Coming Out from Closet

I was always partially aware of my sexual orientation while growing up, ie I am attracted to men despite being a boy. I started coping with my surroundings by trying to act straight, because showing feminine traits often led to the nicknames given to people in the LGBTQ+ community within this “so-called perfect society.” Therefore, I hid in a deep closet—killing my inner desires of wanting to proudly shout that I am gay—for a whole 19 years. 

My True Self

Growing up in Singapore, I was constantly afraid of the law and of discrimination from my friends and family,  especially if they found out that I was gay. I acted “straight”, kept my relationships secret, and worst of all, pretended to be homophobic at times because of the pressure from my social groups. 

Are We Beautifooled?

Browsing the Internet on a particularly boring workday, I stumbled upon a Canadian Master’s thesis on the subject of gay sexuality, desirability, and race. The main idea was to think of the gay landscape, and arguably the gay experience, in terms of economic incentives: much like a modern capitalistic economy driven by supply, demand, socioeconomics, and race.