The High Court has kept on the statute books a law that criminalises homosexuality.
Section 377A is a colonial era hang-over – the British introduced similar laws across its Empire. India’s Supreme Court struck down its Section 377 as unconstitutional in September 2018 and this gave Singaporeans fresh optimism that they too might be able to defeat the law through the courts.
Legal challenges were mounted by Johnson Ong Ming, a 43-year-old disc jockey and producer; 42-year-old Bryan Choong Chee Hoong, the former executive director of LGBT+ organisation Oogachaga; and Roy Tan Seng Kee, a 61-year-old retired medical doctor.
In October 2014, the Singapore Court of Appeal similarly refused to remove the country’s anti-gay law from the statute books. It said LGBT+ people would have to wait for Parliament to repeal Section 377A. However, politicians are unwilling to change it - and today, Singapore’s High Court rejected the new appeals.
However, hope remains! In Singapore, the Supreme Court is split into a lower part, the High Court, and an upper division, the Court of Appeal. Now the case can be taken back to the Court of Appeal.
The challengers will fight on – and we hope they succeed!!
To read more, click here!
Section 377A is a colonial era hang-over – the British introduced similar laws across its Empire. India’s Supreme Court struck down its Section 377 as unconstitutional in September 2018 and this gave Singaporeans fresh optimism that they too might be able to defeat the law through the courts.
Legal challenges were mounted by Johnson Ong Ming, a 43-year-old disc jockey and producer; 42-year-old Bryan Choong Chee Hoong, the former executive director of LGBT+ organisation Oogachaga; and Roy Tan Seng Kee, a 61-year-old retired medical doctor.
In October 2014, the Singapore Court of Appeal similarly refused to remove the country’s anti-gay law from the statute books. It said LGBT+ people would have to wait for Parliament to repeal Section 377A. However, politicians are unwilling to change it - and today, Singapore’s High Court rejected the new appeals.
However, hope remains! In Singapore, the Supreme Court is split into a lower part, the High Court, and an upper division, the Court of Appeal. Now the case can be taken back to the Court of Appeal.
The challengers will fight on – and we hope they succeed!!
To read more, click here!
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Reader's Comments
They need to Stop being a hypocrite!
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/two-men-file-appeals-against-high-court-decision-to-dismiss-section-377a-challenge
@nightingale, do you think the Indian read-down will have an influence eventually?
Just look at the Singaporean youths. Westernisation has accelerated that Asian traditions are in the process of being cast off. More and more families are speaking English at home rather than Mandarin or non-Mandarin dialects. How many Chinese youngsters and sing Chinese songs? How many who have left school can read a Chinese newspaper? Even the Malays are much more liberal than their peers from neighbouring countries. Young unmarried couples hold hand publicly, which is frowned up elsewhere as it is considered 'khalwat' (intimacy). So we can only wait for the older generation to pass on before there's a chance for penal code 377A to be abolished.
https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/gay-men-take-fight-to-end-singapores-gay-sex-ban-to-highest-court/
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