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

Contents:

• A YEAR AFTER SGAPORE DECRIMALIZED GAY SEX, ITS LGBT COMMUNY TURNS ATTENTN TO FAY
• 3 BT GAY BARS AND CLUBS SGAPORE
• GAY MEN THE SGAPORE ARMED FORC
• GAY WATER, A NEW NNED CKTAIL, WANTS TO BE THE ANTI-BUD LIGHT
• SHOGUN (SGAPORE GAY SNA)
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• THE BEST SGAPORE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SGAPORE
• END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
• THE BT GAY BARS AND CLUBS SGAPORE
• SGAPORE GAY TRAVEL
• SGAPORE’S LATT RULG ON GAY SEX IS ‘COLD COMFORT,’ ACTIVISTS SAY
• GAY SGAPORE SGAPORE CY GUI

A YEAR AFTER SGAPORE DECRIMALIZED GAY SEX, ITS LGBT COMMUNY TURNS ATTENTN TO FAY

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.

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.

3 BT GAY BARS AND CLUBS SGAPORE

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. 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.

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.

GAY MEN THE SGAPORE ARMED FORC

Stg alone at the park on Saturday, wearg a pk wig and large sunglass, the 50-year-old tells TIME that, here at Pk Dot, he do not have to hi his inty as a gay Mlim man—a secret that he has kept om his fay for s and has no plans of divulgg. Phuong Nham, a Vietname gay man who moved to the Southeast Asian cy-state about 13 years ago, tells TIME that every Pk Dot event he has attend sce 2016 has been filled wh explic lls for the repeal of Sectn 377A, the law which crics say has long formed the basis for a host of discrimatory polici agast the LGBT muny.

Thgs to doFoodShoppgNightlifeToursInformatnMoreThe gay nightlife scene Sgapore has had s ups and downs, wh plenty of long-nng LGBT-iendly clubs and bars beg forced to shut due to a number of reasons. Jt rock up here after the sun go down and you’ll fd a number of gay-iendly venu, om chilled out bistros to bangg nightclubs (we’ve picked a few of the bt below).

This is partly thanks to s lotn on Sgapore’s pkt street – Neil Road – surround by half-a-dozen or so other gay-iendly (but much more chill) bars and bistros. This is no gay bar s own right, but expect a very diverse crowd wh plenty of hot beach bods on display of all natnali and moreLotn: 20 Tanjong Beach Walk, Sentosa Island, SgaporeOpen: Monday–Friday om 11am to 10pm and Saturday–Sunday om 9am to 10pmPhone: +65 6270 1355MapThis article clus opns of the Go Guis edorial team. All male Sgaporean cizens and non-first generatn permanent rints, cludg homosexual, bisexual and male-at-birth transgenr dividuals, who have reached the age of 18 years are required to enroll for Natnal Service unr the Enlistment Act.

GAY WATER, A NEW NNED CKTAIL, WANTS TO BE THE ANTI-BUD LIGHT

The way gay and transgenr servicemen are viewed and treated is largely pennt on the views of the ary thori who wre the nfintial manpower directiv which ern the management of the enliste even though the thori are advised by external, non-ary psychiatrists. Discrimatn exists bee even though the SAF do not regard homosexualy as a disease or mental illns requirg unsellg or therapy, is obliged to treat gay servicemen who clare their sexual orientatn differently bee, acrdg to some acunts, "homosexualy" and "transsexualism" are listed the outdated ICD-9 (Internatnal Classifitn of Diseas, 9th revisn), a medil classifitn system which is still beg ed by the SAF today.

It is perplexg why no SAF psychiatrist, psychologist or manpower officer wh cisn-makg thory has seen f to revamp the stat quo bee all ternatnal medil anisatns now regard homosexualy as a normal part of the spectm of human sexualy (see ma article: Internatnal medil thori' posn statements on homosexualy). For example, there are unsubstantiated reports blogs and onle foms that servicemen who profs a homosexual orientatn durg pre- or post-enlistment are reportedly nfed to “non-sensive” uns, but the fn of what nstut a “sensive” un is not spelt out. Currently, is unknown how homosexual women are treated the ary and whether such practic are parable between the genrs; this is bee women are not subject to nscriptn and therefore make up a relatively small proportn of ary personnel.

SHOGUN (SGAPORE GAY SNA)

The protol for alg wh homosexualy is not publicly disclosed and no rmatn on sexual orientatn n be found on official webs lked to the Mistry of Defence (MINDEF) or the SAF.

MINDEF neher attends to requts to clarify s policy towards the ployment of homosexual soldiers, nor addrs personal narrativ on the Inter.

The rmatn provid below is gleaned om what natnal servicemen have scribed on onle gay foms and articl and not excerpted om official documents.

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

Once he clar his homosexualy the form, he is asked several cursory qutns by the doctor nductg the PULHHEEMS at the Medil Classifitn Centre like whether he has had sex wh other men and whether he cross-drs. The self-clared gay rec is then given a stat of PES D (temporarily unf for gradg and ployment, pendg further review) and schled for a medil review by an SAF psychologist, ually an officer wh the rank of pta, at a later date at an office the Psychologil Medice Branch of the Headquarters of Medil Servic (HQMS) at CMPB. Necsatg a parent to be prent for the terview may be a dntg challenge for a gay rec who is not out to his fay and hib him om clarg his sexual orientatn.

Issu such as livg wh other men, and sleepg the quarters as and bathg wh other men – basilly, qutns of whether the gay NSman may f – play a part the review. Observers have noticed the siary between the SAF's view of the ployabily of gay servicemen and that of women who worked the army s early days.

The difference wh gay men at prent is that is clear that there IS a wrten policy towards their employment, evinced by the different treatment of homosexuals durg the medil review procs.

THE BEST SGAPORE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS SGAPORE

Male-to-female transgenr enliste ( any stage of transng before their female genr is legally stated on their inty rds) are still regard as male and are treated on the same sle as gay men.

END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL

This arbrary gradg is performed even though is patently obv that male-to-female transgenr people are not gay men, and gay men are not women.

The medil officer at the un to which the gay soldier is posted would also be privy to his medil rerd and ready to offer addnal assistance. Soldiers who have served NS for some time whout clarg their homosexualy and who subsequently ci to do so are also referred to the Milary Medice Instute at NUH for their medil board review. Homosexual soldiers who clare their sexual orientatn are classified unr 'Category 302', a practice which giv rise to much of the discrimatn they face durg Natnal Service.

THE BT GAY BARS AND CLUBS SGAPORE

At the time of the ICD-9's publitn 1975, homosexualy, together wh zoophilia, paedophilia and satyriasis, amongst others, was clud unr Co 302. This was long overdue as the world's most fluential bible for psychiatric diagnosis, the Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs (DSM), published by the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn had removed homosexualy om s list of mental disorrs 1973 (see ma article: Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs). A screen shot of the revised ICD-9 Co 302 published 2012[9], wh homosexualy exclud and the sectn renamed to "Sexual and genr inty disorrs", is append below:.

SGAPORE GAY TRAVEL

Prr to the mid-2000s, homosexual soldiers classified unr Category 302 (popularly referred to as "Cat 302" or simply "302") were further subdivid to those "wh effemate behavur" ( var gre) and those "whout effemate behavur" based on the arbrary observatns of the psychologist performg the asssment. One drawback of this arbrary assignment is that some gay NSmen may fake effemate mannerisms to obta a lower PES stat, which will turn lead to ls mandg physil trag and exemptn om stayg mp. Clu are provid a 2001 article entled, 'Unrstandg Homosexual Servicemen - A Case Study' wrten by Lily Wong-Ip Counsel-Lk, a publitn of the SAF Counsellg Centre (see below).

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

This refal to jettison an archaic medil ncept of homosexualy and harbourg of irratnal fears engenrs discrimatn bee the ary's groupg of homosexualy together wh transvtism and paedophilia further rerc the general public's misnceptn that is abnormal. On the other hand, the SAF may also have the benevolent tentn of protectg servicemen classified unr Category 302 om emotnal and physil abe by their heterosexual unterparts and homophobic lleagu. Prumably, this group only clus effemate heterosexual men and not homosexuals, so there have historilly been very few servicemen slapped wh this label; hence, s relative obscury.

GAY SGAPORE SGAPORE CY GUI

Crics of this policy pot out that if Category 302 were scrapped altogether, would give rise to much ls prejudice agast gay servicemen so that they would no longer fear beg blackmailed. Formerly, Category 302 personnel were not allowed to stay -mp overnight, nor were they required to perform night duti, but the rtrictns have been relaxed, pecially for mascule homosexuals. Effemate homosexuals are posted to a holdg list upon pletn of Natnal Service and are not required to do rervist trag, whilst non-effemate on have to unrgo rervist trag non-sensive uns.

In 2001, an article entled "Unrstandg Homosexual Servicemen - A Case Study" appeared Counsel-Lk, the quarterly publitn of the SAF Counsellg Centre (SCC)[16]. It is no longer available at s origal URL([2]), which may suggt that the SAF is now more enlightened s polici regardg gay servicemen and no longer endors or subscrib to outdated views about sexualy.

In fact, as the unsellg relatnship strengthened, I enuraged N to attend a programme for homosexuals, n for the purpose of helpg gays change their sexual orientatn to one that is ‘straight’. I also felt hypocril when I assured N my acceptance and rpect for him, regardls of his cisn on whether he would rema gay, when my sire was for him to make a different cisn.