By Cindy Toh
In the aftermath of the repeal of 377A, the law criminalizing sex between consenting men, Singapore faces a reckoning on love and marriage. But one truth remains abundantly clear: the fight for LGBTQ+ rights is far from over.
Equality will not exist as long as LGBTQ+ Singaporeans continue to be marginalized by a select few under the guise of religion and so-called family values. Equality will not exist as long as a subset of Singaporeans are denied the equal rights they deserve for who they are and who they love.
No legal statute or amount of rhetorical spin can ever justify the imprisonment of two consenting adults expressing love. But just as much as this repeal is a step forward, its aftermath is also a step backward for the LGBTQ+ community. The government is moving to amend the constitution such that the definition of marriage remains a union between a man and a woman. Thus, preventing future governments from legalizing same-sex marriage and families[1].
One cannot have full rights and recognition under the law if they don’t have all the inalienable rights they deserve under the constitution because human rights are not pie. Human rights are not traded. Human rights are not a political game; they ought not to be treated as such. And when the world has increasingly become polarized with hollow hatred, it is love that mends those wounds. To criminalize love is to pour salt onto the wounds of polarization and hatred that are already so pervasive in the world.
This criminalization of marriage equality has trickled into the criminalization of same-sex families. Parenthood and the nuclear family are recognized in this nation as one that is led by a mother and a father. There is no evidence indicating that children of same-sex parents fare worse in life than those with heterosexual ones[2]. This only underscores the fact that it is not pro-family values, for it marginalizes the LGBTQ+ people who want to live their lives and have families just like everyone else does. Family comes in all shapes and sizes, and this must be acknowledged by our laws and society.
I am grateful for all the advocates who’ve marched and fought for the repeal of 377A. As they fight for their full equality—for their love and families to be recognized—under the constitution, I stand in solidarity with them. Love is love, and LGBTQ+ rights are human rights. Nothing—no law or excuse—can ever change this.