Sgapore repeals gay sex ban but lims prospect of legalisg same-sex marriage | CNN

Contents:

• SGAPORE'S GAY PRI EVENT F AHEAD SPE GROWG OPPOSN
• 377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

SGAPORE'S GAY PRI EVENT F AHEAD SPE GROWG OPPOSN

KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Rters Foundatn) - The anisers of Sgapore’s annual gay pri rally vowed on Tuday to ph ahead wh an onle event after nearly 30, 000 people signed a petn mandg rtrictns and lled the ntent “immoral” Pk Dot rally has been held sce 2009 unr strgent public assembly laws at a park Sgapore, where gay sex between men n be jailed for up to two years unr a law that is rarely many other ci emergg om a lockdown to curb the novel ronavis, the pri event will be marked onle this year a livtream that would feature some 35 drag to rtrict viewgs lated after a petn over the weekend urged the ernment to lim the broadst due for Saturday on Pk Dot’s webse and social the anisers said they would go ahead, to support the LGBT+ muny that stggled wh social isolatn durg the recent lockdown that has sce been eased. ”The petn, posted on the webse, said was started by parents who were “eply troubled” that the event would reach children this year “whout rtrat”, exposg them to “homosexualy as a liftyle”.

An clive, diverse society like Sgapore” Dot rally has drawn thoands of supporters and sponsorship om tech giants like Google and Facebook the morn but socially nservative cy-state of Sgapore has e unr prsure to crimalise gay sex sce India stck down a siar ban 2018, and sce Taiwan beme the first place Asia to allow same-sex marriage last urt petns by three Sgaporean men to overturn the Brish lonial-era ban on gay sex were rejected March. Recently, an 18-year-old junr llege stunt alleged that the mistry had prevented her om obtag a doctor's referral letter to beg hormone replacement sparked a bate on the discrimatn that stunts who intify themselv as lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) are facg  police said a statement on Tuday that the group outsi MOE’s headquarters had allegedly gathered at around 5pm even though they did not have a perm to rry out the public assembly. 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.

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

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

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. “I hope that the nservativ n one day see gay people are not dangero or a threat to them or their children.

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.