imp-252 Why Liberty League was offered funds

Yawning Bread. February 2006

Why Liberty League was offered funds

source: 'Today' newspaper

25 Jan 2006
'Today' newspaper

Why Liberty League was offered funds
by Vinita Ramani

The National Voluntary and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) has cleared the air on its support of an organisation focusing on sexual and gender identity. In reply to queries from Today about its decision to offer a $100,000 new initiative grant to Liberty League, NVPC's chief executive officer, Mrs Tan Chee Koon, said that the funding body "supports secular causes that benefit society".

"It is on this basis that NVPC offered the New Initiative Grant to Liberty League in January 2005, in support of its secular social projects," she added.

"Liberty League has so far not drawn on the grant. NVPC will assess the efficacy of all Liberty League's proposed programmes before disbursing any funding,"

Gay rights groups had criticised the funding — which comes from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports — being made available to a group that they claim has been endorsed by Christian organisations.

In a press statement, Liberty League said that it will provide "a sanctuary where people experiencing sexual or gender crises can find help and relief".

Its founder, Mr Leslie Lung, is the author of a book called Freedom of Choice, a collection of stories about "freedom from sexual bondage".

But gay activist group Fridae.com said Liberty League was backed by Christian organisation Exodus International and Asia Pacific which takes a strong stance against homosexuality. Fridae's chief executive, Dr Stuart Koe, said that Exodus said on its website that "homosexual tendencies" are "one of many disorders that beset fallen humanity".

Mr Alex Au, one of the founders of People Like Us and a gay rights advocate, has aired the group's concern on the basis on which funding was approved for Liberty League. "The idea that one can turn one's back on one's sexual orientation has been strongly discredited by clinical psychologists and it is associated with evangelical churches in the US," said Mr Au.

Christian group Safehaven noted that scientific and medical communities had established that homosexuality was not a disorder.

Though Liberty League has not outlined its counselling methods in detail, Mr Lung said it a recent Channel NewsAsia report that the group could follow the Alcoholics Anonymous model.

A proper code of ethics and constant training are essential to such work, said Ms Yogeswari Munisamy, public relations chair for the Singapore Association for Social Workers. "When we work with clients, their self-determination as well as respect for their inherent dignity and worth is fundamental. A client should not be compelled at any point in time to a particular modality of intervention.

"The professional stand is that we do not impose our personal views but rather work with the client at their pace," she said.

Foreword by Yawning Bread

This story in 'Today' newspaper was supposed to appear the previous Friday. See The 3 layers of the Liberty League issue, but the editors were asked by the government to "hold" the story.

Over the weekend, the story broke all over the internet.

It finally appeared on Wednesday (25 Jan 2006), but was considerably tweaked by the editors even though it continue to carry the name of the reporter (who by then was on leave).