Singapore set to decriminalise sex between men by repealing colonial-era law

By Gargi Chaudhry | First Published Aug 22, 2022, 11:29 AM IST

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed it is the “right thing to do now” as most Singaporeans will now accept it. He further said there is no reason for criminalising it or for prosecuting those who do it.

Singapore announced that it will scrap a legislation from the colonial era criminalising sex between males while preserving the city-customs state's and definition of marriage. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated during his speech at the annual National Day Rally that he thought it was the "appropriate thing to do today" since most Singaporeans would now embrace it.

"Private sexual activity between willing adults does not pose a threat to public safety. There is no reason for criminalising it or for prosecuting those who do it," Lee remarked. "This will update the legislation to reflect modern societal norms and, perhaps, provide LGBT Singaporeans some respite," he added.

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Lee stated that the repeal will be restrained and won't upend Singapore's conventional family and cultural standards, such as what constitutes marriage, what is taught in schools, what is broadcast on television, and how people should behave in public.

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In order to prevent a constitutional challenge to the legalisation of same-sex marriage, he said that the government will modify the constitution.

The institution of marriage will be upheld and protected even when Section 377A is repealed, according to Lee. "To safeguard it, we must modify the Constitution. That's what we'll do. This will enable us to carefully and gradually abolish Section 377A."

Under British colonial authority, Section 377A of the Penal Code was first adopted in the 1930s. When Singapore became a state of Malaysia in 1963, British authority over the island came to an end. Two years after gaining independence, it kept the Penal Code, which made having intercourse with another man punishable by up to two years in prison. Since 2007, when Section 377A was last up for discussion in Parliament, the government has maintained that it should remain in place but not be enforced.

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