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Looks like this "pro-LGBT versus anti-LGBT" war will continue to worsen in Singapore society with no end in sight.
https://mothership.sg/2019/07/joshua-simon-singapore-poly-ted-talk-lgbt-cancelled/
S’pore poly says students disappointed after DJ Joshua Simon cancelled TED talk over LGBT content objections
The polytechnic added that Simon had been advised his some parts of his speech that touched on his sexuality would be sensitive for the audience.
Gay radio DJ Joshua Simon has taken to Facebook to post about his decision to pull out from a TED Talk at Singapore Polytechnic (SP), over objections to LGBT content in his speech.
In response, a spokesperson for SP stated that the students who helped to organise the event were disappointed, though also respectful, regarding his decision to do so.
Student organising committee found parts of Simon’s speech inappropriate
In elaborating on the context of the case, the spokesperson stated that Simon had been invited to give a speech at the school by the student organising committee of TEDxYouth@SP, a student-led event supported by SP.
The aim of the talk was to inspire youths with stories and ideas, with Simon being one of several speakers who had been invited for the event.
The spokesperson explained that the theme of the talk was “You versus You” — how one can be better versions of themselves.
All speakers were required to submit their scripts prior to the event to ensure they would be aligned to the theme and appropriate for students.
Simon advised speech might be sensitive
The spokesperson added that prior to the speech, Simon was advised that certain references to his sexuality in his speech might be sensitive, given the diversity of the audience.
Additionally, the student organising committee, which received his script on the eve of the event, assessed some parts of it pertaining to his sexuality as inappropriate for the target audience, although they found still found it inspirational.
The spokesperson added that the student committee then sought the advice of SP staff, who agreed with the students’ views.
This then resulted in the organising committee suggesting to Simon to consider reviewing how such reference were expressed in his script, given the audience profile, while still preserving the integrity of his story.
However, Simon subsequently decided not to speak at the event at all instead.
MOE states it was neither involved, nor in the know about the event
Separately, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education (MOE) stated that it was neither informed of the event, nor involved in the organisers’ decisions regarding the selection of speakers.
However, while institutes of higher learning are able to decide on events conducted on campus, MOE has guidelines in place.
The spokesperson elaborated that while MOE encourages open discussions on various topics, some issues such as race and religion, are sensitive and potentially socially divisive.
As such, it was important for organizers cognisant of such issues and exercise proper judgement.
As per the spokesperson:
What did Simon say?
On June 30, Simon put up a Facebook post in which he alleged that he was initially removed from the event’s list of speakers due to the inclusion of LGBT themes in his talk.
He added that he had purportedly received a phone call from SP in which he was urged to edit his script and leave out LGBT-related content.
Simon said he then made the decision of not doing the talk, and refused to censor his script, given the significance of the content.
He further added that he also been supposedly approached by a representative of SP, who expressed interest in meeting him to issue a formal apology, due to the need to adhere to guidelines set down by MOE.
To this, Simon said that he turned the representative down, although he appreciated the gesture.
Simon also highlighted that a fellow speaker, Victoria Cheng, had supposedly come to his defence during her talk, a move that allegedly got her into some trouble as well.
He further stated that he was also grateful to three SP students who had purportedly fought to keep the integrity of his story with their teachers, up until the final decision was made.
And here is SP’s statement in full:
https://mothership.sg/2019/07/joshua-simon-singapore-poly-ted-talk-lgbt-cancelled/
https://mothership.sg/2019/07/joshua-simon-singapore-poly-ted-talk-lgbt-cancelled/
S’pore poly says students disappointed after DJ Joshua Simon cancelled TED talk over LGBT content objections
The polytechnic added that Simon had been advised his some parts of his speech that touched on his sexuality would be sensitive for the audience.
Gay radio DJ Joshua Simon has taken to Facebook to post about his decision to pull out from a TED Talk at Singapore Polytechnic (SP), over objections to LGBT content in his speech.
In response, a spokesperson for SP stated that the students who helped to organise the event were disappointed, though also respectful, regarding his decision to do so.
Student organising committee found parts of Simon’s speech inappropriate
In elaborating on the context of the case, the spokesperson stated that Simon had been invited to give a speech at the school by the student organising committee of TEDxYouth@SP, a student-led event supported by SP.
The aim of the talk was to inspire youths with stories and ideas, with Simon being one of several speakers who had been invited for the event.
The spokesperson explained that the theme of the talk was “You versus You” — how one can be better versions of themselves.
All speakers were required to submit their scripts prior to the event to ensure they would be aligned to the theme and appropriate for students.
Simon advised speech might be sensitive
The spokesperson added that prior to the speech, Simon was advised that certain references to his sexuality in his speech might be sensitive, given the diversity of the audience.
Additionally, the student organising committee, which received his script on the eve of the event, assessed some parts of it pertaining to his sexuality as inappropriate for the target audience, although they found still found it inspirational.
The spokesperson added that the student committee then sought the advice of SP staff, who agreed with the students’ views.
This then resulted in the organising committee suggesting to Simon to consider reviewing how such reference were expressed in his script, given the audience profile, while still preserving the integrity of his story.
However, Simon subsequently decided not to speak at the event at all instead.
MOE states it was neither involved, nor in the know about the event
Separately, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education (MOE) stated that it was neither informed of the event, nor involved in the organisers’ decisions regarding the selection of speakers.
However, while institutes of higher learning are able to decide on events conducted on campus, MOE has guidelines in place.
The spokesperson elaborated that while MOE encourages open discussions on various topics, some issues such as race and religion, are sensitive and potentially socially divisive.
As such, it was important for organizers cognisant of such issues and exercise proper judgement.
As per the spokesperson:
“All our institutes of higher learning can decide on events conducted on campus. For this particular event, MOE was neither informed of it, nor involved in the event organisers’ deliberations on the selection of speakers.
Having said that, we have guidelines for IHLs. We encourage open discussions on various topics, but some issues, especially those that concern race and religion, are sensitive and potentially socially divisive. Organizers need to be cognizant of them and exercise appropriate judgement.”
Having said that, we have guidelines for IHLs. We encourage open discussions on various topics, but some issues, especially those that concern race and religion, are sensitive and potentially socially divisive. Organizers need to be cognizant of them and exercise appropriate judgement.”
What did Simon say?
On June 30, Simon put up a Facebook post in which he alleged that he was initially removed from the event’s list of speakers due to the inclusion of LGBT themes in his talk.
He added that he had purportedly received a phone call from SP in which he was urged to edit his script and leave out LGBT-related content.
Simon said he then made the decision of not doing the talk, and refused to censor his script, given the significance of the content.
He further added that he also been supposedly approached by a representative of SP, who expressed interest in meeting him to issue a formal apology, due to the need to adhere to guidelines set down by MOE.
To this, Simon said that he turned the representative down, although he appreciated the gesture.
Simon also highlighted that a fellow speaker, Victoria Cheng, had supposedly come to his defence during her talk, a move that allegedly got her into some trouble as well.
He further stated that he was also grateful to three SP students who had purportedly fought to keep the integrity of his story with their teachers, up until the final decision was made.
And here is SP’s statement in full:
“TEDxYouth@SP is a student-led event that is supported by Singapore Polytechnic. Its purpose is to inspire youths with ideas and stories. The student organising committee invited several speakers for this event, including Joshua Simon. They were given the theme of “You versus You” – how one can be better versions of themselves.
All speakers were required to submit their scripts before the event to ensure that their content is aligned to the theme and appropriate for the audience.
In the run-up to the event, Joshua Simon was advised that certain references to his sexuality might be sensitive, given the diverse profile of the audience.
The student organising committee reviewed his script when they received on the eve of TEDxYouth@SP. They found it inspirational but assessed that certain parts relating to his sexuality might be inappropriate, for the target audience. They sought the advice of the staff of SP who agreed with the students’ views.
The organising committee had then suggested that Joshua Simon consider reviewing how these mentions are expressed in his script, given the audience profile, while preserving the integrity of his story. Unfortunately, he decided not to speak at the event at all instead. The students were disappointed but respected his decision.”
All speakers were required to submit their scripts before the event to ensure that their content is aligned to the theme and appropriate for the audience.
In the run-up to the event, Joshua Simon was advised that certain references to his sexuality might be sensitive, given the diverse profile of the audience.
The student organising committee reviewed his script when they received on the eve of TEDxYouth@SP. They found it inspirational but assessed that certain parts relating to his sexuality might be inappropriate, for the target audience. They sought the advice of the staff of SP who agreed with the students’ views.
The organising committee had then suggested that Joshua Simon consider reviewing how these mentions are expressed in his script, given the audience profile, while preserving the integrity of his story. Unfortunately, he decided not to speak at the event at all instead. The students were disappointed but respected his decision.”
https://mothership.sg/2019/07/joshua-simon-singapore-poly-ted-talk-lgbt-cancelled/
