End of Singapore’s gay sex ban a ‘small step’ for some LGBT couples
August 22, 2022 – 16:13
By Chen Lin
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s decision to lift a colonial-era ban on sex between men is long overdue and will not end discrimination of LGBT groups in the conservative city-state, rights activists and members of the gay community said on Monday.
The announcement by Singapore’s prime minister to repeal the so-called 377A law on Sunday came as he also said the government would take steps to prevent legal challenges that would allow same-sex marriages to be recognised.
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Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Sunday announced the government’s plans to decriminalize sex between men, saying this was “the right thing to do and something that most Singaporeans will now accept.”
Specifically, he announced the repeal of Section 337A, which provides that:
Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.
While some activists praised the decision, others argued that LGBTQ+ rights in the country still have a. long way to go. In. particular, Singapore’s Constitution still only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman. Lee stated since “many national policies rely upon this definition of marriage,” such as housing, education, and adoption, Singapore “has no intention of changing the definition of marriage nor these policies.”
Lee announced that this definition of marriage will be protected from any constitutional challenge in the courts, stating on Twitter: “We will protect the definition of marriage, as contained in the Interpretation Act and the Women’s Charter, from being challenged constitutionally in the courts. We have to amend the Constitution to protect it, & we will do so.”
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International and Comparative SOGIESC Law - Professor Andreas R Ziegler 