“Do not give in to fear. Hold my hand and let us walk proudly together.”

This work is a response to the anti-gay law that still exists in Singapore. Two gay men holding hands in public is both a political statement and a political act. Over the course of ten days, I invited 26 gay men living in Singapore to individually hold hands with me in public for an hour, while engaging in everyday activities (e.g., walking down the street, sitting in cafe, in the subway, etc). After which, I passed each participant a diary, where they could write down their thoughts and feelings about the experience. I also asked them to repeat this act of holding hands in public with another gay person and to pass the diary to this new person, who in turn would also be asked to repeat the whole process with another person. The idea is to create a ripple effect by carrying forward the act of holding hands to as many people as possible.

Other than reclaiming this simple act of intimacy, I also hope that this work can create an opportunity for us to find trust and solidarity with each other through holding hands and the sharing of our experiences in the diaries, The experiences collected in the dairies serve as a reminder that we are not alone, and maybe reveal an alternative narrative about gay people, one which is not based on fear.

This project took place in Singapore from 7th to 16th September 2016.

Special thanks to Leuchtturm for sponsoring the diaries.