Singapore’s gay community hails government’s plan to decriminalize sex between men as “a triumph of love over fear,” but warns that there is still a long way to equality.
FILE - Thousands of people gathered at a park for the annual Pink Dot gay pride event on Saturday, July 1, 2017, in Singapore. Singapore announced Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022, it will decriminalize sex between men by repealing a colonial-era law while protecting the city-state's traditional norms and its definition of marriage.
Since 2007, when Parliament last debated whether to repeal Section 377A, its position was to keep the law but not enforce it. But Lee said societal norms have shifted considerably and many Singaporeans will now accept decriminalization. They expressed disappointment with the government’s plan to introduce further legislation or constitutional amendments to ban same-sex unions that signal LGBTQ people as unequal citizens.
“We seek the government’s assurance that the religious freedom of churches will be protected as we continue to teach against same-sex sexual acts and highlight such acts,” the National Council of Churches said in a statement. Pastors and church workers must be protected from charges of “hate speech” and not be compelled to adopt solely “LGBTQ-affirming” strategies in their counselling, it said.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said the church is not seeking to criminalize the LGBQT community but to protect the family and marriage and its rights to teach and practice on such topics unhindered.
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