Singapore to end gay sex ban, PM says – but marriage rules remain – National

Singapore will decriminalize sex between men but has no plans to change the legal definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday.

LGBTQ groups welcomed Lee’s decision to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men, but also raised concerns that excluding same-sex marriage would help perpetuate discrimination.

In his annual National Day rally speech, Lee said Singaporean society, particularly young people in the city-state, is becoming increasingly accepting of gay people.

“I believe this is the right thing to do and something that most Singaporeans will now accept,” he said.

It was unclear when exactly Section 377A would be repealed.

Singapore is the latest Asian country to move closer to ending discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

In 2018, India’s top court overturned a colonial-era ban on gay sex, while Thailand has recently come closer to legalizing same-sex partnerships.

Under Singapore’s Section 377A, offenders can be imprisoned for up to two years under the law, but it is not currently actively enforced. There have been no known convictions for sex between consenting adult men for decades, and the law does not cover sex between women or opposite sexes.

Several legal actions have been taken by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) groups to bring down the law, but none have been successful.

On Sunday, several LGBTQ rights groups said in a joint statement they were “relieved” by Lee’s announcement.

“For everyone who has experienced the types of bullying, rejection and harassment made possible by this law, repeal finally allows us to begin the healing process. For those who yearn for a more equal and inclusive Singapore, repeal means change is indeed possible,” the statement said.

However, the groups also urged the government not to heed calls by religious conservatives to enshrine the definition of marriage in the constitution, as doing so would signal that LGBTQ+ citizens do not enjoy equal rights.

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RESISTANCE

In February, Singapore’s top court ruled that because the law is unenforced, it does not violate constitutional rights, as plaintiffs had argued, and reiterated that the law cannot be used to prosecute men for gay sex .

Some religious groups, including Muslims, Catholics and some Protestants, continued to oppose any repeal of the law, Lee said.

An alliance of more than 80 churches expressed their great disappointment with the government’s decision on Sunday.

“The repeal is an extremely regrettable decision that will have a profound impact on the culture in which our children and future generations of Singaporeans will live,” it said.

Singapore is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society with a population of 5.5 million, of whom approximately 16% are Muslim, with larger Buddhist and Christian communities. According to the 2020 census, it has a predominantly ethnic Chinese population with sizeable Malay and Indian minorities.

Stressing his government’s continued support for the traditional definition of marriage, Lee said, “We believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, that children should be raised in such families, that the traditional family should be the basic building block of society. “

Singapore will “protect the definition of marriage from constitutional challenge by the courts,” he said. “This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and carefully considered manner.” (Reporting by Chen Lin, Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Gareth Jones)