Now that Dr. Thio Su Mien has come out of from behind the scenes to reveal the key role she has played in the recent takeover of AWARE, the intentions of the new executive committee of the organization are made even more lucidly clear.
Dr. Thio has revealed that she was pivotal in encouraging all four women to take up positions in the AWARE exco, contradicting initial claims in an televised interview by Ms. Lau that it was completely a unpremeditated move. At the same time, the claim that all four women had not known each other prior to the AGM despite coming from the same church and having a similar point of contact does not sit easily.
The charge that the old AWARE is pro-lesbian and pro-homosexuality in general on the basis of their inclusive programs is weak. AWARE, being a NGO that is representative of all women in Singapore in all of their diversity, has adopted a tolerant and encompassing attitude towards homosexuality in general that is free from religious bigotry. To argue that through their showing of a lesbian film in the Spider Lillies that they are essentially pro-lesbian or pro-homosexuality is a big leap of an assertion.
However, the more pertinent issue at hand now is that the new AWARE will simply not be able to represent accurately enough the diversity of women in Singapore. As mentioned in an earlier article, the organization will possibly teeter close to a dogmatic groupthink.
Dr. Thio’s attitude towards homosexuals — that they are intrinsically in pain, often coming from a broken family with abusive fathers, and in need of counseling and ministering, sums it up.
While accusing the old AWARE of being only interested in advancing pro-lesbian agendas, it is perhaps with the greatest sense of irony that the converse could be equally said of the new AWARE. Their insular definitions of the role of women and their family stemming from their religious convictions cannot purport to represent accurately the diversity of women in Singapore.
Indeed, history will show that women in a progressive society like Singapore will not take to such an event lightly.
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