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85 people lodged police reports against Pastor Rony Tan for “offensive” remarks against gays and lesbians

Thu, 2010-02-18 02:40 — ABN

According to influential Asian online gay portal fridae.com, some 85 people including prominent young filmmakers Sun Koh and Royston Tan have lodged police reports last weekend against Lighthouse Evangelism Senior Pastor’s disparaging remarks about homosexuals in video clip which was initially posted on his website, but had been taken off after he was hauled up for questioning by the Internal Security Department (ISD) last Monday.

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The sources for this story are not all that clear to me, but if they are correct, I think it is a mistake to report Tan to the cops for what he said. His free speech is as important as everyone else's. We support gay rights in Singapore, but believe Tan's right to speak his mind - obnoxious as it may be - is an even more fundamental right. Censorship laws could be used against gays one day. Better to answer Tan than to report him to the cops. ABN

Comments

Thu, 2010-02-18 03:48 — Robyn

free speech

As a wise friend sometimes says when I get a little pissy over some 'offensive' comment he's just made, "Just because I said it doesn't mean I'm right." (Note: It also doesn't necessarily mean he's wrong...)

It can be very liberating to listen to offensive comments. If something offends you, perhaps you should seek to hear more of it; after a while, you might find you've become desensitized to it.

It seems that no matter who you are or what sort of group identity you cling to, there are people out there who will dislike you for it and think that you are the devil's minions. Oh well.