Ken Kwek

Asian Angle | Gay sex debate helped in Hong Kong. In Singapore, it made things worse

The Lion City’s discussion of a law criminalising homosexual acts has unleashed a barely disguised politics of disgust that is inflicting real damage on the mental health of LGBTI individuals

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Unlike Hong Kong and Taiwan, which have made strides towards recognising same-sex couples, authorities in the Lion City appear reluctant to strike down a law criminalising homosexual relations. Photo: Alamy

Ken Kwek

Published: 10:00am, 17 Oct 2018Updated: 10:08am, 17 Oct 2018

Singapore is at the tail end of yet another vociferous public debate about Section 377A, the law that criminalises acts of “gross indecency” between consenting male adults.

But unlike Hong Kong and Taiwan, which have made strides towards recognising same-sex couples, authorities in the Lion City appear reluctant to strike down the law, leaving gay men at risk of prosecution and the LGBTI community vulnerable to renewed prejudice.

In the weeks since homosexuality was decriminalised in India on September 6, Singapore has seen a flurry of lobbying from both pro- and anti-repeal camps.

The pro-repeal group Ready4Repeal filed a petition that gathered 50,000 signatures, supported by academics, business leaders, diplomats, ex-parliamentarians and a former attorney general. They believe 377A is unjust and discriminatory.

The anti-repeal group’s counter-petition hit double the number and was backed by religious authorities, including the National Council of Churches of Singapore, the Catholic Archbishop of Singapore and the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association. Their stance is a defence of “traditional values”.

Constitutional arguments by prominent legal minds played out in the mainstream press. A former Supreme Court judge labelled 377A “an impotent anachronism”, while a Christian law professor insisted it was “a contemporary, important law”.