Sgapore plans to end a law that crimaliz gay sex : NPR

Contents:

• 377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
• SGAPORE GAY SEX BAN: COURT REJECTS APPEALS TO OVERTURN LAW
• SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX
• LGBTQ: THE PODST TELLG SGAPORE'S HIDN GAY STORI
• FOR SGAPORE’S GAY MEN, REPEAL OF SEX BAN BRGS HOPE AFTER YEARS OF PA
• GAY STAR NEWS

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

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". 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. 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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. 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.

SGAPORE GAY SEX BAN: COURT REJECTS APPEALS TO OVERTURN LAW

“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. The mov e as other parts of Asia, cludg Taiwan, Thailand and India, are regnizg more rights for the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) muny.

“We will try and mata a balance…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. Instead, the top urt said was not “an archect of social policy” and that any change was up to Lim/RtersThe Sgapore Court of Appeal, the untry’s top urt, cled Monday to overturn a law crimalizg gay sex, lg that three men who brought challeng did not have legal standg bee the ernment has pledged not to enforce the lonial-era rights advot had sought to overturn the law, known as Sectn 377A, argug that stigmatiz gay men and promot discrimatn. “Dpe acknowledgg that gay men should be able to live eely Sgapore, whout harassment or terference, the urt still hated to strike down.

But they said the lg fell far short bee gay men uld still face police vtigatns unr the law and will suffer om Ong said he was disappoted by the lg and that the L. 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. This will brg the law to le wh current social mor, and I hope, provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans, ” said the Prime Mister.

SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX

“Like every human society, we also have gay people our midst. It punish gay sex – even if is nsensual, between adults, and tak place privately – for up to two years of imprisonment. 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. But back the 1980s, before the age of the ter and Grdr, was a popular meetg spot for gay men a untry where homosexualy was effect crimalised.

LGBTQ: THE PODST TELLG SGAPORE'S HIDN GAY STORI

Authori argued that reflected Sgapore society's view that homosexualy was not last week s parliament repealed the law, jt months after lear Lee Hsien Loong's surprise announcement they would scrap the ban bee of changg repeal of 377A turns the page on a dark chapter of Sgapore history that is rarely talked about the days, where gay men not only faced tense social stigma but were even actively targeted by Heng and the other men at Esplana Park that night were let off wh only a warng.

For several s, the police would nduct so-lled "anti-gay" raids on nightclubs that gay men were known to equent, or cisg spots beach and parks. Often this would clu the ntroversial e of entrapment, where policemen would pose as gay men at popular meetg spots and promptly arrt anyone who engaged wh them.

FOR SGAPORE’S GAY MEN, REPEAL OF SEX BAN BRGS HOPE AFTER YEARS OF PA

This was later overturned an appeal, wh the judge notg that the way the men were ught and charged was "disquietg" many gay men, the raids sent a clear msage that their existence was owned upon.

While anti-gay vlence was not mon tightly-ntrolled Sgapore, many the muny were fearful of g out to their iends, fay and wir society. That was part of the stct of beg gay back then, " said Mr Heng, who is 71 years the 2000s the raids had creased, and the issue of homosexualy - once a taboo topic - beme creasgly openly discsed.

GAY STAR NEWS

Recent surveys show that, while there is still a signifint number who thk homosexualy is "wrong", there is also risg support for gay cy-state has veloped a thrivg LGBT scene, wh an creasg number of LGBT-iendly tablishments and pani promotg diversy polici.

Activism has bee more proment wh more lobby groups and support muni emergg - a far cry om the days where gay rights anisatns found difficult even to exist.