Dear Student,haven't bothered to watch the videos, but Above the Law observes that Dr. Thio "speaks persuasively and with conviction," like a great high school debater. So far, NYU has refused to to rescind its invitation to Dr. Thio, despite individual student and alumni complaints.
We are writing on behalf of OUTLaw, NYU Law's LGBT student group, to raise awareness of anti-gay statements made by a NYU visiting professor. Dr. Li-ann Thio, a professor at the National University of Singapore, will be teaching Human Rights Law in Asia during the Fall 2009 semester as a Global Visiting Professor of Law at NYU.
In 2007, the Singaporean Parliament was considering repealing 377A - the statute criminalizing consensual sex between men in Singapore. Dr. Thio, a Nominated Member of Parliament, gave a speech before Parliament arguing against the repeal. In her speech supporting the continued criminalization of "acts of gross indecency" between two males, she made such statements as, "You cannot make a human wrong a human right," "Diversity is not a license for perversity," and that anal sex is like "shoving a straw up your nose to drink" (http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/10/377a-serves-public-morality-nmp-thio-li-ann). The efforts to repeal 377A failed, and consensual sex between men is still illegal in Singapore.
While respecting Dr. Thio's right to her opinion and without questioning her teaching abilities, OUTLaw believes it is important for LGBT students and allies to be aware of her views in order to make fully informed decisions regarding class registration. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the OUTLaw Board at nyu.outlaw@gmail.com.
The NYU OUTLaw Board
Links to videos of her speech to the Parliament: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWqp3mLz4ko (part 1), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUDYo29gNNg (part 2), http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPIdp0qXZy4 (part 3)"
Over on the APA for Progress blog, Eugenia observes and wonders, "...while no one can deny that Dr. Thio's credentials are very impressive... one wonders whether Dr. Thio has actually shoved a straw up her nose to drink before (or if she's ever actually had anal sex)." You never know.
