I AM writing about the review of the criminal code. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's recent comments about liberalising laws regarding homosexuality have got my family and me very concerned.

My expatriate friends find Singapore a conducive place in terms of its low crime and cleanliness. More importantly, they comment that it is a wholesome place. One does not find pornography sold openly in a neighbourhood shop. Having lived in the West myself, this down-to-earth wholesomeness is what makes Singapore special.

Singapore today faces the challenge of a declining birth rate and families are breaking down at the same time. To legalise homosexuality will compound these problems, given that homosexual couples do not reproduce.

The homosexual lobby in the West is extremely aggressive. It is the same here. Observe how it is now considered intolerant when one criticises them.

What would it be like to have a homosexual teach our children that it is normal to be gay? You might scorn the idea but this is what is happening in the West.

Homosexuals lead a promiscuous and hedonistic lifestyle. What else can you expect when you do not have children to live for or be in a loving and committed relationship? This increases the risk of STDs, Aids, etc, further increasing the risk to the general population.

Homosexuality is not going to go away. All I am saying is that we do not make it easier to be a homosexual by legalising their activities. Singapore is our home and I am proud to be Singaporean. Let us keep it a wholesome place.

Jonathan Cheng Hern Sinn

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I REFER to the letter from Ms Agnes Chai, 'Are homosexuals truly born gay?' (ST, April 27).

I think this question would be more accurately put to the proponents of Section 377 [1] In the absence of any proof as to the nature of homosexuality, what justifies the potential imprisonment of homosexuals? Shouldn't those who want to keep it on the books instead be made to justify its continued existence?

Proponents of 377 claim that homosexuality is a question of choice, not nature. Hence, it is unnatural, and should therefore be criminalised.

Ms Chai's article cites the inconclusive results of recent studies surrounding the nature-nurture debate as reason to keep 377 on the books. If anything, these inconclusive results should be a strong warning against us making any assertions as to what is natural and what is not.

Even if we were to concede that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice, this doesn't have a bearing one way or the other on the question of criminalisation. The autonomy to make lifestyle choices should be respected as a right in itself, so long as it does not infringe on the rights of another member of the public (or the public in general).

The late Herbert Hart, professor of jurisprudence at Oxford University, highlighted that clear harm to society should be proven before criminalising homosexuality because it involves the potential incarceration, and limits the actions, of individuals. Section 377's provision for life imprisonment is a sword of Damocles that is no less draconian for its infrequent use.

Decriminalising homosexuality in no way sends a signal of approval; what it does is affirm Parliament's respect for individuals as their own moral agents.

Granted, individual liberty can be understandably constrained to prevent harm to society. However, homosexuality harms no one, but its criminalisation casts a pall over a significant section of society. On balance, Section 377 should be abolished.

Choo Zheng Xi

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SAFE is a group of family and friends who affirm and support gay and transgendered people as persons with equal rights to respect, dignity, acceptance and empowerment in society.

We are writing to express our thanks to Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew for his recent comments at the dialogue with Young PAP and in the interview with Reuters.

We appreciate the two cogent points he made:

• That homosexuality is a genetic variation, not an aberration.
• That the law against homosexual acts is outmoded.

We at Safe are hopeful that the law that criminalises homosexual acts will be abolished. Whether heterosexual or gay, we believe that all Singapore citizens and residents should be treated equally under the law.

We cannot agree with a law that proclaims our sons, grandsons, brothers, nephews, uncles, relatives and friends as criminals for a propensity that is not of their volition, is innocuous and part of their private lives. For far too long our gay loved ones from a young age have suffered deep internalised oppression, often resulting in the disintegration of family, compromised relationships, low self-esteem, stunted maturity and unavoidable deceitfulness.

We support the decriminalisation of oral and anal sex as proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and ask that it apply equally to all consenting adults.

Homosexual men and women enrich our lives through their participation in business, the professions, the arts and government. As we focus on the richness gay people bring to our lives and our love and support for them, we not only liberate them, but we also become a society committed to the Asian values of real family.

Susan Yap Siu Sen (Ms)