ABOUT THE FACILITATORS
Loves her desserts but hates sashimi. Exercise Junkie
“Transgenders are humans too. They all deserve equal rights to be treated like everyone else regardless of sexual orientation. Transgenders in Singapore struggle to find a window to voice their problems and it’s disheartening to know that not many people are willing to help this minority group. As the nation progress, I hope to see that there will be more opportunities for Transgenders to lead a more gratifying and carefree life, without having to live in constant fear or worry from others in society.”
NATASHA
A 20 year old exchange student at NUS from the Netherlands - originally from Erasmus University Rotterdam
"Since I have only been living in Singapore for the past three months I was not very familiar with the transgender and LGBT community in this country. Because of this project, I got to see the other side of Singapore which is less rich and wealthy. The T project and the photovoice project opened my eyes to many issues that are often ignored in the Singaporean society. I was impressed by the idea that the use of storytelling and visual imagery would help the participants better express their concerns and needs."
SAMAR
JANELLA
Aspiring missionary who eats a little too much desserts
"To be very honest, I grew up in a very conservative environment and I didn't really know what to expect from this project. But oh boy, have the lovely girls at the T-Project opened my eyes to so many things. It's heartbreaking hearing the rejection that many of them have faced - even physical abuse, simply because they're Transgenders. Ultimately, I get that others may not, or even never, agree with them but I feel that the least they deserve is to be treated as humans - with the same love, respect and dignity that each of us have."
MAXENE
Art lover that spends most of her time on netflix with a tub of ice-cream
"The Transgender community in Singapore has always struck me as elusive and complex. However, working with the T-project has truly been enlightening. Ultimately I learnt that the girls at the T-project are such inspiring people with beautiful stories to share, and I hope that as a society we can be more inclusive and loving towards them.."
TRANG
A Russian-born Vietnamese, tri-lingual and very bad at managing spending
"Before this project, I neither had much knowledge about the Transgender Community in Singapore, nor any clue about what T-Project was. Taking this module was not only a great opportunity to work with an actual non-profit organisation, but also meet such amazing individuals from a completely different circle of life. Despite the challenges faced along the process, I'm glad that my group mates and I were able to contribute in helping the Transgender Community in small ways."
CHARLENE
Student by day, vocalist by night, creative by nature, beach bum by choice
"The T-Project is a cause very close to my heart. Before volunteering at Pink Dot, I had little knowledge of an exposure to the transgender community in Singapore, much less how disproportionately represented they are amongst those who are homeless. I am one of those people who has always been under the umbrella of privilege which any marginalised groups don't have the luxury of - I may not ever understand all of the challenges and struggles the LGBTQ community faces day in and day out. But I have learned (and still am learning) how important it is for all people to be able to pursue their own happiness on their terms as who they are, period. We should all get to define what our own normal is and we should all have the right to live as who we are without recourse or reprisal from others.:"