ABC Radio Australia: Singapore's parliament has decided against a proposal to decriminalise sex between consenting gay men (Oct 29)

Singapore's parliament has decided against a proposal to decriminalise sex between consenting gay men.

The proposal was pitched as part of a wider reform of sections of the penal code deemed outdated, some of which dating back to British colonial rule.

Alex Au, Singapore businessman and gay rights activist spoke to Radio Australia's Connect Asia, he says the vote means Singapore's anti-gay legislation, 377A will remain in force.

"They have promised that it will not be enforced 'pro-actively', and I'm quoting those words from them," he said.

Rights activists had compiled a petition in support of decriminalisation.

"We had something like 2,500 physical signatures on paper collected just over a weekend. And it was a petition presented to parliament through a gay-friendly member of parliament, and it forced parliament to debate the issue, when it could so easily have skirted it," he said.

"In fact parliament devoted two days for debate on the amendments to the penal code and that's various things on the penal code from marital rape, to murder, to theft and so on and so forth. But in fact, most of the members of parliament who rose to speak touched on the subject of 377A. So basically, the subject dominated procedures in parliament for two whole days," he said.

Parliament has however now made it legal for heterosexuals to engage in a variety of sexual practices that were previously banned.

"That was what really was the cause of much dissatisfaction in the gay community that the parliament has now decided that sodomy, oral and anal sex shall be legal from this point on in Singapore, so long as one partner is male and the other partner is female. But the same kind of acts between two male persons will still be punishable by jail terms," he said.


You can hear the full story at the Connect Asia website: http://radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia

ST: Views divided, so gay sex law stays (Sep 22)

Views divided, so gay sex law stays
by Jeremy Au Yong

The decision on whether or not to decriminalise gay sex is a very divisive one and until there is a broader consensus on the matter, Singapore will stick to the status quo.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was explaining the Government's decision not to repeal section 377(A) of the Penal Code, even as it introduced to Parliament recently a raft of proposed changes to that law.

He was responding to a question from a Law undergraduate, who said she was concerned about the kind of image Singapore's stand on this issue left on foreigners, including the talent that it wished to draw here.

Mr Lee said in reply: 'If everybody felt like you in Singapore...we could change 377A and we would de-criminalise gay sex.

'But the fact is many people in Singapore feel passionately to the contrary to the point of view which you have argued. And you have to take cognizance of that.'

He said that the Government's view was that it should not push forward on this issue but follow along as societal views shifted.

'And as of today my judgment is the society is comfortable with our position. Leave the clause' he said.

Sharing his own views on homosexuality, he said it seemed to him that it was a trait people were born with.

He stressed, however, that that did not mean gays should set the tone here.

'My view is that gayness is something which is mostly inborn, some people are like that, some people are not. How they live their own lives is really for them to decide. It's a personal matter,' he said.

'I think the tone of the society should really be set by the heterosexuals and that's the way many Singaporeans feel.'

He also made clear that the issue was something Singapore would deal with on its own. It did not need foreign speakers coming here to 'add sugar and spice' to the debate.

He was referring to a recent decision by the Police to cancel the permit for Canadian academic Douglas Sanders to speak in Singapore on the subject.

'Within Singapore, we will have to work this out in our society, and I think that's what we will do,' he said.

CNA: PM Lee fielded questions on gays, foreign talent at NUS forum

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has called on the younger generation to take advantage of Asia's growth prospects, especially Singapore's, and to seize the opportunities ahead.

Mr Lee made the point during an hour-long dialogue with university students at the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum on Friday night.

The dialogue also touched on foreign talent and gays in Singapore.

Singapore has moved from third-world to first-world status within the space of one generation.

And this has led to the country attracting a lot of foreign talent.

But, is Singapore becoming a place for the wealthy? asked one law undergraduate asked during the dialogue.

"Singapore seems to be built not for us but for foreigners. Sincerely, I am afraid that as a middle income person, I am not able to make that jump in social, economic class. My question is this, is this land, Singapore, a place for the rich?" asked the student.

Mr Lee replied that Singapore cannot be a place for the rich, because if that was the case, the government would lose the elections.

"Singapore has to be a place where the majority of Singaporeans, a vast majority of Singaporeans, will enjoy a high quality of life and be able to have jobs where you can earn well and do well for yourself," he said.

"You may not be able to do as well as the top most successful banker, lawyer or property developer. But you do well for yourself, your career. You have good schools for your children, good healthcare for your parents, good leisure for your family, good opportunities for your future, that's for everybody," Mr Lee added.

"To have a society where everybody is equal, that's a recipe for poverty, it doesn't work. There will be inequalities in society but we must make sure that the majority of people have a good standard of living and improving standards from year to year," he said.

Another student wondered if Singapore was becoming less open, especially after recent news that the law on Section 377A, which criminalises gay sex, will not be changed.

PM Lee said: "It's a very divisive issue, our view or my view is that gayness is mostly something in-born; some people are like that and some people are not. How they live their own lives is really for them to decide, it's a personal matter.

"But the tone of the society, the public, and society as a whole, should be really set by the heterosexuals and that's the way many Singaporeans feel.

"Gay people exist. We respect them, and they have a place in our society. But (for) Section 377A, to change that, will be a very divisive argument. We will not reach consensus however much we discuss it.

"The views are passionately held on both sides. The more you discuss it, the angrier they become. The subject will not go away.

"Our view, as a government is, we will go with society. We will not push forward as society's views shift. We just follow along. As of today, my judgement is: the society is comfortable with our position. Leave the clause (alone). What people do in private is their own business; in public, certain norms apply."

Nearly 800 local and foreign students studying at the National University of Singapore (NUS) attended the annual dialogue. - CNA/ir

AFP: Oral, anal sex legal in Singapore (Sept 18)

Oral, anal sex legal in Singapore
Article from: Agence France-Presse

From correspondents in Singapore

September 18, 2007 02:17am

ORAL and anal sex in private between consenting heterosexual adults would be legalised under a Bill introduced in Singapore's parliament.

Under the city-state's first major penal code amendments in 22 years, a section criminalising “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” would be repealed.

The Bill would also create new offences to tackle child prostitution and sex tourism.

Singapore has in recent years gradually eased social restrictions that have given it a straight-laced reputation.

But while the Bill takes a softer line on heterosexual sex, a ban on acts of “gross indecency” between males will remain.

Gay rights activists have said authorities have not laid charges under the section in recent years, even though it remains in force.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, said earlier this year that the city-state was undergoing liberalisation while retaining a very strong conservative core.

Although prostitution itself is not an offence in Singapore, the Bill would make it an offence to obtain commercial sex with a person under 18.

Conviction could lead to a prison term of up to seven years, while communicating for such a purpose could bring up to two years in jail, the Bill says.

Similar offences committed abroad would attract the same punishments, it said.

Local media have reported that some Singaporeans travel to the nearby Indonesian island of Batam for sex with teenage girls.

In another new provision, making travel arrangements intended to facilitate under-age commercial sex abroad would bring up to 10 years in prison, the Bill says.

The revised penal code, still to be passed into law by parliament, also broadens the scope of an offence against unlawful assembly.

An assembly of five or more people would be illegal if the group's common objective is to commit “any offence,” the Bill says, broadening the definition from mischief and trespass.

Singapore's laws against unlawful assembly gained prominence during last year's meetings in the city-state by the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

Pro-democracy activist Chee Soon Juan engaged in a three-day standoff with police, who stopped him and a small group of followers from marching to the meeting venue after police rejected his application for a permit.

Pink News.co.uk: Singapore reforms laws but gay sex still illegal

Singapore reforms laws but gay sex still illegal
17th September 2007 14:10
PinkNews.co.uk writer

A bill introduced to the Singaporean parliament today will legalise oral and anal sex in private between consenting straight adults.

However the ban on "gross indecency" will remain in place and male homosexuals still face a maximum of two years in prison for gay sex.

The new legislation will also create new offences relating to sex tourism and child prostitution.

The authorities have not brought anyone up on charges of gross indecency for several years.

The city state of nearly five million people is renowned for its draconian legislation.

Chewing gum is illegal and the police keep a close watch on public behaviour.

In July veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen urged the country's government to ditch draconian colonial-era laws on gay sex while touring the country with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In a promotional interview with a local radio station, he said:

"Just treat us with respect like we treat everybody else and the world will be a better place, I think.

"Coming to Singapore where unfortunately you've still got those dreadful laws that we British left behind... it's about time Singapore grew up, I think, and realised that gay people are here to stay."

In April one of the most influential politicians in Singapore spoke out against laws banning sex between men.

Lee Kuan Yew was Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990, and remains a powerful figure in the country.

In an interview with the Straits Times, Mr Lee talked about the theory that homosexuality is genetic.

"If in fact it is true, and I have asked doctors this, that you are genetically born a homosexual - because that's the nature of the genetic random transmission of genes you can't help it. So why should we criminalise it?"

Under his premiership and the two Prime Ministers that succeeded him, the Singaporean authorities have banned gay films and public displays of homosexuality such as Pride events.

365Gay.com: Singapore to Repeal Sodomy Laws But Not For Gays (Sept 17)

Singapore To Repeal Sodomy Laws But Not For Gays
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff

Posted: September 17, 2007 - 5:00 pm ET

(Singapore) Legislation was introduced in the Singapore Parliament on Monday to repeal laws banning sodomy but the bill would specifically limit it to heterosexuals.

The new legislation is the first overhaul of the penal code in nearly a quarter century. It removes a section of the law making "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" a crime.

But it maintains a similar law, dating back to British imperial rule, forbidding sex of any kind between males.

Under the law "gross indecency" between two men can lead to two years in jail.

Police have not laid a charge for a number of years, but LGBT rights groups in the city state have been actively lobbying for its repeal.

In April, Lee Kuan Yew, the man regarded as the father of Singapore, called for the decriminalization of gay sex laws. (story)

"If in fact it is true, and I have asked doctors this, that you are genetically born a homosexual — because that's the nature of the genetic random transmission of genes — you can't help it. So why should we criminalize it," Lee, who served as Prime Minister from 1959 to 1990 and is the father of current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, told a youth rally.

The revised criminal code also broadens laws against "unlawful assembly."

That provision also has raised concerns among gay activists.

In August Singapore banned gay events held in public parks. The move came as gays were attempting to celebrate LGBT pride. (story)

Police lifted a permit to hold a picnic and fun run at a park saying politics were not welcome in green spaces.

Censors refused to allow an LGBT book reading event that was to have been part of the pride celebration. A human rights forum was blocked. And a photography exhibit of of gays and lesbians was closed by police hours before it was to officially open.

The Media Development Authority balked at a book by author Ng Yi-Sheng about a young man's fictional sexual adventures with older men including military officers and government officials.

The authority said that the book went beyond good taste and decency and disparaged public officers.

The human rights forum was to have featured Douglas Sanders, a professor emeritus in law at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

The forum, titled "Sexual Orientation in International Law: The Case of Asia," was deemed contrary to public interest.

The censorship board ordered the photo exhibition closed because it showed photos of gay men and women kissing.

The board said that the show violated Singapore law because it promoted "a homosexual lifestyle".

Penal Code (Amendment) Bill to be read on Monday 17 Sept 07

Penal Code (Amendment) Bill will be read for the first time on Monday 17 September 2007.

Go to http://www.parliament.gov.sg/Publications/orderpaper.htm to read the bill.

ST: Male homosexual sex to remain a crime (Sept 18)

Male homosexual sex to remain a crime
by Radha Basu
The Straits Times, Sep 18, 2007

Together with marital rape, it was the most hotly debated issue when the proposed changes to the Penal Code were opened for a month of public consultation.

The public has spoken: Homosexual sex will remain a crime in Singapore.

The Government has decided to retain Section 377A of the Penal Code which makes it an offence for any male to 'commit an act of gross indecency' with another male, either in public or private.

Explaining the decision, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that public feedback on the issue had been 'emotional, divided and strongly expressed', with the majority calling for the section to be retained.

'MHA recognises that we are a generally conservative society and that we should let the situation evolve,' the ministry said in a statement.

Dr Teo Ho Pin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Law and Home Affairs, said the status quo was arrived at after 'looking at the interests of the community as a whole'.

Ms Indranee Rajah, former chairman of the GPC for Law and Home Affairs, pointed out that MHA had indicated that it would not actively prosecute people under that section.

'But in recognition of the fact that there is still quite a strong majority uncomfortable with homosexuality, the section must stay,' said Ms Indranee.

Whatever the rationale, the status quo has disappointed advocates such as Nominated Member of Parliament Siew Kum Hong who are in favour of decriminalising homosexual sex.

The move to retain homosexuality as a crime was a 'pity' and 'a lost opportunity', said Mr Siew.

'Keeping Section 377A shows up Singapore as being behind the rest of the world.'

He added that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's comments that homosexuals are 'mostly born that way' and that 'no public purpose is served in interfering in their private lives' had made him hope for homosexual sex to be struck off the Penal Code.

Pointing out that the last major review of the Penal Code occurred in 1984, Mr Siew said: 'Do we need to wait another 23 years for homosexual sex to be decriminalised?'