SG govt does not endorse gay lifestyle

I read this headline and went 'wtf?!'

Which goes to show how much the Singapore govt still believes in its unassailable power over the country's citizens.

The Singapore parliament debated a rare petition to repeal a law that criminalises gay sex on Oct 15. 'Rare' because this is the first time in more than two decades that parliament had heard a petition.

"While homosexuals have a place in society... repealing section 377A will be contentious and may send a wrong signal that the government is encouraging and endorsing the homosexual lifestyle as part of our mainstream way of life," Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, Ho Peng Kee said.

Wrong signal? Does the govt honestly think that gay men need the government's affirmation of their lifestyle choice? Is it afraid that erstwhile straight men are all suddenly going to join the pink brigade because it is 'endorsing' the lifestyle?

The problem here is that gay sex in Singapore is still deemed a criminal offence by the state. This is not about whether the gay lifestyle is right or wrong, or needs endorsement by anyone - least of all, the government.

"Now is the time, not to do the pragmatic or easy thing, but to do the right thing," said Siew Kum Hong, the member of parliament who filed the petition.

Yes, it is about doing the right thing. The law was made in an era that frowned on how people used their bodies, to protect the fragile sensibilities of your neighbors. Frankly I don't think anyone would give a damn about what two consensual adults do in their privacy in this day and age.

England and Wales, from which Singapore inherited most of its laws, abolished the law in 2003 - rightly recognizing that the law is antiquated in the context of today's society.

Perhaps Singapore itself is not ready. "The majority find homosexual behaviour offensive and unacceptable," the senior minister added," noting that police nevertheless have been lenient in implementing the law.

One could also argue that the 'signal' mentioned by Mr Ho is not for the people, but for the other countries around the almost ultra-conservative region. In the Malaysian states of Kelantan and Trengganu, sodomy is punishable by death.

The law stands at the moment, not to protect you or your choices, but to protect the nosy neighbors living around you.

The Repeal 377a video