Couple face homophobic abuse after image of them kissing goes viral

A same-sex couple have received homophobic abuse after an unsolicited image of the pair kissing on a Singapore train went viral on a local news site.

A local resident took a photo of the couple on the train before writing a scathing and homophobic opinion piece about it on All Singapore Stuff.

“I respect everyone’s rights, but this is simply disgusting in a public space,” she wrote.

“What if my children saw this and asked – mummy, why are the two men kissing?”

“Would I have to answer and say it’s the same as normal love and marriage, the only difference is that one man opens his buttocks for the other man to put his private part inside but in the end no babies come out, they only get AIDS?”

She also claimed that most people in Singapore felt the similarly.

“Most people in Singapore already know they exist but would prefer that they just go back inside the closet and stop seeking attention,” she wrote.

“What more do they want? Gay sex parties? Gay parades? To be able to teach kids about gay sex?

“Homosexual relationships are not normal and therefore will never be equal to a real marriage between a man and a woman.”

Since its publication the article has been shared nearly 80,000 times on Facebook and nearly 3,000 times on Twitter.

One half of the couple under fire was Melbourne-based Peter Eggenhuizen, who said the article caused him stress and anxiety.

“I felt mortified and violated,” he said.

“To rub salt into the wound, the author went on to attack my act of love and affection.

“But I feel the need to rise above it and raise awareness that this is unacceptable.”

Homosexuality is still illegal in Singapore, with Minister Chan Chun Sing recently speaking out against LGBTI people ‘championing’ their lifestyle in public.

“I’m not going to discriminate, whatever you do behind your bedroom doors is not my problem,” he said.

“I’m not a sex policeman – but if you tell everyone to champion pro-LGBT causes it might cause social divisions, so I have to step in and be the policeman in the middle.”

Eggenhuizen believes the majority of Singaporeans are supportive or indifferent of LGBTI people, although he said it’s important for Australians to educate themselves about how LGBTI people are accepted in different countries.

“In many countries homosexuality is still illegal and this could have real and dangerous consequences,” he said.

“By being openly gay in Australia the risk of homophobic attacks increases, whether that be verbal, physical, or in our case online.

“I will continue to spread my love and do it my way. Spread love, not hate.”