With the LGBTQ movement gaining steam overseas, we’re finally seeing signs of it touching upon Singaporean lives…even if it’s still a largely negative one as it’s still illegal for male gay sex in Singapore under Section 377A.
But hey, if you read between the lines there’s still good news.
With a nudge and a wink, that basically states that nobody’s going to be prosecuted for gay sex unless somebody makes a big fuss (such as a criminal report) about it. It’s pretty much don’t ask, don’t tell.
As expected, Netizens are pretty much split down the line about this.
The more traditional, conservative ones applaud the decision, seeing it as a way to preserve Singapore’s old school values, despite the obvious appeasement to those of the gay orientation.
Then there are the homophobes, who aren’t afraid to voice their hatred of gays.
Simply disgusting.
Being conservative is one thing but gay bashing and homophobia is a wholly different matter.
Is it so hard to muster empathy for those of us of a different sexual orientation? Singaporeans might be a multi racial society but it has a long way to go before it’s a tolerant one.
The more woke of course decried the decision.
We get the usual litany of claims, such as Singapore being backwards and all that jazz. It’s nothing new.
It’s ironic that with so many opinions, the ones that are from actual gay men is exceedingly rare. So rare, I only found ONE person that actually identifies as gay (who was willing to admit it online) that commented.
Interestingly, he found it a positive piece of news! Are woke Netizens being offended for no reason then? Something to mull over.
Interestingly, while male gay sex is still illegal in Singapore, female gay sex isn’t!
Yeah! Surprisingly right? I wasn’t aware of that nugget too until I read about it in the posts talking about this.
It’s no wonder then that some claim the law is sexist in this case. If you think about it from a purely logic standpoint, they are right.
On top of that, being a law that’s not actively enforced calls for questions on why the need to have it in the first place.
Obviously, the answer’s it’s meant to be a deterrence to prevent over the top displays of male homosexuality.
Still, our Asian values and traditions do impact our lives and like it or not, they aren’t exactly LGBTQ friendly.
Perhaps it’s time for a loosening of those values or traditions and nixing Section 377A? Then again, since the law’s not actively enforced, why even care about it?
I don’t know but maybe it’s a matter for the ministers to debate in Parliament. After all, isn’t that their job?
That’d at least give us something to talk about other than Raeesah Khan or the GST hike!