Sean Foo
Born (1991-04-24) 24 April 1991
Singapore
EducationCatholic Junior College
Alma materMonash University
Occupations
  • Entrepreneur
  • Filmmaker

Sean Foo (born 24 April 1991) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, filmmaker and advocate known for his contributions to the LGBT community through his work with Dear Straight People.

He is also recognized as the creator of Singapore's first gay boys' love web drama series, Getaway.

Early life and education

An alumnus of Catholic Junior College, Foo graduated from Monash University in Melbourne, where he earned a double degree in Arts and Accounting.[1]

Foo realised he was gay during his teenage years. However, societal prejudice against homosexuality compelled him to remain in the closet throughout his adolescence and early adulthood.[2]

Career

During his final year of university, Foo founded LGBT media platform Dear Straight People, which first made a name for itself through its coming out stories.[3]

Following his graduation, Foo began his career as an auditor, working in one of the Big Four accounting firms.[1] He later transitioned to the media industry when he joined The Smart Local, a media company in Singapore.[1]

After running Dear Straight People anonymously for a period of two years, Foo publicly revealed himself as the founder of the platform in 2017 in a self-penned letter.[4] His coming out story received significant attention, where it was covered in media publications such as Metrosource.[5]

Following his public outing, Foo emerged as a prominent figure in the LGBTQ+ community, actively participating in various forms of media engagement and advocacy. [6][7]

In 2023, Foo was featured in the documentary Regardless Of Sexuality by Channel News Asia.[8] Hosted by Janil Puthucheary, Regardless Of Sexuality was Singapore's first LGBT documentary to air on national television in almost 20 years.[9]

Venture into film-making

Despite lacking prior experience in film-making, Foo set out to create Singapore's first gay boy's love web series.[10]

In 2022, Foo wrote, produced and starred in Getaway, which premiered on YouTube on 23 May 2022.[11] Comprising 5 episodes, Getaway featured an openly queer cast from Singapore and Thailand.[12]

Following the popular reception to Getaway, Foo made his directorial debut with the gay short film titled Home Par. The gay short film premiered on YouTube on 15 December 2022.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "CONTENT MARKETING ROCKSTARS: SEAN FROM DEAR STRAIGHT PEOPLE". That Content Guy. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Being queer and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in socially conservative Singapore". Homeground Asia. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  3. ↑ "Sean Foo, founder of Dear Straight People, on running one of Asia's most popular LGBTQ+ media platforms". Tatler. 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  4. ↑ "Out Of The Closet: Sean Foo Shares His Story". Dear Straight People. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Sean Foo of the Singapore Web Phenomenon 'Dear Straight People' Asks: Am I Masculine Enough?". Metrosource. 16 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Rebel with a cause: Why having a 'cause' alone isn't enough anymore". Marketing Interactive. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  7. ↑ "Should LGBTQIA+ Topics Be Taught In School!?. 28 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ "Can Singapore Reconcile Sexuality, Family & Faith?. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ "After 377A, what will it take for LGBT persons to reconcile their sexuality with their family, faith?". Channel News Asia. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Creator of Singaporean gay drama Getaway wants to raise acceptance of LGBT community in the city state". South China Morning Post. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  11. ↑ "Singapore's Dear Straight People drops gay drama set in Bangkok: Coconuts". Coconuts. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "S'pore now has its 1st boys' love drama, featuring local & Thai cast: Mothership". Mothership. 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "HOME PAR by Dear Straight People". ProudOut. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
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