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{{EngvarB|date=January 2019}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2023}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2009}}
{{Transgender sidebar}}
{{Transgender sidebar}}
The history and [[subculture]] surrounding '''transgender people in Singapore''' is substantial.<ref name="SGT">{{cite journal |last1=Kaan |first1=Terry Sheung-Hung |title=Singapore |journal=The Legal Status of Transsexual and Transgender Persons |date=22 December 2015 |pages=391–424 |doi=10.1017/9781780685588.019 |isbn=9781780685588 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/legal-status-of-transsexual-and-transgender-persons/singapore/36647381FC57E62C2C71ED3D20F2073B |access-date=6 June 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926022635/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/legal-status-of-transsexual-and-transgender-persons/singapore/36647381FC57E62C2C71ED3D20F2073B |url-status=live }}</ref> As with [[LGBT rights in Singapore|LGBT rights]] in the country in general, '''transgender rights in Singapore''' have also evolved significantly over time, including various laws and public attitudes in regards to identity documents, as well as anti-discrimination measures used by or pertaining to transgender people, in the areas of employment, education, housing and social services, amongst others.<ref name="SGT"/>
The history and [[subculture]] surrounding '''transgender people in Singapore''' is substantial. Not immediately apparent to Singapore's mainstream society is the fact that the gay community sees itself as a totally separate entity from the [[transgender]] communities. They are individual subcultures with many different priorities and concerns.

[[Gender-affirming surgery]] is legal in the country since 1973, the first country in Asia to legalise it. However, a citizen of Singapore is only able to change their legal sex after undergoing gender-affirming surgery, being physically examined by a relevant practitioner (such as an endocrinologist or plastic surgeon), and being found that genitalia has been completely changed. A change in gender marker applies to most government documents, including the [[National Registration Identity Card|NRIC]] and passport, only excluding the birth certificate (if the citizen was born in Singapore). In 1996, marriage was also legalised for transgender people.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |work=Singapore Infopedia |author=Chan Meng Choo |year=2011 |title=First sex reassignment surgery |url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1828_2011-08-04.html |publisher=[[National Library Board]] |access-date=1 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601195553/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1828_2011-08-04.html |archive-date=1 June 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Summary ==
{| class=wikitable
|-
!Right to change legal name
!Right to change legal gender
!Right to access medical treatment
!Right to marry
!Military service
|-
|<!--Right to change legal name--> [[Image:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] [[Deed poll]] and statutory declaration available
|<!--Right to change legal gender--> [[Image:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] Since 1973
|<!--Right to access medical treatment--> [[Image:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] Always legal
|<!--Right to marry-->[[Image:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] Since 1996, after an amendment was made to the [[Women's Charter]]
|<!--Military service-->[[Image:Yes check.svg|15px|Yes]] Since the 1990s{{efn|See [[transgender people in Singapore#National service]] for more details.}}
|}


==History==
==History==

===National service===
===National service===
<!---
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2010}}
[[National service]] was implemented in 1967, whereby all 18-year-old males were required to train full-time for two or two-and-a-half years, depending on their educational attainment. [[Transgender]] was listed as a condition in a [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF) 'Directory of Diseases' and recruits who outed themselves to the examining doctors at the [[Central Manpower Base]] (CMPB) at [[Depot Road]] had their 'deployability' denied in sensitive positions. They were classified as Category 302 personnel, downgraded to a Physical Employment Status of C or E and assigned only non-combat roles at military bases.
[[National service]] was implemented in 1967, whereby all 18-year-old males were required to train full-time for two years. [[Transgenderism]] was listed as a condition (later removed sometime in the late 1990s) in a [[Singapore Armed Forces]] (SAF) 'Directory of Diseases' and recruits who declared their status to examining doctors who would later had their 'deployability' denied in sensitive positions. They were classified as Category 302 personnel, downgraded to a Physical Employment Status of C or E and assigned only non-combat roles at military bases. --->


Transgender individuals who have undergone [[Gender-affirming surgery|sex reassignment surgery]] (SRS) do not need to serve National Service. However due to the difficulty of transitioning early, only a very small percentage of transgender people in Singapore undergo SRS before having to enter National Service. It is possible for transgender people to be exempted from National Service despite not undergoing sex reassignment surgery. However, this is mostly up to the medical-officer in charge and varies case by case. In general, transgender women that look like [[cisgender]] women have a much higher chance of being exempted.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reply to Media Queries on Transgender Individual Serving NS |url=https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/news-and-events/latest-releases/article-detail/2016/may/2016may01-media-queries-00035/ |website=www.mindef.gov.sg |publisher=Ministry of Defence |access-date=17 September 2022 |language=en |date=1 May 2016 |quote=All male Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 18 years are required to serve National Service (NS) if they are medically fit. Those who are legally declared female will not be required to serve NS.}}</ref>
"Transgender individuals who have undergone sex reassignment surgery (SRS) are able to skip National Service entirely. However due to the difficulty of transitioning early, only a very small percentage of transsexuals in Singapore are actually able to obtain SRS before having to enter National Service.
In rare cases, it's possible for transgender people to be exempted from National Service despite not undergoing sex reassignment surgery. However this is mostly up to the medical-officer in charge and varies case by case. In general, transsexuals that look like [[cisgender]] females have a much higher chance of being exempted."[http://pages.rediff.com/transgender-people-in-singapore/567537]


===Early sex reassignment surgery===
===Sex reassignment surgery===
As Singaporean gynaecological surgeons became more skilful, leaders in the field like Prof. S [[Shan Ratnam]] were authorised to perform [[sex reassignment surgery male-to-female]] (SRS) at [[Kandang Kerbau Hospital]]. Surgery on genitalia had been done prior to 1971, but only for patients who had both male and female reproductive organs. <ref> 1. Yeo, J. (1971, July 31). http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19710731.2.73.aspx. The Straits Times, p. 17; Tan, W. </ref> The first such operation in Asia took place in Singapore in July 1971. However, before patients could go under the knife, they first had to subject themselves to an exhaustive battery of tests and be given a clean psychological bill of health by chief academic [[psychiatrist]] Prof. [[Tsoi Wing Foo]].
Sexual reassignment surgery in Singapore are only conducted by approved gynecologists, such as [[Shan Ratnam]]. Surgery on genitalia had been done prior to 1971 but only for patients who had both male and female reproductive organs.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yeo |first=Joseph |date=31 July 1971 |title=First sex change surgery in S'pore |pages=17 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19710731.2.73 |access-date=3 September 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926022530/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19710731.2.73 |url-status=live }}</ref>


The first sexual reassignment surgery, a [[Gender-affirming surgery (male-to-female)|male to female sex reassignment surgery]], was done in July 1971 at [[Kandang Kerbau Hospital]]. The person was a 24-year-old Chinese Singaporean and had extensively cross dressed by her grandmother when young and then frequent the transgender scene in her teen years. She underwent psychological analysis by psychiatrists to be suitable for the surgery and legal approval was obtained from the Ministry of Health.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Wee Lian |date=11 November 1971 |title=They're still 'misters' despite sex change |pages=8 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19711111.2.61 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |access-date=3 September 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926022531/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19711111.2.61 |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Legal reform===
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2010}}
"In 1973, Singapore legalised [[sex-reassignment surgery]]. A policy was instituted to enable post-operative transsexual people to change the legal gender on their identity cards (but not their birth certificates) and other documents which flowed from that. There was no specific provision in the statutes which allowed the Registrar to do this, so it existed probably only at the level of a policy directive. However, for over 20 years, this policy seemed to have operated smoothly."<ref>http://www.docstoc.com/docs/89780664/Transgender_people_in_Singapore</ref>


In 1974, Ratnam also headed a team of surgeon to perform the first [[Gender-affirming surgery (female-to-male)|female to male sex reassignment surgery]] in Singapore<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kwee |first=Masie |date=20 October 1974 |title=S'pores first sex change woman |pages=1 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19741020-1.2.12 |access-date=3 September 2023 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926022533/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19741020-1.2.12 |url-status=live }}</ref> and probably the first in [[Southeast Asia]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kwee |first=Masie |date=25 February 1975 |title=4 WOMEN AWAIT SEX CHANGE OPERATION |pages=4 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19750225-1.2.28 |access-date=3 September 2023 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926022533/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19750225-1.2.28 |url-status=live }}</ref> was also offered at [[Kandang Kerbau Hospital]] and at [[Alexandra Hospital]]. A Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) and Gender Reassignment Surgery Clinic were set up at the [[National University Hospital]] two decades later. It was headed by Ratnam. For 30 years, Singapore was one of the world leaders in SRS, performing more than 500 such operations.{{When|date=September 2023}}
===Further developments in sex reassignment institutions===
Later, the more technically demanding [[sex reassignment surgery female-to-male]] was also offered at [[Kandang Kerbau Hospital]] and at [[Alexandra Hospital]], performed by gynaecologists such as Dr. Ilancheran. A Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) and Gender Reassignment Surgery Clinic were set up at the [[National University Hospital]] two decades later. It was headed by Prof. S [[Shan Ratnam]] until his retirement in 1995, after which leadership passed to his nephew, Dr. Anandakumar. In fact, for 30 years, Singapore was one of the world leaders in SRS, performing more than 500 such operations. This gave a new lease on life to the many transgender individuals whose bodies did not match their gender identity. As one consequence of this, Bugis Street and Johore Road started to become populated with a range of gendervariant people like cross dressers, gender non-conforming people, and trans people.


In the late 1980s, authorities requested hospitals to stop SRS for fear of exposure of [[HIV]] to surgical teams.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Shan |first=Hoe Pei |date=2014-12-28 |title=Sex change operations dwindling in Singapore |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sex-change-operations-dwindling-in-singapore |access-date=2024-09-26 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926022539/https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sex-change-operations-dwindling-in-singapore |url-status=live }}</ref> The request was subsequently stopped in 2001.<ref name=":2" />
In the 1970s, a well-known [[transgender]] model was occasionally featured in [[Her World]] magazine.


Since 2013, no public hospitals in Singapore offer SRS.<ref name=":2" /> In 2014, [[The Straits Times]], the main local newspaper, asked [[Ministry of Health (Singapore)|Ministry of Health]] (MOH) on why the surgery was stopped, MOH replied that the surgery was not subsidied and done with safeguards.<ref name=":2" />
===Legalisation of transgender marriage===
Since the mid-1970s, post-operative [[transgender]] people had been discreetly lobbying to be given the right to marry opposite-sex spouses. In 1996, a bill was presented before the [[Parliament of Singapore]] and the [[Women's Charter]] amended to read:<ref>http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/non_version/cgi-bin/cgi_getdata.pl?actno=2009-REVED-353&doctitle=WOMEN%92S%20CHARTER%0A&date=latest&method=part&segid=1257908388-000148 {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref>
*Avoidance of marriages between persons of same sex.
**(1) A marriage solemnised in Singapore or elsewhere between persons who, at the time of the marriage, are not respectively male and female shall be void.
**(2) It is hereby declared that, subject to sections 5, 9, 10, 11 and 22, a marriage solemnised in Singapore or elsewhere between a person who has undergone a sex reassignment procedure and any person of the opposite sex is and shall be deemed always to have been a valid marriage.
**(3) For the purpose of this section
***(a) the sex of any party to a marriage as stated at the time of the marriage in his or her identity card issued under the National Registration Act (Cap. 201) shall be prima facie evidence of the sex of the party; and
***(b) a person who has undergone a sex reassignment procedure shall be identified as being of the sex to which the person has been reassigned.
**(4) Nothing in subsection (2) shall validate any such marriage which had been declared by the [[High Court of Singapore|High Court]] before 1 May 1997 to be null and void on the ground that the parties were of the same sex.


In 2024, [[Sengkang Group Representation Constituency]]'s MP [[Jamus Lim]] asked MOH during parliament session on why SRS was stopped in 2014 and any plans to resume SRS, MOH replied that it still offered SRS for medically necessary care and not subsidied.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gender Confirmation Surgery |url=https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/gender-confirmation-surgery |website=[[Ministry of Health (Singapore)|Ministry of Health]]}}</ref>
The minister moving the bill argued that since 1973, the government's intention was for people who had changed gender/sex to live a life according to their new gender, including the right to marry. Through an oversight, the law relating to marriage had not been re-aligned with the official policy to recognise sex reassignment surgery. Now that the courts had illuminated this inconsistency after a landmark case in which a woman sought and won the annulment of her marriage to a [[trans man]] (Lim Ying v Hiok Kian Ming Eric), it was necessary to amend the Women's Charter to ensure that the original intent was not undermined. Transgender people were officially granted their wish on 24 January 1996 via an announcement by [[Member of Parliament|MP]] [[Abdullah Tarmugi]] without much public fanfare or opposition.


===Closure and reopening of the GIC===
===Transitioning as a minor===
Permission from guardians is required for those under 21 to undergo transition, but [[hormone replacement therapy]] is not available for those under 18. It should be of note that minors transitioning face challenges in the school system, with a lack of accommodations for issues such as bathroom choice and school uniforms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://transgendersg.com/healthcare/|title = Trans Healthcare in Singapore}}</ref>
The Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) at the [[National University Hospital]] quietly closed in 2001. The official explanation was that the gynaecologist in charge had left for private practice, and without him, the clinic did not have the skills to perform SRS. However, as early as 1987, the Ministry of Health had been directing hospitals to stop doing such operations on foreigners. It also discouraged them for Singaporeans, saying 'the increased danger of AIDS with such patients poses unnecessary risk to hospital staff'.


===Legal reforms===
This dismayed transgender people seeking to have their operations performed locally. The online edition of the now-defunct newspaper [[Project Eyeball]] carried out a survey in June 2001 asking, "Should [[Sex reassignment surgery|sex-change]] operations be resumed in Singapore?" 39% of respondents said, "Yes, they are people with valid medical needs, like infertile couples" and 35% said, "Why not? It is legal here, as are [[transsexual]] marriages". The results showed that Singaporeans were generally quite supportive.
In 1973, Singapore legalised SRS. A policy was instituted to enable post-operative transgender people to change the legal gender on their [[National Registration Identity Card]] (NRIC) but not their birth certificates<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=3 November 1986 |title=Sex-change cases can get new ICs |pages=13 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19861103-1.2.24.7 |access-date=3 September 2023 |via=[[NewspaperSG]]}}</ref> and other documents which flowed from that. There was no specific provision in the statutes which allowed the Registrar to do this, so it existed probably only at the level of a policy directive.


===Transgender marriage===
The transgender community petitioned for the GIC to be reopened and were successful, with the clinic discreetly resuming its services in 2003, helmed by Dr. Ilancheran. However, owing to the [[discrimination against transgender people]] in Singapore even within some segments of the medical community, the high financial outlay involved and the necessity for psychological clearance, many preferred to have their operations performed sans the hassles in [[Bangkok]], which had by then become the première centre for SRS.
Before 1996, Singapore legally did not allow transgender marriage but it was implicitly allowed before 1991.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goh |first=Teng Teng |date=26 January 1996 |title=They were allowed to wed before |pages=9 |work=[[The New Paper]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/newpaper19960126-1.2.13.1 |access-date=3 September 2023 |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926023115/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/newpaper19960126-1.2.13.1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Before 1991, the [[Registry of Marriages]] (ROM) only verify the gender of couples based on their legal gender recorded on the NRIC which can be changed after a successful SRS.<ref name=":1" />


In 1991, a woman successfully received an annulment of her marriage with her husband after failing to have sex on their wedding night. Later, she discovered that her spouse was transgender and subsequently filed for divorce. As a response, ROM began requiring couples to produce their birth certificates (of which gender markers are inalterable) during declaration of their intent of marriage. In the aftermath of the divorce, a [[High Court of Singapore|High Court]] ruled in the same year that transgender people cannot be married in Singapore.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 August 1996 |title='I do' — and no need to state gender at birth |pages=6 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960830-1.2.89.5.2 |access-date=3 September 2023 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926023116/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960830-1.2.89.5.2 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Transgender Culture==


In 1996, a bill was presented by Senior Minister for State for Community Development [[Ch'ng Jit Koon]] before the [[Parliament of Singapore]] to amend the [[Women's Charter]] with recognition of marriages involving transexuals among various changes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 January 1996 |title=More emphasis to be given to contributions made by homemakers |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960119-1.2.3 |access-date=19 August 2024 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=1 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926023117/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960119-1.2.3 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports|Minister for Community Development]] [[Abdullah Tarmugi]] said that the 1991 High Court ruling (Lim Ying v Hiok Kian Ming Eric) was taken into consideration for the amendment during a press conference. If the amendment was adopted, the person who had undergone a sex change procedure would be deemed a person of the new gender and allowed to marry as the new gender.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wang |first=Hui Ling |date=25 January 1996 |title=Nod to marriages of sex-change persons 'practical' |url=https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960125-1.2.8 |access-date=19 August 2024 |work=[[The Straits Times]] |pages=1 |via=[[NewspaperSG]] |archive-date=26 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926023118/https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/digitised/article/straitstimes19960125-1.2.8 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 24 January, [[Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports|Minister for Community Development]] [[Abdullah Tarmugi]] announced that post-operative transgender people are allowed to marry opposite-sex spouses.<ref name=":0" />
===Bugis Street===
{{Main article|Bugis Street}}
One of Singapore's most famous tourist meccas since the 1950s, renowned internationally for its nightly parade of flamboyantly dressed [[trans women]], Bugis Street attracted hordes of [[Whites|Caucasian]] gawkers who had never witnessed Asian queens in full regalia.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:TranswomanBugisStreet.JPG|left|A trans woman sashaying down Bugis Street, being ogled at by tourists, circa the 1960s]] -->

The latter would tease, cajole and sit on visitors' laps or pose for photographs for a fee. The amount of revenue that they raked in was considerable, providing a shot in the arm for the tourism industry. Veterans recall that the notorious drinking section began at [[Victoria Street, Singapore|Victoria Street]], and proceeded west to [[Queen Street, Singapore|Queen Street]]. Halfway between Victoria and Queen Streets, there was an intersecting lane parallel to the main roads, also lined with ''[[Al Fresco dining|al fresco]]'' bars. There was a well-patronised [[public toilet]] with a flat roof of which there are archival photos, complete with jubilant rooftop trans women. The earliest published description of Bugis Street found by [[Yawning Bread]] as a place of great gender diversity was in the book "Eastern Windows" by Ommaney, F.D. (1960. London:Longmans. pp.&nbsp;39–45). Ommaney did not date specifically his description of the street, but his book made clear that he was in Singapore from 1955 to 1960.<ref>See also, A first-person account of Bugis Street in the 1950s by Bob, a visiting Australian sailor:[https://web.archive.org/web/20041114093458/http://www.yawningbread.org/guest_2002/guw-078.htm]</ref>

In the mid-1980s, Bugis Street underwent major [[urban redevelopment]] into a retail complex of modern shopping malls, restaurants and nightspots mixed with regulated back-alley roadside vendors. Underground digging to construct the [[Bugis MRT station]] prior to that also caused the upheaval and termination of the nightly transgender sex bazaar culture, marking the end of a colourful and unique era in Singapore's history. Tourist and local lamentation of the loss sparked attempts by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) to attempt to recreate some of the old sleazy splendour by staging contrived "Ah Qua shows" on wooden platforms, but these artificial performances failed to pull in the crowds. They were abandoned after a short time.

Bugis Street was immortalised in an English-language film of the same name, made, ironically, by a Hong Kong film company which did employ some local talent in its production.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sgwiki.com/wiki/Singapore_gay_films |title=Singapore gay films |access-date=28 September 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622123606/http://www.sgwiki.com/wiki/Singapore_gay_films |archive-date=22 June 2006 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Johore Road===
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2010}}
Formerly located between and parallel to [[Queen Street, Singapore|Queen Street]] and [[Victoria Street, Singapore|Victoria Street]], and bisected by [[Ophir Road]], Johore Road was the less well-known cousin of its glamorous counterpart, [[Bugis Street]], just a stone's throw away. It was the seedy haunt of transgender sex workers who solicited sex from locals, away from the glare of Western tourists. No photographs or media attention were focused on this street of ill-repute; only a no-frills approach to an economic exchange.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:JohoreRoad001.JPG|230px|The former location of Johore Road to the north-east of Ophir Road, now transected by the Victoria Street Wholesale Centre.]] -->
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:JohoreRoad002.JPG|230px|The carpark behind the Victoria Street Wholesale centre, also where Johore Road used to be.]] -->
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:JohoreRoad003.JPG|230px|The unnamed park next to the Bugis MRT station where the half of Johore Road south-west of Ophir Road used to be.]] -->
{{clear|left}}

It was one of the few roads to be completely erased from the map of Singapore after a fire in the late 90s, to be replaced by an unnamed park next to the Bugis MRT station and the [[Victoria Street Wholesale Centre]].

===Boom Boom Room===
Boom Boom Room was Singapore's only [[drag queen]] [[cabaret]] [[nightclub]] and thought by many also to be Singapore's only real national institution in the same uninhibited spirit as the original [[Bugis Street]]. It is the namesake of [[John Lee Hooker]]'s legendary [[blues]] club in San Francisco, shooting to international fame when the [[postmodernist]] magazine ''[[Wallpaper]]'' called it "our top pick for a good night out in all of Asia!"

Originally established by owner [[Alan Koh]] in 1993 at 4 [[New Bugis Street]] in [[Bugis Village]], it later relocated on 2 April 2000 to the second floor of the old 2-storey [[Chui Eng Free School]] schoolhouse at 130–132 [[Amoy Street, Singapore|Amoy Street]], [[Far East Square]] (10 min walk from the [[Raffles Place MRT station]]). The new venue, which was reputed to have the best [[Singapore Sling]] in town, had a restaurant downstairs for informal and outdoor dining.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:BoomBoomRoomSpore005.jpg|230px|The capacity crowd at a performance.]] -->
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:BoomBoomRoomSpore006.jpg|230px|Kumar in a traditional dance number.]] -->
{{clear|left}}

Its overwhelming attraction were the risqué comedy routines by local [[drag (clothing)|drag]] superstar [[Kumar (drag queen)|Kumar]] who took no-holds-barred digs at topics close to the hearts of Singaporeans. He was aided by his coterie of flamboyant, dazzlingly costumed, cross-dressing backups, nubile toyboys and other straight stand-up comedian friends.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:BoomBoomRoomSpore007.jpg|230px|Kumar giving a stern warning.]] -->
{{clear|left}}

The first performance debuted on 18 August 2000. There were two shows each night and outrageous wisecracks, in raw [[Singlish]] which made the banter difficult for tourists to understand, were interspersed with DJs playing the latest chart tunes. Members of the audience sitting next to the stage ran the highest risk of being drawn into the performance. It was patronised by a largely heterosexual audience who danced wildly during the intervals, but Tuesday nights were gay with access only granted to password holders.

It closed after 12 years on 15 January 2005, reportedly to enable its artists to move on to fresh creative pursuits. However, many thought other reasons were that the shows were getting stale, the [[drag queen]]s were getting old ([[Kumar (drag queen)|Kumar]] was 36) with no fresh blood to carry the torch and the existing ones not having what it took, and the club's poor location. It spawned a [[Parody|spoof]] version called the [[Bang Bang Room]] at [[Changi Village]] which held late night performances every weekend.

===Desker Road vicinity===
A well-known area for men seeking the services of cisgender women sex workers in the [[Serangoon]] or [[Little India (location)|Little India]] area for decades, it attracted many transgender sex workers from nearby [[Johore Road]] after the latter was erased from the map by a fire in the late 1990s.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[File:DeskerRoad001.JPG|230px|Desker Road by day, viewed from Serangoon Road.]] -->
{{clear|left}}

Unlike their cisgender female government-regulated counterparts who are on display, usually seated on armchairs or sofas in well-lit rooms, reminiscent of a low-class back-lane version of [[Amsterdam]], the [[trans women]] of [[Desker Road]], in contrast, cruise while standing or strolling. This is done to render their activities, which are considered illegal, less vulnerable to [[vice squad]] raids. The seedy atmosphere of the whole vicinity has largely disappeared due to massive redevelopment around [[Mustafa Centre]].

Changi Village has been popular with [[trans women]] since the early 1990s and the straight men who go there to ogle at them, chat them up or use their services.

===Gold Dust===
Located on level 2 of the rear block of Orchard Towers along [[Orchard Road]], it is Singapore's second [[drag queen]] [[cabaret]] nightclub, a joint venture between Kumar, and partner [[Gwen Khoo]], who also owns the [[3 Monkeys Restaurant]] in Orchard Towers. Together, they spent $50,000 to open the venue in July 2005, six months after the closure of Boom Boom Room.

Aiming for the high-end market, Gold Dust boasts professional dancers with flamboyant [[Mardi Gras]]-type costumes, and women dancing alongside drag performers. Kumar's trademark provocative jokes are still the main focus, but now framed in a classier and more streamlined show. Kumar aims to capture the cozy feel and stylish look of New York City-style [[theatre bars]]. Thus, the {{convert|3000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} club has no dance floor and all the chairs and tables face the stage. It can hold 180 people, and has the feel of a 1970s glam [[disco]], updated for the new generation. Instead of young National Servicemen and students, who formed a significant part of the [[Boom Boom Room]] clientele, Gold Dust intends to target a slightly more upper-crust crowd.

The main aim of the [[theatre bar]] is to showcase talent. In addition to the cabaret dances and stand-up comedy staples, it is considering expanding the shows to include [[mime artist|mime]], monologues, plays and singing. Partner Kumar decided to open the venture because he needed a steady income stream, as well as a home base for his stand-up performances. Although the bar is located in the back block of Orchard Towers where [[Harry's Bar (Singapore)|Harry's Bar]] and [[Jason's supermarket]] reside, some felt that the idea of a bar next to the infamous '4 floors of whores' may not appeal to some patrons. However, Kumar felt that Orchard Towers was always known to be a controversial place, and since he was also a controversial performer who pushed the boundaries, it made sense for the bar to be based there.'

For the first time, Kumar's show incorporates two female professional dancers, [[Samantha Kan]] and [[Aslinda]]. There were only male dancers at the [[Boom Boom Room]]. He always felt that the latter was lacking something and now he realised that it was girls.

Chinatown Caberat is a drag queen cabaret opened in 2006 by entrepreneur Max Lim at Ann Siang Hill.

==Transgender organisations==

*[[SgButterfly]] [http://www.sgbutterfly.org/], [https://www.youtube.com/user/sgbutterfly] – Singapore's first and largest transgender web portal and support group founded by a heterosexual man, Daniel Kaw.
*[[SgGurls]] [https://groups.yahoo.com/group/sggurls/], [https://www.facebook.com/sggurls?sk=info] – Singapore's second trans woman support group which seeks a higher social profile and aims to reach out to mainstream society.
*[[Sisters in Solidarity]] [http://endtransgenderdiscrimination.wordpress.com/] – a trans woman support group formed by Marla Bendini and Tricia Leong in 2009 to combat discrimination against transgender women in Singapore.
*[[The Sons]] – Singapore's first trans men's support group, founded by Joe Wong, "The Sons" shares information, resources and advocates for the well-being of trans men in Singapore.

==Transgender men==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2010}}
There is far less information available on [[trans men]] in Singapore.


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Transgender}}
* [[Singapore gay terminology]]
* [[Singapore gay terminology]]
* [[LGBT rights in Singapore]]
* [[LGBT rights in Singapore]]
* [[List of transgender-related topics]]
* [[List of transgender-related topics]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}


==References==
==References==
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*''[[Sisterhood (Leona Lo book)|Sisterhood]]'' by [[Leona Lo]] (Select Books, 2003, {{ISBN|981-04-7198-X}})- a personalised emotional exposé of the local [[transvestite]] and [[transsexual]] community by an intellectual [[trans woman]] herself.
*Sisterhood by Leona Lo (Select Books, 2003, {{ISBN|981-04-7198-X}})- a personalised emotional exposé of the local [[transvestite]] and [[transsexual]] community by an intellectual [[trans woman]] herself.
*''[[My Sisters: Their Stories]]'' by [[Leona Lo]] and [[Lance Lee]] ([[Viscom Editions Pte Ltd]])
*My Sisters: Their Stories by Leona Lo and Lance Lee (Viscom Editions Pte Ltd)
*''[[Cries from Within]]'' by S. [[Shan Ratnam]]; Victor H. H. Goh and Tsoi Wing Foo- a tome on sex-reassignment surgery and its attendant psychological considerations by two eminent gynaecologists and a psychiatrist.
*Cries from Within' by S. [[Shan Ratnam]]; Victor H. H. Goh and Tsoi Wing Foo – a tome on sex-reassignment surgery and its attendant psychological considerations by two eminent gynaecologists and a psychiatrist.
*''"The Mak Nyahs: Malaysian Male to Female Transsexuals"'' (Singapore: Eastern Universities Press, 2002, viii + 175pp., {{ISBN|981-210-209-4}}) – a large body of information on the Malay transgender, transvestite and transsexual communities amassed by [[sociologist]] Teh Yik Koon from the School of Social Development, University Utara Malaysia.


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://transgendersg.com Transgender SG]: a homegrown resource for transgender people in Singapore
* [https://transgendersg.com Transgender SG]: A homegrown resource for transgender people in Singapore
* [[Yawning Bread]]'s account of Singapore's [[transgender]] and sex-change history: [https://web.archive.org/web/20051016103307/http://www.yawningbread.org/arch_2005/yax-457.htm]
* [http://pages.rediff.com/transgender-people-in-singapore/567537 Transgender People In Singapore]
* [http://pages.rediff.com/transgender-people-in-singapore/567537 Transgender People In Singapore]


{{Portal bar|Transgender|LGBTQ|Singapore}}
{{SingaporeLGBTTopics}}
{{SingaporeLGBTTopics}}
{{Transgender}}
{{Transgender}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Transgender People In Singapore}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Transgender People In Singapore}}
[[Category:Transgender in Asia]]
[[Category:Transgender topics in Asia]]
[[Category:LGBT in Singapore]]
[[Category:LGBTQ in Singapore]]
[[Category:Transgender marriage]]
[[Category:Transgender marriage]]

Latest revision as of 15:12, 16 December 2024

Part of a series on
Transgender topics
     
Gender identities
Health care practices
Rights and legal status
Society and culture
Events and awareness
Culture
Theory and concepts
By country
Rights
See also

The history and subculture surrounding transgender people in Singapore is substantial.[1] As with LGBT rights in the country in general, transgender rights in Singapore have also evolved significantly over time, including various laws and public attitudes in regards to identity documents, as well as anti-discrimination measures used by or pertaining to transgender people, in the areas of employment, education, housing and social services, amongst others.[1]

Gender-affirming surgery is legal in the country since 1973, the first country in Asia to legalise it. However, a citizen of Singapore is only able to change their legal sex after undergoing gender-affirming surgery, being physically examined by a relevant practitioner (such as an endocrinologist or plastic surgeon), and being found that genitalia has been completely changed. A change in gender marker applies to most government documents, including the NRIC and passport, only excluding the birth certificate (if the citizen was born in Singapore). In 1996, marriage was also legalised for transgender people.[2]

Summary

[edit]
Right to change legal name Right to change legal gender Right to access medical treatment Right to marry Military service
Yes Deed poll and statutory declaration available Yes Since 1973 Yes Always legal Yes Since 1996, after an amendment was made to the Women's Charter Yes Since the 1990s[a]

History

[edit]

National service

[edit]

Transgender individuals who have undergone sex reassignment surgery (SRS) do not need to serve National Service. However due to the difficulty of transitioning early, only a very small percentage of transgender people in Singapore undergo SRS before having to enter National Service. It is possible for transgender people to be exempted from National Service despite not undergoing sex reassignment surgery. However, this is mostly up to the medical-officer in charge and varies case by case. In general, transgender women that look like cisgender women have a much higher chance of being exempted.[3]

Sex reassignment surgery

[edit]

Sexual reassignment surgery in Singapore are only conducted by approved gynecologists, such as Shan Ratnam. Surgery on genitalia had been done prior to 1971 but only for patients who had both male and female reproductive organs.[4]

The first sexual reassignment surgery, a male to female sex reassignment surgery, was done in July 1971 at Kandang Kerbau Hospital. The person was a 24-year-old Chinese Singaporean and had extensively cross dressed by her grandmother when young and then frequent the transgender scene in her teen years. She underwent psychological analysis by psychiatrists to be suitable for the surgery and legal approval was obtained from the Ministry of Health.[2][5]

In 1974, Ratnam also headed a team of surgeon to perform the first female to male sex reassignment surgery in Singapore[6] and probably the first in Southeast Asia,[7] was also offered at Kandang Kerbau Hospital and at Alexandra Hospital. A Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) and Gender Reassignment Surgery Clinic were set up at the National University Hospital two decades later. It was headed by Ratnam. For 30 years, Singapore was one of the world leaders in SRS, performing more than 500 such operations.[when?]

In the late 1980s, authorities requested hospitals to stop SRS for fear of exposure of HIV to surgical teams.[8] The request was subsequently stopped in 2001.[8]

Since 2013, no public hospitals in Singapore offer SRS.[8] In 2014, The Straits Times, the main local newspaper, asked Ministry of Health (MOH) on why the surgery was stopped, MOH replied that the surgery was not subsidied and done with safeguards.[8]

In 2024, Sengkang Group Representation Constituency's MP Jamus Lim asked MOH during parliament session on why SRS was stopped in 2014 and any plans to resume SRS, MOH replied that it still offered SRS for medically necessary care and not subsidied.[9]

Transitioning as a minor

[edit]

Permission from guardians is required for those under 21 to undergo transition, but hormone replacement therapy is not available for those under 18. It should be of note that minors transitioning face challenges in the school system, with a lack of accommodations for issues such as bathroom choice and school uniforms.[10]

[edit]

In 1973, Singapore legalised SRS. A policy was instituted to enable post-operative transgender people to change the legal gender on their National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) but not their birth certificates[11] and other documents which flowed from that. There was no specific provision in the statutes which allowed the Registrar to do this, so it existed probably only at the level of a policy directive.

Transgender marriage

[edit]

Before 1996, Singapore legally did not allow transgender marriage but it was implicitly allowed before 1991.[12] Before 1991, the Registry of Marriages (ROM) only verify the gender of couples based on their legal gender recorded on the NRIC which can be changed after a successful SRS.[11]

In 1991, a woman successfully received an annulment of her marriage with her husband after failing to have sex on their wedding night. Later, she discovered that her spouse was transgender and subsequently filed for divorce. As a response, ROM began requiring couples to produce their birth certificates (of which gender markers are inalterable) during declaration of their intent of marriage. In the aftermath of the divorce, a High Court ruled in the same year that transgender people cannot be married in Singapore.[13]

In 1996, a bill was presented by Senior Minister for State for Community Development Ch'ng Jit Koon before the Parliament of Singapore to amend the Women's Charter with recognition of marriages involving transexuals among various changes.[14] Minister for Community Development Abdullah Tarmugi said that the 1991 High Court ruling (Lim Ying v Hiok Kian Ming Eric) was taken into consideration for the amendment during a press conference. If the amendment was adopted, the person who had undergone a sex change procedure would be deemed a person of the new gender and allowed to marry as the new gender.[15] On 24 January, Minister for Community Development Abdullah Tarmugi announced that post-operative transgender people are allowed to marry opposite-sex spouses.[2]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ See transgender people in Singapore#National service for more details.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Kaan, Terry Sheung-Hung (22 December 2015). "Singapore". The Legal Status of Transsexual and Transgender Persons: 391–424. doi:10.1017/9781780685588.019. ISBN 9781780685588. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Chan Meng Choo (2011). "First sex reassignment surgery". Singapore Infopedia. National Library Board. Archived from the original on 1 June 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Reply to Media Queries on Transgender Individual Serving NS". www.mindef.gov.sg. Ministry of Defence. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2022. All male Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 18 years are required to serve National Service (NS) if they are medically fit. Those who are legally declared female will not be required to serve NS.
  4. ^ Yeo, Joseph (31 July 1971). "First sex change surgery in S'pore". The Straits Times. p. 17. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  5. ^ Tan, Wee Lian (11 November 1971). "They're still 'misters' despite sex change". The Straits Times. p. 8. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  6. ^ Kwee, Masie (20 October 1974). "S'pores first sex change woman". The Straits Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  7. ^ Kwee, Masie (25 February 1975). "4 WOMEN AWAIT SEX CHANGE OPERATION". The Straits Times. p. 4. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  8. ^ a b c d Shan, Hoe Pei (28 December 2014). "Sex change operations dwindling in Singapore". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Gender Confirmation Surgery". Ministry of Health.
  10. ^ "Trans Healthcare in Singapore".
  11. ^ a b "Sex-change cases can get new ICs". The Straits Times. 3 November 1986. p. 13. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  12. ^ Goh, Teng Teng (26 January 1996). "They were allowed to wed before". The New Paper. p. 9. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  13. ^ "'I do' — and no need to state gender at birth". The Straits Times. 30 August 1996. p. 6. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2023 – via NewspaperSG.
  14. ^ "More emphasis to be given to contributions made by homemakers". The Straits Times. 19 January 1996. p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
  15. ^ Wang, Hui Ling (25 January 1996). "Nod to marriages of sex-change persons 'practical'". The Straits Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024 – via NewspaperSG.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Sisterhood by Leona Lo (Select Books, 2003, ISBN 981-04-7198-X)- a personalised emotional exposé of the local transvestite and transsexual community by an intellectual trans woman herself.
  • My Sisters: Their Stories by Leona Lo and Lance Lee (Viscom Editions Pte Ltd)
  • Cries from Within' by S. Shan Ratnam; Victor H. H. Goh and Tsoi Wing Foo – a tome on sex-reassignment surgery and its attendant psychological considerations by two eminent gynaecologists and a psychiatrist.
[edit]

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