NIGHT falls on the Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park. On a makeshift stage, advocates from the local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community share with the crowd their hopes for Singapore’s future.

Then a countdown begins. The crowd huddles together, flashlights in hand. Some link arms; others embrace. One by one, transparent umbrellas unfurl and light up to form the word “family” in rainbow-hued letters.

“Three, two, one.”