On August 21, 2022, Singapore’s government decided to repeal Section 377A, a colonial-era law that criminalizes gay sex. However, soon after announcing that consensual gay sex would no longer be illegal, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that his government would “uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage” – defined in the Constitution as a union between man and woman. In his speech, Mr. Lee made it clear that Singapore would not become a melting pot of rights for lesbian, gay, and transgender people, stressing that many social benefits will remain only to heterosexual married couples.
Appearing to strike a compromise with the largely conservative Singaporean people, the legislation still opposed to same-sex marriage. Christianity, the third most popular religion in Singapore after Buddhism and Taoism, influences Singapore’s various evangelical mega churches that preach against homosexuality. The government’s “normative ideal” surrounding identity remains: “one man, one woman, cis, hetero, nontransgender, and nonqueer.”
Singapore came under increasing pressure for being one of 69 countries that criminalized consensual gay sex. Its insistence on holding on to the ban made it appear out of sync with much of the rest of the world, including other former British colonies that struck down similar colonial-era laws. India got rid of its law in 2018.
Possibly, the repeal will eventually lead to changes in other policies that discriminate against gay men. For example, Singapore’s media regulator still bans films that “promote or justify a homosexual lifestyle” from being broadcast on public television. Films with LGBTQ content are regularly slapped with higher age ratings. Organizations affiliated with gay rights are not allowed to register with the government, restricting their ability to raise funds and apply for licenses to hold events. Although Singaporeans are seemingly regarded as moral as their heterosexual counterparts, these discriminatory differences will continue to remain.
Finally, there is hope. No longer are gay citizens reduced to second-class status in the Singaporeon government. Although there is still a long way to go, the notoriously conservative Singapore has finally made changes.