Google Launches Campaign In Singapore To Legalise Love

[sexiespider]

Legalise Love: LGBT Rights Are Human Rights

Though our business and employees are located in offices around the world, our policies on non-discrimination are universal throughout Google. We are proud to be recognised as a leader in LGBT inclusion efforts, but there is still a long way to go to achieve full equality. Legalise Love is our call to decriminalise homosexuality and eliminate homophobia around the world.

At Google, we encourage people to bring their whole selves to work. In all of our 60 offices around the world, we are committed to cultivating a work environment where Googlers can be themselves and thrive. We also want our employees to have the same inclusive experience outside of the office, as they do at work, and for LGBT communities to be safe and to be accepted wherever they are.

http://www.google.co...alise-love.html

The "Legalize Love" campaign officially launches in Poland and Singapore on Saturday, July 7th. Google intends to eventually expand the initiative to every country where the company has an office, and will focus on places with homophobic cultures, where anti-gay laws exist.

Google's Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe outlined the initiative at a Global LGBT Workplace Summit in London earlier today. "We want our employees who are gay or lesbian or transgender to have the same experience outside the office as they do in the office. It is obviously a very ambitious piece of work.

Their strategy involves developing partnerships between companies and organizations to support grass-roots campaigns.

On the decision to launch the initial phase in a country like Singapore, Palmer-Edgecumbe says, "Singapore wants to be a global financial center and world leader and we can push them on the fact that being a global center and a world leader means you have to treat all people the same, irrespective of their sexual orientation."

At the end of the day, the "Legalize Love" campaign is also good for Google's business. "We operate in many countries and have a very globally mobile workforce. We have had a number of instances where we have been trying to hire people into countries where there are these issues and have been unable to put the best person into a job in that country," said Palmer-Edgecumbe.

http://dot429.com/ar...o-legalize-love

Google's Valentine's Video 2012

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/G6fEkhZxIvQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Edited July 9, 2012 by sexiespider

[Closeted_jock]

Wow, Google is singing against the very mainstream straight-laced garmen sia. Well done for the efforts. Hope more corporations do more to push for the very basic human rights to love.

[sexiespider]

Wow, Google is singing against the very mainstream straight-laced garmen sia. Well done for the efforts. Hope more corporations do more to push for the very basic human rights to love.

Actually around the world - in the States at least, corporations like Microsoft, Apple, Nike, Starbucks, Oreo etc, have come out in support not only for gay rights, but for gay marriage, or as some would term it, equal marriage.

I am very proud that Google has launched a campaign directed at the Singapore government. Since the government is profit motivated and business-friendly/concerned, a push by a major corporation, and more to come hopefully, will be able to help us achieve gay rights faster.

But I think this also means - what will Singaporeans and gays in Singapore do? Are we going to wait and sit back for Google to fight for us? They cannot do it alone. So, the question is, what will we do?

[Exynos]

yep gay rights is very intense in other countries.... in Singapore, no comment, haha

[MeowPrince]

That Google chose to launch their campaign in Singapore (and Poland) reflects on their underlying business thinking. To join the ranks of the big corporations that have spelt out a non-discriminatory corporate culture/policy. Don't think it has anything to do with whether or not Singapore is an anti-gay spot on the world map.

Nor does it have anything to do with taking on the government. It is more of the opposite - that they recognise Singapore's government and society as being more tolerant and accepting of such corporate directions, and the ease of making their local office as testbed to replicate the culture elsewhere in Asia. Imagine them trying to do something like that in their larger offices in China, it would more likely come to a stumbling halt. To do so here, at least they can iron out the kinks and fine-tune policy before bringing it across to the rest of their offices in Asia.

While there are the conservatives and the prudes around who'd stare or glare at same-sex couples holding hands or being together in public here, at the least we do not see outright violence, which is not necessarily the case in many other parts of the world (the US included).

[sexiespider]

That Google chose to launch their campaign in Singapore (and Poland) reflects on their underlying business thinking. To join the ranks of the big corporations that have spelt out a non-discriminatory corporate culture/policy. Don't think it has anything to do with whether or not Singapore is an anti-gay spot on the world map.

Nor does it have anything to do with taking on the government. It is more of the opposite - that they recognise Singapore's government and society as being more tolerant and accepting of such corporate directions, and the ease of making their local office as testbed to replicate the culture elsewhere in Asia. Imagine them trying to do something like that in their larger offices in China, it would more likely come to a stumbling halt. To do so here, at least they can iron out the kinks and fine-tune policy before bringing it across to the rest of their offices in Asia.

While there are the conservatives and the prudes around who'd stare or glare at same-sex couples holding hands or being together in public here, at the least we do not see outright violence, which is not necessarily the case in many other parts of the world (the US included).

Hey, agree with you - think Google has chosen Singapore because Google has analysed that the Singapore would perhaps be more receptive towards returning gay rights to gay Singaporeans - a combination of a connected city which relies largely on the flow of people and a society which is not ultra conservative, as for example, South Korea. I am supposing that they would want to reach out to a developed country, and in the selection of a developed country, be one that is more open to influences.

[sexiespider]

Hey, agree with you - think Google has chosen Singapore because Google has analysed that Singapore would perhaps be more receptive towards returning gay rights to gay Singaporeans - a combination of a connected city which relies largely on the flow of people and a society which is not ultra conservative, as for example, South Korea. I am supposing that they would want to reach out to a developed country, and in the selection of a developed country, be one that is more open to influences.

[sexiespider]

Hey, agree with you - think Google has chosen Singapore because Google has analysed that the Singapore would perhaps be more receptive towards returning gay rights to gay Singaporeans - a combination of a connected city which relies largely on the flow of people and a society which is not ultra conservative, as for example, South Korea (which is also a developed globalised country but which has relatively lesser inflow of migrants, and "more conservative Confucianism" principles). I am supposing that they would want to reach out to a developed country, and in the selection of a developed country, be one that is more open to influences.

[fitcubsg]

:-) quedos to google for a great job! Told my friend he is really lucky to work for them!

[merlinkun]

I hope other companies will join Google in this, because I know there are many inclusive companies that would really benefit from a more open-minded society.

I agree homophobia in Singapore is not as serious when compared to other countries (I don't think there is news of people hitting a gay person just because he is gay in Singapore, yet...), but there is still a lot of work to do if we want equal treatment regardless of your gender or sexual oritentation.

[sexiespider]

I hope other companies will join Google in this, because I know there are many inclusive companies that would really benefit from a more open-minded society.

I agree homophobia in Singapore is not as serious when compared to other countries (I don't think there is news of people hitting a gay person just because he is gay in Singapore, yet...), but there is still a lot of work to do if we want equal treatment regardless of your gender or sexual oritentation.

Hey, I've thought about that too. Like Brazil, it may be country where gay sex is illegal but around 200 gay or lesbian people are killed every year for hate crimes targeted at gay, lesbian and bisexual people. In South Africa, same sex marriage is legal but there is still corrective rape targeted at lesbian women - to "turn them straight". There are civil unions in the UK but there are is also violence enacted against gay, lesbian and bisexual people. In America, gay youths would commit suicide because of the bullying they face in school.

In Singapore, it might still be illegal for gays to have sex. But the government has said that they would not proactively enforce the law. Of course, if they decide to change their minds - they can do so, and that's why Google's campaign is so important.

But your point exactly, I do think Singapore provides a safe and, ironic as it is, a supportive environment for gay and lesbian individuals to grow in. The government might keep on with the propaganda speech that Singapore is conservative - they need to so that conservative Singapore will vote for them. Our government functions a bit like the Republicans in that sense. But if we look beyond their rhetoric, we know Singapore isn't all that conservative. It's propaganda. We also know the government isn't policing gay issues as much because they know they shouldn't.

Our government - I think isn't against gays having our rights - but they have to keep up with the anti-gay rhetoric. They need to appease the conservative factions and they need to keep up with the conservative votes. So we should, as much as possible, understand that stance. Of course whether this stance is theirs is open for debate.

But what this means is this - if we know that underlying it all, the government isn't unsupportive, we know that we can continue learn to live our lives as gay, bisexual, and lesbian people and learn to function as well as we can. And this is also one reason why Google has picked Singapore to launch the campaign. They know our government is not unsupportive. No corporate company would pitch themselves against a government if it's not in their interest. Of course, Google has generally tried to push boundaries as well. But I think Google is betting on our government looking at amending the law in the near future and have placed their eggs in our basket - it would be in their favor when the government does repeal 377A. It's a win-win situation.

But back to what you have also said, even though we are in a safe environment to grow in, gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgendered people don't sometimes realize it because the government's public discourse is so called against it. We need to perhaps read between the lines.

What I do think is that if this means that given a safe environment, we can decide to learn to accept ourselves better, learn to have better self esteem, so that we can learn to be stronger gay individuals and be able to develop our overall well-being favorably. I think for now, this would be of utmost importance for gay people in Singapore - to recognize ourselves and our strengths, believe in ourselves and stand up for ourselves.

Our environment, as ironic as it may seem, is favourable for us to develop and we can take advantage of it to grow and support one another in this growth.

[gstc82]

Education is key. Last week, I was shocked that my 7 year old nephew said that Justin bieber is a faggot! I immediately told him that the word faggot is a degratory name and must not be used. I of cos told his parents abt it. I wonder how does a 7 year old know the word " faggot"? Thru the Internet n classmates? I foresee 377a will be removed in near future. Hey, who is left in charge of the national day parade year after year? It's always the two very prominent gay men in sg ( with the exception of last year).