Alex Au

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Au

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Alex Au Born 1952 Singapore Nationality Singaporean Other names Yawning Bread Alex Au Waipang, also known by his Internet nom de plume as Yawning Bread, is part of the Singapore gay equality movement. He is the author of a website, where he provides analyses of Singaporean politics, culture, gay issues and miscellaneous subjects.[1] Biography Au, English-educated and of Cantonese descent, was born in Singapore in 1952. He attended the Anglo-Chinese School for his primary and secondary education and obtained his tertiary degree from the National University of Singapore.[citation needed] After graduation, he worked in a managerial position at a British multinational corporation before branching out on his own as the proprietor of several business catering to the gay community, as well as freelance writing.[2] He was one of the founding members, along with Joseph Lo and Dr. Russell Heng, of Singapore's main gay equality lobby group People Like Us,[3] and also the founder and list owner of the Singapore Gay News List (SiGNeL), the first[1] discussion forum for Singapore's gay community. He is also the co-author of two books, People Like Us: Sexual Minorities in Singapore[4] and a French-language treatise on homophobia entitled L'Homophobie. In 2002, he was presented with the Utopia award for outstanding contributions towards the advancement of gay equality in Asia,[5] the only Singaporean recipient thus far of the honour.[citation needed] In July 2003, Au became the first Singaporean to be quoted by the now-defunct Channel i as a gay activist (watch the newsclip). His views were solicited in the wake of Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's recent announcement that the hiring of gays in the civil service would henceforth be liberalised. In the run-up to the 2006 Singapore general election, Au provided extensive coverage of the opposition parties' rallies which was attended by overwhelming crowds (see photo and whole report) photographed by Au. It also gained Au's Yawning Bread website the distinction of being the mentioned as a "blog" by Channel News Asia (view newsclip) to provide citizen journalism, a phenomenon not seen in previous general elections.[citation needed] As the motivating force behind People Like Us and leveraging on his connections with leading practitioners in the local gay arts scene, Au organised IndigNation, Singapore's first gay pride month in 2005[6] and Short Circuit, Singapore's first gay film festival in 2006.[4]