Sgapore pass laws to crimalise gay sex, protect fn of marriage agast legal challenge - CNA

Contents:

• SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX
• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
• 377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX
• GAY FURRY HACKERS ARE TARGETG US STAT FOR PASSG ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATN
• HOMOSEXUALY TO BE LEGAL IN SGAPORE, BUT GAY MARRIAGE WILL HAVE TO WA
• SGAPORE’S REPEAL OF ‘ANTI-GAY’ LEGISLATN AND THE LONIAL HISTORY OF ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS ASIA
• SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX BUT WON’T ALLOW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• SGAPORE PASS LAWS TO CRIMALISE GAY SEX, PROTECT FN OF MARRIAGE AGAST LEGAL CHALLENGE
• SGAPORE UPHOLDS COLONIAL ANTI-GAY LAWS: BEG GAY REMAS ILLEGAL FOR 5.7 MILLN PEOPLE

SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX

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.

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

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

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.

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

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.

GAY FURRY HACKERS ARE TARGETG US STAT FOR PASSG ANTI-TRANS LEGISLATN

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. “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. 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.

“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.

HOMOSEXUALY TO BE LEGAL IN SGAPORE, BUT GAY MARRIAGE WILL HAVE TO WA

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. 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.

SGAPORE’S REPEAL OF ‘ANTI-GAY’ LEGISLATN AND THE LONIAL HISTORY OF ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS ASIA

Lee said his speech Sunday that he wants gay people to “live their own liv, participate our muny and ntribute fully to Sgapore.

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. AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTIn announcg the move, Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong took a step long sought by gay rights advot, but he said same-sex marriage would ntue to be illegal.

SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX BUT WON’T ALLOW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Wallace Woon/EPA, via ShutterstockPrime Mister Lee Hsien Loong of Sgapore said on Sunday that the ernment would repeal the untry’s lonial-era law crimalizg sex between men, a step long sought by gay rights advot, but that would propose a nstutnal amendment fg marriage as between a man and a woman. Reversg his opposn to crimalizg gay sex, Mr. The law has not been enforced for 15 years but gay rights advot had long sought to overturn , argug that stigmatiz gay men and promot discrimatn.

SGAPORE PASS LAWS TO CRIMALISE GAY SEX, PROTECT FN OF MARRIAGE AGAST LEGAL CHALLENGE

”Sgapore’s gay muny has fought for years to repeal the law, cludg challengg the urts. ”Those advotg rights for gay people have long argued that 377A, even if is not enforced, perpetuat discrimatn at all levels of society, cludg schools, workplac, health re and the Lee acknowledged that a urt lg a se brought by three gay men challengg the law this year had put prsure on the ernment to Court of Appeal, the natn’s hight urt, cled to overturn Sectn 377A Febary, lg that the three men did not have legal standg bee the ernment had pledged not to enforce the urt said was Parliament’s rponsibily to ci the issue, notg that the high urt was “not a ont-nner for social change or an archect of social policy.

SGAPORE UPHOLDS COLONIAL ANTI-GAY LAWS: BEG GAY REMAS ILLEGAL FOR 5.7 MILLN PEOPLE

At the same time, he said, homosexuals should have a place society and were entled to their private liv.