Alex Au
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Alex Au Waipang, also known by his Internet nom de plume as Yawning Bread, is thought by many to be the founding father of the Singapore gay equality movement.
He is the author of an award-winning website, www.yawningbread.org, where he provides analyses of Singaporean politics, culture, gay issues and miscellaneous subjects. The articles, archived since 1996, delve beneath the orderly veneer of Singaporean culture and provide insight into aspects of local society that are not usually apparent to the casual observer.
[edit] Biography
Au, English-educated and of Cantonese descent, was born in Singapore in 1952. He attended the Anglo-Chinese School for his primary and secondary education and obtained his tertiary degree from the National University of Singapore.
After graduation, he worked in a managerial position at a British multinational corporation before branching out on his own as the proprietor of several business catering to the gay community, as well as freelance writing (see Fridae bibliography).
He was one of the founding members, together with Joseph Lo and Dr. Russell Heng, of Singapore's main gay equality lobby group People Like Us 3, and also the founder and list owner of the Singapore Gay News List (SiGNeL), the first and still the foremost discussion forum of Singapore's gay intelligentsia.
He is also the co-author of two books, "People Like Us: Sexual Minorities in Singapore" and a French-language treatise on homophobia entitled "L'Homophobie".
In 2002, he was presented with the Utopia award for outstanding contributions towards the advancement of gay equality in Asia, the only Singaporean recipient thus far of the honour.
In July 2003, Au became the first Singaporean to be quoted by the now-defunct Channel i as a gay activist (watch the newsclip). His views were solicited in the wake of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's recent announcement that the hiring of gays in the civil service would henceforth be liberalised.
In the run-up to the 2006 Singapore general election, Au provided extensive coverage of the opposition parties' rallies. The latter were unexpectedly attended by overwhelming crowds, a fact largely ignored by the official media. As a result, pictures of the massive throng (see photoand whole report) photographed by Au, in comparison to the relatively meagre attendance at the ruling People's Action Party rallies, were eagely sought after by Internet surfers. It also gained Au's Yawning Bread website the distinction of being the top "blog" quoted by Channel News Asia (view newsclip) to provide citizen journalism, a novel phenomenon not seen in previous general elections.
As the motive force behind PLU 3 and leveraging on his connections with leading practitioners in the local gay arts scene, Au organised IndigNation, Singapore's first gay pride month in 2005 and Short Circuit, Singapore's first gay film festival in 2006.
Au has always been the leading representative of the local gay community in the latter's relationship with the media. He has given numerous lectures to the general public, both locally and overseas, and continues to play an active role in contributing to the development of civil society in Singapore.
[edit] External links
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