Sgapore to Decrimalize Gay Sex | Human Rights Watch

Contents:

• WHAT IT’S LIKE BEG GAY SGAPORE, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS STILL ILLEGAL
• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COME OUT SGAPORE, WHERE GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL
• SGAPORE GAY TRAVEL
• WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE YOUNG AND GAY SGAPORE
• SGAPORE UPHOLDS COLONIAL ANTI-GAY LAWS: BEG GAY REMAS ILLEGAL FOR 5.7 MILLN PEOPLE
• SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX
• IN SGAPORE, A CHRISTIAN GROUP AIMS TO HELP LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS ‘OVERE’ BEG GAY
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALISG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND NDNG ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY
• KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

WHAT IT’S LIKE BEG GAY SGAPORE, WHERE HOMOSEXUALY IS STILL ILLEGAL

While we believe gay travellers should be exced to vis this cy, ’s important to be aware of the suatn before travellg.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COME OUT SGAPORE, WHERE GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL

Unlike India, Sgapore has not ma the cisn to repeal this law, meang that unr Sectn 377A homosexualy remas illegal (technilly, the law says nothg about same-sex relatns between two women). Other parts of Sgapore’s Penal Co uld also potentially be terpreted to prosecute gay men, like sectn 354 on the ‘outrage of mosty’ or sectn 294A verg obscene acts public.

The media is even forbidn to promote “the glamorizatn of the homosexual liftyle” so the rare ocsn an LGBT character appears on TV they are portrayed as damaged and have to be ‘fixed’.

While many members of the gay muny live their liv relatively unmolted, there is always a sense of a hammer wag to fall. Public opn has gradually swung towards slightly more tolerance towards same-sex relatnships or even gay marriage, although is still not overwhelmgly favour.

SGAPORE GAY TRAVEL

Pk Dot, the annual gay pri rally, started 2009 and grows year on year. Proment celebri have e out and there is hope that this will provi spirg role mols for young gay people the closet. To be hont, spe the dire legal suatn for LGBT people Sgapore, ’s unlikely that gay travellers will be negatively affected.

After dark there’s a thrivg gay scene and of urse there’s more than enough to do durg the day to keep all travellers – gay, straight, unirn – by and happy. It’s jt important to be aware that technilly homosexualy is illegal and so to be nsc of surroundgs and behavur public plac.

In fact, the only thg that might lim gay travellers is the same thg that would lim straight on – budget! In and around Chatown is where most gay bars and clubs are based, so to feel totally ee and easy ’s a good ia to stay here or spend a lot of time here. Often poorer areas (they do exist!) will be more nservative so gay travellers should be aware of any PDA or hand-holdg there.

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE YOUNG AND GAY SGAPORE

Given the legal suatn, there are no exclively or specifilly gay hotels Sgapore. However, om the standpot of the wele you receive, we’d say every hotel uld be classified as gay iendly. Of urse, if gay travellers would like to ensure they’re around more ‘like-md’ people then ’s a matter of dog some rearch and gettg remendatns om fellow LGBT travellers.

There are certaly a range of hotels that have got brilliant reviews om our gay iends – some high-end sophistitn, some cheap (for Sgapore) and cheerful. Usually hotels nearer the gay nightlife will have a higher proportn of gay travellers. For more gay-specific pastim you will ually have to wa until after dark, unls you’re Sgapore for the Pk Dot rally.

Dpe the law, Sgapore is surprisgly great for gay nightlife wh cktail bars, drag shows and wild dance parti galore. Chatown is home to many of the more famo gay bars (Dorothy’s Bar wh s Wizard of Oz dér is a particular favoure of ours), although some plac have bee unofficial gay bars, like Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island. Neil Road Chatown, known as ‘Pk Street’, has the only gay nightclub – Taboo – and an anizatn lled PLAY arrang gay takeover parti four or five tim a year.

SGAPORE UPHOLDS COLONIAL ANTI-GAY LAWS: BEG GAY REMAS ILLEGAL FOR 5.7 MILLN PEOPLE

There are also plenty of opportuni for sensual massage or meetg people the gay snas of Sgapore. In the gay clubs and bars you’ll fd easy to get chattg wh lols and, of urse, there are the snas – jt be rpectful of the fact that the lol men here might have plex relatnships wh their sexualy and have ls tn on issu, so ’s your rponsibily to take preutns and e protectn. Kiddg asi, this cy is a great statn for gay travellers, spe the bad state of LGBT rights Sgapore.

If you want to take a stand then go durg the Pk Dot rally to help the gay muny show up large numbers. Apart om this small nsiratn, gay people should be able to explore Sgapore whout any issu and take home some fabulo memori. When Sgapore announced this week would end a lonial-era law that crimalized sex between men, looked like a big victory for gay rights advot the Southeast Asian untry.

SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX

That’s bee as put an end to that law, the Sgapore ernment reerated s opposn to gay marriage. Soon after announcg that nsensual gay sex would no longer be illegal, Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong said his annual Augt rally speech that his ernment would “uphold and safeguard the stutn of marriage” – fed the Constutn as a unn between man and woman.

At the same time, the cy-state is home to var evangelil mega church that preach agast homosexualy. Lee noted his speech that gay rights remas “a highly sensive and ntent” issue to nservativ the untry.

IN SGAPORE, A CHRISTIAN GROUP AIMS TO HELP LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS ‘OVERE’ BEG GAY

To gay rights activists, the ntug ban on same-sex marriage is a signifint blow. So while activists the LGBTQ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer) muny weled the repeal of the gay sex law, many were disappoted too.

SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

And that disappotment will only have epened wh the suggtn by some of Lee’s misters that not only would the ernment rema opposed to gay marriage – may even create extra hurdl to prevent people om seekg to challenge the marriage laws urt. Law mister K Shanmugam said an terview wh state media that Parliament, rather than the urts, would hold the power to fe marriage – effectively makg harr for people to legally challenge the ernment’s polici as several gay men have attempted recent years. As associate law profsor Eugene Tan of the Sgapore Management Universy put : “Sgapore removed a law long regard as beg discrimatory towards gay men.

SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY

In 2012, Gary Lim and Kenh Chee, a gay uple who had been together for 15 years, challenged the law agast gay sex at Sgapore’s High Court. “For , repealg (the gay sex law) was never about gay marriage,” the uple said.

SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALISG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

“I hope that the nservativ n one day see gay people are not dangero or a threat to them or their children. Sgaporean artist and photographer Broy Lim shar his experience of beg a gay man his home untry, and what he’s dog to change thgs.

In recent years, a global trend has taken hold as untri wh statut agast gay sex have begun repealg their opprsive laws. As of September, the number of natns wh anti-homosexualy laws dropped to 73, after India overturned Sectn 377A, adopted om the Brish Penal Co 158 years ago.

I knew my fay was speculatg on my relatnship wh Alv and wh all my works alg wh homosexual them. While I would nsir myself que lucky, I nnot say the same is te for many of my fellow gay men Sgapore.

JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND NDNG ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

My first memory of beg gay is gettg this letter om my senr and cshg on her. But one thg they have mon is their nservative and rigoro culture, which expos young kids to homophobia om a young Aliy, 16, who intifi as trans male, movg schools was a shockg experience.

In sendary one, I me out as queer, and my school is really sexist, homophobic and racist, ” he said.

At the time, she had e out as a gay male to her peers, who she rells were surprisgly fe wh .

JAGUARS ACH KEV MAXEN RECEIV OVERWHELMG SUPPORT AFTER G OUT AS GAY

The police guys pecially… they have different views about gay guys.

Image wakg up and your nservative parents fd out that you are gay, you drk and you have piercgs, ” he said. “I tried beg fensive and tellg them I was born this way, but I realized wasn’t gog to work so I jt told them I would stop beg gay om now on.

KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

Josh, Jay and Ezra, three gay men, are not, and asked to rema anonymo – which may speak to specific challeng between genrs as 's clear is the cisn to e out is eply personal, and mt be weighed agast each one’s own experience – pecially given the obstacl of beg queer Aliy, was a cisn he ma to take a stance. “I was sick of the sexism and homophobia wh the system, and beg out meant havg people shut up around me, ” he said. “People who would normally make sexist or homophobic ments have to ntrol themselv when the ‘gay kid’ is around.