Singapore’s Prime Minister Announces Plans to Decriminalize Gay Sex

During a national address yesterday (August 21), Singapore’s Prime Minister announced plans to revoke Section 377A, the law that bans men having sex with men.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the harmful legislation would officially be repealed. Under the law, in force since 1938, individuals convicted of having gay sex, could face up to two years in prison.

“Private sexual behavior between consenting adults does not raise any law and order issue. There is no justification to prosecute people for it nor to make it a crime. This will bring the law into line with current social mores and I hope to provide some relief to gay Singaporeans,” stated Loong.

"Like every human society, we also have gay people in our midst. They are our fellow Singaporeans. They are our colleagues, our friends, our family members. They too want to live their own lives, participate in our community, and contribute fully to Singapore," he added.

However, despite announcing the removal of Section 377A, Prime Minister Loong also reinforced the country’s conservative stance on marriage equality and said he “uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage.”

“We have to amend the Constitution to protect it. And we will do so. This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and careful way,” he added, stating that the government would be taking steps to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals couldn’t fight for same-sex marriage. "We will protect the definition of marriage, as contained in the Interpretation Act and the Women's Charter, from being challenged constitutionally in the courts. We have to amend the constitution to protect it, and we will do so," he added on his official Twitter account.

LGBTQ+ groups welcomed Loong’s decision. But they also expressed concern that ruling out same-sex marriage would help to perpetuate discrimination. In a statement signed by over 20 LGBTQ+ groups, gay rights campaigners said they were “relieved” by the announcement. “For everyone who has experienced the kinds of bullying, rejection and harassment enabled by this law, repeal finally enables us to begin the process of healing. For those that long for a more equal and inclusive Singapore, repeal signifies that change is indeed possible.”

The announcement follows almost a decade of legal cases, launched by members of Singapore’s LGBTQ+ community and their lawyers, that have sought to challenge the colonial-era law. “Section 377A is both archaic and discriminatory. Because of this announcement, gay men can look forward to no longer being presumed criminals, and Singapore has decisively moved past persecuting people on the basis of their sexual orientation,” said Téa Braun, Chief Executive of the Human Dignity Trust (HDT). “This decision is incredibly significant not only for Singapore but for its wider signaling effect across Asia and the world, where millions of people are still criminalized based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The tide continues to turn decisively against countries that maintain these stigmatizing laws.”

Leow Yangfa, Executive Director of Oogachaga, a community-based, non-profit organization working with LGBTQ+ people in Singapore, added: “We are grateful that the Singapore government will repeal Section 377A through parliament. This means a lot to the LGBTQ+ community. Decriminalization will not only improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people and their families, but will bring other obvious benefits to business, trade and Singapore’s international reputation, making this announcement welcome on many fronts. We eagerly look forward to constructive debate in Parliament in the coming months.”

Prime Minister Loong’s move makes Singapore the latest South East Asian country to move towards ending discrimination against members of the LGBTQ+ community. Taiwan become the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019. Thailand also approved plans to allow same-sex unions in June this year.

You can watch Prime Minister Loong's full speech here below.

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