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
• ADOPTN OF CHILDREN ACT REVAMPED TO PREVENT GAY UPL OM ADOPTG AND G SURROGAT[]
• END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• COURT REJECTS BID BY GAY MAN TO MAKE PARTNER GUARDIAN OF HIS TWO SURROGATE CHILDREN

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

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. 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.

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

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.

In early Febary 2021, the Instute of Policy Studi (IPS) released a study entled "Our Sgaporean Valu" which found that over a quarter of lol rponnts "agreed" or "strongly agreed" that homosexual parents were jt as good as other upl[5], [6].

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

This choice is obvly only available to lbian and not male gay upl, wh the current state of medil technology, bee only blogil women n get pregnant. Normally gay parents tell the child om birth. There are gay-iendly obstetricians Sgapore who have livered babi of lbian women.

A list of gay-iendly O&G surgeons is available om Rabow Parents SG. Coupl are remend to be open wh their obstetricians om the begng and seek a send or third opn if the doctor seems to be homophobic. Before 2022, adoptn ed to be an optn for gay and lbian upl who yearned for a child but did not want to go through the travails of pregnancy, failed medilly assisted sematn or surrogacy.

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

Regardg adoptn of children by gay upl, rponnts who found always or almost always wrong fell to 61. 9% found gay marriage always or certa s wrong while 15.

It surprised many the LGBT muny to disver that Sgaporeans were ls opposed to gay adoptn and gay marriage than to gay sex. Developments the late 2000s revealed that some agenci would ask if the prospective adopter was gay.

COURT REJECTS BID BY GAY MAN TO MAKE PARTNER GUARDIAN OF HIS TWO SURROGATE CHILDREN

One male gay uple got their adoptn attempt rejected after the other half was terviewed. Before the passage of the Adoptn of Children Act 2022, the law was not clear on same-sex adoptn and the MSF's stand on whether gay people uld or uld not adopt was not stated publicly and tegorilly. Some gay upl did manage to adopt but that was the mid-2000s.

Would-be gay adopters were utned to be aware that when the home study or terview was beg rried out, they may not want to be 100% tthful about their disclosur. It is important to realise that while would be nice to for lbian/gay upl wh children to stay together forever bee they have been through so much to have children, is unfortunately not always the se. Needls to say, this appli to everyone, whether gay or straight.