I recently read abt this trans kid who compared being unable to transition properly, wearing clothing that didnt fit their gender and getting dirty looks for being trans etc to having a really bad haircut all the time. The self consciousness hits really hard.
Black trans women in America have an average life expectancy of 34 years. Having a bad hair cut does decrease your life expectancy. Trying to get cisgender to understand what is like to experience gender dysphoria is impossible.
its a double whammy for transfolks. youre wearing stuff that makes you feel like your body isnt there/not yours. when youre already feeling like that. in a sense, youre forced to, so you go along. but yet, youre still being shamed for trying to adhere to the rules. its like.. fuck, whats the solution? oh yeah, .. be accepted for being what i am. the best of what i am. and be able to contribute to society coz im my best self and accepted for that.
firstly, its a kid, a kid may not have the best most well thought out argument. Secondly, if you actually wish to have an opinion on the existence of an entire part of the human population, do research first.
Singapore law sucks for LGBT community Cause their marriage not allowed unless you are male and women And people here discriminate all these people as some Singapore people say they are not to exist As it is not excepted here
@@frankaenstein Hai Kaeden, as a student questioning about about my sexuality in Singapore I really admire you speaking out and it gave me a bit of courage to accept who I am, ii your very brave and I really admire that and you too, AND you look very handsome and nice (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
the sad thing is many Singaporeans are quick to bash their own country in their day to day lives but aren’t receptive / get defensive when societal issues like this are raised
Thank you for this video. I had an easy time in the Singaporean education system, I had no idea what struggles other people are facing. Videos like these are quite eye-opening, thank you.
I meet few people and they are trans ,i don't care .i see them like i see other human being.even gay/ lesbian.i don't understant why they judge people like them ,is their live ,just leave them if you don't like .
@@Noname-kp7cs supporting & respect are two different things . and yeah ,if a trans person becomes our president ,then so be it ,they are human as well ,why do you make it sound like they aren't ?
To be honest, this is quite sad. From what I know, my schoolmates.(mostly but not all), are quite open to LGBT. We do not really insult people who are part LGBT... we either don't care or support it. Nobody really cares what sexuality you are and like we respect your pronouns and this is sad to hear that people and students are experiencing that elsewhere. I am not saying everything in my school accepts...there are some people that don't and are kinda homophobic/transphobic but yeah I think nowadays the students (younger generations are more accepting compared to older generations based on how they grew up. I hope everything will better!
great video explaining how unheard trans students are by the majority and the impact on their education. thanks @vice for shining a light on this topic!
🙌👏for both trans female to male is not easy and by embark on this trans road is very brave, they despite the social normal or acceptance they just do what they like rather to blend in, it would be so much easier to dress like girl but both brave person just be truth to themselves, I was not as brave, I am more of tomboy and I wanted to be boy since young but now I am and still trying to accept myself as there is always female and male side of one person and this make each individuals unique in a way and no one person are the same, I have only upmost respects for trans people, as they need to be medicated forever in their life and you need to have certain guts to gone through the surgery
Of course is unacceptable,,imagine someone like kaeden in school..teachers busy looking for him..but he was stuck in toilet with bottom body busy examined n abused by male classmates daily throughout the school years..
But in all honesty, like it or not in Singapore no one is murdering you or attacking you. And really all these years, you don't see people murdering gays for being gays, and killing trans people or any significant attack. It's not like they never existed before.
@@Chris.P.Kreme90 whatever trans person there are about, people will say nasty things, but no one ever physically do things, it's so pointless. There's something wrong with them, you punch become you wrong.
you can't compare suffering and everyone processes pain differently, everyone is under different circumstances, of different backgrounds. Take it like this, in SG, we might be seeing th early stage of transphobia, where people are tolerant but to an extent, what if tomorrow someone does attack them? Shouldn't we be asking ourselves rather, why it should even come to the point of them being attacked? If you have stage one lung cancer today, shouldn't you start changing your lifestyle now, rather than wait for it to get to stage 4, then take action?
I feel so happy for the fact that Kaeden was so brave to come out and be who he wants especially in Singapore , as a Demi-boy and a bisexual who is a AFAB and most people in my school are homophobic because it hard to let my Teachers and friends know my preferred name and pronouns kinda like how trans people would feel.
the fact is most people don't give a fuck about what your sexuality is so yea stop being that entitled and expect everyone to learn from you. Most people just wanna live their lifes
1:03-1:10. no access healthcare and education???? hello, we have edusave and Medishield Life for everyone! every singaporeans have at least the basic education and medical needs. everyone was give a chance for education. but it seems like because system cannot conform to them, they quit school?
Some people never have any hair let alone a bad haircut, and i have been told by those who know, it can be, and often is much more problematic than that, as bad as a lesser hairdo sounds to some possibly self privileged people.
Singapore is still so freaking conservative, people need to just be open about it. If straight and heterosexuals can be themselves, why cant the LGBTs be like that too? I live in the north of Singapore and i always see a gay couple holding hands, i like how they just do it openly. Although i dont see people starring or pinpointing, i know it might happen behind closed doors.
Just dress like a man or a woman , you don't have to go through costly surgery and hormone therapy to end up with genitals that don't look or function like the real thing and physical attributes that make you look like neither man or woman.
@@ItzHoot I think you really don't understand what it means to be trans if these are your views. You should really stop and listen and try to understand why trans people decide to have surgery.
@@nate6045 I have had gay and lesbian friends and family and before the "trans movement" girls would just dress up like men and they would be called dykes ( not always derogatory term ) and men were called cross dressers or drag queens. I really want to be a multimillionaire but just because I feel and identify as one doesn't make it true , also have you seen pictures of the genital mutilation that's going on? it's outrageous and causes many people to commit suicide.
@@ItzHoot many trans people commit suicide because people don't stop making their life harder every chance they get. also not all of them choose to get surgery, but they should be able to decide themselves.
@@oskari3659 look up post gender change suicide rates, people think all there problems are gender related and they change and they realise it wasn't the issue then suicide. facts don't lie.
Was it necessary to film near the school? Be it in any school, the same shit will happen. Yes things have to change but there's always 2 sides of the story. Try to understand both parties. The school is just following "protocol".
In Singapore, whether you support or oppose the trans community is determined by who you've met in the transgender community and your experience because of who you are. (Let me oversimplify with 3 types) No.1: The very talented one If the transgender person is talented and have many skills under his/her belt, you'll have the thought, "WOW!! Trans people are just like us, the laws here are seriously unjust. How can we discriminate someone based on their identity? Aren't we supposed to be a meritocratic society?" No.2: The always kenna bullied one Transgender people faced bullying and deadnaming in school... If you are from my school, it's a literal WWE match everyday. There's a saying from my seniors from my school: If you were insulted, it's a good day. If you were beaten, it's an average day. If you were caught, it's a bad day. There was so much bullying in school that the discipline master couldn't deal with everything, so I literally have to learn how to brawl and beat someone till they ended up in hospital. I hope no one in any community face this kind of bullying. No.3: The flamboyant one Since we are on the topic of schools, I believe that the school is not your runway, nor is it the place you find your sexuality, it is the place, you study and learn. The whole point of a uniform is to enforce conformity in schools to give the "impression" of equality, as it equality in misery. The part in this video that turns me off is the part where June was asked if she was affected by school bullying and she replied, "I wasn't, I don't see it as bullying, I see them as teasing, I see it as giving me attention, I love it." I understand it is meant to be "when life gives you lemons, make lemonades" type of situation. But some wouldn't see it that way, especially if they've been victims of unwanted attention. If you met the 1st type, you will support trans rights If you met the 2nd type, it's a flip coin chance you support/oppose trans rights If you met the 3rd type, you will oppose trans rights In case you want to add a comment, "Well, those types of people exist in every community..." Hear me out... Are transgender people a tiny minority in Singapore? Yes. What are the chances of you interacting with the transgender community outside of Pink Dot? Very low. As a rule, the less interaction, the more you stereotype. Hence, the impact of one bad apple can really change your views of the community as a whole.
A lot of our teachers (not all) were so underdeveloped in regards to EQ. I don't know how common it is in other countries but throughout primary and secondary school the teachers were almost equivalent to bullies, to be honest.
Idk how other countries would dealt this situation in general, but in my country this would have been worse because mostly people would bullied you ;~;
As someone who studied in SIngapore during my early childhood, this is still something I often think about. My teachers were all condescending and borderline emotionally abusive. This was primary school, so all us kids were under the age of ten, and this was in the 2000's. I often wonder what caused them to behave like that.
lmao sec sch i was so done i just used logic on the teacher. i got scolded for picking up my phone to move it away then the teacher scolded me so i said "ok then in this scenario i forgot to keep my phone away how do you propose i shift it without physically touching it? psychic?"
@@smolkidd eugh I can imagine the teacher's retort would be something along the line of "Then you should've put it away before lesson etc." They make such an issue over anything, I swear. Like Rayhaan mentioned above, I think their condescending attitude stems from some sort of superiority complex. Teacher > Students. Our country's elitism problem.
As a person going through Secondary School education [Sec 2] right now, I can thankfully say that I had some _really_ nice teachers. I am not sure if it’s the fact I avoid trouble and have always attended what is considered the “best class” in the school, but I think the Teachers have improved a lot when it comes to handling their students the correct way. I don’t know, maybe it’s just my school and I’m just really lucky.
teachers no matter where you live (or maybe just in asia idk i might be bias) can be the biggest bullies. my bio teacher started to call my friend with names and the whole class imitated him by calling him that. the same bio teacher also said innuendos to me and it made me so uncomfortable. for months after that i felt so uncomfortable undressing because there was words came out from his head just looping in my head and its disgusting. one time counselor from highschool that i went to show her hatred towards LGBTQ+ people in the class, spreading misinformation that they spread HIV and stuff. i felt like i was attacked as well because im closeted bisexual. one time in middle school my math teacher humiliated me in front of the class and threw whiteboard eraser towards me bc i didnt know the answer. not only that she also attacked my family name. forgot to say that these bullies get paid twice more than standart salary in my country. i know some might say "iTs JuSt A JoKe KiD" but when you attacked someone else's personal life and made jokes towards 15 years old, thats beyond disgusting. plus these people technically also TEACH thair students how to be a bully.
the teachers in sg love to bring their own political views against the lgbtq+'s existence into the picture all the time, because they know that when they talk to kids, we won't argue back, and if we do, they can hurt us, basically they are too weak to actually have a well thought out debate on the issue and would much rather pick on people smaller and weaker than them, where they won't have any real consequences for doing so. They know how easily influenced by them we can be too, it's all just pure manipulation.
@@smilefenn4813 My school (in SG) taught the sec 2s about sexual orientation (this year). They had slides and everything on the difference between sexual orientation, biology and stuff. The teacher didn't even make a nasty comment. (She didn't even know what straight was! Though she knew what heterosexuality meant)
what makes u think that teachers are gonna protect em when they are already discriminating against normal tech students.. ( Not all of em teachers.) they just want their "secure" government payroll.
Some teachers won't do a thing to hurt anyone of the LGBT community. When my school touched on the topic of sexual orientation, my CCE teacher didn't even know what straight meant lmao. I doubt she'll know what transgender means.
I may not be trans, but I did felt uncomfortable to wear female school skirt to during my secondary school, I don't like to look myself in the mirror. I always love PE, because after school I would change into short pants without fail. Gradually I bring short pants to school everyday after school. I love how school days life had finally ended.
So I am not the only one about the gov school uniform. I am not trans but I prefer men clothing then female clothing. Previous my toxic friend tried to put me a skit because she is in one and a woman and I have to act like one. (I cut contact) I have nothing against trans, I do respect them in our society because there are some older generation are still old fashion in their heads.
@@NewmaticKe it’s a personal right to be able to wear what one is comfortable in. I understand the benefits of having uniforms for secondary schools but what you said made absolutely no sense in my opinion and showed ignorance. So are you implying that polytechnics and universities are not schools? I hope that you think about what you comment and do it in a respectful manner seeing how your clearly of age to do so.
These shows even adults are unable to discern such matters. Regardless of age, we humans portray such emotions or behaviour cause we are unaware how we should react/internalise in such foreign situation.
Most bully victims such as autistic people, aspergers, Tourettes, or other social conditions don’t choose to be that way. Trannies on the other hand, do.
i understand kaeden’s idea of like the no homophobia or transphobia but i think that like if this rule was there, teachers would try their best to “abide” by the rules but harass the students in secret, maybe it would be better to have a rule where teachers must stick to the students boundaries, transphobic, homophobic or not. the teacher must respect the student of their sexual orientation at the very least, no need to show support, just respect.
I love this. I strongly agree with the last point you made. There should not be a need to show support, but simple respect or tolerance is enough. Its the same as racial issues really, even LKY said we need to practice tolerance to racial differences, and not force ourselves to love something.
I recognise the secondary school that kaeden is talking about and I have a friend that is born a female but uses he/him pronoun and the discipline mistress would always call him by his deadname and he once cried infront of her bc of that and she asked him to toughen up cause it’s not A BIG DEAL... yea he transferred :)
Thank you for shedding light on what's happening in my country. Grew up in the most conventional way and took the most traditional "elite" education route, yet I'm so unaware of such social issues. What a shame...
June is such a positive woman, love her! Thank you for sharing this documentary. Everyone is human first and should be treated as such, regardless of gender (or lack of), ethnicity, class or religion.
To me I’m Christian I’m fine with the 🏳️🌈 I can’t hate them it not right because this is who they and it their own chooses they are happy with it let them be and still Jesus tell us not to hate anyone no matter who they are
@@bogdang2250 I don't have to be. I was in the very same cult who was homophobic. Can you say christianity is anti-lght or lgbt friendly based on that bible??
@@frankaenstein Yo man you’re so eloquent! Thanks for being part of this video 🥺 ps your dp is chef’s kiss. All the best for everything that’s to come :)
Heyo, to all the trans folks scrolling through the comments: i know that there's many people who oppose you, who try to tear you down, who try to justify your erasure from society. It's hard, and sg is far from becoming a progressive country anytime soon; but change, although slow, is happening, and perhaps one day we can live in a country that lives up to its national pledge: a democratic society, based on justice and equality. For now, it will be painful, but I assure you that you are stronger than any of these people here. No matter what, these people have no right to dictate the way you live, the gender you identify as, or the people you love. You are you, and no one can change that :) From a fellow member of the lgbtqia+ to another
As a demiboy living in Malaysia I get bullied for trying to change my pronouns and my name to the point that I had to change schools so now in my new school I stopped telling people who I truly was cause I didn’t want to get bullied and it really truly feels depressing not being your real self
Sadly until SG remove the gay law that they said "they don't really enforce it anyway" it will be all round difficulties for everyone in terms of marriage, house applications and schools. As a girl i never liked wearing our school skirts in school, like why the hell must i wear it, i had to end up wearing another shorts inside to avoid getting harassed and skirts is rather inconvenient all in all. And the reasoning i get is coz i'm a girl, and i'm like... So? Its just so medieval to force people to be someone or something just because its the norm.
Singapore always a western/white ppl wannabe but when it comes to cultural open minded or LGBT acceptance or tolerance for diversity, it keep Asian-mindset kinda conservative instead of completely following Western footsteps it’s even ironic when SG is the fastest changing city in the world, that things progress quickly from time to time, the elderly should’ve learn to accept the reality that society changed, and everyone can be anyone nowadays
Wts? This literally shyt comes from america. Google where the 3 major mega church founders get ordained/studied. Also, focus on family. Look up where all those kpkb comes from. West is NOT LGBT frdly,only some in the eu.
Thank you to Vice Asia for featuring us - and for the words of Chris, Kaeden, and June! Likewise, for LGBTQIA+ people in the comments and who have watched the film, let this be known that solidarity among our communities here can be possible, and that there is still (ground)work to be done on multiple fronts. Sending lots of love ❤️
I am not a trance person .. but I am tomboyish girl . I was the only girl who used to wear pants and shirt since young nursery classes . My principal supported my decision my teachers supported my choice of school uniform .. you know what my principal said to my parents , they said that " the school dress code doesn't matter , it's the education that matters . " I was very young but I still remember those words till this date i didn't know how meaningful it was I was just happy that they were letting me choose what I wanted to wear .. now I feel how nice principal and how nice teachers I was blessed with .. those pants made me feel more comfortable I am not that tomboish now now but I still feel blessed to have such nice people in my life ........ . I am from India I really don't understand why trans people are treated like that it doesn't make any sense .. they are people too may be a bit different but that's variety it's their uniqueness let them live their life their choice they deserve their happiness .. love and hugs 😘😘😘
@@NobitaSwag yes my school in India ..that too in a conservative people's state .. still my school principal and teacher were not conservative .. I feel blessed to have them .
Never understand the need to get involved with someone's gender identity or sexual orientation. If someone wants to be trans, and their family and friends are ok with it, why does the school have a say in it? And if what they are doing isn't affecting you personally, why be negative about it? Its sus as hell when people react so negatively about these things.
Exactly! Being trans or gay or something doesnt affect their ability to learn, it doesnt harm anyone else. But being transphobic will affect their ability to learn and will hurt them
@@elliaustr017 exactly! I find it so weird why can't people just let others love who they want or be who they want. There's always that extra person or group who likes to stick their head into something that doesn't affect them.
Nobody should be denied of God's love even if they are trans. Jesus loves the trans eventhough I'm not a trans. I'm a pastor and the transgender plp are welcomed to our church in malaysia.
@@wetheboms I think stating this clearly shows that you have no idea what transgender is. The bible verse you stated is regarding cross-dressing, a man dressed as a woman or vice versa. Being trans is NOT cross dressing. It is embodying a gender that DOES NOT align with the one that was given at birth. The pastor who you replied to above did not state quote the bible. I am not a trans nor member of the LGBTQ but i get my facts straight before condemning others.
it really sucks to know that teachers, the people that have so much power to do so much good to students, harass and bully students for finding their own identity. it really hurts.
Not all of us. I've had a lot of students openly ask me for guidance about their sexuality and so I did help them understand. Probably because I teach older students and the first thing I do on that breaker lesson at the start of semesters is I tell my students I'm gay and I'm also a good listener open for them to ask for help.
They aren't understanding towards other issues too.. Most sg teachers are hit or miss. Once in a while I meet someone supportive and encouraging.. Some just put me down after getting a bad grade or having a mental breakdown in class.
trans not trans whatever the pronouns are, they are just words. they dont define us. our actions defines us. i really hope one day society learns to respect everyone. why not start by seeing everyone as humans bc i dont see a difference!!
So glad this issue is getting a spotlight on the global stage. Here's hoping that Singapore will finally open her mind and heart to EVERY citizen in the near future
You must understand, Singapore is a conservative society. Regardless of who much you advocate we have to cater to the different races and religions here in Singapore especially the original inhabitants the Malay Muslim community that we must respect because Singapore has a Mufti working with the government.
hello Kaeden, I'm someone you knew back in primary school, when you were still called a****y (i'm not sure if you'd like me to reveal it so i'll censor it). I remember one specific incident when we were leaving school together and I said "bye dude!" and you told me to not call you that. I think that that moment was very important for me to realize that everyone is different in their own way. Admittedly, I was still confused back then but I remember you telling me that you'd like to go trans but you were still too young. I'm really glad to know that you have not been crushed by societal norms and continued being you. :)
@@frankaenstein nope, but we we talked quite a bit? Honestly thinking about, I can't seem to remember how we knew each other haha. I'm actually pretty curious, how did vice contact you for this video ?
I had couple friends in secondary school who was trans. It was sad to see teachers keep misgendering. But also i didnt like him, he was annoying and keep copying my homework. T.T
Super thankful for this!!! I feel like upper tertiary education settings might be more accepting than earlier educational settings. Ironically, transgender students would need the most support at a younger age when they are still figuring themselves out. More should be done to prepare teachers of primary and secondary schools to support and cater to transgender students more!
June Chua reminds me of my childhood friend. She is malay born male body who eventually becomes a women. She works in retail line as a very successful sale manager. I hope everyone deserves due respect and are given a chance to live normally in the gender they prefer.
Singaporeans or rather a lot of the older ones are xenophobic. It might sound obnoxious but I’d really love to see how the world will change once all of them are gone. I heard from a friend that her mother was texting all her friends to vote against the gay marriage law (I can’t remember the number) but it’s things like this that just put me off. Why can’t we just let people be. Jesus....
No one is xenophobic. We just believe in science. The word marriage means between a man and a woman. Just like the word water means H2O. Anything else needs help and love. Many stories of successful people that are able to return back to their gender by birth. All other genders are social construct.
@@nk2846 - it doesn’t make your opinion right. Truth is not measured by agreement of the majority. Watch this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-v--BuHXVA70.html
Am I the only one who finds the starting background music familiar? Isn't this the background music which Flutter puts in their "Widget of the week" videos?
It's really reassuring as a non binary person to hear ppl supporting more nowadays. But it does really suck that many still discriminate and even within my own sec school. Even sexuality ed only involved 'Heterosexual', 'Bisexual' and Gay. Nothing about other genders than 'Girl' or 'Boy' Even thinking about wearing boy sch pants appealed to me before
What they hate more than a tran person on the other half of the world is in fact, themselves. Finding things to keep hating on daily just to feel something. Just to have that attention.
I remember this topic in JC GP and basically SG govt is yet to be ready to accept trans. Their mindset to these students in sec sch are that they are not mature enough and may have been just 'trying to be trans' due to social media etc... There are so many teachers who are older and they are yet to be ready to accept this mindset resulting in these behaviour. For any change to be done in schools, it need to start from the govt cause honestly SG govt is still very conservative about these issues.
If you think there are alot of ignorant and disrespectful comments, the replies to comments are even worse. These people are strangers to you. If they and their choice aren't hurting people, then please respect it. Keep the hurtful remarks to yourself when you look in the mirror
How can a child get an education if the system that was designed to support them discrimates and ostracize them? Hearing the story about the teacher from Kaeden breaks my heart. I hope governments stop legislating identity and give the freedom that the trans community deserves.
Those are two completely different things. Accepting yourself is accepting who you are as a person and not just your gender. If someone accepts you its just for the fact that your trans, not who ypu are as a person. Acceptance from others is a basic human right. What if you would feel insecure about being black, would it be okay for someone to not accept you?
That teacher that harassed Kaedan was no TEACHER. She was a bully, plain and simple. MOE needs to retrain teachers. There are and there will always have LGBT+ students.
I'm tryna find the most understanding sec school cos I'm going to a sec school super soon after my psle. I'm trans ftm! And I really don't wanna wear a skirt.
I think it's a heng-suay kind of thing. In my sec sch (a long time ago, before it's normalized on the internet) there was a "butch", they played basketball with the boys daily wearing the school skirt+under shorts, they had a lot of friends; no one blinked twice. Years later I saw him on FB he did ftm transition after all; was happy for them. Then in my poly there was a mtf (haven't transitioned) but hung out with the girls, girls treated her like one of their own, everyone was chill with them. In uni in my course there was also a mtf (transitioned). Also hung out with the girls, went to the girl's toilet, and no one really cared. I point this out because this uni one was like 177cm tall with a deep voice so everyone could tell they're trans instantly but no one bullied or made fun of them. I'm sorry these ppl had a hard time growing up. Wish you all could've had a different sch/kids around you, it would've been so different. :(
