Gay couple from US ask if they would ‘thrive’ in Singapore

SINGAPORE: When an Asian-American gay married couple interested in moving to Singapore took to Reddit to ask what life might be like for them in the city-state, many people chimed in with helpful answers.

On r/askSingapore earlier this week, u/uwseattle123 wrote in to say that he and his husband have two young children. The post author seems to have already done a fair bit of research on life for expatriates in Singapore, including the need to have full-time jobs in order to get Employment Passes.

He is also aware that their marriage would not be recognized as legal in Singapore and has found a way to address this. Additionally, he knows that their children would most likely need to attend an international school.

“I understand that our family situation is not legally accepted by the government. But from a social and emotional perspective, do you think we could thrive as a family in Singapore?” the post author wrote. He added that they would like to live in a country with “better food (and) a stable society who invests in kids and their own society”.

“Do you think Singapore can be the place?” he asked.

Many commenters reassured the post author that if he and his husband could clear the immigration hurdles, their family should be fine in Singapore.

“People generally mind their own business,” a Reddit user wrote reassuringly, though they added that the post author would be better served by writing to LGBTQIA groups in the city-state. He was also advised to prepare the children for questions they might face when they go to school in Singapore.

A gay commenter said that people were “generally accepting of gay people” during their primary school to university years. However, they did encounter a degree of discrimination when they entered the workforce, though this was not necessarily from locals.

Another commenter with a five-year-old daughter said their child has a classmate with two fathers. “The school teachers have been very inclusive, other parents are unbothered, and the kids accept her situation as it is.”

They warned, however, that the situation of the post author’s family is still unusual in Singapore and that the city-state has a long way to go.

“ I definitely think it’s possible for your family to thrive, just that there will be a lot of inconveniences and it will take effort… But most regular adults that you meet on a daily basis won’t really care. Haha. That’s the Singaporean attitude. Wishing you all the best in your decision!” the commenter added. /TISG

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