Averyn Thng

Averyn Thng, formerly known as Cassandra Thng, is a Singaporean writer and activist recognized for their advocacy for the transgender community and their critical commentary on social and political issues in Singapore. Thng, who uses they/them pronouns, first gained public attention through their online initiatives, writings, and participation in public demonstrations concerning LGBTQ+ rights.

Thng is a co-founder of TransgenderSG, an extensive online resource hub for the transgender community in Singapore. Their activism is marked by the influential "31 Days of Trans Visibility" social media campaign and a significant body of essays addressing gender theory, feminism, and systemic oppression. Thng's public profile has also been defined by their involvement in several high-profile events, including a police investigation into a 2019 social media post from Hong Lim Park and their participation in a 2021 protest outside the Ministry of Education (MOE) headquarters concerning the treatment of transgender students.

Early Life and Education

Formative Years and Gender Identity

Thng has stated that they were aware of their gender identity from the age of four but felt a compelling need to conceal it from their family, whom they believed would not react well. To navigate their social environment, Thng consciously adopted masculine stereotypes, a period they later described as acting out a part and living through a "farce of self-protection". This disconnect between their internal identity and external presentation had a profound psychological impact. Thng described this experience as living on the "wrong side of the (metaphorical) aisle of gender," which led to a deep sense of social isolation, even while surrounded by friends. They recounted being handicapped in their ability to form genuine connections, feeling unable to relate within male friendships and alienated within female ones, which caused them to function in a state of "pseudo-autopilot".

This prolonged state of internal conflict and alienation directly contributed to significant mental health challenges. Starting in secondary two (the second year of secondary school), Thng began experiencing recurrent depressive episodes, which they attribute solely to the distress of being transgender, their anxieties about the future, and a profound self-hatred for their body. This period of intense internal struggle culminated in what Thng termed their "first depressive spiral". The personal suffering endured during these formative years appears to have been a foundational experience, shaping their later intellectual and activist framework. Their subsequent advocacy against the "visceral realities of oppression and discrimination" seems rooted in this direct, lived experience of psychological harm caused by societal and familial pressures to conform.

A pivotal moment of self-realization occurred when Thng was 14. They encountered the concept of being transgender online and found narratives and experiences that closely mirrored their own lifelong feelings. This discovery provided them with the language and the sense of community that had been absent, marking a significant shift in their self-awareness.

Coming out to their family elicited a range of reactions. Thng’s mother was initially unaccepting, a response that Thng said contributed to their suicidal ideation at the time. However, over a period of two years, their relationship evolved into what Thng described as a "compromise" for which they were thankful, where their mother maintained her personal position but continued to provide maternal care. In contrast, Thng’s sister was described as "overwhelmingly supportive" and "fiercely protective." Their father initially expressed upset, which Thng attributed to a sense of "loss of his son and his traditional Chinese beliefs," particularly concerning the continuation of the family line. Ultimately, however, he conveyed a desire for Thng to excel and be judged on their merits, not solely on the basis of being transgender.

Education

Thng attended junior college, which they identified as a significant period in their social development. It was during this time that they were first able to cultivate the strong female friendships that had eluded them during their earlier years of social and emotional isolation.

Following junior college, Thng enrolled at Yale-NUS College, where they majored in anthropology. In 2019, while a third-year student, Thng was 22 years old. Their academic work focused on queer and feminist theory, with a research interest in documenting "how people find ways of living and loving otherwise against regimes of power that assign value to life based on capitalist production and cis/heteronormative reproduction". Before receiving their university results in 2017, Thng had expressed aspirations to pursue a degree in Medicine, Law, Liberal Arts, or Economics, stating a fundamental goal to become an "agent for change" for the transgender community in Singapore.

National Service Experience

In accordance with Singaporean law, all male citizens are required to perform compulsory National Service (NS). For Thng, this period represented a point of acute crisis rather than a conventional military career. While they had developed coping mechanisms to manage the enforced gender binary in school, Thng stated that the hyper-masculine environment of National Service "almost broke" them.

The experience severely exacerbated their gender dysphoria, triggering "severe anxiety attacks" and solidifying pre-existing plans for suicide. Thng had already formulated these plans before enlistment, but stated that "NS only sealed in my decision". This intense encounter with a key institution of the Singaporean state appears to have been a radicalizing experience. It rendered their previous methods of coping untenable and forced a direct, life-or-death confrontation with their identity. This period of extreme suffering, directly linked to a state apparatus, likely informed their later critiques of systemic power structures, including what they termed "militarised surveillance". The crisis precipitated by NS appears to have been the catalyst that immediately preceded their decision to begin a medical transition, which they started by obtaining hormones in June 2016.

Activism and Public Advocacy

Averyn Thng's activism demonstrates a clear trajectory, beginning with personal storytelling to raise visibility, evolving into broader systemic critiques, and culminating in the development of durable community infrastructure. This progression reflects a strategic maturation from individual advocacy to building sustainable, community-owned resources.

Foundational Activism and Writings

In 2017, Thng launched the "31 Days of Trans Visibility," a highly successful social media campaign inspired by a Tumblr post. For the 31 days preceding the International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, Thng published daily articles on Facebook that explored issues pertinent to trans rights and experiences. The project culminated in a photo series where Thng traversed Singapore with a placard that read, "I am trans, will you take a photo with me?" This initiative, aimed at capturing the spirit of visibility and public support, garnered an overwhelmingly positive response and was featured in mainstream news outlets like.

The Straits Times and Mothership.sg.

Thng has also produced a substantial body of writing on the online platform Medium, where they have published essays on a wide array of subjects since 2017. Their work includes practical guides for allies and community members, such as "How To Love Your Trans Loved Ones" and a detailed breakdown of the financial costs of transitioning in "The Price of Being Trans (in Singapore)". They have also authored political critiques on topics like the retention of Section 377A of the penal code and theoretical explorations into concepts like biological sex, systemic power, and democracy. Their writing has been described as exhibiting both "careful reasoning and, of all things, passion".

Beyond their writing, Thng has participated in public awareness campaigns and art projects. They were featured in the "(Un)bound" photography exhibition, which used their article "The Price Of Being Trans (In Singapore)" alongside personal journal entries and social media posts to illuminate the multifaceted costs—emotional, social, and financial—of transitioning. They also contributed to the "Our Story Is Drug-Free" campaign, where they spoke on the links between systemic oppression, discrimination, and the susceptibility of LGBTQ+ individuals to substance abuse as a form of escapism.

TransgenderSG

In 2017, Thng co-founded TransgenderSG.com, a comprehensive online resource for the transgender community in Singapore. The initiative was co-founded with Rain Khoo, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) consultant. The platform was established by a team of transgender individuals to fill a critical gap in local resources. At the time, most available information was targeted toward a Western audience and was not always applicable to the Singaporean context. The stated mission of TransgenderSG is to pool the collective knowledge and experiences of the local community to help other transgender people navigate their transitions more safely and smoothly.

The website, which has been archived by the National Library Board of Singapore for its cultural significance, offers extensive guidance on various aspects of transitioning in the country. Its resources cover topics such as the process of coming out, accessing healthcare services, hormone replacement therapy, surgical options, voice training, and coping strategies for gender dysphoria. Crucially, it provides practical, localized information on administrative processes such as legally changing one's name and gender marker on official documents like the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), as well as navigating National Service.

In addition to being a resource hub, TransgenderSG engages in direct advocacy and community building. The organization has co-submitted a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report on the state of transgender rights to the United Nations in partnership with other civil society groups and has issued public responses to anti-transgender events in Singapore. It also serves as a community nexus, organizing regular meetups for community members and actively recruiting volunteers for roles in content creation, research advocacy, translation, and community support.

Controversies and Legal Incidents

Thng's activism has involved several public incidents that brought them into direct confrontation with institutional and state authorities. These events demonstrate a consistent pattern of identifying and challenging specific power structures perceived as sources of systemic harm.

Yale-NUS "Dissent and Resistance" Controversy (2019)

In September 2019, Yale-NUS College, where Thng was a student, cancelled a week-long program titled "Dissent and Resistance in Singapore." The program was scheduled to feature several local activists as speakers.

Thng, then a third-year anthropology major, publicly voiced their disagreement with the college's decision. In statements provided to the media, including The Online Citizen, they argued that the cancellation deprived students of a valuable learning opportunity. Thng contended that students would benefit from "critically and academically engaging" with the invited speakers, who offered "differing perspectives" from diverse fields such as migrant worker rights, political journalism, and artistic expression. Framing the issue as a matter of both academic freedom and civic responsibility, Thng stated, "We, as citizens, have a responsibility to engage with these various aspects of civil society".

Hong Lim Park Incident (2019)

On November 6, 2019, Thng posted a photograph on their Facebook account that depicted them at Speakers' Corner in Hong Lim Park. In the image, Thng was wearing a camouflage jacket and bottoms while directing their middle fingers toward a police surveillance camera.

The photograph was accompanied by a caption that served as a political statement. Thng wrote that widespread suffering from issues such as mental health problems, racism, and transphobia is "upheld by militarised surveillance and the criminalisation of fighting for a better world." They explicitly identified these forces as "capitalism," "power," and "oppression".

More than six months later, on May 16, 2020, a police complaint was lodged against Thng. In September 2020, the Singapore Police Force began an investigation, and Thng was called to a police station for approximately 90 minutes of questioning. It was implied to Thng that a member of the public had raised concerns that the post might be "inciting tensions". The investigation drew public support for Thng from fellow activists, including Jolovan Wham, who gathered outside the police station in a show of solidarity. In a statement to the media regarding the incident, Thng affirmed their position, stating, "I'd like to state for the record that I do not regret speaking up and speaking out, and I never will".

Ministry of Education Headquarters Protest (2021)

On January 26, 2021, a protest was staged outside the Ministry of Education (MOE) headquarters in Buona Vista. The demonstration was organized in response to public allegations made by a transgender pre-university student who claimed that her school, with the backing of MOE, was obstructing her access to hormone replacement therapy and requiring her to adhere to the male dress code despite her gender identity. The MOE subsequently issued a statement denying that it had interfered with any medical treatment, stating it was a matter for the student and their family to decide.

A group of five activists, including Thng, who was 24 at the time, assembled outside the MOE building with placards. The signs displayed slogans such as "#Fix schools not students," "trans students will not be erased," and "trans students deserve access to healthcare & support".

Thng's involvement in the protest was distinct from that of some of the other participants. According to police statements, Thng and fellow activist Ng Yi-Sheng complied with instructions from a building security officer and left the premises before police officers arrived at the scene. Three other protesters—Kokila Annamalai, Lune Loh, and Elijah Tay—remained, ignored police warnings to cease their activities, and were subsequently arrested after refusing to comply with a formal "Move-on" direction issued under the Public Order Act.

In November 2021, the police concluded their investigations into the incident. For their participation in a public assembly without a permit, Thng and Ng Yi-Sheng were issued stern warnings. The three individuals who were arrested received more severe conditional warnings, reflecting their non-compliance with police orders at the scene. A sixth individual, Alex Tan, also received a stern warning for his role in preparing the placards used in the protest.

Table 1: Summary of Involvement and Police Actions in the 2021 MOE Headquarters Protest

Individual	Age (at time of incident)	Identified Role / Action	Police Action / Warning Issued	Source(s)
Kokila Annamalai	33	Organizer; Remained at scene; Breached "Move-on" direction	24-month conditional warning
Lune Loh	24	Participant; Remained at scene; Breached "Move-on" direction	12-month conditional warning
Elijah Tay	19	Participant; Remained at scene; Breached "Move-on" direction	12-month conditional warning
Averyn Thng	24	Participant; Complied with security instructions and left before police arrival	Stern warning
Ng Yi-Sheng	41	Participant; Complied with security instructions and left before police arrival	Stern warning
Alex Tan	23	Involved in preparation of placards	Stern warning