Singapore parliament repeals law against male homosexuality

The Parliament of Singapore on Tuesday repealed a law against male homosexuality, which dated from British colonial times and was criticized as discriminatory against the LGBTQ community.

The law in question punished sex between men with up to two years in prison, although it was no longer applied in practice. Parliament repealed the law with 93 votes in favor, three against and no abstentions.

“I feel grateful and lucky to have lived through the culmination of our 12-year struggle.” for knocking down that law, he said Roy Tan, a doctor who had unsuccessfully challenged the text in court. According to him, this change shines “a new chapter in the history of the LGBTQ community in Singapore”.

“I’m happy it finally happenedJustin, a member of the LGBTQ community who only wanted to give his name, told AFP.

“One less reason for me to hide my true self, following an archaic law. But it is only the first step to end the social and religious stigma that this community has had due to outdated beliefs and censorship in the media.”, he added.

– Traditional marriage reaffirmed –

At the same time, the Singaporean Parliament amended the Constitution to strengthen the traditional definition of marriage between a man and a woman, closing the door on further pro-marriage legal action for the LGBTQ community.

The Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loongsaid that the measure represents a “important step for singapore” and asked all parties for moderation, in a publication published in Facebook in the evening.

The president indicated that it took months of “countless dialogues” in which thousands of people participated to achieve a “national consensus” on that issue.

The Home and Justice Minister K. Shanmugamsaid at the end of the debates on Tuesday that the repeal of the law was “the right thing“, because there is no “public considerations justifying consensual private sex between men as a crime”.

The minister also defended the constitutional amendment, since otherwise the concept of traditional marriage, he said, could be threatened in the courts and with it all public policies based on said definition.

“There are no plans to change that definition to include same-sex marriages.”, emphasized the Minister of Family and Social Promotion, Masagos Zulkifli, whose office promoted the constitutional amendment.

“Religious leaders or any other person authorized for these purposes cannot make a same-sex couple official. that’s against the law”, he added.

Community Advocates LGBTQ They denounced that this type of amendment promotes a difference in treatment.

In 2020, homosexuality was illegal in 69 countries around the world, including 11 where the death penalty is even contemplated, according to a report by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.