Book Launch on 17 May

BooksActually
p r e s e n t s

「 I WILL SURVIVE :
Personal Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Stories in Singapore 」
edited by Leow Yangfa

: LAUNCH :
17th May 2013, Friday
7.30pm at Math Paper Press
(№ 62 Neil Road)

Join us at 62 Neil Road on 17 May to mark the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO).   Join the Facebook event page here.

This event will feature excerpt readings by special guests, question & answer, and a book signing session with the editor.

: SPECIAL GUESTS :

~ Ovidia Yu, award-winning novelist, short-story writer and playwright. Among her many works are The Woman in a Tree on the Hill, Three Fat Virgins, Hitting (On) Women, and Miss Moorthy Investigates.

~ Tania De Rozario, award-winning writer and visual artist, whose latest collection of poetry Tender Delirium has just been published by Math Paper Press.

~ Leona Lo, who published her autobiography From Leonard to Leona, A Singapore Transsexual’s Journey to Womanhood in 2007 . This was staged as The Ah Kua Show in Singapore in 2009, & in New York a year later.

~ Ng Yi-Sheng, freelance writer & visual arts administrator. His publications include a collection of coming out stories SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, GASPP: a Gay Anthology of Singapore Poetry and Prose.

~ Miak Siew, Singapore’s first fully-ordained & openly-gay pastor, who serves at the LGBT-affirmative Free Community Church.

∞

: ABOUT THE BOOK :

What is it like to be gay and experience bullying in school or National Service ? How do you deal with being rejected by your family and religious group because of your sexual orientation ? How are women’s experiences different or similar to men’s ? What does one go through in an abusive same-sex relationship, or when one loses a partner to suicide ? What does a transgender man or woman go through in Singapore ? When you have been diagnosed with a life-long illness, how do you continue living ?

This collection brings together real-life experiences of love, grace, faith, dignity and courage from 21 ordinary gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Singapore who have survived extraordinary circumstances.

We will live. We will thrive. We will survive.

∞

: ABOUT THE EDITOR :

Leow Yangfa has spent most of his adult life involved in social services, including a previous job in a statutory organisation, and volunteer work with an HIV/ AIDS group in Singapore and a charity for the homeless in London. He is professionally trained in social policy and social work.

Pink Dot families

Have you been to Pink Dot before? With a family member: sibling, parent, child, spouse, in-law, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew, niece, grandparent, grandchild?

Regardless of your sexual or gender orientation – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, straight, cisgender, please get in touch!

Leading up to Pink Dot on 29 June 2013, I Will Survive is looking to interview & photograph people for a magazine feature article on “Pink Dot Families”.

Drop me an email or Facebook message, and we’ll take it from there!

Leow Yangfa

Editor, I Will Survive

I Will Survive: A public apology

I Will Survive apologises for being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender,

Queer, PLU, faggot, dyke, poof, AJ, butch, femme, sister,

Pondan, ah kua, bapok, ren yao, wadam, kedi, muffadet, 302;

Or whatever you may choose to call us.

We are deeply sorry to be subjected to:

Homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, heterosexism,

Misrepresentation, abuse, discrimination, stigma, violence;

And not have anyone else understand what it really means to us.

We unreservedly apologise for having unequal access to:

Safer sex education, employment opportunities, home ownership,

Healthcare treatment, media portrayal, social support,

And justice.

We wholly accept that we have no equal rights to:

Marriage, parenthood, adoption,

Safety, freedom, expression,

And love.

**********

The above statement is issued by I Will Survive: Personal gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender stories in Singapore in response to nothing in particular.