I APPLAUD the move by the National University of Singapore Students' Political Association to hold the Our Families forum, but I am also dismayed by the views of conservatives in our society ("Forum on families stirs online debate"; last Friday, and "Majority view of family not represented" by Ms Ho Lay Ping; Tuesday).
The forum offers an excellent opportunity for participants to have a frank and open discussion on the changing nature of the family unit in a safe environment without being heckled or censored.
The reality is that for our younger generation, what constitutes a family is no longer constrained by the norms of a traditional family unit - "one man, one woman, marrying, having children and bringing up children within that framework of a stable family unit" ("Why we should leave Section 377A alone: PM"; Oct 24, 2007).
Instead, their ideas of what a family unit can be are varied, and are not just limited to unions between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples.
Family units can include single-parent families, families where the child is adopted, or families where the parents no longer play a role. There are also families that are not built on blood ties but are formed from strong relationships, such as the familial ties between friends who call one another family, or even the close bond between pet owners and their pets.
Furthermore, as highlighted by the organisers of the forum, the discussion will not be solely about LGBT families, but will include families of all shapes and sizes.
As for the "danger" of the students being misinformed or succumbing to pro-homosexuality propaganda, these students are no longer children; they are young adults who have the ability to think for themselves and speak up for what they believe in, even if it means disagreeing with the guests invited to the forum.
As the event's moderator Mathew Mathews has said, Singapore has to "decide whether it wants policies to reflect social realities or use policies to conform families to a certain ideal".
I hope there will be more discussions on the changing nature of what families mean to Singapore and Singaporeans.
Han Ming Guang
The forum offers an excellent opportunity for participants to have a frank and open discussion on the changing nature of the family unit in a safe environment without being heckled or censored.
The reality is that for our younger generation, what constitutes a family is no longer constrained by the norms of a traditional family unit - "one man, one woman, marrying, having children and bringing up children within that framework of a stable family unit" ("Why we should leave Section 377A alone: PM"; Oct 24, 2007).
Instead, their ideas of what a family unit can be are varied, and are not just limited to unions between lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples.
Family units can include single-parent families, families where the child is adopted, or families where the parents no longer play a role. There are also families that are not built on blood ties but are formed from strong relationships, such as the familial ties between friends who call one another family, or even the close bond between pet owners and their pets.
Furthermore, as highlighted by the organisers of the forum, the discussion will not be solely about LGBT families, but will include families of all shapes and sizes.
As for the "danger" of the students being misinformed or succumbing to pro-homosexuality propaganda, these students are no longer children; they are young adults who have the ability to think for themselves and speak up for what they believe in, even if it means disagreeing with the guests invited to the forum.
As the event's moderator Mathew Mathews has said, Singapore has to "decide whether it wants policies to reflect social realities or use policies to conform families to a certain ideal".
I hope there will be more discussions on the changing nature of what families mean to Singapore and Singaporeans.
Han Ming Guang
