| April 2004
Activists call on Singapore
government to scrap gay sex ban source: Associated Press newswire story,
30 March 2004, by Gillian Wong
|
|
|
Gay rights activists in Singapore are
urging the government to do away with a decades-old law that criminalizes
homosexual acts, claiming the law is archaic and unconstitutional.
"Here in Singapore, we continue to demand rapid social changes to support economic development: in education, job retraining, immigration," said Alex Au, founder of gay rights group People Like Us. But the government has been far too slow in allowing changes to the city-state's sex laws, Au said. The criminal code's Section 377 bans men from engaging in "any act of gross indecency" with other men, punishable by a maximum two years in jail. These have been interpreted by courts to cover consensual homosexual sex. In November, the government promised to review the law in response to public outrage over the imprisonment of a police officer for engaging in oral sex -- also banned under Section 377. The government has, however, dragged its feet over the promised reforms. At a forum titled "Legislating Sexual Behavior: Should the state be in our bedrooms?" on Monday, Au called on Singapore's judiciary to declare the anti-gay sex laws invalid.
|
|
|
|
There have been few prosecutions of
homosexuals since the Penal Code was amended in 1938 to include
"unnatural offenses," and Singaporeans are largely tolerant of
gays. Several bars, clubs and saunas in Singapore cater to a specifically
gay clientele. Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said in an interview with Time
magazine last July that gay Singaporeans
would be safe, "but don't flaunt your gay rights."
But Au and others argue that it is not enough for the state to verbally assure gay Singaporeans they will not be prosecuted for their sexual activities. "These laws are practically not enforced," Michael Ho [1], an associate professor at the university's faculty of law. "The courts have the power to strike them down as invalid. They are dancing gingerly around it." Any laws banning homosexuality could be challenged on the grounds that they are unconstitutional, Ho said. Singaporeans are guaranteed the right to equal protection by the law under the Constitution and should not be discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation, he said. The Ministry of Home Affairs said in statement e-mailed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that it was examining the gay sex law as part of a continuing review of the existing oral sex ban, but did not give details. The code came under scrutiny after police sergeant Annis Abdullah, 27, was sentenced to two years in jail for engaging in oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. [2] The conviction triggered an unusual level of debate in the city-state_ including a prominent satirical Web site's call for citizens to have oral sex as an act of civil disobedience. The government later revised its version of events, saying Abdullah was convicted for having sex with a minor. A judge subsequently reduced his prison sentence to one year. In January, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
urged a gradual and "step by step" approach to revising the
city-state's sex laws arguing that Singapore is a conservative, Asian
society."If Singaporeans are conservative, it's due to nannying and
censorship by the state," Au said.
|
||
|
Footnotes
Addenda None
|
|
