Aware Coup leader comes open

April 24, 2009

Leadership change at Aware

Coup leader comes open

By Zakir Hussain
		Dr Thio said she began monitoring Aware's about a year ago and was disturbed by what she saw as signs that it was promoting lesbianism and homosexuality. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

SENIOR lawyer Thio Su Mien on Thursday revealed the key role she played in bringing about the change of leadership at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware).

Appearing at a press conference called at short notice by some of the association's new leaders, she said she was alarmed to discover that Aware had lost sight of its original purpose and become pro-lesbian and pro-homosexual.

Dr Thio upset over sexuality programme HIGHLIGHTS of comments at press conference by senior lawyer Thio Su Mien on her key role in bringing about the change of leadership at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). ON AWARE'S SEXUALITY PROGRAMME 'I started thinking, 'Hey, parents, you better know what's happening,'' she said. 'I talked to parents. I said: You better do something about this, otherwise your daughter will come back and say, 'Mum, I want to marry my girlfriend. Or your son will say: 'Dad, I want to marry my boyfriend.'' These parents were flabbergasted, she said, adding that such sexuality education was taking place in the United States and Europe and was not new. 'What is happening in society is that we are redefining marriage, we are redefining families,' she said. ... more

Dr Thio, 71, a born-again Christian who runs her own law firm, is the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann and her nephew, Dr Alan Chin, is married to new Aware president Josie Lau.

She was the first woman dean of the Law Faculty at the then-University of Singapore, from 1969 to 1971.

Introducing herself as a 'feminist mentor' to working women, she said she began monitoring Aware's affairs about a year ago.

Disturbed by what she saw as signs that it was promoting lesbianism and homosexuality, she began urging women she knew to challenge Aware's attempts to redefine marriage and families.

On Thursday, the new Aware leaders said that they and their families had been threatened and even received death threats, and they have reported them to the police.

Dr Thio said: 'I feel kind of responsible for these difficulties they are going through, because I was the one who mentored them over the years.'

She said she had been teaching and counselling some of them in different groups for up to 10 years.

She was 'absolutely outraged' that a group of women who just wanted to contribute to society are now facing 'ferocious attacks'. 'I don't understand what has become of our people,' she added.

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