Sgapore allows gay uple to adopt their surrogate son landmark lg | South Cha Morng Post

Contents:

• END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
• SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX BUT WON’T ALLOW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• GAY UPLE SAYS LIFE SGAPORE STILL NOT EQUAL
• GAY WEDDG CEREMONI[]

END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL

Readg Time: 11 mutLbian, gay, bisexual and/or transsexual (LGBT) persons Sgapore may face legal obstacl unr Sgapore law. This was the se a recent cisn by a Sgapore urt, which rejected a gay man’s applitn to adopt a child that he fathered through surrogacy.

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.

SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX BUT WON’T ALLOW SAME-SEX 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.

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.

GAY UPLE SAYS LIFE SGAPORE STILL NOT EQUAL

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. “I hope that the nservativ n one day see gay people are not dangero or a threat to them or their children. SINGAPORE, Aug 22 (Rters) - Sgapore's cisn to lift a lonial-era ban on sex between men is long overdue and will not end discrimatn of LGBT groups the nservative cy-state, rights activists and members of the gay muny said on announcement by Sgapore's prime mister to repeal the so-lled 377A law on Sunday me as he also said the ernment would take steps to prevent legal challeng that would allow same-sex marriag to be regnised.

5 though Sgapore's 377A, unr which offenrs n be jailed for up to two years, has not been enforced on nsentg adult mal for s, some relig groups wanted the statute to stay, fearg that s repeal may promote homosexualy and challenge tradnal fay a move to assuage some of those ncerns, Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday his ernment would protect s fn of marriage, that of beg between a man and a woman, om beg challenged nstutnally the urts. Marriage equaly is important to many Sgapore's lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) muny, and "the doors to that possibily should not be closed", Choong 30 untri worldwi have legalised same sex marriage, wh Taiwan the only place Asia to do so. It’s an anti-gay law that crimalis sexual acts between men, and wh a jail sentence of up to two years.

GAY WEDDG CEREMONI[]

In March 2020, the High Court fend S377A as a legimate law for society to signal s “moral disapproval of male homosexual acts”. S377A isn’t actively ed to imprison gay and bi men.

Sce same-sex marriage is illegal, gay and lbian upl are admistratively treated as sgle dividuals. “Beg gay do not make one blogilly predisposed to mental health disorrs. Sperm donors are generally not regnised as legal parents of the child Sgapore (page 28), so gay upl who employ surrogacy will likely not be regnised as legal parents of the child.

In 2018, however, a gay man was allowed to adopt his child that was born out of surrogacy. Recent surveys dite that the youngt generatns Sgapore are the most supportive of LGBTQ+ rights, wh only 35% disapprovg gay sex and 30% gay marriage (pag 32–33).