Pink Dot SG
Pink Dot SG, known endonymously as Pink Dot, is a pride event that has occurred annually since 2009 in support of the LGBTQ community in Singapore. Attendees of Pink Dot events gather to form a "pink dot" to show support for inclusiveness, diversity and the freedom to love in the country. Pink Dot events typically include concert performances and booths sponsored by organizations that support the LGBTQ community and cause in addition to the event's name-brand formation.
The success of Pink Dot in Singapore has inspired similar events in several other countries, leading to the event to become known as Pink Dot SG — SG being an initialism for Singapore. It has been held each year in Singapore from 2009 to 2019 at the Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park on a Saturday in the months of May, June or July. The 2020 and 2021 editions were held as online livestreams, in view of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 edition and subsequent editions were held in-person once again.
History
In September 2008, the rules governing activities conducted at Singapore's Speakers' Corner at Hong Lim Park were relaxed, allowing demonstrations organised by Singaporeans to be held at the park, providing that all participants are either citizens or permanent residents. This allowed the first Pink Dot SG event to take place at the Speakers' Corner on 16 May 2009.A total of sixteen Pink Dot events have been held in Singapore, occurring annually on Saturdays in May, June or July. Many organisations around the world modeled LGBTQ events after the Pink Dot concept, often borrowing the "Pink Dot" prefix. For distinction, the Singapore events became known as Pink Dot SG.
The design of the Pink Dot SG mascot "Pinkie", a personification of the pink dot, was provided by graphic designer Soh Ee Shaun.
Events
Each event from 2009 to 2019 took place on a Saturday at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park with the exception of the 2020 and 2021 editions where it was held online due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2022, events were held in-person once again.Pink Dot SG 2009
Pink Dot SG 2009 was held on 16 May, launched with a campaign video titled "RED + WHITE = PINK". It was Singapore's first public, open-air, pro-LGBTQ event and established the record at the time for the greatest turnout for a gathering at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park since the venue's inception. The event was deemed a milestone for Singapore's LGBTQ community.Ambassadors of the event were local celebrities: actor Timothy Nga, actress Neo Swee Lin and radio DJ Rosalyn Lee. During the event, formations of the words "LOVE" and "4All" were created by participants. The event concluded with the formation of the titular Pink Dot.
The pioneer Pink Dot SG event was given extensive coverage in both international and local media. Locally, The Straits Times and TODAY newspapers covered the event. However, reports regarding the number of attendees were inconsistent. Organisers estimated an attendance of 2,500, while The Straits Times reported a turnout of 1,000, and TODAY reported "at least 500". Internationally, the event was covered by the BBC and the New York Times, with reports syndicated to publications around the world through wire services the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
Pink Dot SG 2010
Pink Dot SG 2010 was held on 15 May, with the theme: "Focusing on Our Families". There was a turnout of 4,000 participants and the event received local media coverage by Channel News Asia and The Sunday Times. The event was also reported internationally by the BBC, the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.Ambassadors of the event were local celebrities: actor Adrian Pang, actress Tan Kheng Hua and DJ Bigkid.
Pink Dot SG 2011
Pink Dot SG 2011 was held on 18 June with more than 10,000 participants. The event featured the theme song "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by the Beatles and a campaign video by Boo Junfeng.The event had attracted Google as a corporate sponsor, and the multinational company continued to support the event in subsequent years. Local musical cabaret trio the Dim Sum Dollies made an appearance as the official ambassadors of the event.
Pink Dot SG 2011 was covered widely by local and international mainstream media. An aerial shot of Pink Dot SG was featured on xinmsn news for June's "2011 Year in Pictures". This was also the first time Pink Dot SG was featured in "Time Out Singapore" with a full article devoted to it. The event was also promoted in an article on CNNGo.
International Pink Dot events were held the same day in Anchorage, Alaska; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and London, England.
Pink Dot SG 2012
Pink Dot SG 2012 was held on 30 June and had the campaign theme "Someday" and the theme song "True Colors". At this event, 15,000 participants formed a glowing pink dot with mobile phones, torches and flashlights.The event added Barclays as an official corporate supporter, alongside Google. Celebrity ambassadors were former actress Sharon Au, actor Lim Yu-Beng and drag queen actor-comedian Kumar.
Pink Dot SG 2012 was widely reported in the mainstream media and by international media agencies, including The Wall Street Journal, Taiwan's lihpao, Thailand's PBS, and Egypt's bikyamasr. Singer Jason Mraz, who was giving a performance on 29 June in Singapore, made a shout-out in a video in support of Pink Dot 2012, prior to the event.
The 2012 event inspired the launch of Pink Dot Okinawa, which had its first event the following year.
Pink Dot SG 2013
Pink Dot 2013 was held the evening of 29 June. The event marked its fifth year under a campaign of "Home", the title of a local National Day song which doubled as the event's theme song. The campaign featured a video, directed by local filmmaker Boo Junfeng, depicting three individual true-life experiences. Like the previous year, the event included the formation of the Pink Dot with pink lights.Pink Dot organisers claimed a record turnout of 21,000, which would make it the largest civil society gathering in the country. To accommodate the large number of participants, a second "satellite" focal point was created to channel traffic away from the busiest areas. Prior to the formation of the Pink Dot, participants were treated to a range of activities by more than 20 community groups and partners.
Pink Dot SG 2013's list of corporate contributors grew to include global financial firm JPMorgan Chase, local hotel Parkroyal on Pickering, contact lens specialist CooperVision and audio branding agency The Gunnery, in addition to Google and Barclays. Local actress Michelle Chia, theatre company W!LD RICE, artistic director Ivan Heng and sportscaster Mark Richmond were the event's ambassadors.
The event was covered by local and international media, including Indonesia-based Asia Calling, The Economist, the BBC, The Guardian and Reuters. The event was also featured in the YouTube-sponsored video "Proud to Love", a compilation of video clips supporting the LGBTQ community, equal rights and marriage equality. Additionally, before the event, the band Fun made a shout-out in a video in support of Pink Dot 2013.
Pink Dot SG 2014
Pink Dot SG 2014 was held the evening of 28 June with a turnout of 26,000. The event's theme, "For Family, For Friends, For Love", highlighted the LGBTQ community's contributions to society, and its theme song was "We Are Family". In addition to the traditional Pink Dot formation with torches, 2014's event included a blue heart formation within the Pink Dot. Pink Dot SG 2014 also featured a "Community Voices" segment, in which local LGBTQ individuals and straight allies were invited to speak and share their stories.Ambassadors of the event included Broadway performer Sebastian Tan, actor Brendon Fernandez and Nominated Member of Parliament Janice Koh. Taiwan-based Singaporean Pop Idol Stefanie Sun also supported the event through a 20-second video. Local YouTube stars Tree Potatoes made a shout-out in a video. Pink Dot SG 2014 saw energy company giant BP and multinational banking firm Goldman Sachs join a growing list of corporate sponsors.
Pink Dot SG 2014 in particular drew strong criticism from Singapore's religious Muslim and Christian communities which counter-demonstrated in a "Wear White" event, in which participants dressed in white apparel. In response, and foreseeing possible unruly behaviour, Pink Dot organisers deployed security personnel and collaborated with the Singapore Police Force for the first time; the event nevertheless proceeded without incident. Local media covered the controversy with full-page articles and the event itself was widely reported by foreign media.
Pink Dot SG 2015
Pink Dot SG 2015 was held the evening of 13 June. The date was chosen to prevent a clash with the Islamic month of Ramadan. The event ran under the campaign title "Where Love Lives" and included a campaign video directed by local filmmaker Boo Junfeng. The event coincided with the launch of a pioneering LGBTQ support network for local universities.The celebrity ambassadors for Pink Dot SG 2015 included local actor Patricia Mok, Campus SuperStar winner Daren Tan and local YouTube celebrities Munah Bagharib and Hirzi Zulkiflie. However, Munah did not appear at the event, for unknown reasons. Veteran actor Patricia Mok said she wanted the local older population to support the LGBTQ community.
The list of corporate sponsors grew to include three new companies – social network Twitter, movie exhibitor Cathay Organisation and financial news company Bloomberg – in addition to Google, JP Morgan, Barclay, Goldman Sachs and The Gunnery. However, PARKROYAL hotel on Pickering, which had sponsored previous events, discontinued its sponsorship, deciding to " resources to support other equally meaningful causes". Contact Lens specialist CooperVision also did not continue its support.
Pink Dot SG 2015 drew increased focus from both anti-LGBTQ and pro-LGBTQ groups. Both sides received wide coverage on local mainstream media. The event was attended by 28,000 people, a record.