On Sunday, Singapore announced it would abolish gender equality between men by repealing colonial-era laws, while preserving traditional city-state norms and its definition of marriage.
In his speech at the annual National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believes it is the “right thing to do now” as most Singaporeans would now accept it.
“Private sexual behavior between consenting adults does not pose any problem of law and order. “There’s no reason to prosecute people for that nor to consider it a crime,” Lee said.
Lee pledged that the abolition would be limited and would not shake Singapore’s traditional family and social norms, including how marriage is defined, what children are taught in schools, what is shown. television and public behavior in general.
He said the government will amend the constitution to ensure that there can be no constitutional challenge to same-sex marriage.
“Even if we repeal Section 377A, we will uphold and protect the institution of marriage,” Lee said. “We must amend the Constitution to protect it. And we will do the same. This will help us to repeal Section 377A in a controlled and careful manner.”
Section 377A of the Penal Code was introduced under British colonial rule in the 1930s. British rule over the island ended in 1963 when Singapore became a state of Malaysia. It became independent two years later but kept its Penal Code intact, which stipulates that sex between men can be punishable by up to two years in prison.
Since 2007 when Parliament last debated whether to repeal Section 377A, Congress’ stance has been to keep the law but not to enforce it.
But gay men say the law hangs over their heads and discriminates against them. Thousands of activists annually organize a rally in the city called “Pink Dot” in support of the LGBTQ community.
Lee said he hopes the government’s move will help reconcile and respond to both the concerns of conservative religious groups and the desire of Singapore’s gays to be respected and accepted.
“All groups should exercise restraint, because that is the only way we can move forward together as a nation,” he said.
One of Lee’s nephews, Li Huanwu, is gay. The son of Lee’s estranged brother, Lee Hsien Yang, married his partner in South Africa in 2019. Li Huanwu attended Pink Dot events with his partner and parents. me.
Other former British colonies retain similar laws that criminalize sex between men, including neighboring Malaysia, where a former deputy prime minister has been jailed twice for tyranny. He was convicted in 2000 and again in 2014.
In 2018, India eliminated gay sex after its Supreme Court in a historic ruling removed Section 377, which penalizes gay sex with up to 10 years in prison. . Several Asian countries have also moved towards legalizing same-sex marriage, with Taiwan being the first in 2019. Thailand also recently approved a plan to allow same-sex unions.
