Sayoni Summer Camp 2011

Written by Sayoni Summer Camp on . Posted in Sayoni Camp

Sayoni's queer women's summer camp is back for its third year! This year our camp will be held during the long weekend of 30 April (Saturday) to 2nd May (Monday, a public holiday).

Interested in spending a long weekend in the company of interesting women? Do you enjoy guided workshops about topics close to our hearts? Games in a glittering pool with beautiful women? Or waking up to delicious breakfasts in a gorgeous beach resort with your newfound friends?

At our summer camp, you can have all this and more. SSC'11 has an exciting line-up of activities for the fresh campgoer or the returning cool camper.

 

More details can be found at http://www.sayoni.com/ssc11

Early Bird Special until 14 Feb. Reserve your place early to avoid missing out!


 

ssc11_poster

Sayoni Turns 5

Written by sayoni on . Posted in Events

Come join us on Saturday, 8th January 2011 as we celebrate Sayoni turning 5.


SayoniParty


It will be a great night of fun, games and entertainment including the following:

* Sayoni Woman Of The Year Award

* Eligible Bachelorettes Date Auction

* Soft Launch of The Coming Out Guide

* Lucky draw with Top prize valued at $500

Register now by clicking this link: http://bit.ly/gEzZeh

BE(e):Believe | Beloved | Beyond

Written by sayoni on . Posted in Events

BE(e): Believe / Beloved / Beyond

Be(e): Believe | Beloved | Beyond


Financial and Legal
Be money smart and financially secure. Build a promising future. Learn about the instruments of
investments and how to accumulate wealth effectively. We will teach you simple ways to manage
loans and get out of debt. Understand about investment behavioural patterns. Know about the
medical and commercial laws that are essential to you.
Proudly brought to you by Sayoni-OCW and conducted by Teh Hooi Ling and Yong Mei Ling.

OC Women, in conjunction with Sayoni, presents a three-part series for queer women/women who love women.

 

Sayoni Summer Camp Returns!

Written by alina on . Posted in Sayoni Camp

In 2009, Sayoni began a new initiative, an overseas vacation “camp” specifically for queer women. The inaugural run in Batam was a great success, attended by a large number of participants hailing from different walks of life. Bringing together a blend of personal development workshops and outdoor activities with ample bonding time, the 3-day camp was an uplifting experience for its attendees, providing a valuable space for fun, growth and connection with other queer women. A life-changing time for some, the camp has allowed its participants to forge enduring bonds beyond the camp itself and given others an opportunity to expand their own boundaries with new experiences.

 

The Sayoni Summer Camp team is gearing up for its second camp this year, titled SSC’10 for short. We hope to share the SSC experience with new and former participants alike. We welcome you to join us from 4-6 September this year for an all-inclusive vacation at a beach resort in Thailand.

 

More details can be found at http://www.sayoni.com/ssc10

Early Bird Special until 24 June! Registration ends 15 Aug.

 

ssc10_flyer_xs

 

These are some of the comments from participants of SSC09:

 

"I did take something away from the camp. Something positive, chief among which is AWARENESS. Of the community, of the commitment of those who work so hard to make life and/or transition a little easier, of the quality of leadership and the quality of the people who are a part of our lives whether wittingly or unwittingly – TOP NOTCH, OUTSTANDING WOMEN. I have never before in my life, been surrounded by so many wonderful women, on an island no less. Thank you for that experience."

 

"As quickly as ‘team’ surfaced from the diversity, the spirit of ‘family’ soon emerged by the 2nd day of the camp. You could say we played our way into each other’s hearts. Water polo matches, meal times, BBQ dinner, late-night symposiums and even on the ferry back, these were all dear moments of playful fun, hearty laughter, good conversations, and explicit sharings. We found ourselves to be different yet so similar in our struggles, challenges, discrimination, hopes and dreams."

 

"Best thing abt ssc09 is of course the most incredible organizers I've met! And i did learnt more abt myself and those around me. I also loved the sharing sessions because that would definitely help others if not yourself too. I am happy that I am better equipped with knowledge and friends who CAN be really open abt their experiences."

 

Links:

Visit us on Facebook

Talk about SSC10 in the Sayoni Forums

See our previous articles on the topic

Follow the Twitter Feed for Sayoni Summer Camp ’10

Superwomen in Concert

Written by Indu on . Posted in Events

AWARE superwomen
TICKETS GO ON SALE 8 APRIL THROUGH SISTIC
FOR SPECIAL VIP PACKAGES, SEE HERE:
http://www.aware.org.sg/superwomen/super-tickets/
For the very first time at the Esplanade Concert Hall, an all-female, all-star line-up will join forces in an unprecedented evening of music, song and laughter to celebrate women and 25 years of AWARE!
This one-night-only blockbuster extravaganza includes the delicious Dim Sum Dollies, the legendary Rahimah Rahim, “Bowling Queen” Grace Young, national-squash-player-turned-music-director Belinda Foo, rock goddess Wendi Koh, trail blazer Beatrice Chia-Richmond, rapturous Rani Singam, dedicated theatre mothers Tan Kheng Hua, Karen Lim, Petrina Kow and their daring daughters, distinguished Constance Singam and her violin, saxophonist and singing wonder Kuo Po, singer-songwriter Michaela Therese and vocal sensation Ann Hussein.
More:
http://www.aware.org.sg/superwomen/

Sayoni Dinner Gathering - May Issue

Written by irene on . Posted in Events

The Sayoni Dinner Gathering which you have been waiting for is back again!

 

We are going to have Indian food this time round, with a big group of lovely ladies.

 

The dinner will be happening on 8th May, Saturday at 7 pm. You are welcomed to bring your friends, but please note that this event is for queer women only.

 

The venue will be revealed upon RSVP. To register, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your contact number, dietary requirements and number of guests (if any).

 

The dinner will cost $20 per pax. We have gone to great lengths to try to keep the dinners affordable. :)

 

Please also RSVP if you already have dinner plan that evening but are planning to join us at some point, but do tell me what time you are coming!

 

Yay dinner! *does a little dance*

The Freedom To Love

Written by Pink Dot on . Posted in Events

johnson1

 

Coming out of the closet is seldom easy. Just ask DJ Big Kid (otherwise known as Johnson Ong), a prominent name at dance parties across Asia.

 

Big Kid is Singaporean, gay, and closeted to his family. In fact, this story might be his way of leaving the proverbial doors open for future conversations with his loved ones. “I grew up in an environment where I was told being gay is wrong; that I needed to cast out the demons,” he said.

 

To face the prejudices he encountered growing up, Big Kid said ‘yes’ to being a Pink Dot 2010 ambassador, along with GLBT-supportive celebrities Tan Kheng Hua and Adrian Pang.

 

He says: “Last year’s Pink Dot was a fantastic effort… and it’s a simple thing that we can do once a year to say that LGBT people are a part of the Singapore family.”

 

Pink Dot is a one-day event celebrating the freedom to love, regardless of their sexual orientation. Last year, 2,500 people turned up at the pink picnic held at Hong Lim Park to celebrate Pink Dot day. The high-profile event also received attention from local and international media, like the International Herald Tribune and the BBC.

 

This year, Pink Dot honours kinship and family – in support and in recognition of our parents, siblings, relatives and friends of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Singaporeans. Come join in the fun on May 15, 2010 at Hong Lim Park.

 

Big Kid suspects some members of his family might be aware of his sexual orientation. But so far, none of them have confronted him. He’s pretty certain that this same dynamic applies to many gay Singaporeans – a code of ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ within families, so as to avoid difficult conversations.

Indignation 2008: What’s inside the head of homophobes

Written by sayoni on . Posted in Events

'It's so disgusting to see two men getting intimate!'
'Lesbian sex is unfathomable.'
'Homosexuals shouldn't exist on this planet.'

Which of these statements is/are homophobic in nature?

AnJ Ho will take you inside homophobia, to find out from the perspective of research: What constitutes homophobia? What's the profile of a typical homophobe like, and what might make a difference?

AnJ undertakes research at a local tertiary institution. Her research interests revolve around social psychology.

Date: Tuesday, 12 August 2008
Time: 7:30 pm
Venue: 72-13

Smile! Campaign

Written by Indu on . Posted in Events

Most of you should have read by now about PM Lee’s 4 Million Smiles Campaign. I make no comment about the effectiveness of this campaign, as there are already scathing reviews on it. Suffice to say that a genuine smile means more than a thousand plastic, forced smiles.

However, I wish to see this in the light of the gay community. The PM wants smiles. He wants normal, ordinary Singaporeans to send in photos of them smiling, so as to showcase the diversity in our country.

He wants diversity? Let’s give him diversity. I want every one of you – every person who is more or less out, and has a steady partner, to smile for him. I want you to wear rainbow colours, and pose as a couple for PM Lee. Hold hands, hug, whatever. And I want you to smile. I want you to show how very happy you are, and how undysfunctional and normal you are, even though you are gay.

Even if you are not attached, I want you to smile for him. Wear your pride necklace, pride band, anything that clearly indicates your sexuality. Say cheese, because you are doing the best thing possible for our community: being out, proud and visible. You are showing all those a**holes in the government that we are not a bunch of screwed-up, drug-using, psychopathic whores. And that we do care for the country, as much as any other straight baby-making person.And most importantly, that we are human.

This is our pride parade, people. Flaunt it.
Send in your smiles through this website: http://www.smiles2006.com/ .

A message from Sir Ian McKellen for Indignation

Written by sayoni on . Posted in Events

Just before leaving Singapore after a week here performing William Shakespeare’s “King Lear” and Anton Chekhov’s “The Seagull”, renowned actor Sir Ian McKellen left a video message in support of the gay community of Singapore, with a special mention of Indignation, the LGBT pride season.

To movie-goers, Sir Ian McKellen is better known as the wizard Gandalf in Lord of the Rings Trilogy, James Whale in Gods and Monsters, Magneto in X-Men and the Da Vinci Code.

Transcript :

Hello, this is Ian McKellen. I’m speaking to you from Singapore where I’ve had the most wonderful time with the Royal Shakespeare Company working at the Esplanade Theatre for the Singapore Repertory Theatre. I knew very little about Singapore until I came here and I was immediately enraptured by the beauty of the place, the old buildings as well as the new, the old culture and the new, and the people, who were unfailingly friendly and helpful at every turn. And of course, being openly gay, I managed to meet a lot of gay people.

And then we come to the one thing I don’t like about Singapore, which is 377A. You know that law. It’s a British law, and why the hell you’ve not got rid of it, I’m not quite sure. Well, I am sure, because it’s taken us a long time in the United Kingdom and the rest of the world to deal with these old problems, these ancient attitudes that need to be removed if we’re going to be part of the 21st Century. So it’s very important that gay people, wherever they are, should identify themselves, stick up for themselves, represent themselves, modestly and positively, so the rest of the world knows that we’re here and we’re not going to go away. And we’re happy to be here.

And that’s why Indignation is so important. Have a wonderful time. I congratulate the organisers and I hope it’s a step, certainly in the right direction, but a positive step towards one day getting rid of 377A. And you know I’m on your side, and I send you all my love. Bye Bye.

Above is taken from www.plu.sg.’ For full schedule of indignation programs go to www.plu.sg/indignation

 

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