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SINGAPORE – The W Hotel in Singapore has found itself at the center of the latest instance of the culture war for LGBTQ rights in the country.
On Monday (September 14), the five-star luxury hotel W Singapore in Sentosa Cove posted a photo of the influential gay couple, model Andee Chua and Taiwanese YouTuber Hugo Liu, on their social media. The hotel was promoting its stays as travel restrictions remain in effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, W Singapore was also affirming its support for the queer community. “Celebrate (love) … # fabulous stays await you at W Singapore!” said the hotel caption for the cheerful photo of Andee and Hugo sharing a drink in their room.
The photo generated thousands of reactions and hundreds of comments from Internet users on Facebook and Instagram. Comments ranged from homophobic to supportive. Netizens from both sides of the divide argued with each other on the subject of the LGBTQ assertion.
The spokesperson added that the image posted on the hotel’s social media platforms is not an advertisement, but rather “user-generated guest content.”
Andee, who is also a co-founder of start-up Kampung Collective, said: “It is commendable that W Singapore shared this on their IG page, knowing the reaction they might have. They have always been very inclusive and our stay with them was excellent, with no signs of discrimination and actually really welcoming and warm. “
Reacting to netizen reactions, some of which have been homophobic, Andee said that while Singapore looks like a progressive country on the surface, in reality, it is still a fairly conservative society with fanatics.
“A large part is due to the existence of 377A. Education is key for issues like this, ”Andee said.
A scroll through W Singapore’s social media shows that the hotel has posted multiple photos of Andee and Hugo in recent months, most of them with them individually, but another image with both was posted in June. It’s unclear why that post didn’t garner the same level of attention as the last post.
This is not the first time that local brands have shown their support for the local LGBTQ community. Each year, local businesses sponsor the annual Pink Dot pride rally. In 2018, the Poh Heng jewelry chain included gay couples in its photo campaign to celebrate love in various ways.
Homosexuality in Singapore remains illegal through Section 377A of the Penal Code. In March of this year, the Superior Court dismissed three different legal appeals against 377A. Younger generations are more accepting of queer people, but conservative resistance against LGBTQ equality persists among the population.
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