Sgapore to Decrimalize Gay Sex | Human Rights Watch

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

“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.

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

“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. 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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

”“We should strive to mata a balance: to uphold a stable society wh tradnal heterosexual fay valu, but wh space for homosexuals to live their liv and to ntribute to the society, ” he said at the the urt lg Febary, gay rights advot have stepped up their efforts to w repeal of the Su/RtersAt this year’s annual Pk Dot pri rally June, participants highlighted how the law’s prence the penal enuraged discrimatn agast members of the L. ”In recent weeks, bet misters have been nsultg relig and muny lears and gay rights advot on the bt way to crimalize gay sex while leavg tact the law that f marriage as beg between a man and a woman.

“Gay sex should not be crimalized, ” he said.

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

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. 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.

A natnal poll asked lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer or qutng people age 13 to 24, “How have recent bat about state laws rtrictg the rights of LGBTQ young people impacted your mental health? Media ptn, Watch: The moment Sgaporeans learn gay sex ban will endSgapore will repeal a law that bans gay sex, effectively makg legal to be homosexual the cisn, announced by Prime Mister Lee Hsien Loong on natnal TV, after years of fierce activists Sgapore have hailed the move as "a w for humany" cy-state is known for s nservative valu, but recent years an creasg number of people have lled for the lonial-era 377A law to be abolished.

Sgapore is the latt place Asia to move on LGBT rights, after India, Taiwan and ernment's prev stance was to keep 377A - which bans sex between men - but also promised not to enforce the law an effort to appease both on Sunday night, Mr Lee said they would abolish the law as he believed "this is the right thg to do, and somethg that most Sgaporeans will accept" noted that "gay people are now better accepted" and scrappg 377A would brg the untry's laws le wh "current social mor, and I hope, provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans". Today we are very, very happy, " gay activist Johnson Ong told the BBC.

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

This would effectively make harr for gay marriage to be said Sgapore remas a tradnal society wh many keen on matag fay and social activists lled this "disappotg" and warned that would only further entrench discrimatn society. Though the law technilly crimalis sex between men, is effectively seen as a ban on has not been actively enforced recent years, a thrivg and creasgly visible LGBT scene has veloped Sgapore, cludg gay LGBT activists have long lled for 377A to be scrapped, sayg the law perpetuat social stigma agast gay people, go agast Sgapore's nstutn which forbids discrimatn, and has trickled down to fluence other aspects of life. For stance, any ntent emed as "promotg homosexualy" n be banned om broadst Sgapore, and TV shows and movi have the past been law is also at odds wh Sgapore's image as an open, diverse global fancial hub and multatnal pani based the state have said would hr their efforts to attract many Sgapore still support retag 377A, recent years the ll for s aboln has grown stronger, wh surveys showg growg support for LGBT the same time both LGBT activists and nservativ - many of whom e om relig groups - have mobilised on both sis of the issue.

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

Meanwhile, nservativ have anised social media mpaigns and events llg for the prervatn of tradnal valu, and some church have promoted ntroversial gay nversn Sunday, Mr Lee appealed to both mps for unrstandg. Several former Brish loni such as Kenya, Malaysia and Myanmar still have some versn of 2018, India's Supreme Court abolished 377 a historic verdict, promptg hop among activists that other former loni would eventually follow recent years, other parts of Asia have also moved to legalise gay marriage.