Sgapore pass laws to crimalise gay sex, protect fn of marriage agast legal challenge - CNA

singapore decriminalize homosexuality

Sgapore will crimalize sex between men by repealg a lonial-era law but will amend the nstutn to ensure same-sex marriage is not allowed, the cy-state's lear said Sunday. Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed repealg the law is the “right thg to do now” as most Sgaporeans will now accept crimalizatn. “This will brg the law to le wh current social mor and I hope provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans.”

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SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX

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. * singapore decriminalize homosexuality *

Sectn 377A has a legacy of drivg stigma and discrimatn agast lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr (LGBT) people Sgapore. In a parliamentary bate on sectn 377A 2007, Lee acknowledged that “Homosexuals are part of our society.

Lee said his speech Sunday that he wants gay people to “live their own liv, participate our muny and ntribute fully to Sgapore. 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.

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

Sgapore's gay muny says the ernment's plan is "a triumph of love over fear" but warned there's still a long way to equaly. * singapore decriminalize homosexuality *

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". Today we are very, very happy, " gay activist Johnson Ong told the BBC. 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.

SGAPORE PASS LAWS TO CRIMALISE GAY SEX, PROTECT FN OF MARRIAGE AGAST LEGAL CHALLENGE

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. 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.

"This will brg the law to le wh current social mor and I hope provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans. But gay men say the law hangs over their heads and discrimat agast them.

SGAPORE WILL CRIMALIZE GAY SEX, BUT NTUE TO PROHIB SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Lee said he hop the ernment's move will help rencile and acmodate both the ncerns of nservative relig groups and the sir of gay Sgaporeans to be rpected and accepted. " One of Lee's nephews, Li Huanwu, is gay. In 2018, India crimalized gay sex after s Supreme Court a historic lg stck down Sectn 377 that punished gay sex by up to 10 years prison.

SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX, PROTECT MARRIAGE LAW

Some Asian untri have also moved to legalize gay marriage, wh Taiwan as the first 2019.

SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX

SINGAPORE: Sgapore will crimalise gay sex and protect the fn of marriage agast legal challenge, after Parliament approved chang to two Bills on Tuday (Nov 29). In his speech, the mister also noted that there were a “small” number of dividuals who were nvicted between 1988 and 2007 for nsensual and private homosexual acts between adults.

“One n still preach on the pulp their beliefs about homosexualy or fay, even if others might disagree.

Gay people are members of our society and have accs to the same opportuni and social support as other Sgaporeans. 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.

SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX, PROTECT MARRIAGE LAW

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. 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.

SGAPORE WILL CRIMALIZE GAY SEX BUT AMEND NSTUTN TO BLOCK MARRIAGE EQUALY

As associate law profsor Eugene Tan of the Sgapore Management Universy put : “Sgapore removed a law long regard as beg discrimatory towards gay men. 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.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* SINGAPORE DECRIMINALIZE HOMOSEXUALITY

Sgapore to crimalize gay sex, but will lim change .

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