In his annual National Day Rally speech televised on August 21, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that his government will repeal a colonial-era law that makes adult consensual sex between men a criminal offense.
Section 377A of the penal code, a colonial-era law, has long been driving stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people living in the country.
Section 377A: Fifteen years of debate in Singapore
Lee’s announcement that the law will be abolished comes after many years of fierce debate.
In 2007, he acknowledged in a parliamentary debate on Section 377A that “homosexuals are part of our society,” but stopped short of supporting repeal.
Until recently, the government’s stance was to keep Section 377A, but it promised not to enforce the law in an effort to appease the LGBTQ+ community and others who have called for the law to be abolished.
In February, Singapore’s highest court ruled and reaffirmed that since the law was not being enforced, it could not be used to prosecute men for having gay sex.
In his National Day Rally speech,Lee said: “I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept.”
Section 377A’s impact on LGBTQ+ Singaporeans
Singapore inherited Section 377A from the British and chose to retain it after gaining independence in 1965.
Although the law technically criminalizes sex between men, it is effectively seen as a ban on homosexuality.
As Section 377A has not been actively enforced in recent years, a thriving gay scene has developed in the country.
Queer activists have long called for the law to be scrapped, saying it goes against Singapore’s constitution and perpetuates social stigma against gay people.
LGBTQ+ people in Singapore continue to face discrimination in schools, workplaces, and accessing health care.
For instance, any content deemed as “promoting homosexuality” can be banned from broadcast, and gay-themed TV shows and movies have been censored in the past.
The law is also at odds with Singapore’s image as a progressive global economic hub, and multinational companies based in the country have said it would hinder their efforts to attract talent.
Repealing Section 377A: Singapore’s welcome move, but…
LGBTQ+ groups in Singapore welcomed that their government seems intent on repealing Section 377A.
“We finally did it, and we’re ecstatic that this discriminatory, antiquated law is finally going to be off the books,” gay activist Johnson Ong said in an interview with the BBC.
Prime Minister Lee explained, however, that he wanted to repeal the law “in a controlled, carefully considered way.”
Stressing continued support for the traditional definition of marriage, Lee said: “We believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman.”
In response, a coalition of 23 Singaporean nongovernmental organizations said: “Any move by the government to introduce further legislation or constitutional amendments that signal LGBTQ+ people as unequal citizens is disappointing.”
It is also unclear when exactly Section 377A would be repealed.