Pinknews.org.uk: Singapore rejects decriminalisation of gay sex (Oct 23)

23rd October 2007 17:10
PinkNews.co.uk writer

Gay people have a place in Singaporean society but they cannot be part of the "mainstream way of life," a senior government minister told the country's Parliament yesterday.

Ho Peng Kee, a Law and Home Affairs minister, was responding to a motion tabled by MP Siew Kum Hong calling for the repeal of laws that make gay sex a crime.

Last week Mr Siew told The New Paper that the issue was larger than gay rights.

"I truly do believe that Section 377A (gross indecency) is unfair, unjust, and plain wrong," he said.

"It is contrary to principles of equality and non-discrimination, and it seeks to use the criminal law to enforce a specific moral view which is contrary to accepted fundamental precepts of criminal law."

A bill before the Singaporean parliament will legalise oral and anal sex in private between consenting straight adults in the first changes to the penal codes in more than two decades.

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

However, Mr Ho said yesterday that the ban on "gross indecency" will remain in place and male homosexuals still face up to two years in prison for gay sex.

"Repealing section 377A will be contentious and may send a wrong signal that the government is encouraging and endorsing the homosexual lifestyle as part of our mainstream way of life," he said, according to AFP.

He added that the push for decriminalisation of homosexual acts in the city state of nearly five million people had been contentious and that the majority find them "offensive and distasteful."

Thousands of Singaporeans have signed an online petition calling for the government to decriminalise and local celebrities created a YouTube "propaganda rap" to get voters to get involved to help repeal 377A.

Last week group calling itself "The Majority" set up a website asking the government of Singapore to "do what is right and retain Section 377A for the future of our children and our nation."

The authorities have not brought anyone up on charges of gross indecency for several years and the country has an active gay scene.

During the summer a gay poetry reading during Pride celebrations was banned as was a picnic and fun run from the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The authorities also banned an exhibition of 80 shots of fully clothed, same-sex couples which they said "promote a homosexual lifestyle."

Singaporean authorities have previously banned gay films and public displays of homosexuality.

In July veteran actor Sir Ian McKellen urged the country's government to ditch the 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."

PinkNews.co.uk: Singapore gay rights drive meets opposition (Oct 19)

PinkNews.co.uk writer

A group calling itself "The Majority" has set up a website asking the government of Singapore to retain laws outlawing homosexual sex.

An online letter to the country's Prime Minister asks him to "do what is right and retain Section 377A for the future of our children and our nation."

Laws established during colonial times mean that same-sex relationships are punishable by fines and jail time.

Thousands of Singaporeans have signed an online petition calling for the government to decriminalise homosexual sex, ahead of a parliamentary debate on the first overhaul of criminal law in Singapore in a quarter century.

Parliament is expected to discuss a motion next week tabled by MP Siew Kum Hong repealing the laws that make gay sex a crime.

Mr Siew told The New Paper that he is not gay, and said the issue was larger than gay rights.

"I truly do believe that Section 377A is unfair, unjust, and plain wrong," he said.

"It is contrary to principles of equality and non-discrimination, and it seeks to use the criminal law to enforce a specific moral view which is contrary to accepted fundamental precepts of criminal law."

Mr Martin Tan, who organised the pro-Section 377A website, told Today newspaper.

"What the gay community does in private is their private space. We just do not want our country's legislation to change just for a small minority who are vocal."

Earlier this week local celebrities created a YouTube "propaganda rap" to take a stance against draconian laws and to get voters to get involved to help repeal law 377A.

Singapore is a country known for its ultra conservative laws and social activism is not very common in their society making the statements all the more compelling.

Since the start of Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's regime from 1959 to 1990, there has been an open ban of gay films, art, theatre and public displays of homosexuality such as Pride events and gay sporting tournaments.

Lee, who remains a prominent figure in Singaporean politics, has since changed his tune about gays and is now advocating a repeal of some of the laws that make homosexuality illegal.

Last month, he helped sponsor a petition that would abolish laws forbidding oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexual adults.

However, current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a local university forum last month that while Singapore recognises and respects homosexuals, changing the law would be "a very divisive argument. We will not reach consensus however much we discuss it.

"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," he added.

"Our view, as a government, is we will go with society ... What people do in private is their own business; in public, certain norms apply."

The government has assured the local gay community that it would not actively prosecute them but gay rights advocates say that it is not enough.

Iconic British actor Sir Ian McKellen has not waned in his determination to keep gay rights on the agenda in Singapore.

During a morning television interview this week to promote a pantomime he is starring in, he asked the male presenter if he could recommend any decent gay bars.

"I looked at the playback of the programme afterwards and I've never seen the credits come up (on the screen) so quickly," he said.

Pinknews.co.uk: Singapore gays call for decriminalisation (Oct 10)

Hundreds of Singaporeans are calling for the government to decriminalise homosexual sex, ahead of a parliamentary debate on the first overhaul of criminal law in Singapore in a quarter century.

Under the proposed changes to be debated later this month, oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexual adults will no longer be considered an offence.

However, the same acts between men, will remain illegal with a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

Gay rights advocates have labelled the clause, known as Section 377A as "Victorian legislation" that discriminates against a minority group and violates an individual's right to privacy.

A protest was launched on Friday by Singapore’s LGBT organisations, including an online petition to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, which by Tuesday had gathered nearly 2,500 signatories.

Petition organiser Alan Seah said in a statement that by keeping the clause, "we are in fact moving backwards, which defeats the government's goals of updating our criminal laws to keep in step with Singapore's image as a modern and forward thinking country."

Earlier this year, Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew acknowledged that some people were "genetically born a homosexual" and "can't help it. So why should we criminalise it?"

His comments raised hopes that Section 377A would be abolished.

According to AP, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told a local university forum last month that while Singapore recognises and respects homosexuals, changing the law would be "a very divisive argument. We will not reach consensus however much we discuss it.

"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," he added.

"Our view, as a government, is we will go with society ... What people do in private is their own business; in public, certain norms apply."

The government has assured the local gay community that it would not actively prosecute them but gay rights advocates say that it is not enough.

"It is the responsibility of any democratically elected government to protect minorities from the 'tyranny of the majority," argues the online petition.

"Far more conservative countries have done away with laws like these and are none the worse for it."

In August Singapore banned gay events planned for public parks.

The move came as gays were attempting to celebrate LGBT pride.

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 gays and lesbians was closed by police hours before it was to officially open.

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."

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.

Pink News, UK: Trans woman calls for greater tolerance of gender diversity in Singapore

Trans woman calls for greater tolerance of gender diversity in Singapore
11th September 2007 16.50
by Gemma Pritchard
from Pink News, UK

A transsexual woman from Singapore has embarked on a mission to help turn around the "culture of shame" surrounding transsexuals in Singapore.

Unlike many other transsexuals in Asia who prefer to live privately because of the social stigma of sex change, British-educated Leona Lo has chosen to live a normal life, but in public.

Leona, a 32-year-old communications specialist who heads her own public relations company, told Agence France-Presse (AFP):

"Somewhere out there, not just in Singapore but throughout Asia, there are lots of young people who are suffering the way I suffered years ago."

These days, she draws on her experiences of gender identity crisis, rejection and discrimination to challenge social mores on behalf of the so-called silent community.

"It's this entire culture of shame that gets under your skin. It's not something that you can isolate and demolish because it is so much a part of our culture," she says.

While a few transsexuals are gaining prominence in Asia, notably China's Jin Xing, most continue to live in silence.

In May,a 32-year-old South Korean transsexual entertainer (Harisu), whose sex alteration led the country to change its family registry laws, married
her rapper boyfriend.

Parinya "Nong Toom" Charoenphol' s rags-to-riches story was made into a movie, Beautiful Boxer.

Former Chinese People's Liberation Army colonel and now woman Jin Xing is a prize-winning dancer and choreographer.

Discrimination is the biggest challenge faced by transsexuals, Leona says, recalling repeated rejection by prospective employers in Singapore despite her academic credentials.

"Singapore may be a cosmopolitan city, but many things are still swept under the carpet,"

No reliable figures on the number of transsexual men and women in Singapore, or the region, are available, mainly because those who feel they have been born in the wrong body prefer to endure their situation in silence rather than embarrass their families, Leona told AFP.

"It's because a lot of transsexual women face discrimination at work and experience failure of relationships that a lot end up in suicide, depression. They end up on the streets as prostitutes," she says.

This is why she has taken time away from her thriving public relations consultancy promoting beauty products to wage her campaign.

After much persuasion, one local university allowed her to speak to an audience of students but she is finding to find a way share her thoughts with the corporate world.

On September 14 she is to launch her autobiography, From Leonard to Leona: A Singapore Transsexual's Journey to Womanhood.

From Singapore, Leona plans to travel across Asia to bring her message for greater tolerance of gender diversity.

Leona says the association of transsexuals with prostitution in Singapore harks back to the 1960s when there was a flourishing culture of drag queens, including some transsexuals, on Singapore's Bugis Street.

As Singapore transformed rapidly into a modern Asian business centre, the government cracked down on Bugis Street. Transsexuals were lumped together with homosexuals, transvestites and prostitutes.

It was in this environment that Leona grew up.

"I did not think I was gay. I just felt that I was a woman trapped in a man's body," says Leona, who has a younger sister.

At age 15, Leonard discovered a book about transsexualism, which sowed the seeds of her eventual decision to undergo a sex-change operation in 1997.

"I discovered that book in the library and I said 'Oh my God! There are actually people like me!" she reminisces.

"That changed my life and I discovered that I could go for the sex change operation."

As an able-bodied man at the time, Leona entered Singapore's compulsory two-year military service at around 19.

Pressures of being forced to be "macho" during the training led to a nervous breakdown and drove her to attempt suicide by drug overdose, she says.

In 1996 Leona went to study in Britain, where a more tolerant university environment allowed her to cross-dress for a year as part of her preparation for sex-change surgery.

In 1997, she checked in to a Bangkok surgery for the operation.

"I was afraid. I could go in and I could die. But I knew at that point that I was going to change my life forever," she recalls.

"I had carried that burden within me for so long and I couldn't live anymore without doing it."

Leona endured a lot of pain during the procedure, which took 14 days, but the feeling of having a new identity was "wonderful, euphoric!" she told AFP.

She warns other transsexuals who might be considering sex change surgery that getting a new identity "is not a magic wand" and they will have to live under a culture of shame and discrimination.

Family support is crucial. Her mother was the first person she told after the operation, and her father had already learned to accept her for who she is. "By that time, they had already decided that they would rather have me as a woman than lose me as a child," she says.

She hopes now to become a wife and mother.

"I look forward to a fulfilling relationship with a loving man, getting married and adopting three children.

"I've also reached a critical juncture where I'm more self-assured and finally able to lay to rest the painful aspects of my past and move confidently as a woman."