SINGAPORE - Singapore will repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday (Aug 21), confirming months of speculation ...
"It is timely to ask ourselves again the fundamental question: should sex between men in private be a criminal offence?" "This will help us to repeal S377A in a controlled and carefully considered way. For others, it will be a step taken only with great reluctance, even regret. From the national point of view, private sexual behaviour between consenting adults also does not raise any law-and-order issue, he added. This has been so in Singapore and many other societies, he added. "For some, this will be too modest a step. "These are fundamentally not legal problems, but political issues." On Sunday, PM Lee said that following this judgment, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. "But it will also keep what I believe most Singaporeans still want, and that is to retain the basic family structure of marriage between a man and a woman, within which we have and raise our children," he added to applause from the audience at the Institute of Technical Education headquarters in Ang Mo Kio. They are our colleagues, our friends, our family members. Explaining the rationale for repeal, he noted that there is a significant risk of the law being struck down by judges in future legal challenges, and it would be unwise to ignore this and do nothing. But to guard against the move triggering a drastic shift in societal norms, the Government will also amend the Constitution to protect the definition of marriage as one between a man and a woman to stave off future legal challenges, he added.
SINGAPORE will repeal a colonial-era law that criminalises sex between men, but also amend the Constitution to prevent legal challenges to the definition of ...
Even after the repealing of Section 377A – the law criminalising sex between men – the Government will maintain the "prevailing norms and values" of ...
“Judges interpret and apply the law. “Most Singaporeans would like to keep our society like this. This will bring the law into line with current social mores, and I hope, provide some relief to gay Singaporeans.” This is the Government’s position too. “They also worry that this may encourage more aggressive and divisive activism on all sides. They are our colleagues, our friends, our family members. “Many national policies rely upon this definition of marriage, including public housing, education, adoption rules, advertising standards, film classification. I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept. “They are our fellow Singaporeans. “We have to take that advice seriously. Mr Lee said the Government understands these concerns and does not want the repeal to trigger “wholesale changes” in society, and that it will maintain its current family-oriented approach and prevailing norms and values of Singapore society. Mr Lee said on Sunday that Mr Shanmugam and the attorney-general have advised that there is a “significant risk” of Section 377A being struck down in a future court challenge, on the grounds that it breaches the equal protection provision in the Constitution.
The government will not change the city-state's legal definition of marriage, which it considers between one man and one woman, Prime Minister Lee Hsien ...
"This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and carefully considered way." "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. It has a predominantly ethnic Chinese population with sizeable Malay and Indian minorities, according to the 2020 census. Under Singapore's Section 377A, offenders can be jailed for up to two years under the law, but it is not currently actively enforced. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com "I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept," he said.
Singapore is set to legalise sex between men as it removes a colonial law introduced under British rule, but same-sex marriage is still illegal.
“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. Under Section 377A, gay and bisexual men can be jailed for up to two years. Under the law, only marriages between one man and one woman are recognised in Singapore,” Mr Lee said.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced Sunday the country will repeal a colonial-era law criminalising gay sex, though he maintained that the ...
The first attempt to overturn the law was rejected in 2014. But "the true impact of repeal will be determined by how the people of Singapore respond to it, and treat each other, in the days and months to come". "Hence, even as we repeal section 377A, we will uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage," he said.
In what comes as a landmark moment in the history of Singapore, the country has decided to repeal an archaic law that criminalised gay sex.
The British era law, Section 377A of the Penal Code criminalised sex between men in the former British colony. While gay sex between private consenting men has been decriminalised, the Singaporean government has also moved a motion to amend the constitution to ban marriage equality. Terming the dual move a “political accommodation that balances different legitimate views and aspirations among Singaporeans”, PM Lee added: "For most, their main worry is what they feel Section 377A stands for, and what they fear repealing it may quickly lead to.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed it is the "right thing to do now" as most Singaporeans will now accept it. However, he said the city-state ...
“All groups should exercise restraint, because that is the only way we can move forward as a nation together,” he said. [India decriminalized gay sex](https://apnews.com/article/gay-rights-india-ap-top-news-courts-supreme-courts-c4ff404bd65942b9bd4d374a08604042) after its Supreme Court in a historic ruling struck down Section 377 that punished gay sex by up to 10 years in prison. But gay men say the law hangs over their heads and discriminates against them. British rule over the island ended in 1963 when Singapore became a state of Malaysia. Section 377A of the Penal Code was introduced under British colonial rule in the 1930s. This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and careful way.”
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed it is the "right thing to do now" as most Singaporeans will now accept it. However, he said the city-state ...
[its Supreme Court in a historic ruling struck down Section 377](https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/09/17/645279722/indias-anti-gay-law-is-history-next-challenge-treat-lgbtq-patients-with-respect) that punished gay sex by up to 10 years in prison. "All groups should exercise restraint, because that is the only way we can move forward as a nation together," he said. But gay men say the law hangs over their heads and discriminates against them. British rule over the island ended in 1963 when Singapore became a state of Malaysia. Section 377A of the Penal Code was introduced under British colonial rule in the 1930s. This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and careful way."
Scrapping of colonial-era section 377A law hailed as 'a win for humanity' by LGBTQ+ rights groups.
“To the past victims of section 377A and its cascading effects, including those who have faced threats of police entrapment, raids and criminal charges, repeal will never be able to fully right the historic wrongs that you faced.” “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. The decision was “a win for humanity”, it said. More recently Disney and Pixar’s Lightyear was rated unsuitable for children aged under 16, because it features a lesbian couple. Section 377A, which was introduced under British colonial rule, criminalises “any act of gross indecency with another male person”. Under the law, only marriages between one man and one woman are recognised in Singapore,” he said.