Even as Sgapore lifts gay sex ban, LGBT fai feel ltle has changed | Rters

Contents:

• EVEN AS SGAPORE LIFTS GAY SEX BAN, LGBT FAI FEEL LTLE HAS CHANGED
• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• A YEAR AFTER SGAPORE DECRIMALIZED GAY SEX, ITS LGBT COMMUNY TURNS ATTENTN TO FAY

EVEN AS SGAPORE LIFTS GAY SEX BAN, LGBT FAI FEEL LTLE HAS CHANGED

SINGAPORE, Nov 30 (Rters) - Olivia Chng and her wife, Irene Chng, feel like the Sgapore ernment has ma clear to them and their two young children that they don't belong the this week's vote by Sgapore's parliament to crimalise gay sex changed nothg about the fay's paful cisn to leave rather than see their dghters Zoey and Vicky nied schoolg - bee their legal stat remas the Indonia-born Chng lived Sgapore for s as a permanent rint, married a Sgaporean cizen abroad and gave birth to their first child Sgapore, her first dghter Zoey was nied permanent rincy at 18 months says she was given no reason for the ernment rejectg her dghter's rincy, though likely did not help that she had to apply as a sgle, foreign mother bee her marriage is not officially regnised. To uphold a stable society wh tradnal, heterosexual fay valu, but wh space for homosexuals to live their liv and ntribute to society, " Home Affairs Mister K. Shanmugam told LIBERALThe system matas an unfavourable stat quo for children of upl such as Chng and her wife, who have sce moved to the Uned the ernment's cisn to repeal the lonial-era sodomy law was cheered as a symbolic victory for the gay muny, many worry LGBT fai will ntue to suffer unr public polici that favour heterosexual marriag and Chng, who married her Sgaporean wife the Uned Stat, the repeal is "one step forward and 10 steps back".

Activists say natnal polici on a range of issu cludg adoptn, surrogacy, tn, media and hog are such that children of LGBT parents are effectively penalised for beg part of non-tradnal Cheong, partner and a fay lawyer wh Whers KhattarWong who tak LGBT fai as clients, said children of anyone rint the cy-state should at least be entled to enrolment " private schools and at rat which are not subsidised" as many parents were willg to pay tun fe upwards of S$20, 000 ($14, 530) per fluential nservative groups that strongly opposed liftg the gay sex ban make polilly unfortable for the lg party to further change alliance of more than 80 Sgaporean church has cried repealg the gay sex ban as an "extremely regrettable cisn" that "celebrat homosexualy".

'PUNISHING THE CHILD'LGBT fai Sgapore now worry that further change will not e time for sgle, gay Sgaporean man, who cled to be intified bee of the sensivy of the issue, said he has to leave the untry every three months to renew the tourist visa of his baby, born overseas through he is hopeful the child n ga cizenship time for school, he is also workg on a "plan B" to leave his home untry. She also keeps an eye on thgs that are unique to Sgapore, such as how repealed an anti-gay sex law but go agast global trends by matag polici unfavourable to LGBT fai.

WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS

Surrogacy is an optn more monly chosen by gay men who wish to be fathers.

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. 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.

A YEAR AFTER SGAPORE DECRIMALIZED GAY SEX, ITS LGBT COMMUNY TURNS ATTENTN TO FAY

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. 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.