Singapore to repeal law prohibiting sex between men

Singapore will soon repeal a colonial-era law criminalizing sex between men. The announcement was made on Sunday, August 21, by the prime minister of the city-state, Lee Hsien Loong.

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“The government will repeal [la loi] and decriminalize sex between men. I believe it is the right thing to do and something most Singaporeans will now accept”he added during a speech, while specifying that he would continue to ” defend “ marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

A remnant of British colonial rule

The Prime Minister estimated that the situation has changed compared to 2007, when the authorities decided to keep this law. At the time, the legislation had been reformed for the first time, lifting the ban only on relations between women and sodomy between heterosexuals. gay men “are now much more accepted”, in Singapore, underlined the Prime Minister. The repeal of the law “will bring the legislation into line with the evolution of mentalities”said Lee Hsien Loong.

The law, a holdover from British colonial rule, provides for a maximum sentence of two years in prison for homosexual acts. It is not enforced in practice, but gay rights advocates say it still denies members of the gay community their rights, despite the city-state’s increasingly modern culture.

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The World with AFP

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