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

Contents:

• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• 377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX
• SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX
• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COME OUT SGAPORE, WHERE GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL
• SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
• SGAPORE: CRAZY RICH BUT STILL BEHD ON GAY RIGHTS
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• SGAPORE UPHOLDS COLONIAL ANTI-GAY LAWS: BEG GAY REMAS ILLEGAL FOR 5.7 MILLN PEOPLE
• IN SGAPORE, A CHRISTIAN GROUP AIMS TO HELP LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS ‘OVERE’ BEG GAY

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

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. 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. So while activists the LGBTQ (Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr, Queer) muny weled the repeal of the gay sex law, many were disappoted too.

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

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.

SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX

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. Media ptn, Watch: The moment Sgaporeans learn gay sex ban will endSgapore will repeal a law that bans gay sex, effectively makg legal to be homosexual the cisn, announced by Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong on natnal TV, after years of fierce activists Sgapore have hailed the move as "a w for humany" cy-state is known for s nservative valu, but recent years an creasg number of people have lled for the lonial-era 377A law to be abolished. Sgapore is the latt place Asia to move on LGBT rights, after India, Taiwan and ernment's prev stance was to keep 377A - which bans sex between men - but also promised not to enforce the law an effort to appease both on Sunday night, Mr Lee said they would abolish the law as he believed "this is the right thg to do, and somethg that most Sgaporeans will accept" noted that "gay people are now better accepted" and scrappg 377A would brg the untry's laws le wh "current social mor, and I hope, provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans".

This would effectively make harr for gay marriage to be said Sgapore remas a tradnal society wh many keen on matag fay and social activists lled this "disappotg" and warned that would only further entrench discrimatn society.

Though the law technilly crimalis sex between men, is effectively seen as a ban on has not been actively enforced recent years, a thrivg and creasgly visible LGBT scene has veloped Sgapore, cludg gay LGBT activists have long lled for 377A to be scrapped, sayg the law perpetuat social stigma agast gay people, go agast Sgapore's nstutn which forbids discrimatn, and has trickled down to fluence other aspects of life.

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO COME OUT SGAPORE, WHERE GAY SEX IS STILL ILLEGAL

For stance, any ntent emed as "promotg homosexualy" n be banned om broadst Sgapore, and TV shows and movi have the past been law is also at odds wh Sgapore's image as an open, diverse global fancial hub and multatnal pani based the state have said would hr their efforts to attract many Sgapore still support retag 377A, recent years the ll for s aboln has grown stronger, wh surveys showg growg support for LGBT the same time both LGBT activists and nservativ - many of whom e om relig groups - have mobilised on both sis of the issue.

Meanwhile, nservativ have anised social media mpaigns and events llg for the prervatn of tradnal valu, and some church have promoted ntroversial gay nversn Sunday, Mr Lee appealed to both mps for unrstandg. Several former Brish loni such as Kenya, Malaysia and Myanmar still have some versn of 2018, India's Supreme Court abolished 377 a historic verdict, promptg hop among activists that other former loni would eventually follow recent years, other parts of Asia have also moved to legalise gay marriage.

SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY

Unlike India, Sgapore has not ma the cisn to repeal this law, meang that unr Sectn 377A homosexualy remas illegal (technilly, the law says nothg about same-sex relatns between two women). Other parts of Sgapore’s Penal Co uld also potentially be terpreted to prosecute gay men, like sectn 354 on the ‘outrage of mosty’ or sectn 294A verg obscene acts public. The media is even forbidn to promote “the glamorizatn of the homosexual liftyle” so the rare ocsn an LGBT character appears on TV they are portrayed as damaged and have to be ‘fixed’.

Public opn has gradually swung towards slightly more tolerance towards same-sex relatnships or even gay marriage, although is still not overwhelmgly favour. After dark there’s a thrivg gay scene and of urse there’s more than enough to do durg the day to keep all travellers – gay, straight, unirn – by and happy. In and around Chatown is where most gay bars and clubs are based, so to feel totally ee and easy ’s a good ia to stay here or spend a lot of time here.

Of urse, if gay travellers would like to ensure they’re around more ‘like-md’ people then ’s a matter of dog some rearch and gettg remendatns om fellow LGBT travellers.

SGAPORE: CRAZY RICH BUT STILL BEHD ON GAY RIGHTS

There are certaly a range of hotels that have got brilliant reviews om our gay iends – some high-end sophistitn, some cheap (for Sgapore) and cheerful. Chatown is home to many of the more famo gay bars (Dorothy’s Bar wh s Wizard of Oz dér is a particular favoure of ours), although some plac have bee unofficial gay bars, like Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island. Neil Road Chatown, known as ‘Pk Street’, has the only gay nightclub – Taboo – and an anizatn lled PLAY arrang gay takeover parti four or five tim a year.

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

In the gay clubs and bars you’ll fd easy to get chattg wh lols and, of urse, there are the snas – jt be rpectful of the fact that the lol men here might have plex relatnships wh their sexualy and have ls tn on issu, so ’s your rponsibily to take preutns and e protectn. 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. 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.

SGAPORE UPHOLDS COLONIAL ANTI-GAY LAWS: BEG GAY REMAS ILLEGAL FOR 5.7 MILLN PEOPLE

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. 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.

IN SGAPORE, A CHRISTIAN GROUP AIMS TO HELP LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS ‘OVERE’ BEG GAY

But one thg they have mon is their nservative and rigoro culture, which expos young kids to homophobia om a young Aliy, 16, who intifi as trans male, movg schools was a shockg experience. “I tried beg fensive and tellg them I was born this way, but I realized wasn’t gog to work so I jt told them I would stop beg gay om now on.