SINGAPORE, July 31 (Bloomberg): Singapore is considering how to safeguard its legal position on marriage between a man and a woman, as the government reviews a colonial-era section of the country’s penal code that criminalises gay sex, according to the Straits Times, citing a top official.
Many Singaporeans agree that gay sex should not be criminalized and homosexuals should not be imprisoned, Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said on Saturday, according to the Straits Times.
However, many also want to retain the current legal definition of marriage as between a man and a women, he added.
While Section 377A of the Penal Code criminalizes sex between men, the law has not been actively enforced for over a decade.
Dealing with 377A, while also maintaining the current legal definition of marriage, should be discussed and decided in Parliament, and not in the courts, asserted Shanmugam.
A 2014 court challenge against 377A failed when Singapore’s Supreme Court ruled it was constitutional.
Shanmugam said the government "understands” that many Singaporeans do not want the current legal definition of marriage changed, and called for moderation in the debate of gay rights from both sides or "the ruptures will tear our social fabric apart,” the newspaper reported. - Bloomberg
