Gay rights in Singapore took a blow as the Singapore high court decided to uphold a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between two men.
According to Reuters, three appeals were filed challenging the constitutionality of Section 377A. The law says that a man found to have committed an act of “gross indecency” with another man could be sent to prison for up to two years. The high court ended up dismissing all three appeals.
In a case summary published by the court, Judge See Kee Oon said that just because the law was not being enforced in the city-state did not mean it is redundant.
The statement was probably in reference to the Attorney General’s previous comment that enforcing the law against gay sex and prosecuting people with it would not be in the public interest.
An attempt to repeal the law was first made in 2014 but it did not succeed. The repeal of a similar law in India back in 2018 reinvigorated activists to try again, with Law Minister K. Shanmugam remarking that laws should keep up with changes in society. Polling in Singapore has also shown public attitudes towards homosexuals changing for the better.
That said, Singapore is still a socially conservative country, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong even remarking that Singapore “is not that liberal” when it comes to matters like homosexuality.
Human Dignity Trust director, Téa Braun, criticized the decision, saying that it would resonate with even more conservative countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. Human Dignity Trust is a rights group based in London.
“In declining to strike out this archaic and discriminatory law, the court has reaffirmed that all gay men in Singapore are effectively unapprehended criminals,” Braun said.
This Singapore decision is another gay rights overall in Asia. In October of last year, a Hong Kong court turned down marriage equality, saying that the court deciding on it would be “beyond the proper scope of the functions and powers of the court to change a social policy on a fundamental issue.”
This is an issue for the citizens of Singapore. The opinions of non-citizens not only are irrelevant but they are hubristic and judgmental. We may not like it, but it is not our issue. Taking it on as our issue would be enmeshment and codependence.
who says a4a doesn’t have members in Singapore?
It’s just more “gay news” some of us like to know what’s going elsewhere in the world with other gay folk, shows you how far we gay Americans have come since leaving the closet. Just take it as that.
Matt:
I love the vocabulary you used within your post!
It is good for you to display that you have more between your ears than what hangs between your legs?
So we should all invade Singapore and install an LGBT friendly government? Or maybe accept that other countries have their own laws and priorities? I’d rather be in the closet in Singapore than deal with the open ‘democracy’ that has become NYC. They aren’t putting sharia agents out there to snag gays. And if they were, they obviously wouldn’t give a shit about what a US website has to say.. Get over it people, 30% of the population will be without jobs by summer. That is a BIT more compelling
Give the Ruling by The Singaporean Court…
little or no attention. It is all in the name of “The Last Days Of Babylon.” It is merely for a show of individuality by the court to reflect its obvious fear that it, like the rest of the world, will be forced to become a willing part of it.
It will come-to-pass…that the court’s ruling is merely symbolic and is rendered virtually meaningless…because it cannot be enforced and the rest of the world will be up-its-ass…should it be enforced to have any “Game-Changing-Effects.”
I respect the country… but isn’t it odd to have the goal of economic prosperity and also have the goal to punish people for no reason? Homosexuality hurts no one except maybe the bottom. You will always harm your own economy as the layer on more and more laws. That is what capitalism has taught us time and time again…Not that I think capitalism is flawless…but countries should be taking note of its economic offerings. Nobody thinks increased personal restriction is a sign of prosperity and opportunity… and laws pushed by religious interest have always harmed society and the economy.… Read more »
And, so should our country, we’re really no different, but always and consistently, pointing the finger at someone else, racism and sexism comes to mind, just sayin’.