Tosh Zhang steps down as Pink Dot ambassador

[Hemnes]

Pink Dot's Statement on Tosh Rock’s decision to step down as Pink Dot Ambassador

The news of Tosh Zhang's decision to step down as Pink Dot Ambassador has come as a surprise to us, as we were in the process of reaching out to him for discussion. Pink Dot SG has always advocated for the change of hearts and minds of Singaporeans where their views on LGBTQ rights are concerned. We believe the evolution of Tosh's views over the years is a demonstration of the empathy and understanding that many Singaporeans are capable of. We respect Tosh's decision to step down as our ambassador, and hope that he will continue to stand up for love and equality as a strong ally of the LGBTQ community.

Raking up the past
This incident followed after a post by Sarah Yip, calling Tosh Zhang out for his tweets against the LGBT community 7 years ago, under the guise of "wanting to receive an apology" and "confirming that he is with the LGBT community". While doing so she has also conveniently left out multiple tweets by him 6 years ago that were pro-LGBT.

Mr Zhang has apologised via a Facebook comment on Ms Yip’s post, stating that he will bear “full responsibility” for his “extremely insensitive tweets”, which he said were made before he rose to fame as an actor, and back when he was “deeply ignorant to the discrimination, pain and struggles that LGBTQ people face every day”:
 

Barely three days since his appointment was made public, Zhang announced his decision in a tearful video posted to his Instagram on Saturday (May 18).

"I don't want to be a distraction, and have the attention, the limelight and conversation on me when Pink Dot should be a day where we celebrate love, celebrate the LGBTQ community and push for change and equality in Singapore," Zhang said in the two-minute clip.

The announcement comes after the 29-year-old actor apologised for derogatory tweets made about LGBTQ people between 2010 and 2013, which were highlighted by Facebook user Sarah Yip.

In Saturday's video, Zhang said that it has been "a really rough few days" for him.

"I know in my heart that I'm no longer that person from a decade ago, and people who know me and follow me on social media, they will know that I have always been standing up and pushing for LGBTQ rights in the past few years.

"I hope you guys will judge me for the man that I grew to be, and not the boy that I used to be," said the Ah Boys to Men star.

 

Counterproductive to the community
Tosh Zhang could have represented the role of a straight person who was once homophobic, but has since learnt to accept and now stands up for the community. This incident however hamstrings the pink dot community's effort to push for inclusivity and positive change in mindsets. This incident has tainted the community as one that is unforgiving.

 

Netizens divided on the exposé regarding Mr Zhang’s past tweets

Many netizens came out in support of Mr Zhang, with many of them suggesting that the tweets reflect his learning curve, and that his experience with perpetuating homophobia in the past could be a starting point for discussions on the need to fight discrimination against LGBTQ persons in Singapore in the present.

Meanwhile, Sarah Yip is relishing over the incident on her instagram page.

 

[Guest Aiyoyo]

His tweets were a response to lesbians who were rude to him, and cheeky kiddo remarks and pranks, nothing serious! 

 

I can see why the lesbians were so triggered, but their anger were misdirected. 

 

Meanwhile true homophobes are laughing all the way to their churches, mosques, nightclubs and kopitiams.

[Guest My Opinion Piece]

I don't know who is Tosh Zhang.  Supporting Pinkdot need not be an ambassador and more so if he has "history" of gay bashing.  Changing of mindset cannot guarantee the same person will not change again.  Thus stepping down is the best thing to do instead of milking pinkdot to up an individual popularity, just became he works in industry full of gay people and presumably needed them even more now.   Gay people are sensitive people, they remember their hurts deeply in this very unforgiving society.  Even forgiving people who once hurt them, doesn't mean we need to forget about it.

 

My ambassador should be someone:

 

Who were ardent support of LGBT since time immemorial,  someone vocal and humorous (not necessarily need to be a celebrity) to be able to bring the pinkdot party to its height of fun and enjoyment.  Pinkdot should not be able a fan party, but LGBT party.  If celebrity wanted to be a part of it, than come clean, be honest upfront instead of waiting to be exposed and than say "sorry".

[fab]

4 hours ago, Guest Aiyoyo said:

His tweets were a response to lesbians who were rude to him, and cheeky kiddo remarks and pranks, nothing serious! 

 

I can see why the lesbians were so triggered, but their anger were misdirected. 

 

Meanwhile true homophobes are laughing all the way to their churches, mosques, nightclubs and kopitiams.

 

True. His words r more reactive than offensive.

 

In another post, he said he has gay friends until they hit at him. Even as gays, we won't like it if someone keeps pestering us, let alone a straight guy.

Edited May 19, 2019 by fab

[Guest Sad]

This irritates me. Sarah Yip has gone too far. 

 

Stupid sjws like her do not represent us.

 

 

[Guest another]

15 minutes ago, Guest Sad said:

This irritates me. Sarah Yip has gone too far. 

 

Stupid sjws like her do not represent us.

 

 

another Monica Baey

[Guest another]

16 minutes ago, Guest Sad said:

This irritates me. Sarah Yip has gone too far. 

 

Stupid sjws like her do not represent us.

 

 

can somebody dig out Sarah Yip past? what she did and said before.

[Guest Guest]

27 minutes ago, Guest another said:

can somebody dig out Sarah Yip past? what she did and said before.

 

27 minutes ago, Guest another said:

can somebody dig out Sarah Yip past? what she did and said before.

She is not representing pinkdot. So will you accept wendy formally of ntuc as a representative for racial harmony? Or the guy who filmed monica to represent woman's rights? Both also sorry.

[Guest Misandry]

1 hour ago, Guest another said:

another Monica Baey

Me Too movement has spread here and degenerated into Me Three!

 

Waiting for the next Me Four’s 15 minute of fame.

[Guest GBT]

This Sarah Yip is lesbian is it?

She really throw our (LGBT) face big time.

[Guest Handsome please]

3 hours ago, Guest My Opinion Piece said:

I don't know who is Tosh Zhang.  Supporting Pinkdot need not be an ambassador and more so if he has "history" of gay bashing.  Changing of mindset cannot guarantee the same person will not change again.  Thus stepping down is the best thing to do instead of milking pinkdot to up an individual popularity, just became he works in industry full of gay people and presumably needed them even more now.   Gay people are sensitive people, they remember their hurts deeply in this very unforgiving society.  Even forgiving people who once hurt them, doesn't mean we need to forget about it.

 

My ambassador should be someone:

 

Who were ardent support of LGBT since time immemorial,  someone vocal and humorous (not necessarily need to be a celebrity) to be able to bring the pinkdot party to its height of fun and enjoyment.  Pinkdot should not be able a fan party, but LGBT party.  If celebrity wanted to be a part of it, than come clean, be honest upfront instead of waiting to be exposed and than say "sorry".

 

Is it too expensive to get a handsome ambassador?  Tosh Zhang looks like someone who goes around collecting debts, pour paint on your door and threaten to burn your house if you don’t pay.  

[Guest Team Tosh]

3 hours ago, fab said:

 

True. His words r more reactive than offensive.

 

In another post, he said he has gay friends until they hit at him. Even as gays, even we won't like it if someone keeps pestering us, let alone a straight guy.

 

I know how he felt.

 

When some cantankerous butch lesbians in heat or pms mode were rude to me to practise displaying some “alpha male alter-ego”, i have showed them the middle finger before.

 

Butch lesbians are some of the worst feral bitches on earth - aggressive in paranoid and neurotic ways and loved playing the victim card immediately when smacked down by people whom they proactively offended.

 

The inccidents that happened between this primordial animus energy and Tosh Zhang are really unfortunate and sad.

 

I am totally on his side because some combative misandrists had unloaded their shit and anger from generations of partriarchal misorgynistic female oppression and lesbian discrimination on him.

 

 

[jonathan1456]

The agenda and focus of PINKDOT annually is freedom to love. 

Respect begets respect. 

Let's move on from here...……….

[fab]

I choose to believe he cried not because he's weak but he's truly remorseful for his past deed yesteryear.

 

 

[Guest ErYuLei]

56 minutes ago, fab said:

I choose to believe he cried not because he's weak but he's truly remorseful for his past deed yesteryear.

 

 

You heard about crocodile’s tears?

 

 

 

[fab]

6 minutes ago, Guest ErYuLei said:

You heard about crocodile’s tears?

 

 

 

 

Have u heard I choose to believe?

[Guest Guest]

1 hour ago, fab said:

I choose to believe he cried not because he's weak but he's truly remorseful for his past deed yesteryear.

 

 

Please..you really believe he is that emo? Lol. 

[Guest I believe in IMPACT]

5 minutes ago, Guest Guest said:

Please..you really believe he is that emo? Lol. 

Actors and Actresses cried all the time during Charity show for IMPACT purposes.   In real life, they sucks and think they are different.

[fab]

10 minutes ago, Guest Guest said:

Please..you really believe he is that emo? Lol. 

 

I believe him not because he cried. But it happened so long ago when he was so much younger and he reacted after he was provoked.

[FattChoy]

Gay men and lesbians don't have much in common.  They definitely don't share the same goals.  I might support gay men's cause but I don't give a hoot about lesbians'.

[Guest Feral macho shit]

Some lesbian butches are inflicted with misandry and toxic hyper masculinity at the same time. Super ironic!

[Guest Let's move on]

OK lah.  Move on from here  and stop talking about someone I hardly knew because I don't watch Strawberry actors/actress in Mediacock show. They are all so fake and  I rather watch netflix movies all day long.

[LeanMature]

He cried to show everyone he was remorseful.  But is that necessary ?  

[Steve5380]

On 5/20/2019 at 2:35 AM, FattChoy said:

Gay men and lesbians don't have much in common.  They definitely don't share the same goals.  I might support gay men's cause but I don't give a hoot about lesbians'.

 

We still have something in common:  homosexuality.

 

On 5/20/2019 at 3:18 AM, Guest Feral macho shit said:

Some lesbian butches are inflicted with misandry and toxic hyper masculinity at the same time. Super ironic!

 

Maybe they cannot overcome their bad luck of having been born without a cock!

 

On 5/19/2019 at 9:50 PM, jonathan1456 said:

The agenda and focus of PINKDOT annually is freedom to love. 

Respect begets respect. 

Let's move on from here...……….

 

Since you know much about PINKDOT,  can you explain why foreigners are excluded from this freedom to love?

[lovehandle]

   .

Edited May 22, 2019 by lovehandle

[lovehandle]

Haiz....

 

anyone could attend pinkdot

Edited May 22, 2019 by lovehandle

[Guest Sigmund freud]

21 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

Maybe they cannot overcome their bad luck of having been born without a cock!

 

 

Oooh a complex love-hate relationship. They love to hate on men. They need therapy. 

One thing they can do to overcome this is to own a closet full of strap ons. Maybe relieve their penis envy symptoms now that they’ve got more penis than every man.

[lovehandle]

i guess many felt he is like a weakling if u read what the forummers are trying to say
He is weaker than expected 
he should join as a participant to be protected by a stronger ambassador - is the clear msg: https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/[glgt]-actor-tosh-zhang-decides-step-down-pink-dot-2019-ambassador-after-homophobic-tweets-dug-6046776-5.html

[Guest Bruised fruit]

Next time pink dot should engage someone more matured with lots of exposure in life to be our embassador. Don't just go out and pluck some wild strawberry not knowing it's background.

[lonely57]

On 5/19/2019 at 6:25 PM, Guest GBT said:

This Sarah Yip is lesbian is it?

She really throw our (LGBT) face big time.

 

maybe shes not. maybe shes just a homophobe who is trying to bring out the worst in our community in an attempt to prove that homosexuals arent humans and should be exterminated. 

[lovehandle]

On 5/25/2019 at 5:44 AM, Guest Bruised fruit said:

Next time pink dot should engage someone more matured with lots of exposure in life to be our embassador. Don't just go out and pluck some wild strawberry not knowing it's background.

Agreed!!

cry cos your fren suffered or the community is being treated unfairly that is perfectly fine

 

we need someone/an ambassador that could raise a voice or to value-add to Lgbt’s community...

 

not one who has difficulty handling own personal past action, cant even help the community abit and thking of stepping down!

ok to cry like this straight man but for a greater reason: