Fridae

Fridae, also commonly called Fridae.com, is Asia's largest English-language LGBT portal and 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 was, under the leadership of Stuart Koe, the most socially responsible commercial gay organisation in Singapore.

Fridae's first office was a rented unit at Henderson Industrial Park where overheads were lower than at a proper office in the city area. It later moved to a residential terrace house along Jalan Kuning at Chip Bee Gardens in Holland Village, leased from a Canadian expatriate. Two years later, it moved its headquarters back to a different unit at Henderson Industrial Park and later to Kallang Industrial Park where it rented one unit for many years at #03-09, Block 26 Kallang Place, Singapore 339157 (tel. no. 62977840). It relocated to another unit in the same park for a few years before it closed its physical headquarters for good in the mid-2010s.

Origins

Background on the Asian gay press and Singaporean censorship

Lack of gay press: Stuart Koe noted that Fridae.com provided the first place people could go to read about happenings in the Asian gay community because Asia previously lacked a gay press entirely.

Comparison to other countries: Unlike other nations where people could pick up dedicated gay newspapers or mainstream publications like The Village Voice or Timeout that covered urban gay culture, Singapore had no such coverage.

Fear of censorship: Singapore operated under a strict legacy regarding what was considered "kosher" to publish. People were deathly afraid—comparable to fears of severe penalties—of having their publishing licenses revoked by the Media Development Authority (MDA) if they published anything deemed non-kosher. (See article: Singapore gay censorship)

Donors' meeting in Germany

Funders' meeting: He recalled attending an international donors' meeting for gay-related advocacy groups in Potsdam, Germany (connected through someone like Julie Goldberg). There, he met government and private donors, including the Striker Foundation, which he learned was a primary funder for ILGA and various international and local advocacy groups.

Why Singapore was out of the loop: At this meeting, he discovered why Singapore was entirely excluded from international funding: the global impression was that Singapore was a rich country capable of solving its own problems and raising money easily for advocacy work.

Funding Catch-22: He described it as a chicken-and-egg problem. Because they never received funding to jumpstart an active gay civil society in Singapore, it remained a non-starter.

Cultural fear and civil society in Singapore

Fear of "civil society" label: Culturally, in the late and early-to-mid 1990s, people in Singapore were deeply fearful of being labeled as "civil society."

Threat of illegal assemblies: Whenever he approached people about organizing initiatives, their immediate red flag was the law regarding illegal assemblies—noting that four or five people could be legally classified as an illegal assembly.

Experience of PLU: Groups like People Like Us (PLU) faced these exact challenges. Although he was never super involved with PLU, he spoke with Alex Au and Russell Heng, recognising the immense pushback they faced from the gay community.

Perceived vs. actual fears: People were fearful not necessarily of being out as gay, but of perceived government retribution against organized activist groups. He believed laws regarding illegal assemblies were originally established due to 1960s racial riots, communists, and socialists rather than an anti-gay stance.

Resultant self-censorship: The resulting indoctrination and self-censorship were so strong that groups like PLU found it extremely difficult to mobilize people, even if they were interested. Meetings risked being shut down or monitored by internal security, creating a pervasive atmosphere of fear.

Transitioning from activism to social enterprise

Shifting strategy: This constant fear led him to think that instead of calling it advocacy or activism, they should simply start a company and offer services that gay people wanted to consume.

Pre-dating the term: Although the term "social enterprise" had not been coined yet at the time, his business idea embodied the exact definition. He put together a business plan between 1998 and 1999.

Evolution of business plan: Initially, the plan focused on financial services for gay people, operating under the assumption that they had no children and plenty of disposable income to manage better.

Internet boom and the "gay MySpace": As discussions progressed during the AOL and internet boom, the concept evolved amid widespread hype over websites. Inspired by early models like AOL, they wanted to create a "gay MySpace" for Asia.

Fundraising and dot-com crash

Securing funding: They went around raising money and successfully secured about $1.5 million US dollars, closing their fundraising just three days before the stock market, Netscape, and AOL crashed in the year 2000.

Investor anxiety: Because none of the money had actually arrived in their accounts yet, they feared investors might back out or have second thoughts, though thankfully none did.

Running out of funds: When they burned through the $1.5 million six months later, they could not raise additional funds. In the year 2000, no one in Singapore knew how to run an Internet-based business or a social networking website.

Ahead of their time: Occurring before Facebook or any successful monetization models existed, he believed they were globally ahead of their time, not just in Asia. Without venture capital or a forward-looking investor community, they had to do everything on their own, building their community brick by brick and member by member via word of mouth rather than viral address-book hacks.

Community impact and website features

Fulfilling a critical need: The word-of-mouth approach created a "sticky" platform that fulfilled a vital early-2000s need: connecting and meeting other gay people. He emphasized how hungry people were simply to talk to someone else like them.

Overcoming technical barriers: While IRC and bulletin boards were popular previously, they catered primarily to computer-literate users via text-based interfaces that did not appeal to a wide public swab.

Prettier, legitimate platform: Their website was visually appealing, easier to navigate, and featured wildly popular personal ads. It allowed people from all walks of life to meet safely.

Normalisation of normal lives: This platform was crucial for personal identity and the formation of countless relationships, friendships, and strong bonds. More importantly, it normalized the idea that gay people could have normal lives, social circles, and go out to do things with other gay people.

Reflecting on past isolation: He reflected that living in those dark times 24 years ago meant small friend circles did not intermix, leaving many people extremely isolated and alone in their gayness until the internet enabled connections.

Planet Out acquisition offer: Alongside contemporaries like gay.com and Planet Out, they were almost acquired by Planet Out at one point. They ultimately decided against it because they wanted to do things their way. While he could have been an early internet millionaire, he expressed gladness that they continued on their own terms.

Greatest accomplishment: Regarding the significance of Fridae.com, he concluded that its most important achievement was helping people discover themselves, connect with others, and find their place in the world.

Origin of name "Fridae.com"

Pat Chan's idea: Most people did not know that the name actually came from Pat Chan (Roy Chan's sister), a former national swimming star and sporting darling who worked at The Straits Times.

Brainstorming the assistant metaphor: While on the phone brainstorming names for a project, he told her he wanted the website to be an "indispensable assistant to every gay person in Asia" (clarifying he used "gay" inclusively as shorthand rather than listing out LGBTQI+ acronyms).

Robinson Crusoe reference: Pat Chan remarked that it sounded like Robinson Crusoe's "Man Friday."

Adapting the domain name: Recognising that a common day of the week would be hard to trademark, he searched for "Friday.com" and found someone wanted to sell it for $30,000. Considering $30,000 a massive sum back then that his board would never approve, Pat Chan suggested changing the "y" to an "e" so it looked like an ice cream sundae. That is how Fridae.com was born.

Website sections and legal workarounds

News section: The website featured several sections, crucially including a news section initially run by an English editor, Sylvia Tan, and later a Chinese editor, Choo Lip Sin who collected pan-Asian gay news. They commissioned writers and sent people to cover events, parades, and pride events.

Bypassing local restrictions: Because they were based in Singapore with its strong focus on local activities, it provided a rare space to read about community news. To bypass MDA restrictions and avoid publishing license revocations, they hosted the site outside Singapore and based their headquarters in Hong Kong, using corporate maneuvers to assure investors they would not be shut down.

City Guide and Personals: They also included a city guide listing gay bars, saunas, and gay-owned businesses, alongside a personal section where users could express their interests. Unlike modern apps, it was not a "meat market." Users felt comfortable sharing their Friday profiles instead of phone numbers as a default, safe way to stay in touch.

Business philosophy and event success

Core principle of value: Reflecting on business models, he often told his team that while building, programming, and giving things away were easy, discovering what people were willing to pay for and value with their hard-earned dollars was the real challenge.

Sustaining businesses: This principle drove all businesses he ran (including his current work with ICM Pharma): identifying a need, serving it better than others, building trust, ensuring quality, and living up to self-set expectations so people keep returning.

Longevity and revenue streams: Koe ran Fridae.com for 11 years as a healthy enterprise sustained by subscription income, minor advertising, and parties.

Launch party

Fridae's launch party was held in early 2001 at The Altivo Bar & Glass Bar[1], located at Mount Faber Cable Car Station, 109 Mount Faber Road, Singapore 099203 (tel. no. 63779688). Because Koe already possessed a database of partygoers from years of prior event planning, the first party drew 800 to 1,000 people and was a massive success. Finding a year too long to wait between events, they hosted another in December 2001, leading into a broader series of events.

Jungle Media

While at its headquarters at Henderson Industrial Park and at #03-09, 26 Kallang Place, Fridae set up a subsidiary company called Jungle Media to handle its advertising, marketing, promotion and public relations activities.

It recruited full-time staff with the following light-hearted advertisement[2]:

"Fridae - Asia's Gay and Lesbian Network

We can’t make babies (we try), so we’ve got no choice but to recruit. Joining Fridae means playing an active role in building Asia’s largest online gay and lesbian community – one that transcends geographical and cultural borders, a “United States of Asia” if you will. We’re looking for people with commitment and passion; dreamers and idealists who can execute (plans, not people), meet deadlines, and think out of the box to join our ever-growing team of mavericks.We believe in hard work, a fun atmosphere, and the sort of creativity that only comes about when talented people from diverse backgrounds approach problems from varying perspectives. If you’ve got what it takes, and you’re looking for a work environment that allows you to be who you are, show your colors, and truly shine, then get in touch with us! Should you have any interest, please apply on line by stating the position you are applying for, and kindly include your email, other contact details, and resumé/cv."

Timeline

March 2001 - Fridae.com launches website.

March 2001 - Fridae.com named the principal sponsor and Official Portal of the 23rd Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras alongside other sponsors Qantas Airways and Telstra, Australia's largest telco.

August 2001 - Fridae’s first Nation party was held at Sentosa's Fantasy Island with 1,500 partygoers. The event made the front page of local The New Paper and was covered by the BBC World Service and Agence France-Presse. The AFP report which called the event "Singapore's coming out party” was in turn published by various news outlets worldwide.

February 2002 - Within a year of its launch, Fridae’s Personals section crosses the 10,000 profile mark.

March 2002 - Fridae launches Version 2 of the website.

April 2002 - Advocate, a national American gay and lesbian news magazine, reports on Fridae’s first anniversary with a profile of CEO Dr Stuart Koe and describes Fridae.com to be a “social resource for many Asian gays who may have no other way to meet.”

August 2002 - Hailed by the press as "Singapore's unparalleled alternative party" and "a party not to be missed!", some 2,500 people attended Nation.2 held at Sentosa’s Fountain Gardens and Musical Fountain. Sponsors included Qantas and Anchor Beer.

November 2002 - Fridae launches Version 3 and the Perks programme, which allows subscribers premium access to the Fridae Personals section, in tandem.

December 2002 - Fridae’s first Snowball party was held in Singapore.

February 2003 - Fridae.com was appointed the Asian Media Partner of the 25th Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras[3].

August 2003 - The Straits Times of Singapore published a report referencing the Nation party and the power of the pink dollar and the sponsors of Nation.03 including Subaru, Asia-Pacific Breweries (Anchor Beer), Dolce & Gabbana Parfum, Qantas, Smirnoff, Pan Pacific Hotel and Hotel 1929.

August 2003 - For the first time since its inception in 2001, Nation becomes a 3-day event over the Singapore National Day weekend. The event garnered unprecedented coverage by Time Magazine (Asia Edition) and TV news coverage on Channel NewsAsia and TCS 5 - marking the first time in history a gay event (local or otherwise) was broadcast in Singapore.

September 2003 - Fridae’s Personals section crosses the 50,000 profile mark.

October 2003 - Fridae launches its online Shop retailing Snowball party tickets.

October 2003 - Fridae launches Beta version of the Chinese web sites with Personals and News sections.

December 2003 - Fridae’s second Snowball party was held in Singapore.

March 2004 - Fridae launches Version 4 in which time the web site was getting an average of 20 million page views per month and 150,000 registered members.

April 2004 - Fridae’s first Squirt/Slurp parties are held in Singapore.

July 2004 - Fridae launches the Chinese Version 4 (Simplified and Traditional) web sites.

August 2004 - In what’s to be Fridae’s last party in Singapore, Nation.4 – the largest with over 8,000 attendees - included its first ever Arts Programme featuring plays Mergers/Wills by Toy Factory in Mandarin, Top or Bottom and Mardi Gras by The Necessary Stage, and The Revenge of the Dim Sum Dollies by Dream Academy Productions; and two art exhibitions “Red + White = Pink” organised by Utterly Art and another by Art Seasons. Sponsors and supporters of Nation.04 include Motorola, e33 Cider, Subaru, Visit Britain, Belvedere Vodka, Cathay Pacific, Conrad Centennial Singapore, Heineken Beer, Intercontinental Singapore and Moët & Chandon.

August 2004 - Fridae launches its first ever Nation CD set by DJ David Sung and DJ Sawa and produced by DJ George Leong. The 2-CD collection debuted at No. 3 on HMV Dance and Soul on the week of its release and was at No. 17 on the HMV Top 40 chart the week after in Singapore.

October 2004 - Fridae gets profiled in a front-page story in The Wall Street Journal, 22 October 2004. The article referenced the Nation party, and discussed the pink dollar and Singapore’s attitudes towards the LGBT community.

October 2004 - The Far Eastern Economic Review’s special report about gay Asia heavily features Fridae and the Nation party.

December 2004 - The application to hold Snowball party was rejected by the Singapore Police several weeks prior to the event saying the event is likely to be a gay party and is against public interest. The Police’s lengthy press statement was covered by local several newspapers and on Channel News Asia.

April 2005 - Fridae holds its first party outside Singapore with Squirt at Bangkok’s Bed Supperclub.

April 2005 - Fridae’s Personals section crosses the 100,000 profile mark for English web site and 15,000 on its Chinese web sites.

June 2005 - Fridae Shop is launched with products from affiliates.

September 2005 - Fridae receives 2005 Arts Supporter Award from Singapore’s National Arts Council in appreciation of its support toward the arts community.

October 2005 - Nation.5, Asia’s largest gay party, moves to Phuket, Thailand. Some 2,000 converged on the Crowne Plaza Karon Beach Phuket which was booked exclusively for the event.

December 2005 - Dubbed by mainstream media as the largest gay party ever in Taiwan, the Snowball party was held at Ministry of Sound and was attended by 5,000 partygoers.

April 2006 - Fridae’s Squirt party was held at Sheraton Bangkok for the second time.

April 2006 - Fridae launches the landmark men who have sex with men (MSM) Behavioral Surveillance Survey (BSS) survey in partnership with Action for AIDS Singapore.

August 2006 - Fridae announces that the sixth annual Nation party will be its grand finale, and will thereafter focus on its web business and advocacy work.

October 2006 - Fridae receives 2006 Arts Supporter Award from Singapore’s National Arts Council in appreciation of our support toward the arts community.

November 2006 - Over 1,500 revellers from around the world converged at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort for Nation.6 for three days of almost continuous partying with top DJs including New York-based Tony Moran and top Australian DJ Kate Monroe.

December 2006 - Fridae launches Think Again campaign - the first HIV prevention campaign conceptualised based directly on a survey of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Singapore conducted in Apri 2006.

February 2007 - Fridae.com named in Nielsen//Netratings’s list of top ten web publishers in Singapore in 2006 and the stickiest site in Singapore with session durations more than two times the market average.

June 2007 - Fridae reaches the 200,000-profile mark for its English site and 50,000-profile mark for its Chinese site.

July 2007 - Fridae co-founder Robert Yeoh passes away at age 52 on July 10, 2007.

October 2007 - Fridae partners with activists and organisers of repeal377a.com to organise an Open Letter To The Prime Minister (of Singapore) campaign and parliamentary petition – with CEO DR Stuart Koe as one of three main signatories alongside lawyer George Hwang and former President of the Association of Women for Action and Research Tan Joo Hymm. The petition sought the repeal of Section 377A, which criminalises sexual activity between men whether in public or in private as part of Singapore's first major penal code amendments in 22 years.

October 2007 - Fridae receives 2007 Arts Supporter Award from Singapore’s National Arts Council in appreciation of our support toward the arts community. December 2007 Fridae launches Version 5 Beta.

December 2007 - Fridae holds the first ever pan-Asian poll of gay establishments. The Fridae æ List aims to recognise the efforts of establishments and businesses that serve the LGBT community.

May 2008 - In association with Action for AIDS (Singapore), Fridae launches We Can Stop AIDS Now campaign that focuses on individual empowerment, and how HIV transmission can be stopped if everyone plays their role.

August 2008 - Fridae launches Know Your Status (KYS) awareness drive on Fridae Personals to promote HIV testing at least every 12 months among sexually active men. Those who have had an HIV test in the last 12 months (or are HIV+) get a KYS icon on their Personals profile. Users will also receive a reminder 2 months before their next test is due.

October 2008 - Fridae receives 2008 Friend of the Arts award from Singapore’s National Arts Council in appreciation of its support toward the arts community.

April 2015 - Fridae.asia taken over by the telecommunications and travel company DragonStack. dragonstack.com Fridae migrated to a new more flexible hosting solution.

May 2015 - Push notification service on mobile apps re-initiated.

July 2015 - Launch of Fridae mobile web app m.fridae.asia.

August 2015 - Launch of Fridae Android App.

November 2015 - Major Update to Fridae Android App. New Travel section launched, data sourced from hotmale.net

June 2016 - Launch of New iPhone app. New company tagline “Connecting gay Asia”.

See also

• Singapore LGBT organisations
• OG magazine
• Glamour Backstage
• PLUTO magazine (formerly PLUguide)
• Manazine
• Trevvy
• ELEMENT magazine
• Dear Straight People
• Singapore gay literature
• Nation parties
• Stuart Koe

References

• Fridae's website:[4].

Acknowledgements

This article was written by Roy Tan.