The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, announced this Sunday that his country will repeal a colonial law that criminalizes sexual relations between menalthough the government will continue to “defend” that marriage is between a man and a woman.
“The government will repeal [la ley] and decriminalize sexual relations between men. I think it’s the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept,” he said in a political speech.
Lee added that customs have changed for 15 years, when the government decided to leave the law in force.
gay men “now they are more accepted” locally, especially among young Singaporeans, he said.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. AP Photo
“Breath”
The repeal “will bring the law in tune with current social customs and hope it gives gay singapore a breakLee said.
The law, a heritage from British colonial times, criminalizes sexual relations between men with up to two years in jail.
Gay rights activists have long argued that the law clashes with the culture of the increasingly modern city-state, and have in the past filed two lawsuits to overturn it, to no avail.
Still, Lee noted that the government is aware that “the majority of Singaporeans do not want the repeal [de la ley] lead to a drastic change in our social norms“, including the definition of marriage and how this institution is taught in schools.
“Therefore, even if we repeal [la ley], we will defend and protect the institution of marriage“, he said, recalling that, under current law, Singapore “only recognizes marriage ties between a man and a woman.”
The government will amend the Constitution to protect the current definition of marriage to be constitutionally questioned in the courts, the president added.
An overview shows the words ‘Repeal 377A’ which refers to a law that criminalizes sexual acts. Photo EFE
Equality
The first attempt to annul the law was rejected in 2014 and last February, the Court of Appeal dismissed a second appeal.
Gay rights advocates expressed on Sunday his “relief” by government decision.
“The repeal of Section 377A is the first step on the long road to full equality for LGBTQ+ people in Singapore,” they said in a joint statement signed by more than 20 groups.
But “the true impact of the repeal will be determined by how Singaporeans respond to it, and treat each other, in the coming days and months“, they added.
The activists also referred to the government’s plans to enshrine the definition of marriage between a man and a woman in the Singapore Constitution.
“Any move by the government to introduce more legislation or constitutional amendments that single out LGBTQ+ people as unequal citizens It’s disappointingthey said.
Before Lee’s decision, an alliance of Protestant churches had warned Friday against repealing the rule, described as a “marker of many social and moral considerations.”
In 2018, the Supreme Court of India decriminalized gay sex, a decision that spurred activists in Singapore to renew their efforts to repeal the law.
The following year, Taiwan made the decision to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the first country in Asia to do so.
Source: AFP and AP
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