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Big hooha and polarising views on this topic recently. What say you? Final decisions on use of hormonal therapy 'rest with clinicians and their patients': MOE, IMH SINGAPORE: Final decisions on the use of hormonal therapy "rest with clinicians and their patients", said the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in a joint statement on Thursday (Jan 21). This comes after an 18-year-old student said in a Reddit post on Jan 14 that the Education Ministry had intervened with her treatment, preventing her from obtaining a doctor's referral letter to begin hormone therapy. MOE denied these claims two days later, saying that it was "not true" that it interfered with the student’s hormonal treatment, and invited the student to approach the school to "clarify and discuss how the school can support his schooling better". https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/moe-imh-intervene-hormone-therapy-ashlee-transgender-student-14011610

http://citizengo.org/en/174996-ssay-no-yale-nus-event-titled-litigating-freedom-using-foreigners-influence-our-nations-court?utm_source=wa&utm_medium=social&utm_content=typage&tcid=61743873 looks like there is a huge draw for speakers from other countries to Singapore. I wonder if this helps to promote the MICE economy?

By mean of fault lines, I am not referring to NSL, EWL, NEL, CCL, DTL, etc. (we are seeing less service disruption lately right?) Neither am I referring to any new geographical discovery that might put us at risk of natural disasters such as earthquake or volcano eruption, but... Majority now aware of race, religious issues, but study flags new fault lines A large majority of Singaporeans are aware of the seriousness of race and religious issues, and feel the Government has done enough to manage these divisions. But fault lines have emerged on class, immigration and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, where more Singaporeans, especially younger ones, want to see greater state involvement and public discourse. These emerging issues, if mismanaged, are also seen to affect Singaporeans' trust in the Government the most, compared with race and religion. These and other findings from a study of public opinion on fault lines in Singapore, carried out by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), were released yesterday. Besides Dr Mathews, the other researchers were IPS research associate Melvin Tay and research assistant Shanthini Selvarajan. Based on a survey of about 4,000 citizens and permanent residents last year, the study noted that about a third of the respondents identified race and religion as having the potential to result in violence in Singapore if not managed properly - significantly more so than class, immigration and LGBT issues. Yet only about a quarter tied race and religion to trust in the state and politicians, compared with almost 40 per cent who said trust levels in the Government would likely fall if class and immigration issues are mismanaged. Close to half of both younger and older respondents felt there should be more state involvement in immigration, reflecting possible higher levels of xenophobia and job insecurity in recent times, regardless of age, said the researchers. These results could mean that citizens now accord the Government more responsibility to do more to manage class differences and immigration issues, they added. "People may feel that the Government already has clear policies and frameworks that are fairly robust when it comes to race and religion. But perhaps for immigration, socio-economic status and LGBT issues, people might want the state to be more involved in managing those issues," said IPS senior research fellow Mathew Mathews. This is unlike in the early years after independence, when the focus was on surviving communal politics. YOUTH LESS KEEN ON MORE GOVT INTERVENTION ON RACE AND RELIGION Just over a fifth of young people aged between 18 and 25 surveyed wanted more state involvement in race issues, compared with one-third of those aged above 65. Similar results were observed for religion. This could be due to the lived experiences of the older generation, who experienced the Maria Hertogh and 1964 race riots, said researchers. The former took place in 1950, after a court decided that a child who had been raised by Muslims should be returned to her Catholic biological parents. In 1964, clashes took place between the Malays and Chinese amid rising ethnic and political tensions. For older Singaporeans, these events drove home the need for a robust state apparatus to intervene and keep the peace, added the researchers. Significantly more Malays and Indians (about 40 per cent each) wanted greater state involvement in race issues than Chinese (24 per cent) - a sign that ethnic minorities are more likely to perceive or experience discrimination than the majority. A similar trend was seen for religion. In addition, people of minority races with a university degree and above desired more state intervention than their less-educated counterparts, showing that increased education results in greater awareness of, and desire to resolve, racial and religious issues, said the study. MINORITY RACES, YOUTH MORE LIKELY TO PROBE POTENTIAL DISCRIMINATION When asked how they would respond after getting an e-mail or phone message that a business had refused to serve people from a certain race or religion, nearly half of both Malays and Indians said they were likely to investigate the issue, compared with 37 per cent of Chinese. About 30 per cent each of Malays and Indians were also more likely to take the allegation seriously by reporting it to the authorities, compared with 13 per cent of Chinese. Younger Singaporeans would also be more proactive in tracing the source of such a message, with two-thirds saying they would check with their friend who sent it, compared with only half of respondents aged 65 and above. This could be because younger people aged 18 to 25 are more sensitive and concerned about discrimination. Being digital natives, they are likely to investigate matters further, said the study. Overall, the study showed that an overwhelming 92 per cent of respondents believed the Government had done well to improve racial and religious harmony. An example of vigorous state intervention to combat social divides, it said, can be seen in the area of religion - where a range of hard and soft legislation like the Internal Security Act, Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, and the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles has prevented potential discord and wider conflict. But while seven in 10 aged above 65 agreed that the Government is responsible for racial and religious harmony in Singapore, only half of respondents aged 18 to 25 felt this way, it added. The researchers said this shows older Singaporeans may attribute greater responsibility to the state, or believe these fault lines are most effectively managed by strong government intervention. But going forward, younger generations could prefer a more community-driven approach to race and religion. Aiyah, why waste time and $$$ to conduct such survey, just sit at neighborhood coffee shop, food court, or even surfing HWZ, MCF, etc. will get you the same results. May I add that this is a typical example of people at the top loosing touch with people on the ground...

Isn't this a form of discrimination towards straight applicants? There are people who turned Hong Lim Park upside down because employers prefer certain race only or certain foreign nationalities only; let's see who is going to Cry father Cry Mother over this new form of discrimination. Is there a need to differentiate sexual orientation? http://mypaper.sg/top-stories/wanted-goldman-sachs-lgbt-employees-20140430 Wanted by Goldman Sachs: LGBT employees SAMANTHA BOH IN WHAT could be a first here, renowned investment bank Goldman Sachs has made a specific recruitment call to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. Next month, it will hold an LGBT recruitment and networking dinner at its Singapore office, where attendees would be able to "discuss issues and concerns regarding being 'out' in the workplace with participants". An event listing on the company's website also made reference to its support of the Pink Dot event that is to take place in June. Goldman Sachs has been firm on being inclusive, regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation, boasting a list of employee networks such as The Disability Interest Forum, The Goldman Sachs Women's Network and LGBT Network. Human resource experts told My Paper that given the labour crunch, companies should be mindful about closing doors on any specific group of people. Erman Tan, president of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, said: "It is good for employer branding as it shows that they are open and unconventional in their approach. "It can appear very attractive, especially to the younger generation." Such a move would also send a strong signal to the rest of the LGBT community that it is an organisation that does not discriminate against any type of talent, said Linda Teo, country manager of Manpower Staffing Services (Singapore). "As companies strive to be globalised and be competitive in their own industry, it is imperative to have a good diversity of talent for their workplace, regardless of gender, sexuality or race," she said. Companies here are becoming more accepting of LGBT employees, but multinational companies clearly take the lead in this. Many Asian or local firms remain conservative, said experts. Ms Teo said it might just be a case of being "unsure of what to expect or how to manage their interactions with co-workers", which can be resolved with open communication or adjustments in work processes, when necessary. But there are those who choose to just not shine the spotlight on the issue. Ronald Lee, managing director of PrimeStaff Management Services, said companies evaluate any application based on an individual's competencies. "They don't ask personal questions like one's sexual orientation," he said. Mr Tan said: "Some companies have the policy not to talk about it but once you declare it to them, they become unfavourable towards you." Jean Chong, co-founder of lesbian group Sayoni, said: "Singapore is very backward in this aspect, so it is good that major financial institutions are taking the lead. "But the world is changing and, sooner or later, this will no longer be a big deal."

Was doing some reading - it seems the US is on the verge of electing their first OPENLY LGBT Senator. So I did a bit of research (well ok, I went to wiki) As far as world wide trends go, the US is quite far behind - Belgium, for example, has had an openly Gay PM For New Zealand, I must say I am quite proud of the listing you can see here. Member of Parliament: Female: Marilyn Waring (National) 1975

OK I feel like riling some feathers. For those who don't know, LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered. A term to cover mountain cover sea. I was just browsing over in Youtube and encountered these two very artsy LGBT short films. First this one is a coming-of-age one. Depends on how you interpret it. I love to hear your interpretations if you click on it. Only a man's backside is shown. No sexual acts. It is very short film. It is called Zucht which is "sigh" in Dutch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9QwIWsZmjw Next is this one called The Closet. Rather sad but also can be uplifting. Watch in HQ if you can.