Singapore gays allowed a step forward, but pushed two back

last SG · 2007-08-03T22:14:49+00:00

One thing's for sure. The state of citizen advocacy and lobbying has improved a fair bit overnight.

Kuali Baba SG

The world's population is increasing too rapidly for all the resources in the world to sustain anyway.

Who decides what makes MDA's cut? I'm sure the exhibition isn't what it has been made out to be. Or perhaps it's a PR move to assure the "conservative majority" that the arts scene not a free-for-all.

I would've liked to hear what exactly the offensive exhibits were. Not everyone wants to hear it, but it's for transparency's sake.

oxford mushroom SG

Every jurisdiction decides whether or not it is in the interest of society to prosecute a case. That is happening on a daily basis all over the world. Pornography is illegal, so is downloading porn from the internet. Even the Singapore government is unable to enforce such a ban and they have taken the pragmatic approach of banning just 100 porn sites as a 'symbolic gesture' that society frowns on porn. It is not in the interest of society to expend the resources necessary to catch every teenager who downloads porn from the net.

A piece of legislation provides the authorities with the power to regulate behaviour but it does more than that. The laws of the land must reflect the cultural and moral norms of its people. The majority of Singaporeans are religious and conservative. As long as the population still regards homosexuality with disapproval, Sect 377A must remain.

The clamour to change this piece of legislation only serves to reveal the hidden agenda of the gay community and the leftist liberals. They want to turn Singapore into a secular, amoral western society in which religions are frowned upon and traditional values are discarded. Give the gay community an inch, and they will turn Singapore into another gay capital of the world like San Francisco.

LazerLordz SG

They want to turn Singapore into a secular, amoral western society in which religions are frowned upon and traditional values are discarded.

Typical alarmist response.

Singapore IS a secular Republic. Whether its citizens are religious or choose to be agnostic or atheist should be left in the private sphere.

The danger is allowing too much religious conservatives, the run of the land. Once you let that happen, it's a slippery slope that can be worse than the alternative.

iveco SG

I feel that the idea of a Government Whip is outdated, and provisions for Private Members’ Bills should be put in place.

Xtrider SG

The movie i pronounced u chuck and larry ganna ban from sg rite?

sgdiehard SG

How much is too much religious conservatives? How about traditional values, which may or may not be religious values? As long as these values remain the principal morality of the society at large, it is not the time for change yet. No alternative is needed.

Keep the act in the privacy of the bedroom.

LazerLordz SG

You see, we are still on the way to finding that right balance.

The majority is quite non-vocal here. But if you look at the so-called vocal conservatives, most of their arguments are based on religious values.

This is the danger, when we let religion try to influence state ideology.

Traditional values are kept within people's hearts and minds, not in a piece of legislation.

Fatum SG

I'm a "conservative" on this issue, but my convictions do not stem from religious values, since I have none.

Neways, I do not think our society's general conservatism stems from a single school of thought or a particular religious tradition alone. We are a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

It is interesting to note at opposition to this particular issue cuts across different ethnic and religious groups in society. it's well and easy to protray the incumbent goverment as stodgy and dodgy and conservative on this issue, but the truth is, they cannot afford to do anything on this issue. Can you imagine the kind of outcry it will generate from the different religious communities in Singapore, if this minority interest group were to have it their way ? ... Unlike many countries of the west, where there is only basically one religious tradition to contend with, we have a hodge-pot of them here, you won't be just ignoring the church alone, but you'll be ignoring the temples and mosques and synogues etc etc, too ! Can we risk alienating any one of these ethnic and religious communities, for the sake of a tiny minority ?

Put in this context, I think our conservatism is a necessity, and it would be simply naive to think that repealing some obscure statues and allowing some "artistic" exhibitions would change our society at all, this is what we are !

I think it is important not to confuse the silence of the majority, with acquiesce

hisoka SG

Not actively going after the crime is not the same as a proclaimation that they will not prosecute the crime. For example, say you have evidence of pornographic in the police hands, they will go through the motions and charge. on the other hand, looking at the statement they made, they would not prosecute even if given evidence of such private acts. Besides it is still unacceptable to have an act that is in private and has no adverse effect on others to be made a crime.

Majority? No prove is there? Disapproval means what? a Disdain but forebearance? Absolute abhorance? Unwillingness to participate but willingness to accept? Many definitions and as mentioned i doubt the majority is conceived using anything near a convincing statistical or otherwise method. Again, arguing for laws to represent cultural and moral norms is not a problem, but what are those norms and ideal?

Funny to label all suport for this issue into those 2 camps, over-generalisation?
secular, amoral western society in which religions are frowned upon and traditional values are discarded. Lets see, so in your mind western societies are immoral? Religions are frowned upon? I won't know the stats but i was of the idea that god comes up pretty often in say the us, just look at the elections.
again you point to gay as something wrong and unacceptable without convincing prove or even reasons and try to use that fact as a means to illegalise gay. circular reasoning?

iveco SG

Conservatism holds back progress.

To progress, we need to be more liberal. The key to that lies in being creative.

For creativity states that everything goes. Using hard logic alone for policy making is boring.

LazerLordz SG

Singapore to keep anti-gay legislation

By John Burton in Singapore

Published: September 22 2007 07:30 | Last updated: September 22 2007 07:30

Earlier this year, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapores elder statesman, raised hopes among the city-states gay community that a long-standing law banning homosexual acts would be abolished.

Mr Lee acknowledged that some people were genetically born a homosexual and cant help it. So why should we criminalise it?

The about-face by one of Singapores most powerful politicians did not seem motivated by politics, although Mr Lees parliamentary constituency does contain the largest number of gay bars in the city.

Instead, Mr Lees mellowing attitude appeared linked to Singapores ambition of becoming a global city with a buzz that attracts highly skilled foreign talent.

However, as it completed the most extensive revision of the countrys penal code since 1984 this week, Singapore decided to keep the Victorian-era law, inherited from British colonial rule, that makes it an offence for any male to commit an act of gross indecency.

The ministry of home affairs said a public consultation had found a majority of Singaporeans wanted to retain the law.

We are generally a conservative society and we should let the situation evolve, it said, although it promised it would not actively prosecute people under what is known as Section 377A.

The government has often cited public attitudes for retaining the law.

In conjunction with the ministrys decision, the state-guided press published a survey by a local university that revealed that 69 per cent of those questioned held negative attitudes towards homosexuality.

Criticism of homosexuality has formed part of the ideology of the Peoples Action party since it came to power in 1959, with sexual deviationism portrayed as a symbol of western decadence in contrast to Singapores Asian values.

Gay activists complain that official attitudes have hardened since Mr Lees son, Lee Hsien Loong, became prime minister in 2004.

Shortly after he came to power, officials cancelled what had been an officially sanctioned gay rave party on the resort island of Sentosa, claiming it increased the chances of spreading the HIV/Aids virus.

Authorities have enforced rules banning films seen to promote a gay lifestyle, causing HBO not to broadcast Brokeback Mountain in Singapore when it recently aired the Oscar-winning film in Asia.

Police last month cancelled a lecture by Douglas Sanders, a Canadian academic, because of concerns that he would speak on behalf of decriminalising Section 377A.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ab347a00-685a-11dc-b475-0000779fd2ac.html

Trump_Card SG

New petition to keep section 377a following the repeal377a petition

http://keep377a.com/

Is it a genuine petition ? Rolling Eyes

oxford mushroom SG

With double the number of signatures...the gay community have made a terrible mistake...watch out for the backlash.

mancha SG

Firstly, there is no such thing as an anti-gay legislation.

There is just this law making it an offence for a man to have sexual relations with another man.

Now it is already clear, what a person does within the privacy of his bedroom is his own business. Provided there is no complaint.
This goes the same for heterosexual relationships.

What is it that the homosexuals really want, with the repeal of Section 377A?
To put it bluntly, they want freedom to screw backside.
It ought to be impressed on these buggers that the anus is for defecating faeces
And if homosexuality isn't about anal intercourse, why be very particular about its repeal.
Two men can be buddies, and how far this buddyship goes is up to them.
But they want their mutual fetish to be the norm, when it is actually a perversion.
Same sex weddings, all have this common aim.

The family unit is what that keeps the world sane. Break up the family, and there will be greater anarchy looming up ahead. Already the family unit is deteriorating, and the world is in the sad state it is now. It is, and will be, the family unit that will hold the world together.
Gays are just one factor that is hastening the onset of anarchy.

LazerLordz SG

The gay community is not the only one leading the push for the repeal.

Get your facts right, especially about the number of signatories.

Fatum SG

this thread is alive again ... Rolling Eyes

oxford mushroom SG

keep377a.com with 10427 signatures now that the website has been reported in the newspapers. Watch the backlash…the muslims will call for a new jihad. They wouldn’t want their children to be taught by gay teachers. This hare brained move by homosexuals will only serve to invite antagonism against them.

Fatum SG

one of them is mine ....

it's a good lesson for all .... that a small vocal minority cannot and should not hijack the mainstream with their agenda ...

Trump_Card SG

Homos have a right to *ahem too ...They should also be entitled to the same rights as heterosexual would have ... As for the repeal377a petition , not all who signed are gay .

Trump_Card SG

Local celebrities supporting the repeal

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