05.21.08
Posted in Feminism, Identity at 12:07 pm by Guest Writers
This article is written by our guest writer, Ho Chi Sam.
Image taken from aboutleap.com
The world is so much easily understood if we saw and believed in everything in binary opposites, and ideally, both ends/poles function in tandem, in contrast, interdependently, symbiotically, and eventually contribute to a whole, a stable system, a status quo.
Where does the woman stand in the world of binary opposites? For millennia, literature, rhetoric and discourses have by default refer to “humanity” as “man”, “humankind” as “mankind”, most random persons as “he” (Freudian slip any one?). This whole, stable system and status quo privileges a dominant kind – the male-oriented. It is gendered and sexed accordingly to toe the line of the androcentric, patriarchal and heterosexist establishment.
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tags:
androcentric,
discrimination,
dykes,
fluidity,
heteronormality,
heterosexist,
lesbian,
lgbt,
marginalise,
patriarchal,
queer,
rights,
sexual diversity,
sexual minorities,
woman,
glbt
- About: Sam just likes to ask questions.
- technorati: glbt, lgbt, queer, lesbian, woman, androcentric, patriarchal, heterosexist, sexual diversity, heteronormality, fluidity, marginalise, sexual minorities, discrimination, dykes, rights
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05.03.08
Posted in Real Queer Love Stories, Relationships at 12:11 am by Guest Writers
Image Copyright of Sayoni
This is co-written by Yee and Qin, a love story which began in Sayoni through the Personals section… all it takes is an email, ladies.
Another normal day at work, Yee was at her desk sorting the emails in her mailbox.
*Click* *Click* A mail caught her eye from a sender named Qin.
Little did they know that this email would set the clockwork in place to spin a tale of two souls whose paths crossed through the wonders of cyberspace; brought together by a forum which they frequent, Sayoni. They have never met, do not even know each other but somehow they were brought together which I would like to believe as serendipity. It was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives and hopefully, in the following chapters of the book, imprinted by the footprints of these two characters who met by chance.
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03.12.08
Posted in Coming out, Queer literature, Writing Contest, Youth at 1:48 pm by Guest Writers
This entry for the Writing Contest of February is written by ebelle
I met her during a school camp. She was my camp leader and I was utterly swept away. She had the most engaging smile and an adorable way of looking like she was stalking when she walked. Almost like a panther in an urban jungle. So confident, so graceful, so attractive.
For the purposes of this story, I shall call her Q.
Q was a student leader. A prefect who was well-liked, played badminton for our school, had straight A’s and was a natural over-achiever in everything she did. She could light up the room with her smile and I was instantly smitten by her amiable nature. Read the rest of this entry »
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03.09.08
Posted in Coming out, General, Queer literature, Writing Contest, Youth at 10:35 am by Guest Writers
This entry for the Writing Contest of February is written by Centaur, and is the winner of this month’s contest. Congratulations centaur! We will be publishing the top 2 entries for the contest.
Over and Over Again.
Sitting apart from you, with my bowl-cut hair and dirty fingernails. I was worlds apart from the immaculate you. You in your prefect outfit and neat pony-tail. There was something strange going on. As you laugh with that high-pitched voice and chatter with childish enthusiasm, I found myself without ground beneath my feet. As though I was being sucked under, into somewhere.
Where?
I don’t know. But this new feeling was both pleasure and pain. No words could label it. I wasn’t even conscious of it. All I knew was that you were incredible, fragile yet beautiful.
But I had no balls to tell you that. Read the rest of this entry »
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12.05.07
Posted in Coming out at 1:42 pm by Guest Writers
Coming out - Step 1: To myself.
Ok, that was the easiest step.
As easy as rain falling from the sky. Didn’t have an umbrella, and even if I had one, I’m not sure I would have pulled it out.
Tomboy from 2 to say.. 17. Two older brothers, a sister who’s 4 years younger. A kid’s got to play, and I didn’t want to be left apart, so I was the goalkeeper of all the improvised football (soccer) games in the backyard. Loved being with boys. Girls annoyed me: I always looked hyper-energetic with girls around, when I could easily blend in with boys - well at least as long as my body didn’t get his feminine bells ringing yet. Boys were fun, athletic, I had a blast being with boys when I was a kid, loved to argue with them, sometimes fight, play, run around, or just sit around reading or doing nothing. Pretty hard to hang out with boys in a Muslim country, when you have 2 older brothers. But well, when I was a kid, I guess they believed it was cool, and innocent. Matter of fact, it was, so everybody was happy about it.
High school, still tomboy-ish. Felt in love with hip-hop, that certainly didn’t help my girly side to come out, but love doesn’t care about what people say, my wardrobe was packed with baggy jeans, Timberland boots, Nike Air Force Ones and hoodies, while my eardrums couldn’t find enough time to listen to all the records I was piling up in my room. Wearing large clothes does help with the entering into the boys club. I was dressed like a boy, almost talked like one, and beside my “BFF”, avoided as much as possible the girls in my class, in the school yard, during gym classes… If I had to pick a gym mate or a physics class mate, it had to be a boy. No boring giggling about boys, no boring never ending talks about make up or clothes, but instead, music, action movies, how girls can be stupid and of course my favorite of all time talks with boys back then: football.
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- About: O'Ren is very ok with her big discovery
- Forum discussion: Sayoni Forum
- technorati: glbt, lgbt, gay, lesbian, queer, coming out, discrimination, acceptance, France, Muslim
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11.29.07
Posted in Singlehood at 12:24 am by Guest Writers
This guest article was written by ebelle
I haven’t been entirely single in over 12 years.
This is the first time that a relationship has ended for me without another one looming in the distance. When the full impact of my newfound singlehood finally hit me 6 weeks after our breakup, I was devastated and lost. However, now that I have finally accepted the fact that we are not going to be getting back together, a whole new world of possibilities has opened up.
So, what is so great about being single?
From www.dictionary.com
sin·gl /ˈsɪŋ
gəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[sing-guhl]
| 4. |
unmarried: a single man. |
| 5. |
pertaining to the unmarried state: the single life. |
It’s not such a bad thing being single, because it simply means I’m not married. I’m not alone, because there are many other single people out there. Or are there? Read the rest of this entry »
- About: ebelle is a self declared tai tai who enjoys shopping for clothes, shoes and bags.
- Forum discussion: Singles Camp
- technorati: Singlehood, lesbian, queer, dating
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11.13.07
Posted in General at 12:57 am by Guest Writers
This guest article was written by Donniboi
Over coffee, T asked, “Aren’t you worried that signing the petition and open letter for the repeal 377A campaign, would get you into trouble? Afterall, your home address has to be written down so that your signature is validated… and the government could easily trace you.”
I replied, “I did think of that when George Hwang approached me to hand-sign the petition…. For once, in the period of being totally out to my family members and friends, having no qualms discussing my sexual preferences, openly engaging in public display of affections with my partner, I actually found myself hesitating to disclose my sexuality on a dead piece of paper…. Holding the pen, wild and randoms thoughts raced through my mind…. like, i am a teacher and i know that MOE runs on an archaic system of ‘values’ shaped predominantly by the homophobic population…. what if my career is jeopardized?? Would I be blacklisted in the government sector??”
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tags:
377a,
discrimination,
gay,
george hwang,
homophobes,
lesbian,
lgbt,
parliament,
petition,
queer,
singapore government,
glbt
- About: Reflections by Donniboi
- Forum discussion: Sayoni Forum
- technorati: glbt, lgbt, gay, queer, lesbian, 377a, singapore government, george hwang, petition, discrimination, homophobes, parliament
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10.19.07
Posted in General, Queer literature at 1:58 am by Guest Writers
I’ve always found it uncomfortable attending family weddings and reunion dinners as an officially single person but family funerals are worse. Plus I never thought I would feel nostalgic for the days when people called me ‘Sir’ by mistake. Here, in this very cold room at my mother’s funeral wake, the staff of the Singapore Casket Company are calling me ‘Aunty’.
My Mum died alone. I know I should feel more upset than I do but I think it hasn’t sunk in yet. I didn’t realize people die so fast.
The problem is, we don’t schedule dying the way we schedule other family activities. When my mother died two nights ago, my brother was away on a business trip and I had gone to Phuket for a weekend to get over a break up; what’s known in the community as the annual break-up. The one that begins with,
“Don’t you care about anything?”
“Why do you have to be so intense about everything?”
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tags:
gay,
glbt,
indignation 2007,
lesbian,
lgbt,
pierced years,
queer,
singapore,
tall tales and short stories,
women,
ovidia yu
- About: Written by Ovidia Yu. It was first read in Indignation 2007, 'Tall Tales and Short Stories'.
- Forum discussion: Discussion
- technorati: ovidia yu, glbt, lgbt, gay, lesbian, queer, women, indignation 2007, singapore, tall tales and short stories, pierced years
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08.30.07
Posted in Coming out, Emotional Health, General, Health, Identity, LGBT Rights, Mature at 11:08 pm by Guest Writers
Images from jupiterimages.co.uk
Hello I am sitting here at my computer at 6:23 am. Another night I couldn’t sleep well and feeling more alone than any soul on earth should feel. I turn to the presence of my cats for company and my new found shamanism beliefs in nature as I slowly look at the devastaing effect traditional religion has had on my brain in not accepting myself.
I once was a lesbian as if I once was a child, but I grew up and went back to being the kind of woman society accepts, that men find attractive, and that my son would admire. Sad thing is I didn’t admire me. Not only did I not admire me, I chose men who would hit me, use me, cheat on me, and worst of all not make me feel a thing in bed. I always thought if I could just find the right man, my body will respond like theirs does to mine. But no no no, year after year after year I defaced my own emotions with endless numbness offering my body to a man as if it was my only ticket to being straight. I had to pick despicable men for the cruel and endless punishment for really being a lesbian!
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- About: Written by breeze
- Forum discussion: Coming out
- technorati: glbt, lgbt, gay, lesbian, queer, coming out, internalized homophobia, women, dyke
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08.24.07
Posted in Feminism at 2:15 pm by Guest Writers
This is a poem written by Alan Ardy, for the Millenium issue of AWARE, who has kindly allowed us to republish this. Alan has a upcoming poetry book, Champagne & Handcuffs.
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- technorati: feminism, women, alan ardy, millennium
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