Why Sgapore's gay sex law change is a double-edged sword for LGBTQ activists | CNN

Contents:

• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW TO BE REPEALED: PM LEE, LGBT GROUPS ‘RELIEVED’

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

Sgapore’s Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday said the untry will repeal the lonial-era Sectn 377A of Sgapore’s Penal Co, thereby crimalizg gay sex Sgapore, but add that same-sex marriage will ntue to be illegal the cy-state. This will brg the law to le wh current social mor, and I hope, provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans, ” said the Prime Mister.

“Like every human society, we also have gay people our midst.

It punish gay sex – even if is nsensual, between adults, and tak place privately – for up to two years of imprisonment. In Febary 2022, Sgapore’s Court of Appeal led that the sectn would rema the law, but nnot be enforced to prosecute men for havg gay sex.

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

Lee said: “We need to fd the right way to rencile and acmodate both the tradnal mor of our society, and the aspiratn of gay Sgaporeans to be rpected and accepted. In June, Thailand edged closer to beg the first place Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex unns when lawmakers passed four different bills aimg to provi greater rights to gay upl, such as the abily to adopt children and manage assets jotly.

The mov e as other parts of Asia, cludg Taiwan, Thailand and India, are regnizg more rights for the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) muny. “We will try and mata a balance…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.

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn announcg the move, Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong took a step long sought by gay rights advot, but he said same-sex marriage would ntue to be illegal. Wallace Woon/EPA, via ShutterstockPrime Mister Lee Hsien Loong of Sgapore said on Sunday that the ernment would repeal the untry’s lonial-era law crimalizg sex between men, a step long sought by gay rights advot, but that would propose a nstutnal amendment fg marriage as between a man and a woman.

SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW TO BE REPEALED: PM LEE, LGBT GROUPS ‘RELIEVED’

Reversg his opposn to crimalizg gay sex, Mr. The law has not been enforced for 15 years but gay rights advot had long sought to overturn , argug that stigmatiz gay men and promot discrimatn.

”Sgapore’s gay muny has fought for years to repeal the law, cludg challengg the urts. ”Those advotg rights for gay people have long argued that 377A, even if is not enforced, perpetuat discrimatn at all levels of society, cludg schools, workplac, health re and the Lee acknowledged that a urt lg a se brought by three gay men challengg the law this year had put prsure on the ernment to Court of Appeal, the natn’s hight urt, cled to overturn Sectn 377A Febary, lg that the three men did not have legal standg bee the ernment had pledged not to enforce the urt said was Parliament’s rponsibily to ci the issue, notg that the high urt was “not a ont-nner for social change or an archect of social policy. At the same time, he said, homosexuals should have a place society and were entled to their private liv.

”“We should strive to mata a balance: to uphold a stable society wh tradnal heterosexual fay valu, but wh space for homosexuals to live their liv and to ntribute to the society, ” he said at the the urt lg Febary, gay rights advot have stepped up their efforts to w repeal of the Su/RtersAt this year’s annual Pk Dot pri rally June, participants highlighted how the law’s prence the penal enuraged discrimatn agast members of the L.