Singaporeans' Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men and their Tolerance of Media Portrayals of Homosexuality

While research on attitudes toward lesbians and gay men and portrayals of them in the media is fairly common in Western countries (e.g. Levina, Waldo & Fitzgerald, 2000; Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002; Riggle, Ellis & Crawford, 1996), little empirical work on these topics has been done in Asia. In recent years homosexuality has become a matter of public discourse and media attention in many Asian countries (Liebhold, 2000). For example, in Singapore there has been public discussion of the ramifications of homosexuals holding positions in the civil service and the merits of pursuing of ‘pink dollars’ (i.e. money spent by gay men and lesbians) in the tourism industry. There has also been interest in revising the censorship guidelines to reflect societal changes in an increasingly globalized media environment (Censorship Review Committee, 2003). Given these developments there is a need to understand the attitudes of Asians toward lesbians and gay men and their tolerance of homosexual-themed media content.