Singapore give go ahead to gay sex

Dis one mean say homosexual don become legal for di city-state.

Prime Minister Lee Hisen Loong announce dis decision for national TV, afta years of serious debate on di mata.

LGBT activists for Singapore don hail di move as “a win for humanity”.

Di city-state dey known for im conservative values, but in recent years, many pipo don call for di cancellation of di colonial-era 377A law.

Singapore na di latest place for Asia to move on LGBT rights, afta India.

Goment position before na to keep 377a – wey ban sex between men – but dem also promise say dem no go enforce di law as part of effort to appease both sides.

But on Sunday night, oga Lee say dem go stop di law as e believe say  dis na di right thing to do, and something wey most Singaporeans go accept”.

E tok say “gay pipo dey beta accepted now” and scrapping 377A go bring di kontri laws in line wit “current social mores, and I hope e go provide some relief to gay Singaporeans”.

How Singapore LGBTQ react

“We finally do am, and we happy well-well say dis discriminatory, antiquated law dey finally comot from di books. E fit take long, but e go happun, know. Today we dey very, very happy,” gay activist Johnson Ong tell BBC.

One coalition of LGBT rights groups call am “hard-won victory and a triumph of love over fear”, and add say dis na first step towards full equality.

But dem also dey concerned on top anoda announcement wey di Prime Minister tok for di same speech.

Wetin di Prime Minister Lee tok

Prime Minister Lee Hisen Loong for im speech announce say goment go ensure beta legal protection for di definition of marriage as one between a man and a woman.

Dis go effectively make am harder for gay marriage to dey legalised.

Dis one mean say gay fit express dia love openly for di kontri but dem no go fit marry legally, di only marriage di kontri sign for na di one between man and woman.

Oga Lee say Singapore na kontri wey get traditional society and many of dem still wan maintain family and social norms.

LGBT activists say e dey “disappointing” and warn say dis go only further cause discrimination for di society.

How conservative Singapore react

Meanwhile Protect Singapore, one conservative group, say dem dey “deeply disappointed” say di repeal dey go ahead without assurance of “comprehensive safeguards”.

Dem wan make heterosexual marriage dey fully enshrined for di constitution, plus law wey go ban “LGBT promotion” to children.

Increasing LGBT support

Singapore inherit 377A from British and choose to retain am afta independence for 1965.

Though di law technically forbid sex between men, e come as ban on homosexuality.

As e no dey enforced in recent years, plenty active and increasingly visible LGBT scene don develop for Singapore, including gay nightclubs.

But LGBT activists say dem wan make 377A dey scrapped, dem say di law dey create social stigma against gay pipo,  and dis wan go against Singapore constitution wey forbid discrimination and don trickle down to influence oda aspects of life.

For instance, any content wey dem believe as “promoting homosexuality” fit dey banned from broadcast for Singapore, and dem don censor TV shows and movies in di past.

Di law dey also contradict Singapore image as an open, diverse global financial hub and multinational companies wey base for di state say e go hinder dia efforts to attract talent.

While many pipo for Singapore still support retaining 377A, in recent years di call for dia abolition don grow stronger, wit surveys wey show  growing support for LGBT rights.

At di same time both LGBT activists and conservatives – many of whom come from religious groups – don mobilise on both sides of di issue.

Protests and political gatherings dey strictly regulated for Singapore, but every year LGBT activists dey hold di island biggest civil society rally – wey dey known as Pink Dot – e dey draw tens of thousands of participants.

Meanwhile, conservatives bin arrange social media campaigns and events wey call for di preservation of traditional values, and some churches bin promote controversial gay conversion programmes.

On Sunday, oga Lee beg both camps for understanding.

Legacy of di British

Singapore no be di only former colony wey get version of 377 – di law still dey exist for many parts of Asia, Africa and Oceania.

Colonial British goment introduce am for India for di 19th Century, and forbid “carnal intercourse against di order of nature wit any man, woman or animal”.

E soon spread outside India as di British use di Indian Penal Code as di basis for criminal law codes for di oda territories dem dey control. Several former British colonies like Kenya, Malaysia and Myanmar still get some version of 377.

For 2018, India Supreme Court cancel 377 for one historic verdict, wey give activists hope say oda former colonies go eventually follow suit.

In recent years, oda parts of Asia don move to legalise gay marriage.

Taiwan na di first place to do so for 2019, and for June Thailand approve  draft legislation to allow same-sex unions.

Kontris where homosexuality still dey against di law?

69 kontris still dey wey get law wey see homosexuality as crime and nearly half of dis kontris dey for Africa.

However, for some kontris, moves dey go on to decriminalise same-sex unions.

For February 2021, Angola President Joao Lourenco sign into law one revise penal code to allow same-sex relationships and ban discrimination on di basis of sexual orientation.

For June 2020, Gabon reverse one law wey bin criminalise homosexuality and make gay sex punishable wit six months in prison plus large fine.

Botswana High Court also rule in favour of decriminalising homosexuality for 2019.

Mozambique and di Seychelles don also scrap anti-homosexuality laws in recent years.

In Trinidad and Tobago, one court for 2018 rule say laws wey ban gay sex dey unconstitutional.

But some kontris still dey wia existing laws wey ban homosexuality dey tight, like Nigeria and Uganda.

And in oda efforts to remove di law don fail.

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For May 2019, one high court for Kenya uphold laws criminalising homosexual acts.