Dany's Story

Always smiling, soft-natured and kind, our fourth participant Dany* refused to let us pay for our drinks as she insisted it was on her. Grabbing her wallet and rushing out of the shelter to our protests, Dany came back soon after with a watercress drink for each one of our team members, along with a bright pink bandung for herself.

The inspiration for this kind deed stemmed from a photo she had taken of the fruit juice stall near the shelter. She told us that she loves juice, a luxury that she affords herself almost everyday. When asked about how pays for her juice, Dany explained that she earns about $25 - $50 per customer from sex work. She also receives help from CDC and MSF, due her medical condition that renders her unable to work.

“I have low blood pressure and low blood cell count. This means that I can’t go to work, because at anytime I can feel weak and giddy.”

Simply judging by Dany’s sweet and gentle demeanor, one would never have guessed that her life has been full of pain and suffering. She didn’t hold back as she shared with us her personal stories of trials and tribulations. Dany began by reminiscing about her simpler days in the kampong as she played on swings and hung about. As a child, her parents noticed her different ways and would bring her siblings out while keeping her isolated at home. Her parents had known that she was different, and could not accept how she was slowing steering towards being transgender. At 14, she was thrown out of the house and sent to a boy’s home.

‘I have never met my relatives unlike my siblings… my parents would lock me in the house. I grew up all alone in a 4-room flat.’

The first case of abuse happened when Dany was 10 years old. A Malaysian man had seen her around the void deck, brought her to the staircase and raped her. For the next two years, he would shower her with gifts which, coupled with the rejection from her family, led her to develop a love for him.

‘I couldn’t do anything, I had no strength. I suffered like that from 10-12 years old.’

After that, her time at the boys’ home was also punctuated with different boyfriends who both loved abused her. She sought shelter at a Hong Kong and China dormitory, where she found love and acceptance while doing some sex work. When she was 16, she was raped by 8 men when 16 burly men surrounded her at Tekka. The painful stories of abuse and sexual assault were difficult to hear. Still, Dany kept her composure throughout the entire interview.

Despite the adversity Dany has been through, I was truly inspired by the way she continued to wear her heart on her sleeve. On the last note, Dany focused on the positive, counting her blessings to be Singaporean and to have found the T-Shelter.

*name has been changed to protect individual’s privacy