Lee Hsien Loong has announced that the government will repeal Section 377A of the penal code, a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men. Under Section 377A, offenders can be punished with imprisonment of up to two years, but it is currently not actively enforced. There have been no known convictions for sex between consenting adult men in decades, and the law does not include sex between women or other sexes. Mr Lee said Singapore is a traditional society with conservative social values ​​and also pledged to “uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage” between a man and a woman, saying only such marriages are recognized in the city-state. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups in Singapore have brought several legal challenges trying to overturn the controversial law, but none have succeeded. Explaining the reasons for the repeal, Mr Lee noted that there was a real risk that judges would rule against the law in future appeals and it would be unwise to ignore it and do nothing. Society’s attitudes towards gay people had also “shifted noticeably” and it was timely to re-examine whether sex between men in private should be a criminal offence, he added. “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,” he said. Image: Thousands of people gathered in a park for the annual Pink Dot gay pride event in Singapore in 2017. Photo: AP “I believe (the repeal) is the right thing to do and something that most Singaporeans will now accept. This will bring the law in line with current social mores and hopefully provide some relief to gay Singaporeans,” they were quoted as saying. Straits Times. In his annual national day speech, the prime minister said Section 377A was originally introduced in the 1930s by the British colonial government when attitudes were different. He said that over time, homosexuality became better understood, resulting in greater acceptance of homosexuals. Many countries with similar laws have also repealed them, including several nations in Asia, he continued. Image: A 2019 rally calling for the repeal of Article 377A in Singapore The South China Morning Post reported that according to previous polls, six out of 10 people in 2013 felt that gay sex was always wrong. But that number dropped to five in 10 when the same question was asked in 2019 of more than 4,000 respondents. Another poll showed that the percentage of Singaporeans who oppose 377A had increased from 12% in 2018 to 20% today, the newspaper said.

title: “Singapore To Decriminalize Sex Between Men But Pm Also Vows To Protect Marriage Global News " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-19” author: “William Wollenburg”

Lee Hsien Loong has announced that the government will repeal Section 377A of the penal code, a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men. Under Section 377A, offenders can be punished with imprisonment of up to two years, but it is currently not actively enforced. There have been no known convictions for sex between consenting adult men in decades, and the law does not include sex between women or other sexes. Mr Lee said Singapore is a traditional society with conservative social values ​​and also pledged to “uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage” between a man and a woman, saying only such marriages are recognized in the city-state. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups in Singapore have brought several legal challenges trying to overturn the controversial law, but none have succeeded. Explaining the reasons for the repeal, Mr Lee noted that there was a real risk that judges would rule against the law in future appeals and it would be unwise to ignore it and do nothing. Society’s attitudes towards gay people had also “shifted noticeably” and it was timely to re-examine whether sex between men in private should be a criminal offence, he added. “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,” he said. Image: Thousands of people gathered in a park for the annual Pink Dot gay pride event in Singapore in 2017. Photo: AP “I believe (the repeal) is the right thing to do and something that most Singaporeans will now accept. This will bring the law in line with current social mores and hopefully provide some relief to gay Singaporeans,” they were quoted as saying. Straits Times. In his annual national day speech, the prime minister said Section 377A was originally introduced in the 1930s by the British colonial government when attitudes were different. He said that over time, homosexuality became better understood, resulting in greater acceptance of homosexuals. Many countries with similar laws have also repealed them, including several nations in Asia, he continued. Image: A 2019 rally calling for the repeal of Article 377A in Singapore The South China Morning Post reported that according to previous polls, six out of 10 people in 2013 felt that gay sex was always wrong. But that number dropped to five in 10 when the same question was asked in 2019 of more than 4,000 respondents. Another poll showed that the percentage of Singaporeans who oppose 377A had increased from 12% in 2018 to 20% today, the newspaper said.