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This is a new segment on our blog, where we will be covering bits and pieces of visibility of queer community, especially queer women, in the media – books, TV shows, movies, theater, celebrities, you name it.

Grey’s Anatomy

So the last we spoke about this, Callie and Erica were hanging out every single day, sipping wine and being Best Friends Forever, or rather in Addison’s words, “a very happy couple”. Two episodes have passed since then, and the storyline has been taken to a new dimension. Addison came back on the previous episode “S4E13 – Pieces of My Heart”, with a new and improved Gaydar, and asks Callie whether she was “speaking the Vagina Monologues”, making her blush and stammer and laugh and explain how much she loves penis (that never stopped anyone from loving pussy, okay?). In an effort to prove her heterosexuality, she starts having marathon sex with Dr Sloan, who, as of this week, is officially known as The Whore.

This week, on “S4E14 – The Becoming”, after avoiding Erica the entire day, Callie finally admits to her what is going on, and tell her what Addison said. The two laugh at first as if it is completely ridiculous, but then it turns into a grimace, when they realise that maybe there is a grain of truth to it. Where is this going? No idea.

ABC also gave us a great gay goodie this week, completely blowing family-friendly into the water. They addressed the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell problem, by having a gay soldier who was in the hospital for a tumour, trying to keep his relationship with his fellow soldier a secret. The great thing about it? They actually KISSED on screen – a full-on, on-the-lips-with-tongue-and-passion-kiss that lasted for more than 10 seconds, probably making their own mark on network television history. The soldier died from the tumour anyway (or rather, the experimental surgery that was part of the clinical trial he was in), but that gave us the opportunity to see the father and boyfriend find some sort of brief unity over a person they both loved.

A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila II

On the third episode of Tila, they combined Survivor and Fear Factor into one show, and the girls won both challenges, AGAIN, landing a crushing blow to the collective egos of malekind. Lisa is on a winning streak after being told to step it up and open up, and she did just that… I am starting to like her too.

The boys on Tila are annoying me so badly, I can’t even root for any of them. This assessment is not biased in any way, being bisexual myself – even Kristy, the resident bisexual contestant was much more annoyed than the rest, almost getting into a fight with Jay.

The maturity level of the boys are about the level of 15-year old boys (whom I am generally allergic to). Even Kyle, the only boy on the cast for whom I would throw down, decided to participate in the big panty raid that Chad, The World’s Most Immature Man, initiated. Jay and Chad, the dynamic duo, even annoy the other guys by heckling and making inappropriate remarks. I really want to meet whoever did the auditions – either they were drunk at the time, or so few men showed up, that the cream of the crop is so un-creamy that it is just water.

This week, Dominic, V, Ryan and Lauryn got eliminated. Dominic, for a very good reason, that he doesn’t believe bisexuality or lesbianism is real. The rest are just not connecting with Tila. I don’t understand why Jay and Chad are not going home yet – it will kill me if either of them make it all the way to the Top Five. I doubt it though – Tila likes nice, sensitive men, not testosterone-laden, homophobic idiots like Chad.

If you wish to contribute to this column, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your commentary/news piece in less than 300 words. Please note the criteria is that it has to be current media. For overseas TV shows, it has to be quite soon after it has been aired in their home country, and not when they air locally.

This was reported in the Straits Times on 8th May.

IN THE first case of its kind, a chef infected with HIV was charged in court yesterday with engaging in oral sex with a 16-year-old without first informing him of the risks of contracting the virus that causes Aids.Chan Mun Chiong, 43, pleaded guilty to that charge as well as to another of committing an act of gross indecency with the teen.

The Ministry of Health summons charge said he had oral sex without first telling the teenager about the HIV risk. He also failed to get him to voluntarily agree to accept that risk. The offence carries a fine of up to $10,000 or up to two years in jail, or both.

The sex charge said that the bespectacled, spiky-haired man and the boy performed the sex acts in a cubicle of a men’s toilet at the Northpoint Shopping Centre in Yishun on Sept 15 last year. For the gross indecency charge, he faces a jail term of up to two years.

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Image Copyright of Sayoni

One Sunday I had lunch with my uncle. We get along fairly well and I am out to him, but we are not at the stage where we have copious open free conversations about my relationship status or my partner. Anyhow, during lunch, it was just the two of us because my aunt was out of town. We were having a routine, run-of-the-mill conversation as usual (What are you ordering; how was your trip to Bangkok, how much did you pay for a massage; did you know that iceberg lettuce lowers blood sugar; the car is due for servicing etc)

We were talking about my job and how much I have been traveling around the region, and he asked me “So with you flying so much, what does Jean think?” That caught me off guard. I replied, “Yeah, she is OK with my traveling” while my brain processed my myriad feelings. I hadn’t expected that question, and least of all from one of my relatives. I felt happy, optimistic, touched / warmed, grateful…

For me, that simple question spoke volumes. Maybe I set my expectations too low but remembering Jean’s name would already score him points in my book. I would have been happy enough had he merely asked “How is Jean?” But his question was an acknowledgement of our relationship. And the recognition that our relationship, just like any other relationship, would also be subject to the demands and stresses of life. It was an abbreviated form of “How does your partner deal with your frequent traveling? How has it impacted your relationship?”

That really touched me. Since I started my current job about 6 months ago, various friends have asked “How’s Jean taking it?”, and bless their dear concerned hearts. But none of my family have asked, and I didn’t expect them to either. I have resigned myself to the fact that, save one or two sane individuals, the clan wouldn’t be able to accept my orientation, and I say that because the small percentage who are in on the secret don’t even talk about it. Now my uncle has (in my book) joined the ranks of the “one or two sane individuals”.

This little conversation was a paradigm shift for me. It made me realise that there is yet hope; that people’s minds can be changed; and that just because change happens so slowly as to be unnoticeable, doesn’t mean that it is not happening. I am the type who subscribes to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And When Tell, Tell Subtly and Indirectly. So from this incident I am cheered, encouraged and inspired. Cliched as it sounds, sometimes we just have to do our best, and let God do the rest.

Fridae.com, in support of People Like Us� Indignation gay pride season, is organising the Singapore premiere of the film �Wilde� on Tuesday 13 May 2008, at the Lido theatres.

Directed by Brian Gilbert, this 1997 film tells the story of celebrated poet, novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde, who in 1895 was convicted of �gross indecency� under a UK law that was the precursor of Singapore�s infamous Section 377A. Wilde was a martyr to the moral hypocrisy of his time, and which unfortunately still lives on in Singapore.

The film was banned by the Singapore censors when first released. It has now been re-rated under revised film guidelines (post 2002 censorship review) as R21.

Fridae�s gala premiere is intended as a fund-raiser for Indignation, since Indignation events themselves (scheduled for August 2008) are traditionally free of charge, in order to be accessible to everyone. Tickets are priced at $20 (US$15) and $50 (US$38) – the latter includes a cocktail reception – and are available from Fridae�s movie site, or more directly from their tickets shop.

Crocodile men�s wear and Shaw theatres are the other sponsors and People Like Us would like to express our thanks to them and Fridae for their support.

Sayoni has been, and still is, a proud participant in Indignation over the years, and we would like to express our full support to this Gala Premiere.