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.
Contents:
- SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
- WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
- SGAPORE'S TOP URT DISMISS ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN GAY SEX BAN
- 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's hight urt on Monday dismissed a challenge by three gay rights activists agast a law crimalisg sex between men, lg that sce thori did not enforce the law did not breach platiffs' nstutnal rights. * gay rights case singapore *
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.
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. 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.
SGAPORE'S TOP URT DISMISS ATTEMPT TO OVERTURN GAY SEX BAN
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.
REUTERS/Fele Lim/File Photo Acquire Licensg RightsSINGAPORE, Feb 28 (Rters) - Sgapore's hight urt on Monday dismissed a challenge by three gay rights activists agast a law crimalisg sex between men, lg that sce thori did not enforce the law did not breach platiffs' nstutnal Court of Appeal's lg follows embolned efforts to get rid of the lonial-era law by activists after India scrapped siar legislatn four years ago. Prev challeng the socially nservative cy-state 2020 and 2014 also activists who brought the latt challenge agast the rarely ed law, unr which offenrs n be jailed for up to two years, clud a retired doctor, a DJ and a former director of a non-prof a wrten judgment, Sgapore's Chief Jtice Sundarh Menon said that although the law, known as Sectn 377A, had "long been a lightng rod for polarisatn" the urt did not fd a breach of the law was "unenforceable" bee Sgapore thori do not plan to prosecute gay sex and th would not prive a person of the right to life or personal liberty unr Article 9 of Sgapore's nstutn, Menon Attorney-General’s Chambers has said such prosecutns would not be the public a statement, law firm Eugene Thuraisgam LLP, which reprented one of the activists, said the lg "may be seen as a small step the right directn" after the urt noted the law was legally unenforceable.
Although the threat of arrt has been removed and formalised by the urt, " clg to pletely strike out the law crimalisg same-sex timacy, gay and bisexual men Sgapore are still effectively un-apprehend crimals and subject to a culture of shame and homophobia", Brn 70 untri around the world crimalise gay sex, maly Ai and the Middle EastThe issue remas sensive Sgapore, though some polls show a greater acceptance of homosexualy. 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.