Why Sgapore's gay sex law change is a double-edged sword for LGBTQ activists | CNN

Contents:

• WHY SGAPORE’S GAY SEX LAW CHANGE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD FOR LGBTQ ACTIVISTS
• GAY WEDDG CEREMONI[]
• SGAPORE GAY TRAVEL
• THIS TAIWANE GAY COUPLE’S WEDDG PHOTOS MIGHT BE THE INSPIRATN YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEDDG SHOTS
• SGAPORE TO CRIMALIZE GAY SEX BUT WON’T ALLOW SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
• SGAPORE HAS BANNED AN ARCHIE COMIC FOR DEPICTG A GAY WEDDG

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

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.

GAY WEDDG CEREMONI[]

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.

SGAPORE GAY TRAVEL

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.

Lbian, gay, bisexual and/or transsexual (LGBT) persons Sgapore may face legal obstacl unr Sgapore law. Readg Time: 11 mutLbian, gay, bisexual and/or transsexual (LGBT) persons Sgapore may face legal obstacl unr Sgapore law. This was the se a recent cisn by a Sgapore urt, which rejected a gay man’s applitn to adopt a child that he fathered through surrogacy.

However, the fact that male homosexual sex remas punishable by a prison term of up to two years unr Sectn 377A, even though the Apex Court has led "unenforceable", has not prevented gay Sgaporeans om fg stable long-term relatnships and om livg together as mted upl.

THIS TAIWANE GAY COUPLE’S WEDDG PHOTOS MIGHT BE THE INSPIRATN YOU NEED FOR YOUR WEDDG SHOTS

Many have gotten married overseas, untri where gay marriage is legal, and then returned home. Regardg adoptn of children by gay upl, rponnts who found always or almost always wrong fell to 61. 9% found gay marriage always or certa s wrong while 15.

It surprised many the LGBT muny to disver that Sgaporeans were ls opposed to gay adoptn and gay marriage than to gay sex.

When the survey was repeated 2018, the percentage of of rponnts aged 20 to 24 who felt that gay marriage was not wrong doubled om 24. See also Archive of TODAY article, "Sgaporean man among first gay unn", 12 December 2005.

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

Sce then, many gay Sgaporean upl have followed su and registered their own civil unns foreign jurisdictns or have even gotten married to their partners untri like Canada and the USA where gay marriage has been legalised([7]):. Gay weddg ceremoni[]. Even though gay marriage is not yet legal, holdg gay weddgs is perfectly legimate Sgapore, unlike the se wh Vietnam where was illegal until as recent as 2014.

Therefore, if there is a ph by LGBT activists to legalise gay marriage Sgapore, may be spearhead by lbian upl servg as role mols as there is much ls mastream ristance agast their relatnships.

SGAPORE HAS BANNED AN ARCHIE COMIC FOR DEPICTG A GAY WEDDG

"On beg award the Cultural Medalln, Sgapore’s hight natnal award for culture and the arts, a journalist asked me whether she uld e the term “openly gay” to scribe me. There were no posive gay rol mols, and neher were there any gay televisn programm, books or films wh happy endgs.

In the summer of 1996, I met Tony at the “Brief Enunter”, a gay bar London’s Wt End. As is always the se wh gay bars, everyone was tryg and never pletely succeedg to be butch and ol.

Homophonilly, pun fully tend, 1-8-1-8 is spic Che.