You Think, I Thought, Who Confirm?


The You Think, I Thought, Who Confirm? (YTITWC) is a series that aims to debunk myths and shed light on questions and issues that matter to the GBQ youth community. The series started in June 2014 with Fall-IN, which focused on the experiences of serving in the military as a gay person.

Several panel discussions will be organised every year focusing on a variety of issues, that can range from sexual to mental health, from coming out to love and relationships.  If you have ideas or suggestions on topics or issues that we can cover, please contact us at contact@sgrainbow.asia.

Previous YTITWC

1. Fall-IN (June 2014)

Most of us would have watched ABTM or Army Daze with that sassy gay bunkmate. Fall-IN was organised to shed light on how life really is like for a gay person serving NS. The session featured a panel of speakers including a military regular officer, NSFs who declared 302 and who did not, as well as NSFs who were open to their peers and who were not. Fall-IN helped pre-enlistees clarify misconceptions and debunk myths and provided a space for participants who have been through NS share about their experiences with the audience.

As the topic was highly sensitive, the identities of the panelists were strictly confidential to the participants who attended the event. If you would like to find out more about serving NS as a gay person or have questions about declaring 302 in the military, please write in to us!

2. Hands UP! (October 2014)

Hands UP! focused on the bullying of and discrimination against LGBTQ teachers and students in schools. Questions that were discussed included:

- Can a gay person be a teacher and out?
- What can a student do if they face bullying from their peers or teachers as a result of their sexual orientation or gender identity?
- Most importantly, what can we do as a community to support and minimise such instances of bullying and discrimination?

You can read more about the panelists who shared their experiences and thoughts at Hands UP! here.

3. Pref or Prejudice (March 2015)

"Chn only", "No ind", "Pref mly", "into whites only"

Seen these on people's profiles on Jack'd or Grindr? The first session of Pref or Prejudice explored the racial dynamics in the gay community. Some of the questions that were discussed include:

- Is it racial preference or prejudice when someone wants to date only people of a certain ethnicity?
- How exactly is it like for members of minority racial groups in the gay community, being a minority within a minority?
- What can we do to counter racial prejudice and discrimination in the gay community?

Pref or Prejudice is a new theme in our You Think, I Thought, Who Confirm series, and aims to explore the intersections of different aspects of a gay man's identity. Future sessions will discuss topics such as masculinity ("masc and str-acting only", "no sissy"), body image issues ("fit for fit only", "no chubs") and biphobia in the gay community.

Pref or Prejudice was organised in conjunction with UN's International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

4. Fall-IN 2 (August 2016)

After two years, Fall-IN came back with a fresh look into National Service. Has anything changed? How do young people perceive coming out in NS as? With the introduction of camera phones into camps, has NS progressed into a 3G army, or has it remained?

The session featured a panel of speakers including a military regular officer, NSmen who declared 302 and who did not during their NS days, as well as NSmen who were open to their peers and who were not.

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