Singapore repeals law that criminalizes gay sex between men
On Tuesday, November 29 the parliament in Singapore voted to repeal section 377A of the Penal Code, which was a highly discriminatory law that criminalized gay sex between two men. This is considered a tremendous step forward for the country, as attitudes surrounding the LGBTQ community have not reflected those in the Penal Code for some time. However, in the same move, it also voted to protect the current definition of marriage so that it cannot be challenged legally.
S377A, which was specific to men only stated “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 two years.”
Back in August when the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, made the announcement about the repeal, he said “I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept. This will bring the law into line with current social mores, and I hope, provide some relief to gay Singaporeans.”
However, the existing laws that define marriage as a union between a man and a woman remain intact today in Singapore and were protected in such a way that anyone wishing to challenge its constitutional legitimacy in the future, will be unable to do so. This means that any changes to the traditional heterosexual definition of marriage can only occur through Parliament and cannot take place in the courts.
The Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli addressed concerns about sex education in schools and religious freedoms. He said that there should not be any change in social norms following the repeal. School curriculums and other education policies should, and will, remain rooted in Singapore’s culture of family values.
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