Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech has called on for the revoking of a colonial-era law that decriminalises sex between men.
There have been many occasions where Singaporeans have declared the law unconstitutional and questioned court decisions. Even the courts have said the law is unenforceable. “For these reasons, the Government will repeal Section 377A and decriminalise sex between men. 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.” he said.
Section 337A of the penal code criminalises gay men if caught involved in a sexual act with another man, this will be a landmark decision for the City State which still for the most part of its legal system stems from what the British left behind. While this outdated law is to be repealed, Hsien Loong said there will be no changes to the definition of marriage, where it will still be recognised as between a man and woman. This means same-sex marriage will not be accepted for now.
The Government has no intention of changing the definition of marriage or national policies on public housing, education, adoption rules, advertising standards, and film classification, he said, signalling that it will maintain “prevailing norms and values” of Singapore society.
