Singapore's opposition politician first to say he's gay

Opposition politician Vincent Wijeysingha has come out as the first politician in Singapore to declare he is gay, sparking talk on whether it signals that the society is opening up more to homosexuality.

Local newspaper the Straits Times reported that last Friday, Wijeysingha posted on his Facebook page that he was going for the Pink Dot gathering the next day.

"And yes, I am gay," wrote the 43-year-old social work lecturer. "PS. And no, I don't have a gay agenda."

The Straits Times reported that the latter was a reference to a controversy during the 2011 General Election, when he was fielded as a Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.

The People's Action Party had highlighted an online video showing Dr Wijeysingha at a forum on gay issues and asked if he or SDP intended to pursue a gay agenda.