Li Huanwu, the grandchild of the venerated first Prime Minister of the island nation of Singapore, has just come out as gay.
The founding father of Singapore, the statesman Lee Kuan Yew, was known for combining late-stage international capitalism, democracy, and authoritarian government in Singapore. He died in 2015.
Among the strictures placed on the population: being gay. Homosexuality is still shunned in Singapore, despite progressive pressures. Gay sex is still criminalized on the island nation.
Personally, Lee Kuan Yew was supportive of gay people: ” I think we pragmatically adjust,” he once told an interviewer.
Now, Huanwu and his boyfriend Yirui Heng have appeared in a photography project called Out in Singapore.
Moreover, the pair made an announcement prior to the island nation’s Pink Dot Pride event.
In a public statement, Huanwu said “For the LGBT community, it is but a dream to share in the same human dignities as you, to live full and proper lives. Your support is needed to live that dream. Please stand with us.”
“If you’re a closeted member of the LGBT community, I also urge you to come. I hope that you will look past the security barricades and ID checks and see – if only for an afternoon – that there is more to life than the darkness of the closet, that there are people out there who care.”