Introduction

Queer Singaporeans are currently facing active persecution and targeting by the Christian far-right in Singapore, funded by US-based religious fundamentalist organisations. The situation for Queers in Singapore is urgent and fatal. Queers in Singapore are suffering and have been at risk of prosecution and/or death. Two Queer individuals recently had to flee Singapore to seek asylum in the UK. An international solidarity protest in the US would greatly help the situation back home.

#Safety4Harvey: Three Solidarity Protests for an Autistic Tamil Trans Woman in Singapore – Where Protests Are ILLEGAL!

Protests are illegal in Singapore. You risk getting arrested and charged. Yet, in the May and June 2023, there have been three separate protests under the banner of #Safety4Harvey and #Justice4Harvey, all in support of Vickreman Harvey Chettiar – an autistic Tamil trans woman who has faced much injustice.

This is monumental in Singapore’s history. It is also moving because it means that there is outrage and solidarity for/around trans rights and in particular Harvey’s case, as people recognise the sheer violence she has faced as an incredibly marginalised individual. The three protests means that Singaporeans have been willing to put their bodies and lives at stake in support of Harvey. Right now, suspected protests are being rounded up and called for police interrogation because of these protests.

#Safety4HarveyUK: International Solidarity Protest for Harvey and for Two Queer Singaporeans Who’ve Fled to the UK for Asylum

Since then, a fourth protest has happened outside the Singapore Embassy in London, UK. This was in international solidarity with Harvey – but also in international solidarity with two other Queer Singaporean individuals, Wong J-min and Lune Loh, who are being persecuted and actively targeted by the Christian far-right in Singapore for being Queer. They are in the UK to seek asylum due to this.

What the fuck is the Christian far-right doing?

Singapore is currently at high risk of a Christian far-right takeover, with particular aims of scapegoating Queer folks first and foremost. The Christian far-right in Singapore has been explicit and upfront about seeing Singapore as a vital country in their mission to spread Christianity in Asia. They refer to Singapore as the “Antioch of Antiochs”^[1]:

“An Antioch city or nation is set up by God – predestined by Him – to impact other nations. It’s set up for His Kingdom purposes. I believe it is the destiny of one such city to affect other cities’ destinies. One nation impacting other nations.

Singapore’s Antioch churches must go forth, like the church of Antioch, to impact other people groups. The Antioch of Acts 13 affected its entire region.

I believe inherent in the understanding of the Antioch church of Acts 13, is that for Singapore to be an Antioch nation, the whole church must come together, decide their own individual mission callings, and also be united in the purpose of impacting another nation.”

In 2009, there was already an attempted Christian far-right takeover of Singapore’s main feminist organisation as well, in the name of being “pro-family”, as they were angry that the organisation was trying to roll out more progressive and actually informative sex education programmes. This is known as the “Aware Saga”^[2], and has been written about extensively. In 2014, as reported by the Guardian: “State-run libraries in Singapore have deemed a children’s book about two male penguins raising a baby chick inappropriate and are to destroy all copies following complaints the content was against the city-state’s family values.”^[3] In 2015, there were complaints and controversy^[4] over Adam Lambert having a concert in Singapore, arising from the National Council of Churches of Singapore (representing about 200 churches in Singapore), due to his simply being a gay man. There is continuity in the links and historical basis to Singapore’s present, ongoing Christian far-right threat.

Right now, the Christian far-right wants to criminalise being transgender in Singapore, such that anyone who is suspected of being transgender can be institutionalised until they “cease” to be transgender. At the same time, “repeat offenders” can be sentenced to preventive detention. This is known as “Operation High Tide”. As it stands, there are already Christian far-right churches in Singapore that currently do conversion therapy^[5] for “unwanted same sex attraction”.

How is the US Christian far-right involved in Singapore?

Globally, Christian far-right groups have spent over US $280 million^[6] to fight against Queer rights, abortion rights, and so on. This includes $50 million across Europe^[7] and another $50 million across Africa^[8] over the past decade.

In Singapore’s case, these are the cited US-involved anti-Queer Christian far-right organisations^[9] involved in what is effectively an imperialist, religious fundamentalist agenda:

Carissa Cheow, one of the current main targets of the Christian far-right in Singapore, has exposed some details of Operation High Tide in her publicly released letter to the President of Singapore^[10], supported by almost 1,000 pages of detailed evidence. Carissa has gone on the public record to list out the groups and churches that she’s aware are involved. There is zero benefit for her to do so, and only immense political, personal, financial and legal cost. This puts her directly under the radar of the Christian far-right, as a Queer person explicitly exposing their plans. Nonetheless, Carissa is willing to take this huge risk and put her body on the frontline because there is no alternative; the Christian far-right wants Queer folks gone, and they have been actively working on this for years.

Given the wave of anti-trans legislation in the US^[11] as well as the recent homophobic law passed in Uganda^[12], it should be no surprise that Singapore is genuinely under a Christian far-right threat too. As a note, Singapore is a tiny country. We’re a city built on an island, with a population size of under 6 million. It takes maximally an hour and a half to get from one end of the country to the other by public transport. This means that Singapore is highly governable, and any policy/legislation change will have tangible effects manifesting in less than 5 years. Because Singapore is physically well-located, a finance hub and a trading port, and is uniquely governable with a high population density (meaning that any policy changes can be felt within just 5 years), should Singapore indeed successfully become a Christian far-right stronghold, the Christian far-right will have more resources and ability to continue their already-existing operations in countries such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Australia, and so on. This means that being Queer could swiftly be criminalised in multiple countries worldwide. If the Christian far-right does manage to take over Singapore (which is designed to be secular), even the UK or more supposedly trans-friendly places like Australia and New Zealand may no longer be necessarily safe either. The current situation unfolding in Singapore is at active risk of being co-opted through disinformation. Local and global far-right/fundamentalist Christian actors have a vested interest in weaponising this case to advance their Queer “culture war” worldwide. The Lemkin Institute has publicly observed that the trans community is facing a genocide^[13]; Queers in Singapore and worldwide are feeling its effects. It is not new, but it is being ramped up worldwide.

If this happens, and Singapore becomes a success story for the far-right, how will Queers be safe across the world?