Singapore police stop gay holiday party

December 14, 2004

Police in Singapore have refused to grant a permit for a gay holiday circuit party because it is "against the moral values" of the country's population.

According to the Asian Web site Fridae.com, organizers of the SnowBall dance party were denied a license despite having obtained one successfully in 2002 and 2003.

Police said in a statement that there had been complaints about same-sex kissing and "intimate touching" during a similar event and that future applications for such parties will be "closely scrutinized."

The SnowBall party was organized by Jungle Media, a Singapore subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based Fridae.com.

Stuart Koe, chief executive officer of Fridae.com, said, "In the four years that we have been working with the police … not once have we been made aware that there was anything illegal about our events."

He also noted that Nation, a similar annual party sponsored by the company, received international attention and generated $10 million in tourism revenue.

Koe has written to top government officials seeking reconsideration.

Homosexual acts are outlawed in Singapore, but the country lets openly gay people work in the government.

The SnowBall incident comes one month after a top health official blamed the Singapore HIV/AIDS crisis on "the promiscuous and unsafe lifestyle advocated and practiced by some gays."

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