Singapore Moves on From Gay Sex Ban, Just Not Very Far
After almost a century, the nation is done with criminalizing sex between men. It’s the right thing to do, but it’s hard to separate the move from the contest for global talent.
Long overdue law reform.
Photographer: Roslan Rahman/AFP/Getty Images
In its 57 years as a republic, Singapore has strived to be at or near the top of the global class. Survival meant nothing less than being a haven for foreign corporations — and, with some caveats, the talent they require. Implicit in that largely successful message is that Singapore should avoid too many strikes against it. That’s one way to interpret the scrapping of a contentious law outlawing gay sex — in addition to moral arguments for its abolition.
After a long period of deliberation and consultation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Sunday the government will abolish a colonial-era law that prohibits sex between men. The step, elevated by its inclusion in the premier’s National Day Rally address that also emphasized the need to attract top brains to the city-state, rids Singapore of what Lee called an “untidy compromise” — or “state-sanctioned discrimination” as the LGBTQ community described it. The regulation, known as Section 377A of the Penal Code, has remained on the books since the 1930s, though not actively enforced for more than a decade. Leaders acknowledged attitudes have evolved, but were wary of a potential backlash from religious groups. “This is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept,” the prime minister said.