Singapore Will Continue to Restrict LGBTQ Content, Even After Decriminalizing Same-Sex Relationships
variety.comPatrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Singapore government announced that it will continue to restrict and classify media content with LGBTQ themes, even after its planned decriminalization of same-sex relationships.The move to repeal a colonial-era law that criminalized sex between men was announced Sunday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The law, Section 377A of the Penal Code, was introduced in 1938 and established a two-year jail term for “any act of gross indecency” between two men, either in public or in private.London-based Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo,” “Wet Season”) commended the planned repeal. “Long overdue but well done Singapore,” he wrote on Twitter.Long overdue but well done Singapore!
https://t.co/5tNJI7yPUm— Anthony Chen (@anthonychenz) August 22, 2022Until about a decade ago, the law was used as justification for police raids of gay-owned businesses and street arrests.
Since 2010, the law has been rarely enforced, but it continues to inform tough anti-LGBTQ policy in media and entertainment.
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