Sgapore to Decrimalize Gay Sex | Human Rights Watch

Contents:

• SGAPORE REPEALS GAY SEX BAN BUT LIMS PROSPECT OF LEGALIZG SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• HOMOSEXUALY TO BE LEGAL IN SGAPORE, BUT GAY MARRIAGE WILL HAVE TO WA
• SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX
• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• 377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX
• END OF SGAPORE'S GAY SEX BAN A 'SMALL STEP' FOR SOME LGBT UPL
• A YEAR AFTER SGAPORE DECRIMALIZED GAY SEX, ITS LGBT COMMUNY TURNS ATTENTN TO FAY

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

Unlike India, Sgapore has not ma the cisn to repeal this law, meang that unr Sectn 377A homosexualy remas illegal (technilly, the law says nothg about same-sex relatns between two women).

Other parts of Sgapore’s Penal Co uld also potentially be terpreted to prosecute gay men, like sectn 354 on the ‘outrage of mosty’ or sectn 294A verg obscene acts public.

The media is even forbidn to promote “the glamorizatn of the homosexual liftyle” so the rare ocsn an LGBT character appears on TV they are portrayed as damaged and have to be ‘fixed’.

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

Public opn has gradually swung towards slightly more tolerance towards same-sex relatnships or even gay marriage, although is still not overwhelmgly favour.

After dark there’s a thrivg gay scene and of urse there’s more than enough to do durg the day to keep all travellers – gay, straight, unirn – by and happy. Of urse, if gay travellers would like to ensure they’re around more ‘like-md’ people then ’s a matter of dog some rearch and gettg remendatns om fellow LGBT travellers. Chatown is home to many of the more famo gay bars (Dorothy’s Bar wh s Wizard of Oz dér is a particular favoure of ours), although some plac have bee unofficial gay bars, like Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island.

SGAPORE TO DECRIMALIZE GAY SEX

In the gay clubs and bars you’ll fd easy to get chattg wh lols and, of urse, there are the snas – jt be rpectful of the fact that the lol men here might have plex relatnships wh their sexualy and have ls tn on issu, so ’s your rponsibily to take preutns and e protectn. Gay Marriage⚭✖ UnregnizedCensorship✖ State-enforcedChangg Genr✖ Legal, but requir surgeryNon-bary genr regnnUnknownDiscrimatn✖ Illegal some ntextsEmployment DiscrimatnAmbiguoHog Discrimatn✖ No protectnsDonatg Blood✖ Banned (fe ferral)Conversn TherapyAmbiguo. Later, on the 29th of November 2022, the Sgaporean parliament voted favor of crimalisg gay illegal, female legalOffenrs n face a penalty of imprisonment of up to 2 years.

WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS

“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, ” he said.

377A: SGAPORE TO END BAN ON GAY SEX

Read More: Homophobia Is Not an Asian Value Home affairs mister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam told the Stras Tim Monday that the Southeast Asian cy-state’s nstutn will be amend to give the legislature the right to fe marriage. “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.

Lee also said Sgaporean society, pecially the young, were more acceptg of gay people now, and that scrappg 377A would brg the laws le wh "current social mor, and I hope, provi some relief to gay Sgaporeans". 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. 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.

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

Furthermore, same-sex marriage is not regnised Sgapore, and there are no laws that specifilly protect homosexuals om discrimatn areas such as may be tertg to ask jt why those laws rema a morn, smopolan cy-state such as Sgapore. Galvanised by India’s cisn to legalise gay sex  September 2018, activists have brought three major nstutnal challeng agast 377A to Sgapore’s Supreme Court.

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". 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.

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

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.

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. 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.