During a speech on Sunday, Singapore
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that his government will
decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.
Lee made his comments at a rally to
celebrate National Day, which marks Singapore's independence from
Malaysia.
However, Lee added that his government
would also define marriage as a heterosexual union in the nation's
constitution.
“Private sexual behavior between
consenting adults does not raise any law and order issue,” Lee told
the crowd. “There is no justification to prosecute people for it
nor to make it a crime. This will bring the law into line with
current social mores and I hope provide some relief to gay
Singaporeans.”
Introduced to the Penal Code in 1938,
Section 377A criminalizes gay sex in Singapore. The law is a holdover
from British colonial rule. Earlier this year, the Court of Appeal of
the Supreme Court of Singapore upheld that the law cannot be used to
prosecute men for having sex with men but refused to strike it down
as unconstitutional.
While the law has not been enforced in
decades, LGBTQ rights advocates have worked tirelessly for its
repeal.
LGBTQ rights advocates cheered the news
of the law's repeal.
“Decriminalization will not only
improve the lives of LGBT people and their families, but will bring
other obvious benefits to business, trade, and Singapore's
international reputation, making this announcement welcome on many
front,” said Leow Yangfa, executive director of Oogachaga, an NGO
that works with Singapore's LGBTQ community.