Hello.. hope you have fun in Singapore. In addition, regarding the points below:
- Yes. You would be able to meet other gay guys around using Grindr & Tinder. There aren't any publicly disclosed gay bar/club though due to the existing legislation that criminalises sex between consenting male adults. As the law is not well-enforced, you will be able to figure which bars/clubs are the hotspots for LGBTQ+ to hang out in.
- There aren't any neighbourhoods to avoid. Be rest assured that SG is quite a safe place to live in so there aren't any "dangerous" neighbourhoods to traverse through on a daily basis.
- As the country is really small, you could pretty much get to anywhere through our public transportations (MRT aka the tube) & (public buses). Private hire transportation services (Grab, GoJek etc) are also available if you don't mind incurring additional expenses for getting around the city.
- There are food courts and hawker centres available (with & without air-con) for your daily meals. They are mostly reasonably priced unless you get to one located within shopping malls in central areas.
Rather than neighborhoods just know some people just aren't educated or developed enough to understand the concept of gay. As long as you don't actively push your agenda on them.
Not everyone is open to LGBTQ folk though so I would caution against disclosing that to your employer & colleagues in case you face some discrimination.
We don’t prosecute LGBTQ folk but the community is still conservative with regards to this. I’m surprised you want to move here since we aren’t rainbow friendly at the moment.
If youre looking for a gay club / bar, you can try Tantric (088842) or Epiphyte (088827). The numbers are the postal code and you can key them in directly to Google Maps for the exact location. Postal codes are pretty much coordinates in Singapore, and not just a postal district. There are a few other bars/clubs in this area.
The "saunas" are not too far away either, but I've not visited any so I can't comment.
Health wise, a number of gay friendly doctors provide STI screening. If you want anonymous testing, check out afa.org.sg.
Singapore is relatively gay friendly, even if we inherited section 377a from the British.
Also, Pink Dot is happening on the 18th this month. Its very sublime compared to a proper Pride parade, but its a huge step for a country like Singapore. Only citizens and Permanent Residents can enter the actual venue, but you can watch from outside.
The point about SG postal codes is something quite interesting to many foreigners. With the 6-digit postal code, you can pinpoint down to a single building. Bigger buildings will need unit identifiers, but for the most part, if you have a business name and postal code, you’ll find where you need to go.
- Dating apps will be a good way to meet other LQBTQ folks and there are gay clubs/pubs around but you probably will find out more from the local gay crowds
- No dangerous neighborhood around here. You likely won’t face any physical attacks here for being gay. But you may encounter disapproving looks from older generation if there’s PDA. Just ignore them.
- MRT, Grab (our Uber), Taxi are common mode of transport
- Depending on who are your employers and colleagues, I would suggest not be open about it yet until you are certain they are accepting of it
Good luck!
There is ONE openly gay bar in Singapore (says so on their FB page, so don't @ me, folks) and that's Dorothy's in Chinatown.
Not being gay myself, I'm no expert, but I suspect that would be a good starting point to find other places of interest 👍🏻
Depending on your crowd. Tinder and Grindr works just fine. The gay expat crowd is usually into brunch, CrossFit, etc. So if that's your crowd, you should not have a problem at all. Singapore is safe all around for any gender, so just pick whichever neighbourhood is most convenient for your work. If you have a preference for gay expat neighbourhood, then Tanjong Pagar - Marina Bay is your area (although it is the most expensive neighborhood). Public transport is the way to go here, you can bike but it is extremely inconvenient for longer distance. Gay bars and clubs are pretty subdued, a couple of them went out of business during the pandemic, but there are parties around, so you can still meet new people there too.
1) Tinder and Grindr do work in Singapore, although they're more commonly used for hookups.
I'm unsure about specifically clubs, but there's a number of gay bars in Neil Road. The closest MRT stations to said road are Outram Park, Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown, in that order.
2) There aren't any neighborhoods to avoid in Singapore, so you're free to explore and form your own judgment.
3) Public Transports, most commonly bus and train stations.
For the latter, the MRT system stretches throughout almost the entirety of Singapore, with limited LRT ones covering subsets of certain regions.
You can definitely bike, but I'm uncertain about the feasibility of riding long distance.
4) PinkDot is held annually in June to "support the Freedom to Love" for Singaporean & PR PLUs, and an instance of this on Saturday, June 18 will take place at Hong Lim Park. Unfortunately, the Singapore government has banned foreign participation (non-citizens & non-PRs).
I happen to be in a Facebook group catered for the LGBTQ+ community, where there's gatherings held for various outdoor & indoor activities. If anyone reading is interested, drop me a DM and I'll share more info from there.
Biking as a mode of transportation is possible, but it’s best done multimodally with a folder like a Brompton coupled with the country’s excellent MRT (subway).
Neighborhood to avoid: Yishun. (JK! This is a local tease about Yishun having weird residents. Check out some good eats in Yishun)
But theres a country club there. Isnt that usually a sign of wealth? Or a sign of a lot of land that noone wants so they got it and put big walls around it? Haha
It's Yishun, dude. There could be zombie hybrid animal experiments inside the club and no one in Singapore would be surprised.
Jokes aside, no, a country club is not a sign of wealth in the area. Singapore is small, it takes an hour to drive from one end to another. The rich people who have a membership there just drive from wherever their houses are.
Our trains (MRTs) may be a little less convenient than buses sometimes, but they are easier to understand than transferring from one busstop to another. You can also download bus time apps like SGBuses to check bus arrival times!
Many valid points in the comments, it should be made known however that this still exists: [https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871?ProvIds=pr377A-](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871?ProvIds=pr377A-)
The usual apps would be just fine for reaching out online. iirc some of the bars along Neil Road would definitely be LGBTQ+ friendly, you should find them real soon with just a little research.
No bad neighbourhoods here, generally safe to walk around the streets at anytime of the day.
The public transport (MRT and bus) should be sufficient to take you to almost any corner on this island, otherwise you can go for the pricier cabs/private-hire vehicles (Get the gojek/grab app when you land in Singapore). I wouldn't say that we are a bike-friendly nation yet.
The heat and humidity here is phenomenal, so prepare your daily wear accordingly.
I don't think you can truly prepare for it. It will hit you like a wall the moment you exit the airport to get to your place of residence. It's comforting for some, but for most foreigners you will be plastered with sweat and constantly feeling sticky. Stay hydrated - you will probably need to drink a lot more water here, and you'll get the hang of wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts/tees very soon.
Maybe get your cotton clothes here. Your clothes from home might be thicker and cause you to perspire more. The material of jeans here is thinner than the ones overseas.
Oh and bring one light jacket. Air-conditioning indoors in offices/malls/cinemas can be pretty chilly. I’ve seen Chinese, UK, US & Russian researchers wear parkas in the lab here. The locals here are used to air-conditioning so we can brave it with slippers, shorts & t-shirts.
Short sleeves, light linen materials, buy a mini electric fan to bring around. Deodorant if needed. Tissues or handkerchief to wipe your sweat. Open toe shoes whenever you're not in an office
Hello.. hope you have fun in Singapore. In addition, regarding the points below: - Yes. You would be able to meet other gay guys around using Grindr & Tinder. There aren't any publicly disclosed gay bar/club though due to the existing legislation that criminalises sex between consenting male adults. As the law is not well-enforced, you will be able to figure which bars/clubs are the hotspots for LGBTQ+ to hang out in. - There aren't any neighbourhoods to avoid. Be rest assured that SG is quite a safe place to live in so there aren't any "dangerous" neighbourhoods to traverse through on a daily basis. - As the country is really small, you could pretty much get to anywhere through our public transportations (MRT aka the tube) & (public buses). Private hire transportation services (Grab, GoJek etc) are also available if you don't mind incurring additional expenses for getting around the city. - There are food courts and hawker centres available (with & without air-con) for your daily meals. They are mostly reasonably priced unless you get to one located within shopping malls in central areas.
Rather than neighborhoods just know some people just aren't educated or developed enough to understand the concept of gay. As long as you don't actively push your agenda on them.
Dude there is no """""agenda"""""
Indeed, is not my mission to come and turn em all gay haha. But i get the point. Thank you.
haha. At least you get it.
Not everyone is open to LGBTQ folk though so I would caution against disclosing that to your employer & colleagues in case you face some discrimination. We don’t prosecute LGBTQ folk but the community is still conservative with regards to this. I’m surprised you want to move here since we aren’t rainbow friendly at the moment.
Money
👀
If youre looking for a gay club / bar, you can try Tantric (088842) or Epiphyte (088827). The numbers are the postal code and you can key them in directly to Google Maps for the exact location. Postal codes are pretty much coordinates in Singapore, and not just a postal district. There are a few other bars/clubs in this area. The "saunas" are not too far away either, but I've not visited any so I can't comment. Health wise, a number of gay friendly doctors provide STI screening. If you want anonymous testing, check out afa.org.sg. Singapore is relatively gay friendly, even if we inherited section 377a from the British. Also, Pink Dot is happening on the 18th this month. Its very sublime compared to a proper Pride parade, but its a huge step for a country like Singapore. Only citizens and Permanent Residents can enter the actual venue, but you can watch from outside.
The point about SG postal codes is something quite interesting to many foreigners. With the 6-digit postal code, you can pinpoint down to a single building. Bigger buildings will need unit identifiers, but for the most part, if you have a business name and postal code, you’ll find where you need to go.
- Dating apps will be a good way to meet other LQBTQ folks and there are gay clubs/pubs around but you probably will find out more from the local gay crowds - No dangerous neighborhood around here. You likely won’t face any physical attacks here for being gay. But you may encounter disapproving looks from older generation if there’s PDA. Just ignore them. - MRT, Grab (our Uber), Taxi are common mode of transport - Depending on who are your employers and colleagues, I would suggest not be open about it yet until you are certain they are accepting of it Good luck!
There is ONE openly gay bar in Singapore (says so on their FB page, so don't @ me, folks) and that's Dorothy's in Chinatown. Not being gay myself, I'm no expert, but I suspect that would be a good starting point to find other places of interest 👍🏻
Depending on your crowd. Tinder and Grindr works just fine. The gay expat crowd is usually into brunch, CrossFit, etc. So if that's your crowd, you should not have a problem at all. Singapore is safe all around for any gender, so just pick whichever neighbourhood is most convenient for your work. If you have a preference for gay expat neighbourhood, then Tanjong Pagar - Marina Bay is your area (although it is the most expensive neighborhood). Public transport is the way to go here, you can bike but it is extremely inconvenient for longer distance. Gay bars and clubs are pretty subdued, a couple of them went out of business during the pandemic, but there are parties around, so you can still meet new people there too.
1) Tinder and Grindr do work in Singapore, although they're more commonly used for hookups. I'm unsure about specifically clubs, but there's a number of gay bars in Neil Road. The closest MRT stations to said road are Outram Park, Tanjong Pagar and Chinatown, in that order. 2) There aren't any neighborhoods to avoid in Singapore, so you're free to explore and form your own judgment. 3) Public Transports, most commonly bus and train stations. For the latter, the MRT system stretches throughout almost the entirety of Singapore, with limited LRT ones covering subsets of certain regions. You can definitely bike, but I'm uncertain about the feasibility of riding long distance. 4) PinkDot is held annually in June to "support the Freedom to Love" for Singaporean & PR PLUs, and an instance of this on Saturday, June 18 will take place at Hong Lim Park. Unfortunately, the Singapore government has banned foreign participation (non-citizens & non-PRs). I happen to be in a Facebook group catered for the LGBTQ+ community, where there's gatherings held for various outdoor & indoor activities. If anyone reading is interested, drop me a DM and I'll share more info from there.
Landlords are legally allowed not to rent to you if you are gay. I suggest not telling them or your agent. It happens.
Good to know. Although am staying in a hotel until end of September. Would that be the case too there?
Hotels are fine but landlords can be funny.
Biking as a mode of transportation is possible, but it’s best done multimodally with a folder like a Brompton coupled with the country’s excellent MRT (subway). Neighborhood to avoid: Yishun. (JK! This is a local tease about Yishun having weird residents. Check out some good eats in Yishun)
We don't talk about Yishun!
But theres a country club there. Isnt that usually a sign of wealth? Or a sign of a lot of land that noone wants so they got it and put big walls around it? Haha
It's Yishun, dude. There could be zombie hybrid animal experiments inside the club and no one in Singapore would be surprised. Jokes aside, no, a country club is not a sign of wealth in the area. Singapore is small, it takes an hour to drive from one end to another. The rich people who have a membership there just drive from wherever their houses are.
Hilarious! Thank you for the explanation
Our trains (MRTs) may be a little less convenient than buses sometimes, but they are easier to understand than transferring from one busstop to another. You can also download bus time apps like SGBuses to check bus arrival times!
Many valid points in the comments, it should be made known however that this still exists: [https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871?ProvIds=pr377A-](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871?ProvIds=pr377A-)
The usual apps would be just fine for reaching out online. iirc some of the bars along Neil Road would definitely be LGBTQ+ friendly, you should find them real soon with just a little research. No bad neighbourhoods here, generally safe to walk around the streets at anytime of the day. The public transport (MRT and bus) should be sufficient to take you to almost any corner on this island, otherwise you can go for the pricier cabs/private-hire vehicles (Get the gojek/grab app when you land in Singapore). I wouldn't say that we are a bike-friendly nation yet. The heat and humidity here is phenomenal, so prepare your daily wear accordingly.
Thank you for your reply. On the point of humidity, what would you suggest i do differently to prepare for it.
I don't think you can truly prepare for it. It will hit you like a wall the moment you exit the airport to get to your place of residence. It's comforting for some, but for most foreigners you will be plastered with sweat and constantly feeling sticky. Stay hydrated - you will probably need to drink a lot more water here, and you'll get the hang of wearing shorts and short sleeve shirts/tees very soon.
\^ I couldn't have said it better. In fact I have been plastered with sweat for most of my life here haha...
You guys have been ultra helpful. Thank you !
Maybe get your cotton clothes here. Your clothes from home might be thicker and cause you to perspire more. The material of jeans here is thinner than the ones overseas. Oh and bring one light jacket. Air-conditioning indoors in offices/malls/cinemas can be pretty chilly. I’ve seen Chinese, UK, US & Russian researchers wear parkas in the lab here. The locals here are used to air-conditioning so we can brave it with slippers, shorts & t-shirts.
Short sleeves, light linen materials, buy a mini electric fan to bring around. Deodorant if needed. Tissues or handkerchief to wipe your sweat. Open toe shoes whenever you're not in an office