Silence on LGBT rights in Singapore election

A record eleven parties will contest Singapore’s election on Friday, but there has been virtual silence on one of the city-state’s most controversial issues, gay rights. Victor Ong is 44 and lives with his British husband Harry, whom he married four years ago in London. His marriage is not recognised in Singapore. ”We can’t really express ourselves publicly. We can’t have public displays of affection. We can’t hold hands, really. We could surreptitiously when there’s no one around, hold hands and walk down an alley.” Advocacy groups have stepped up awareness campaigns with scorecards for politicians and online rallies in recent weeks over what they see as everyday discrimination that stems from a rarely-used, colonial-era law 377A, banning sex between men. But for Victor, casting his vote in the mandatory ballot will serve as a reminder he has few political allies. ”It’s a non-topic with the parties, with the choices we have. As much as I want to make my decision based on their stance on that, there isn’t any material to work with, to consider, but all the more so, we are citizens, who are voting. We are LGBT citizens, and we’re still citizens. We are sons and daughters of Singapore, whether we’re gay or straight.” There is no mention of gay rights or 377A in the manifesto of the People’s Action Party, which has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965 and is widely-expected to be returned to power. Or that of any other party in the election. Analyst Loke Hoe Yeong. “For any political party – opposition or PAP – to have a stance on this issue is considered generally as political suicide.” However, advocacy groups do sense a growing awareness around the issue, especially after India repealed a similar law in 2018. Nearly 70 countries around the world still criminalise gay sex.
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World News from Reuters

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