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

Contents:

• EVEN AS SGAPORE LIFTS GAY SEX BAN, LGBT FAI FEEL LTLE HAS CHANGED
• A YEAR AFTER SGAPORE DECRIMALIZED GAY SEX, ITS LGBT COMMUNY TURNS ATTENTN TO FAY
• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• ADOPTN OF CHILDREN ACT REVAMPED TO PREVENT GAY UPL OM ADOPTG AND G SURROGAT[]

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".

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

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. 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.

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.

Our missn is to rm, spire, nnect, and empower the global LGBT+ muny by shg a light on the world’s most fabulo gay statns. We offer guis to 200+ ci worldwi and know the bt gay bars, hotels, clubs, snas, parti, beach, and not-to-be-missed experienc.

Pl films, fashn, pop culture, gay events, and much, much more. Stg alone at the park on Saturday, wearg a pk wig and large sunglass, the 50-year-old tells TIME that, here at Pk Dot, he do not have to hi his inty as a gay Mlim man—a secret that he has kept om his fay for s and has no plans of divulgg.

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

Phuong Nham, a Vietname gay man who moved to the Southeast Asian cy-state about 13 years ago, tells TIME that every Pk Dot event he has attend sce 2016 has been filled wh explic lls for the repeal of Sectn 377A, the law which crics say has long formed the basis for a host of discrimatory polici agast the LGBT muny. “Every gay or lbian [uple], they have the same equal right to build their own fay jt as the straight uple.

Congregaytn is an LGBTQ+ muny rource portal started by the folks om Oogachaga. You’ll fd rmatn to unrstand your loved on better, FAQs on sexualy, sexual orientatn, homophobia and more. My Kid is GayDpe beg based the Uned Stat, My Kid Is Gay is a fantastic rource for parents to tap to so that fai n read to help unrstand their LGBTQ+ kids.

ADOPTN OF CHILDREN ACT REVAMPED TO PREVENT GAY UPL OM ADOPTG AND G SURROGAT[]

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.

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.