Kumar performing in club

Music

01.01.30.00

McGrath:  Meet Kumar. Doing what he likes doing best.

01.41

McGrath:  And this is his hang out. The BOOM BOOM ROOM - the only club of its kind in Singapore.

McGrath:  So are you a drag queen ?

02.18

Kumar

Kumar:  Inside I am actually, but for purposes - for career mindedness whatever my life is I have to obey the rules. I have to make sure I do not go overboard because I'd only get deported .

Trannies putting on make-up

McGrath:  You see, it's not easy being a drag queen in this country. Here conformity is the order of the day - homosexuality is illegal and Singapore ostracises anyone who can't decide what sex they are. So Kumar sticks to the rules. At show time he's a man in women's clothes.

02.42

Sabrina and Yasmeen in cafe

But during the day he's a bloke - even when he has lunch with his best friends.

03.03

This is Sabrina and Yasmeen. Both decided they wanted to be women and they've had sex change operations.

Sabrina had surgery 10 years ago - Yasmeen three.

Yasmeen

McGrath:  I mean you look fabulous. How long does it take you to put your make-up on?

Yasmeen:  Maybe about one hour.

McGrath:  And do you travel with make-up. Do you bring make-up with you?

Yasmeen:  Not really.

McGrath:  Have you got some there?

Yasmeen:  Yeah, I have some there. This is my make-up box actually. All my make-up.

Sabrina

McGrath:  Sabrina, tell me when you go out in the morning, how much time does it take you to get ready, and what sort of image do you like to...

Sabrina:  I'm a very fast mover - I don t need to put so much make-up because I have one son, I have to bring him to school. I don't want people to look at me. So I just behave just like the normal people. I try to fit in with the public.

Kumar with Yasmeen and Sabrina, going shopping

McGrath:  But these days what do Singapore girls -or boys - do on a sunny day? Shop. Orchard Road, of course.

04.06

Music

Archival footage, Bugis Street

McGrath:  George, as you well know, in the old days Singapore really did swing. Transvestites were a tourist attraction - their home was Bugis Street. But 11 years ago - amidst howls of protest, the Government closed them down.

04.39

Trannies at Changi Point

The bright lights have gone but the trannies are back on the streets. The meeting place is Changi Point - on the outskirts of this tiny island. Of course, as prostitutes, they're breaking the law every night - but most of the time the police tend to leave them alone.

05.06

Yasmeen is the leader of the pack - the only one here who's had a sex change - all the rest are transvestites.

Tranny putting on make-up

In this country life can be tough if you don't fit in. The BOOM BOOM ROOM is one place where Singapore's rules don't matter too much. Here no one cares if you're straight, gay or a tranny. Now it's time for Kumar to cross over.

05.36

Kumar on stage

Kumar:  Welcome to the Boom Boom Room. My god I'm still a man, it's unbelievable. My life's so confusing...I'm an Indian, we .speak very fast. For the people who don't understand what I just said now, this is not a virgin program.

05.56

McGrath:  Do you like shocking Singaporeans? Do you think you shock them when you go out there on stage?

Kumar

Kumar:  Oh yes. I have tourists who come into the club when I come on stage and they look all looking around. Is there any police? Will they arrest me? But it's good because Singapore is beginning to accept the fact that there is local humour - that there is a place to go and laugh. Not just go to a club and dance the whole night, get drunk...

Kumar and colleagues performing

Music

McGrath:  While the wild clubs of the 70s and 80s have been toned down through self censorship and fear of prosecution, there are some here who refuse to be silenced - or who refuse to flee.

06.58

And Singapore's best known drag queen is doing his bit to push the boundaries even further.

ENDS

07.28