Despite Singapore’s somewhat sensitive attitude towards non-traditional relationships, the crowd at the annual Pink Dot Singapore event gets larger each year. These supporters' stories will touch your heart.
Love came out in full force over the weekend. Over 20,000 voices were heard at Pink Dot 2017, the annual rally that supports the freedom to love, culminating in a massive, illuminated sea of pink at Hong Lim Park. Skeptics feared that barricades – a result of the no-foreigner rule at Pink Dot – would dampen the mood, but from what we witnessed first-hand, the collective spirit of the community felt even stronger.
In case you missed out, we captured photos of Pink Dot 2017 for you to enjoy. But aside from the performances and atmosphere, what really touched us were the stories of the supporters in attendance. Here are some of our favourites.
“I think Pink Dot is a great platform for everyone to gather. There are no differences – it’s such a great event for everybody to come together and have fun. You see people from all walks of life.” – Andrew
“This is my third or fourth time now; it was really amazing when I first came. I think it’s really great that we have this opportunity to gather around as a whole community.” – Felicia (left)
“Pink Dot is very special to me. I think, as humans, we all have this yearning for love. Allowing people to have this freedom to love is something that’s incredibly precious, and that’s why it’s important for us to be here today. This is not an imported thing, or something that’s not Singaporean; these are Singaporean stories of love. Pink Dot is not just once a year; Pink Dot is a movement that transcends just being in Hong Lim Park. Just look at our ICs; you are already holding something pink with you every single day. There’s nothing to fear, and the only thing that can overcome fear is love.” – VJ
“Pink Dot is about the freedom to love, and I’ve got many family and friends who support it, so this is very personal to me. I believe it’s a very basic human rights issue. People should just come and see this movement from a different perspective.” – Leona (first from right)
“We’re from New Zealand originally, but we’ve lived in Singapore for 13 years. It’s my first time attending Pink Dot, and it’s pretty amazing; it’s such a big display of how much Singaporeans are willing to come together.” – Alex (second from left)
“Pink Dot is a platform for me to stand for something that I believe in, which is the freedom to love. I cannot be more proud of my employer, Carrie K., to endorse and be one of the sponsors for Pink Dot this year as well. If you believe that love is for anyone, you should come next year.” – Stefan (left)
“I’ve been here every year. And I think for this year especially, all Singaporeans have come together to show that this is not something that foreigners have influenced on us. This is something that we all believe in.” – Xuan (left)
“I’ve been here at Pink Dot since the start, but this year is very special because it’s all Singaporeans. All our foreigner friends are somewhere upset that they can’t make it, so we have to be here for them. We have to be here for everyone.” – Irfan
Want to reminisce further? Here are photos from Pink Dot 2017, and photos from Pink Dot 2016 that will give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. Oh, and you might want to check out these best rainbow foods in Singapore.