Alright, I'll just give you a simplified version of this huge media storm in Asia and then information on where you can read about everything. Otherwise we'd be here for a very, very long time.



WHO
AWARE, a gender advocacy group with the mission for "equality for all."
Its vision (from their website): Singapore’s leading advocacy group, promoting equal opportunities for women, so as to improve the quality of life of women in the Singapore and achieve the betterment of Singapore society as a whole.

WHAT
Anti-gay Christian Fundamentalists Hijack Singapore Women's Group
In what has been described as "nothing short of a leadership grab," a group of new members challenged and eventually won nine out of 12 executive committee spots at the recent annual general meeting of Singapore's main women's advocacy group, Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). And, it was one person that orchestrated it all -- Singapore lawyer Thio Su Mien.

WHY IT'S INTERESTING
Coup's are always fun! And because it's such a great representation of the traditional, old-school way of thinking versus the emerging new-school way of thinking in Singapore. And it's like watching one of those trashy, drama-filled reality shows on VH1. Except it's not as trashy. And it's not on VH1 but rather the Straits Times.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The newly appointed members seem to have an anti-gay agenda, they gave a list of instance of how the "old" AWARE had taken a homosexual and lesbian turn: "promoted a lesbian movie," "held a men's workshop," "wants to let men vote," "schools sexuality programme," "mother's day 2006," "invited gay activist alex lu," and "reaching out to transvestites." In light of Prop 8 and civil rights everywhere, it's important that well, (a) coups can't start taking place everywhere in organizations doing good in the world -- imagine the chuch of latter day saints taking over GLAAD -- and (b) things like roundtable discussions between lesbian-friendly mothers and lesbian daughters aren't cited as being apart of some "horrible gay agenda."

RESOURCES

AWARE's Website
(where you should sign up to be a member so you can vote (only female, sg & prs 18+ can vote) ... cough cough.)

The website of the old members

All the videos, print news and even radio from the saga!

Of course, there's a Facebook group

One of the best-AWARE-blogs -- continually updated

How the AWARE Saga demonstrates bloggers' maturity

Sign the Petition! Gender Equality for All!

Pirates?

How DBS Bank got involved

A bit by bit rebuttal to Josie Lau's interview with the SG Enquirer

Another blogger's perspective

A video of Thio Su Mien's daughter, Thio Li-Ann presenting an anti-gay agenda. It's mind blowing

Thio Su Mien is ... BISEXUAL!