Friday, April 23, 2010

SissyBack!

Remember when you first realise you're different from the school's sporty classmates? Remember when you first suspect you might have more in common with the class sissies the others like to tease?

I remembered. I resolved to be "normal". I stuffed my sissy boy into the closet.

Then for years I wondered why I felt incomplete!

Here's Part 2 of my talk at Pelangi Pride Centre. It's about how, after decades of banishing that sissy boy in me, I wanted him back in my life. 

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Ellen Degeneres, Adam Lambert and Your Big Gay Potential

This is a small segment of a talk I gave at Pelangi Pride Centre.

Does being gay get in the way of an openly-gay Singaporean from being great? It should not.

Can a gay person create great works that contribute to the larger society? Most definitely. 

The trick is getting the context right. Coming out allows me to be authentic to myself and it shows in my work. In a competitive world, I need to be as ruthlessly real to myself as I possibly can. By living in fear about being outed daily, one can only compromise one's focus on being the best he/she can be.

That's what Ellen Degeneres did. It's what Adam Lambert did. Get the sexuality fears out of the way, and use your talents to create works that transcend your sexuality. Being gay should be a very small aspect of your life. It certainly should not be used as an excuse not to live up to your fullest potential.