It is well passed time, Singapore. Love is Love!!!!

I was unable to share across FB and LI platforms, so I have manually posted this as an article....the original author is Joyce Chan.

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Next month, we would have dated for 11 years (and ceremonially married for over 2 years). ???????? All this time, all we have done was to lead as normal a life as possible - because the best way to celebrate #pridemonth is really to celebrate normalcy.

After 11 good years (and a whole bunch of supportive and loving family members, friends and colleagues), we've somewhat found normalcy. I'd introduce Qiuling as my wife to anyone without skipping a beat (a decade ago, we'd introduce each other as "friends" to our family members) and we (finally) no longer get weird behind-our-backs stares and conversations during family gatherings. (Or maybe we do, but we're just so oblivious to it right now. ??) My identity as Qiuling's wife, is as unremarkable to me as my identity as a Singaporean Chinese, a sister of 2 younger brothers, a daughter, a grand-daughter, and a Financial Consultant. It's a part of who I am, and while I celebrate our marriage and our relationship, I find it hard to celebrate my sexual identity - simply because it's such an ordinary, boring, normal part of me. (Do straight people celebrate that they are straight? What's with all these labels anyway?) ????

Qiuling and I, we're a unique and paradoxically boring couple.

We argue and fight.

We confide in each other and cry.

We give each other as much independence and freedom as possible.

We travel and hike.

We stay home and watch Netflix on rainy days and head to the beach with our dogs on sunny days.

But we also worry...

We can't have our own HDB (yet).

We are unsure if we should have children and if we do, how?

We are worried about what happens when we pass on - thankfully, most of the financial part is sorted out with the knowledge that I have gained as a Financial Consultant.

We are worried that if there is any medical emergency, we won't be the first people to be contacted as the next-of-kin.

And you know what, in Singapore, Qiuling and I are already considered super fortunate - simply because we have a supportive social network that created normalcy for us. Both our families are supportive and while it took years, we were beaming from ear-to-ear at our wedding that my granduncle presided. My grandparents, our parents, families and friends were there to witness my terrible dancing skills. We had a tea ceremony and sat through beautiful speeches by our friends and families. While this is something that is "part and parcel" of life for most straight couples, it's really a miracle and dream come true for most #LGBTQ couples. And I can't emphasize how grateful I am to have such a supportive social network. ??

There are many more couples who are fighting battles that we once did (coming out to families, friends and colleagues) and these battles are sometimes tougher and darker than we think they are. Pride Month is an American concept but love and acceptance is universal. ??

If you have any friends who you think need your love and support, share this post or post a ?? emoji on your feed. Most times, people don't know who they can talk to and ????'?? ???????? ?? ?????????? ???? ?? ???????????????????? ???????? ?? ???????????? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???? ??????.

Thank you to everyone who has been in our lives and who have made our journey to normalcy easier. You guys are the people we want to celebrate as a couple. We have so much love and gratitude to all of you. ??