By Mac Bellingham
Repeal of 377A
On the 22nd of August, Singapore decided to abolish a law that banned gay sex and intimate gay acts. It was announced on live television by Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. This law, 377A, was made in colonial times when Singapore was still under British rule. It stated that “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.”[1] It hadn’t been enforced for a while, at the time of the punishment, but it’s mostly about the ethics of it all.
However, it is not all good news that came from this announcement. Just after decreeing they would end the ban, further news came. In order to appease both the conservative and liberal sides of Singapore, the government also announced that they would begin legally protecting the definition of marriage between a man and a woman. This ensures that gay marriage is virtually impossible, at least in the foreseeable future.
Singapore Citizens’ Reaction
LGBTQ+ activists were ecstatic that Singapore was at least acknowledging change, but were upset with the second statement. Conservatives have expressed their disappointment that this is moving forward without any ‘safeguards’ and have made social media campaigns to share their opinion and mission to ban ‘LGBT promotion’ for children. They said that by un-banning gay sex/intimate gay acts, it would be ‘celebrating homosexuality’ as a character in a regular social environment. Mr. Lee, in an effort to appease the two sides, said ‘All groups should exercise restraint because that is the only way we can move forward as a nation together.’
A Chance for Progression
Personally, I believe that although the government is well-meaning, there should not be any debate when it comes to the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. A government shouldn’t just support their citizens, they should also set examples. They should show their conservative citizens that there is no reason why LGBTQ+ citizens should be treated any differently. I understand that they do not want to lose any voters, but doing what is best for your citizens should come before politics.
I also think that it is an outdated opinion for the far right side of Singapore to hold, by saying things such as banning ‘LGBT promotion’ for children is the right thing to do, and to insinuate that queerness becoming accepted is even in the slightest bit wrong. Sexuality isn’t a choice, people are who they are, and no one can change that no matter how hard they try. Children should grow up knowing this and accepting everybody for who they are.
Overall, the government still did the right thing by abolishing 377A, but we still have a little way to go. I hope that in the future, the government continues to make an effort to support LGBTQ+ citizens, and continues to make them feel more accepted in the community.