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 Monday.
Contents:
- WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
- END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
- ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
- SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
- FROM HEALTH CRISIS TO RIGHTS ADVOCY? HIV/AIDS AND GAY ACTIVISM CHA AND SGAPORE
WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
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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. Lee noted his speech that gay rights remas “a highly sensive and ntent” issue to nservativ the untry.
END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
The relatnship between HIV/AIDS and gay activism has been primarily rmed by the Amerin experience and unrstudied nonmocratic ntexts. Drawi * gay activism singapore *
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. “I hope that the nservativ n one day see gay people are not dangero or a threat to them or their children. 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.
ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
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. Stunt Ashleigh Ng, 15, danc wearg a rabow flag, durg a ncert performance at a park for the annual Pk Dot gay pri event on Saturday, July 1, 2017, Sgapore.
SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
However, for many other lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ+) lols and expatriat the Ln Cy, the most ntroversial legislatn is that ncerng homosexualy. A remnant of Brish lonial legislatn, which still largely shap Sgapore’s legal system today, Sectn 377A of the Sgapore Penal Co, which prohibs sexual relatns between nsentg men public and private, particularly stands out this events have propelled this clse to the foreont of the news cycle Sgapore and abroad, light of a Febary 28 Court of Appeal lg that rejected an appeal filed by three lol Sgaporean gay men 2020, challengg the nstutnaly of Sectn recent legal challenge was fueled by an Indian urt’s cisn to lift a ban on nsensual gay sex September 2018, which spired Johnson Ong Mg, Bryan Choong, and Roy Tan Seng Kee to ph for siar legal actn Sgapore. The three lols challenged the nstutnaly of Sectn 377A, potg out that the clse prived gay Sgaporeans of “life or personal liberty” unr Article 9(1) of the Constutn of Sgapore.
Throughout the legal proceedgs, the Supreme Court repeatedly referred back to a 2007 polil promise stck wh Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong, matag Sectn 377A place while promisg that no party uld effectively be prosecuted a urt of law for engagg nsensual homosexual activi private. Followg the 2018 legal challenge to the clse, the Attorney-General’s Chambers offered a remr that the public prosecutor’s exercise of prosecutorial discretn “has always been, and remas, unfettered, ” thereby brgg to qutn the extent to which gay men are effectively safe om legal actn on the basis of their marked the send time the sectn has been challenged a prev appeal was filed 2014, after two men – Lim Meng Suan and Kenh Chee Mun-leon, a gay uple of 15 years – had siarly challenged the nstutnaly of Sectn 377A agast the premise of Article 9 and Article 12 of the Sgapore Constutn, the latter of which guarante all dividuals equaly to legal protectn of their rights unr the nstutn.
FROM HEALTH CRISIS TO RIGHTS ADVOCY? HIV/AIDS AND GAY ACTIVISM CHA AND SGAPORE
Another appeal had been filed four years prr by Tan Eng Hong, a gay man who had been arrted for allegedly engagg oral sex wh another man a locked cubicle of a public toilet.
He also poted to a shift public attus towards homosexualy and LGBTQ+ rights, statg that “polici need to evolve to keep abreast of such views” and the Government is nsirg the “bt way forward wh [Sectn] 377A.
“I don’t thk we n tly move forward as a muny if we n only exprs ourselv the spac, ” they said, strsg the importance of Shanmugam’s claims that polici need to evolve *, a lol Sgaporean gay man, se a glimmer of hope the words.