Pink Dot SG's online rally attracts 11,000 views on Facebook

A livestream event to commemorate the annual Pink Dot SG rally broadcast on Saturday (June 27) night included short films, a music video and a documentary centred on issues affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.

It also featured local personalities Patricia Mok, Pam Oei and Harris Zaidi.

Local performers Charlie Lim, Joanna Dong and Mathilda D'Silva also participated in the event.

The annual event has been held every year since 2009 at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park to show support to the LGBTQ community.

It has been livestreamed in past years but this year's event was held only online due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Organisers planned a virtual programme to mark the date, inviting supporters to tune in online.

Supporters were also invited to sign up online to leave messages of love and support and select a location to represent where they were participating from, which was collectively displayed as a digital map of Singapore glowing pink at the end of the livestream.

Organisers also invited business owners and households to display pink lights during the month of June to show support to the LGBTQ community.

The livestream received more than 11,000 views on Facebook.

Pink Dot SG spokesman Clement Tan, who noted that Pink Dot has a large following among young people in Singapore, said: "LGBTQ youths in hostile home environments have been particularly affected during this pandemic, and they need to know that there are people in Singapore who love and support them.

"We are grateful for all of the support shown by allies this year, who are setting a great example of how a strong community is built on compassion, love and open-mindedness; not one divided by fear or ignorance."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.