By Wanique Block
On Sunday, 21 August 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, announced that Singapore plans to decriminalise gay sex.
According to Prime Minister Loong, removing the legal ban on gay sex, known as Section 377A of the Penal Code was “the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept”.
Despite this colonial-era law coming to an end, the Prime Minister has emphasised that there are no plans to change the legal definition of marriage.
Minster Loong further expressed that most Singaporeans do not want a “drastic shift” and also noted that his government would “protect” the definition of marriage; as one between a man and a woman.
“We need to find the right way to reconcile and accommodate both the traditional mores of our society, and the aspiration of gay Singaporeans to be respected and accepted”, Minister Lee shared in his address.
Although this landmark decision serves as a win for humanity, it still poses a great challenge for the LGBTQIA+ community; specifically in Singapore as same sex marriages continues to remain illegal.
💕 Singapore will end its ban on gay sex, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced.
— TLDR News Global (@TLDRNewsGlobal) August 21, 2022
The 377A law criminalised sex between men – but was widely seen as a much broader ban on homosexuality. Though not enforced, pressure had built in previous years to repeal the law.
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