- Under current law, men face up to 2 years in prison for gay sex
- The law has not been actively enforced for decades
- Prime Minister Lee says Singaporean society is ready for this change
- Reaffirms support for the traditional definition of marriage
SINGAPORE, Aug 21 (Reuters) – 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 Penal Code Section 377A, a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men, but also expressed concern that it would rule out same-sex marriage help perpetuate discrimination.
In his annual National Day rally speech, Lee said Singaporean society, particularly the city-state’s youth, was increasingly accepting of gays.
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“I think this is the right thing to do and something that most Singaporeans will now accept,” he said.
It was not clear when exactly section 377A would be repealed.
Singapore becomes the latest Asian country to move towards ending discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.
In 2018, India’s highest court struck down a colonial-era ban on gay sex, while Thailand has recently moved closer to legalizing same-sex unions.
Under Singapore’s Section 377A, offenders can be jailed 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 other genders.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) groups have filed multiple legal challenges trying to repeal the law, but none have succeeded.
On Sunday, several LGBTQ rights groups said in a joint statement that they were “relieved” by Lee’s announcement.
A couple attends Pink Dot, an annual event organized in support of the LGBT community at Speakers’ Corner at Hong Lim Park in Singapore, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Feline Lim/File Photo
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“For everyone who has suffered the kinds of bullying, rejection and harassment that this law allows, the repeal finally allows us to begin the healing process. For those who yearn for a more equal and inclusive Singapore, the repeal means that change it’s really possible,” they said in the statement.
But the groups also urged the government not to heed calls from religious conservatives to enshrine the definition of marriage in the constitution, saying it would signal that LGBTQ+ citizens were not equal.
RESISTANCE
In February, Singapore’s high court ruled that because the law was not being enforced, it did not infringe on constitutional rights, as the plaintiffs had argued, and reaffirmed that the law could not be used to prosecute men for having gay sex
Some religious groups, including Muslims, Catholics and some Protestants, continued to resist any repeal of the law, Lee said.
An alliance of more than 80 churches expressed strong disappointment at the government’s decision on Sunday.
“The repeal is an extremely unfortunate decision that will have a profound impact on the culture in which our children and future generations of Singaporeans will live,” he said.
Singapore is a multiracial and multireligious society of 5.5 million, of whom approximately 16% are Muslim, with larger Buddhist and Christian communities. It has a predominantly ethnic Chinese population with significant Malay and Indian minorities, according to the 2020 census.
Underscoring 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 within these families, that the family traditional should form the basic building block of society.”
Singapore “protects the definition of marriage from being constitutionally challenged in the courts,” he said. “This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and carefully considered manner.”
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Reporting by Chen Lin, editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Gareth Jones
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.