Singapore Decriminalizes Gay Sex — but Blocks Marriage Equality
It was a mixture of good news and bad as Singapore lifted criminal statutes against men having sex with men, but placed a constitutional barrier between same-sex couples and marriage rights.
The country's parliament enacted the changes on Nov. 29, CNN reported, as "other parts of Asia, including Taiwan, Thailand and India... recognizing more rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community."
The country's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, first announced the dual measures last summer.
"The British colonial-era law penalized sex between men with up to two years in jail, although the statute was not actively enforced," UK newspaper The Guardian detailed, before going on to note: "The parliament's decision follows previous failed attempts to have the legislation repealed in the courts."
Singaporean equality organization Pink Dot declared the repeal of the colonial-era law a "historic milestone for LGBTQ equality," and private citizens — such as one man called Justin, who declined to give his surname — hailed the decriminalization of gay sex.
Justin said the parliament's act meant "[o]ne less reason for me to hide my true self, because of some archaic law."
"But this is just the first step to remove the social and religious stigma that has been upon the community because of outdated beliefs, and media censorship," Justin added.
Indeed, CNN noted that equality advocates called the parliament's simultaneous amendment to the Singaporean constitution limiting marriage to heterosexual couples a "disappointing" outcome.
The amendment "means citizens will not be able to mount legal challenges to issues like the definition of marriage, family, and related policies, since these will only be decided by the executive and legislature," CNN said.
K. Shanmugam, the country's Home Affairs Minister, characterized the dual action as striking "a balance... to uphold a stable society with traditional, heterosexual family values, but with space for homosexuals to live their lives and contribute to society," CNN detailed.
But there is a bright spot: "The changes do, however, leave room for a future parliament to expand the definition of marriage to include same-sex relationships," CNN added.