Set up by activists to inculcate pride in being gay and in staying HIV-negative, it initially commenced operations at 22A Rowell Road, above the AFA headquarters, in the Serangoon or Little India area. It held its opening party on Saturday, 6 December 2003 from 6pm to 9pm in its premises at Rowell Road. The event featured live tribal drumming & flame throwing, food and drink, music, a film screening as well as safer-sex demonstrations. Opening hours of the resource centre during the early years were on Wednesdays from 7pm to 9pm and on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm. It underwent many location changes since it opened it doors at Rowell Road. These included Bianco, one floor above Mox Bar & Cafe at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road, #04-01, Singapore 088444, in a member of the gay community's home also along Rowell Road near The Post Museum and in both locations of DYMK, at Kreta Ayer Road and Neil Road. <br style="clear: left"/>
 * Pelangi Pride Centre (PPC),, - both an organisation as well as a physical space where LGBTQ people can come together to read, borrow books, for social support or to attend talks. Regular events are usually run on the 2nd Saturday of the month. It operates Singapore's first and only LGBTQ resource centre and library which opens every Saturday from 2-6pm. Its collection includes local and international gay literature as well as non-fiction books whose catalogue can be searched online on its website. It also has an archive of artifacts pertaining to Singapore gay history and culture. It is located at 56 Lorong 23, Geylang, Level 3, Century Technology Building, Singapore 388381 (within the Free Community Church itself).

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 * Queer Book & Movie Club, - founded by Aaron Ho in 2011, it is a monthly book club (3rd Thursday of every month) for everyone in Singapore focusing on queer literature. The discussions rotate among 3 categories: (1) gay, (2) lesbian, and (3) transsexual/ transgender/ bisexual/ intersexual/ queer novels. The group also meets for LGBT movies every 2 months and is all-inclusive and non-discriminatory. Everyone, regardless of sexuality, age, gender, sex and race, is welcome. It is supported by Gayglers, Google's diversity group for LGBT employees and their friends.

The Singapore Men's Chorus, or SMC, was formed in 2005 to provide an avenue for those interested in male chorale and present another form of choral music for the public to enjoy.

It all started with a chance meeting at a wine-tasting party between two men, Todd Katschke and Jason Ong, both active in choral music for many years. Since there was no men's chorus in Singapore, Todd and Jason decided to plug the gap.

After a first round of auditions in March 2005, the Singapore Men's Chorus was born with 11 members. Practices were nomadic at first, held in various members' apartments each week.

Today, SMC has grown to about 30 members and has proper venues for practices.

Members from all walks of life, and from very different musical backgrounds. For some of them, SMC is the first training ground, with guidance given by not just the choral director but fellow members as well.

SMC's mission is to connect people through the making and enjoyment of male choral music.

The objectives of SMC are: <br style="clear: left"/>
 * promote choral excellence and creativity in Singapore
 * provide a venue for those interested to express their passion and creativity in choral music
 * nurture and develop talent and interest in choral music in a friendly environment

Photography by Cobalt - a closed Facebook group started by Singapore-based Filipino photographer, Cobalt. He specialises in male portraits and physique besides other mainstream subjects and is open to collaborations with fashion editors, stylists and make-up artists. He is always in the look out for attractive people. If you feel you have what it takes just send him an email and enclose a recent photo of yourself. <br style="clear: left"/>

Rainbow Parents SG,, - set up by couple I. Oh and O. Tan in June 2013, it is a community of LGBT people in Singapore who have come together on their parenthood journey to exchange information, share resources and support each other. They organise monthly meet-ups. Interested would-be members can contact them at rainbowparents.sg@gmail.com to get an invitation to the Facebook Group. <br style="clear: left"/>

Live Alive! - Live Alive! is a site hosted on Eventbrite which organises non-profit talks and events devoted to inspiring the LGBTQ community and friends to find their passion and purpose in life. Their goal is to inspire individuals to "Be courageous, Live a life alive, Pursue what really matters." <br style="clear: left"/>

Counselling
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 * SPACES counselling and community - a non-profit counseling and volunteer community service agency. It is consciously inclusive and welcome people from diverse backgrounds. The vision of SPACES is to work with Singaporeans of all walks of life to draw on often hidden strengths and resources of minority communities such as the elderly, racial minorities, sexual minorities, immigrants as well as other minorities such as the disabled, ex-convicts, youth-at-risk and so on to partner with individuals and groups to serve and empower less fortunate individuals and communities in society. SPACES (Registration No. 200402955N) is a company limited by guarantee with registered charity status in Singapore (Charity no. 01812).

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 * Oogachaga ,, - started by artist Jason Wee and friends Steve Wong and Kenneth Lau in 1999 as a support group for young men in their 20s. It was subsequently handed over to Daniel Tung, Y. Y. Teh and Bryan Choong. Its first women's support group was started in 2005. Better known as “OC” today, Oogachaga has expanded its target group to LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) individuals of a wide range of age groups with services including counselling, personal development, support groups, forums and workshops. OC also conducts workshops and seminars for counsellors and other professionals working with LGBTQ clients. It is currently run by 4 full time staff and over 50 volunteers. Its first and current centre manager is Bryan Choong. Oogachaga talks have become highly-anticipated guidance and mutual revelation sessions for the gay community (see Singapore gay conferences). On 18 Feb 2006, Oogachaga started a hotline service - 62686626, Singapore's first, manned by gay volunteers. This community outreach service enables callers to talk about issues regarding their sexuality or to find out more about HIV and STIs. OC is a non-profit organisation under the umbrella of SPACES Counselling and Community Limited. Oogachaga is also a member organisation of International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA). Oogachaga services are supervised by credible professionals and agencies in the fields of psychology, therapy and counselling in Singapore who are familiar with issues facing gay, lesbian, transgendered and questioning individuals.


 * Subsidiary websites of Oogachaga:

Congregaytion (see above).

TakePride.sg - a site set up in early 2014 dedicated to answering all the prickly questions a gay man in Singapore could, and should, ask. Because the more one knows about oneself and the world, the easier it will be to be proud of who one are and take charge of one's life.

The October Man - a blogazine for mature gay men and their supporters on Wordpress started by J. Tan. It aims, in an informative and entertaining way, to encourage physical, mental, emotional, psychological and sexual wellness among readers. Although supported by Oogachaga as part of Take Action! 2013, the views expressed are those of each article’s writer and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or intentions of Oogachaga or its sponsors and donors.

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 * The Looking Glass - a free counselling service run by a group of queer-friendly woman volunteers who provide women with strictly confidential and anonymous counselling through e-mail. In April 2001, the tragic suicides of lesbian lovers Michelle Yong and Wee May May in Singapore prompted 10 volunteers from RedQuEEn! to get together to be trained by professional counsellors. Their goal was to listen, counsel and help those who were pushed to the edge by their daily negativities and problems encountered in urbanized life.

LGBT-friendly social service organisations
AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research)

Counselling and Care Centre

Samaritans of Singaore (SOS)

Sex and Love Addictions Anonymous

Singapore Anti-Narcotics Assocation

We Care Community Services (We Care)

Tsoi Clinic

Dr Tan & Partners - located at 11 Unity Street, #02-07 Robertson Walk, Singapore 237995. Tel: 6238 7810. Since 11 July 2014, LGBT-counselling organisation, Oogachaga, has partnered the clinic to offer an on-site outreach and emotional support when patients visit it for their anonymous HIV test. After the doctor has administered the anonymous HIV test, patients may request to talk in private with a professional counsellor while waiting for their test result. Oogachaga's professional counsellors are available on Fridays from 6pm to 9pm. No appointment is necessary. Patients just need to say that they are taking the “3 step +1 test”. It is a free counselling service by Oogachaga. The clinic’s usual charge of $50 per anonymous HIV test applies.

Healthcare
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 * Action for AIDS (AfA) ,- a gay-supported and gay-supportive HIV/AIDS (including STIs) advocacy, AIDS services charity and Voluntary Welfare Organisation (VWO) started by a group of healthcare professionals headed by Dr. Roy Chan in 1988. It organised successful campaigns to break down the 'only homosexuals get AIDS' stereotypes, to change the 24-hour cremation rule and to create greater AIDS awareness in school sex education. It publishes 'The Act', a free periodical which provides Singaporeans MSMs with safe-sex and AIDS-related information.


 * Subsidiary websites of Action for AIDS:

Be Positive - People living with HIV/AIDS often hide their status due to fear of discrimination. Be Positive is a celebration of love, life and all things good. It is more than an attitude. It is a step forward towards a supportive & understanding society. Its mission is to achieve three zeros - 0 new HIV infections, 0 deaths from HIV and 0 stigma and discrimination. For people living with HIV/AIDS, Be Positive takes a stand against social stigma and rejection while at the same time, is the affirmation they need that gives them the strength to face their loved ones.

gayhealth.sg - a subsidiary of the AfA MSM Programme whose objective is to reduce the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) amongst gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (MSM) in Singapore. Through educational outreach activities, it aims to increase knowledge on healthy sexuality to reduce high risk sexual activities, HIV/STIs education to better inform oneself for better safer sex negotiation and go for regular testing, and to promote safer sex practices and safer substance use in a harm reduction approach. In addition to education prevention, the programme also offers social support through collaboration with community partnerships and stakeholders. With its team of dedicated volunteers, it has been providing sexual health workshops, conducting venue-based outreach activities at saunas, bars, clubs and online forums via Smartphone Apps. It actively works towards growing the capacity of stakeholders and community partners to help conduct innovative campaigns, identify sexual health trends and to foster a stronger community together.

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 * ZONE:, (e-mail: zone@fridae.asia) - a microsite powered by LGBT portal Fridae.asia to provide lifestyle and health information relevant to gay and bisexual men. ZONE: publishes insightful articles, has a Q&A section, enables readers to post their own questions anonymously and have them answered by their peers or healthcare professionals. It aims to provide a discreet online platform to promote individual and community responsibility in HIV & STD prevention, and making informed decisions. ZONE: is part of Fridae’s community outreach efforts in empowering the LGBT population to come together, stay connected, be informed, overcome discrimination, nurture personal growth, and foster healthy relationships.

Youth
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 * Young Out Here (YOH), – the first LGBTQ group for teenagers and young adults formed in 2006 by J. Kwok, E. Tay and B. Xue. It provides support to individuals between the ages of 16 and 21. Young Out Here emerged from a low-profile background in 2007 to organise and publicise its talks and social outings to the LGBT community at large. Young Out Here is now a queer youth community group, organising both support groups and events for queer youths while endeavouring to make them fun at the same time. It aims to provide a platform for LGBTQ youths to foster healthy identity-building, secular and inclusive thinking, enthusiastic learning and moral responsibility through sharing sessions. It currently holds meetings at W!ld Rice's headquarters along Kerbau Road.

SGRainbow aims to be Singapore's leading young gay and bisexual men's group, advocating their rights, self-acceptance and acceptance of gay youths in society. Modelled after the United Nations, SGRainbow embraces the values of integrity, professionalism and respect for diversity. The 3 colours (Red, Yellow and Purple) in the logo represent each of the word in the slogan (Self, Growth and Realise). The colours are united in one word - "IN", which shows that it is up-to-date, current and able to adapt to youths' ongoing needs and demands. <br style="clear: left"/>
 * SGRainbow ,,, – a non-profit independent activities-based social group for young gay and bisexual males aged 18-25 in Singapore. It is served by an executive committee and open for membership to all. Its mission is to provide a platform via social settings and activities for young gay and bisexual men, giving room for self-acceptance, to grow as individuals in the community, and to raise awareness of their existence and rights in society. The group’s slogan is “Self.Growth.Realise”.


 * The Purple Alliance, - founded in 2012 by a team of queer individuals collectively trained in nursing, law and human rights, the organisation is committed towards nurturing LGBTQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning/Queer, and Asexual/Allies) individuals. Their guiding principle is “Include, Nurture and Respect”.

It supports the welfare of LGBTQA individuals by empowering real people to share their stories and talents, providing them services to allow them to lead dignified lives, and helping them communicate. By ensuring that these stories and conversations are shared, they aim to increase understanding, promote acceptance, and advance equality. They support research concerning LGBTQA issues in Singapore, provide high-quality resources, and are open to working with external groups and interested individuals on projects that support the dignity of LGBTQA individuals and that further relations with heterosexual allies.

Subsidiary organisations of The Purple Alliance:


 * Trans* it! - a group which aims to support trans-identified individuals in their lives, be it their social or physical transition, or just to provide a listening ear and increase the visibility of transgender people.


 * (Ind)ependent (Indian men's social group) - created for Indian men to provide a safe space to air their concerns, share their experiences of discrimination, etc., to gain support and to hang out and have fun.

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 * Tomboy Pride Tomboy Pride is a group celebrating Tomboys & Girls. It was formed in May 2013. Through its tomboy crew, crew performances and activities for tomboys, it hopes to liven up the tomboy circle, provide an encouraging and supportive environment for tomboys and allow them to be Tomboy & Proud!

Institutes of Higher Education

 * The G Spot

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 * NTU Kaleidoscope

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 * National University of Singapore Gay-Straight Alliance

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 * SMUnicorn - a Student Resource Network for LGBT-affirmative students and alumni of Singapore Management University (SMU) supported by SMU’s Diversity and Inclusion Department. It was formerly known as 'SMU I'M' and was founded by J. Ho. The group helps students and alumni interact, provide student advice, organise activities to better understand LGBT topics, establish professional links, organise and receive invitations to LGBT-friendly corporate events. E-mail for student matters: SMUsmunicorn@gmail.com; for corporate partnership: included@smu.edu.sg.

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Transgender
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 * SgButterfly, - Singapore's first and largest transgender web portal and support group founded by a heterosexual man, Daniel Kaw.

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 * SgGurls, - singapore's second transwoman support group which seeks a higher social profile and aims to reach out to mainstream society.

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 * Sisters In Solidarity - a transwoman support group formed by Marla Bendini and Tricia Leong in 2009 to combat discrimination against transgender women in Singapore.

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 * Transgender Alliance - an amalgamation of the 2 transgender social and info networks, SgGurls and SgButterfly, and a sister group, Project X, an advocacy group for transgender people working in the sex industry.

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 * Project X, - an advocacy group for transgender people working in the sex industry. Project X believes that sex work is a legitimate form of work and that sex workers should not be criminalised alongside murderers and thieves. As such, sex workers’ rights are also human rights.

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 * Forgot To Mention - Singapore's first female-to-male transgender group. It was formed in 2013.


 * Transgender Pride - a transgender Facebook page started on 18 July 2013.


 * SgCrossDressers - a closed Facebook group created only for Singapore male-to-female cross dressers in 2013. It promotes and encourages like-minded individuals to interact and exchange ideas, share the journey of the cross dressing life and provide support in this very special community. The founders strive to make the group grow in a clean and secure environment. People with fake profiles and undesirable admirers are not welcome. To join, one needs to have a genuine face picture in one's profile. Its first administrator was Jamie Lee.


 * The Sons, - The Sons, which set up its Facebook page on 4 June 2014, shares information, resources and advocates through education the well being of trans men in Singapore. It is for anyone seeking transitioning information, resources or anyone who wishes to share with others their own experiences.

The purpose of the network is to connect transmen in Singapore, create opportunities for social get-togethers, link up with online peer support, create information and provide resources that can be easily accessible, especially those who want to find out more on transitioning and/or being transgender, conduct educational outreach and workshops and advocate issues related to the well being of trans people.

Information about the transitioning life of trans men is also available on their Tumblr site entitled, 'Voices of The Sons'. <br style="clear: left"/>

The 'T' Project by Women Care Centre, a subsidiary of Action for AIDS, was set up in June 2014 by two transgender siblings committed towards empowering the transgender community in Singapore to lead a more fulfilling and meaningful life and to help and nurture the transgender community so as to bring about a positive and direct impact on the quality of their life as transgender people. It is also a place for the public to engage, learn and get firsthand knowledge about the latest development in the transgender community and to dispel myths. <br style="clear: left"/>

Trans* it! - a subsidiary of The Purple Alliance (see above).

Regional
B-Change - a social enterprise group on a mission to promote social change through technology by designing and sharing digital ideas that stimulate real world action. Its mission is to promote social change through technology.

The B-Change Group has several regional and global on-going projects for organisations such as the United Nations Development Programme, Levi Strauss Foundation and other international non-government organisations.

The B-Change Group was founded on the belief that individuals and communities can proactively create the solutions needed for social change. Their name is inspired by the famous quote from Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, “We need to be the change we wish to see in the world.”

To them, "social change" means improving health, livelihood and diversity for all, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity is one way. But we also want to see more organisations improving their ability to support community development as well.

Subsidiary websites of B-Change:

Be - a web app designed to support the well-being of young people from diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including but not limited to young lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. The web app is a safer space where young people can be themselves and be there for each other; we hope users will feel that BE is like having a community centre into your hands. "Where we can be ourselves and be there for each other." The features of BE include:
 * A knowledge base that explains sexual orientation and gender identity with references where users can improve their understanding;
 * Videos and other narratives of people from diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, including the ‘Stories of Being Me’ short-documentary series.
 * Maps that show support organisations and community organisations that are nearest to you; and,
 * A space to ask questions and provide answers among peers of young people that is facilitated by community managers in multiple languages.

ASEAN SOGI Caucus - a network of diverse human rights activists in Southeast Asia that aims for the inclusion of SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression) in the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms in order to promote and protect the human rights of people regardless of SOGIE in the Southeast Asian region.

The ASC is composed of group of activists from the ten ASEAN countries (Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Brunei and Indonesia) that are focused in doing human rights work based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression (SOGIE) in relation to the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms.

ILGA Asia (International lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex association),, - the Asian subsidiary of ILGA.

Being LGBT in Asia - 'Being LGBT in Asia: A Participatory Review and Analysis of the Legal and Social Environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Civil Society' is a joint analysis undertaken by UNDP and USAID in partnership with grassroots LGBT organizations and community leaders to understand the challenges faced by LGBT people in Asia.

Discussion forums
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 * The Singapore Gay News List (SiGNeL) - a Yahoo! Groups news list started on 15 March 1997 (the Ides of March, having a cryptic coincidental symbolism with the slaying of Caesar) by activist Alex Au. Its subscribership has grown to over 2000 and it represents the main platform for intellectual discussion of gay issues in Singapore. SiGNeL postings have been archived in Yahoo! Groups since 1999.

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 * Blowing Wind gay forum - an online forum for gay men in Singapore started in 1997 to discuss any issues which concern them. However, it eschews political topics and forbids anti-government rants. Although primarily an online discussion forum, its creators and moderators do organise real-world outings like karaoke sessions for its members on special occasions like its anniversary.

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 * RedQuEEn! - initiated by former PLU3 president Eileena Lee in 1998, this e-mail list for queer womyn, provides a safe online discussion space. Having started from an initial group of 17 women, its membership currently numbers over 1000. With discussions ranging from the serious to the very humorous, the list provides online support as well as friendship and networking opportunities. RedQuEEn! initiated the monthly gatherings called Women's Nite at Pelangi Pride Centre for queer women living in Singapore (see above). Its postings have been archived in Yahoo! groups since 1998. On 17 August 2002, it held Singapore's first women's safe-sex workshop and potluck party.

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 * The online IRC community, founded by channel owner YiJan in 2001. Although it started as a cyberchat service, it has since forged many friendships and formed real-world bonds. Channel #AJ is currently situated on the Galaxynet IRC Network. It can be accessed either with an IRC client or #AJ's downloadable customized mIRC.

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 * As-Salam Singapore, a news list dedicated towards helping LGBTQI Muslims living in Singapore reconcile their sexuality with their faith through a safe and peaceful platform (see above under 'Religious').

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 * The Hong Lim Park Forum, opened its doors on 13 August 2004 and quickly became the premier discussion board for mature gay Singaporeans, with good participation from mature Asian men from around the world. For some time, it was touted as the world's largest English language-based online forum for mature Asian men, although Mandarin and Japanese language exchanges were not uncommon. However, interest waned and it ceased functioning in early 2006. It has recently been revived.

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 * Gay To The Bone is an online LGB community writing project hosted on the blogging website Blogspot. It is targetted at teenage and young adult Singaporean LGB individuals. It enables them to submit stories about their struggles, coming out experiences and relationships with friends in Singapore. It hopes to assist queer teenagers with their life struggles via offering a space for people to voice their thoughts. It also aims to educate non-queer readers via these real-life tales. It is currently inactive and has been superceded by PLUME.

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 * PLUME, an acronym for People Like You and Me. It is Singapore's first Internet discussion forum catering specifically to LGB teenagers. It was an offshoot of Gay To The Bone and was founded by Zee in 2006. It is also hosted on Blogspot and has been inactive since 2009.

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 * SAMBAL ,, the Singaporean And Malaysian Bisexual women And Lesbian international e-mail list, caters strictly to women only from Malaysia and Singapore. Members come together virtually to discuss Malaysian/Singaporean lesbian and bisexual women's cultural, social and political experiences/issues. SAMBAL was co-founded by Madeleine Lim, a Singapore-born lesbian based in San Francisco who was the first local lesbian personality to be featured in a Fridae article.

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 * Gay SG Confessions, - started in 2013 by N. Lim in the footsteps of a host of popular "confessions" websites which enabled Singaporeans in various organisations to blow the whistle on unfair practices and to reveal sensitive information that the authorities would rather have the public not know about. The site is a collection of private thoughts and feelings by posted by LGBTQI individuals or anyone who has a gay friend or family member.


 * Gay Confessions - similar to the above site.

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 * Lesbian SG Confessions - a more focused version of the above targeted mainly at queer women. It aims to encourage fellow LGBTQ communities to be unafraid of being open and honest about their sexual orientation, to be brave enough to stake their claim to happiness, to have the freedom to love and to contribute to society.

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 * Transdresser and Crossdresser Confessions - a confessions page for transwomen, transmen and cross-dressers from around the world started by a Singaporean on 18 March 2013.

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 * Transman Confessions, - set up on 22 February 2014 for female-to-male transgender Singaporeans and their partners, the goal of the page is to showcase all of the myriad of facets within the transman community, to pay attention to the politics of attraction, body image, language and diversity and to give back to the community which has already had so much taken from it. It believes it is an innate desire to be authentic, and yet it understands how difficult it is to be completely honest even to the ones transmen love and respect the most. It hopes members will find it a safe space to think aloud, wring their hands in the air, question, advise, or simply share moments of bliss, comfort and joy. The page is above and beyond all other things, a confessions page. It hopes to reach out to more and more people like them, and to let those who are alone or struggling know that there is help, and there is hope.


 * Same Love.SG, - set up on 7 February 2014 in response to PAP MP Lim Biow Chuan's comments that gay relationships were not equal and as long-lasting as heteroxual ones during the HPB sexual orientation FAQs censorship saga. The LGBT community was encouraged to send stories of their relationships with a photo to same.love.sg@gmail.com. The project was inspired by the marriage equality anthem by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It aims to stamp out ignorance by showing same sex relationships as what they are - caring & loving relationships between people - "Gay, straight or otherwise - it’s the same love."

News and information
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 * Fabulous Asia – an online lifestyle portal based in Singapore for Asian queer, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals. Founded by Poovan, its main objective is create a safe place for the LGBT community to obtain information and to interact. The web portal consists mainly of original and third-party articles, a forum page, videos, a resident doctor contact form and the latest LGBT news from around the world.

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 * I will survive, - started by author Leow Yangfa in 2012 based on his book, "I Will Survive: Personal gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender stories from Singapore" which brings together real-life experiences of love, grace, faith, dignity and courage of ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances. The website contains excerpts of some of the stories, alongside other posts and resources. The e-book has been published by Monsoon Books and is available through the website. The editor's share of sale proceeds will be donated to Oogachaga Counselling and Support for their community services, and to Pelangi Pride Centre for their library collection.

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 * Indoctrin-Aid! - a group which aims to help the general public by providing bite-sized amounts of information and articles on various groups including the LGBT community and debunking preconceived notions and myths regarding these groups.It was set up in 10 Jan 2012 to fight for human rights and an end to discrimination by educating the general public about discrimination and how it affects victims of discrimination.

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 * Beat Around The Bush, - an independent and non-profit online hub for gay women in Singapore with weekly updates of lesbian-friendly and non-discriminatory events, hangouts, arts and music. Started in January 2013, just wanting everyone to have a good time.

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 * Does it matter? - a publication started by student/photographer Gabriel Aiden in February 2014 which showcases 15 different LGBT individuals with the purpose of eradicating discrimination in the narrow-minded hearts of Singaporeans. Each individual explains in the interview his/her thoughts on the difficulties of living in a country that is quite certainly against the idea of same sex relationships. It was inspired by Steve Rosenfield's project as featured on mymodernmet.

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 * Calling It Out!, - an initiative started by a group of youths who feel that there is barely any talk in Singapore on the homophobia, discrimination and bullying that occur in schools. It aims to change this by encouraging youths to come forward and share their stories. Even if one identifies as heterosexual, it would like to hear one's story if one has witnessed any instance of such discrimination at one's school, be it from the students or the teachers. The stories will be published on callingitoutsg.tumblr.com and facebook.com/callingitoutsg. Once enough stories have been gathered, they will be forwarded to The Ministry of Education as well and will go a long way in helping other youths who are struggling in school because of their sexuality.

Special interest
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 * Singaypore, - Singapore's first LGBT video networking community founded by NTU graduate Reza (reza@singaypore.sg). Viewers can also submit their personally made creative videos which will be uploaded and the most viewed videos at the end of the month will win a sponsored prize.

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 * Maleculture - a website set up by entrepreneur Max Lim, closely affiliated with Raw sauna, providing information and support for gay Asian men.

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 * rainbowartsproject (RAP)  - an artists' initiative started in late 2009, spearheaded by Kelvin Atmadibrata, with the direction of constantly presenting queer culture in Singapore and South East Asia. The project aims to fulfill its mission through exhibitions, documentations and researches. RAP documents queer culture through its online blog, exhibits queer works in public spaces, initiates artwork-based research on queer identities and attempts to revive queer publication in form of zines-catalogues. RAP is currently based in Singapore and has worked with over 60 artists from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Canada and United States of America. The project has also presented over 20 exhibitions in Singapore, Malaysia and Sweden.

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 * Sing-a-pink - a Singapore LGBT musicians' group started by Roy Tan in 2012.

Hook-ups
In 2013, a slew of hook-up sites were set up on Facebook.


 * Singapore Hook-up


 * ChubSG - a closed group which provides a forum for the chub and chub chaser community in Singapore.


 * New friends in Singapore gays


 * Singapore Pride BDSM - set up on 22 October 2013.


 * Indian gays in Singapore


 * Tamil and Sri Lanka gays in Singapore


 * Related international Facebook pages started since 2013 which many gays in Singapore join include Gay Chinese Asia and Gay Asian men and their friends on Facebook.

Commercial
Singapore is unique in Asia in having very established commercial LGBT portals facilitated by to its high Internet penetration rate but hamstrung by the restriction on homosexual topics in print and broadcast media. These portals provide a large measure of support to the gay community, as evidenced by their enormous patron base which dwarfs the throughput of all the above-listed volunteer-maintained sites.

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 * Trevvy, formerly known as SgBoy - set up in March 1999 by Dominic Yeo who was then a National Serviceman, the site was originally Yeo's personal web site and was known as "Singapore Boy Homepage" before it was renamed SgBoy. It became known for its Singapore city guides, classifieds and online discussion boards which enjoy a high degree of participation and deal with a diverse array of topics. It also traditionally hosts a birthday bash every year to commemorate its founding. It is one of the most popular LGBT portals in Singapore and has managed to introduce a whole new perspective on Asian gay culture to the world at large. It underwent a makeover, rebranding itself as Trevvy.com in August 2006, shifting its focus to the more mature 25 to 40-year age group of the local gay market and expanding it user base regionally. Yeo sporadically contributes articles to the site, writing under the name of Ted Young.

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 * fridae.com - Asia's largest English-language LGBT portal has grown by leaps and bounds since its founding in December 2000 by scientist-cum-entrepreneur Dr. Stuart Koe. It has achieved much of its mission statement of "empowering gay Asia" and is the most socially responsible commercial gay organisation in Singapore.

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 * Herstory - a website for grrrls which organises real-world events like the annual Butch Hunt,, and Femme Quest contests. It was started by Cary Tan in June 1999 and initially called Club Herstory. In December 2002, it rebranded itself as simply, "Herstory" with the launch of its new website and its new monthly parties held on the first Sunday of every month at Velvet Underground, a section of the Zouk disco complex. These migrated in 2005 to Gotham Penthouse, #03-01, Blk. 3A, River Valley Road, Clarke Quay. The host of the parties was singer Shirlyn Tan. Other social activities include Grrrls Night Out parties, various sports and dance classes.

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 * ELEMENT magazine- a commercial gay magazine launched in Singapore in 2013 which aims to be the ‘voice of gay Asia’. It publishes articles on fashion, grooming, entertainment, travel and LGBT feature issues.

=See also=


 * Singapore lesbian organisations
 * Singapore transgender organisations
 * Singapore LGBT organisations in institutes of higher education

=Related links=


 * Utopia's Singapore LGBT listings:
 * Oogachaga's publication on LGBT-friendly community resources in Singapore, 'What's OUT here' (2014 edition):

=References=


 * 16 July 2002 Fridae article on Singaporean LGBT social support groups:


 * Pink Dot 2013 community groups:.

=Acknowledgements=

This article was written by Roy Tan.