Singapore Will Decriminalize Sex Between Men, but It Won't Legalize Marriage

In what seemed like a major step towards marriage equality, Singapore finally lifted  the colonial-era ban on sex between men. But Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stated that the government will not change the legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. On top of that, Lee said the government will amend Singapore's constitution to "protect" the definition of marriage from being legally challenged -- effectively ruling out the possibility of marriage equality.

Sign the petition to decriminalize same-sex marriage in Singapore!

While the decriminalization of sex between men is long overdue, it won't do much to end the discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in Singapore. The country's ruling party has established a conservative society with social benefits that mainly depend on marital status. For example, if you're under 35 years old and want to apply for government-subsidized housing, you can only qualify if you're married. This leaves the entire LGBTQ+ community in Singapore at an economic disadvantage.

Twenty-two LGBTQ groups in Singapore released a that a constitutional amendment painting LGBTQ+ people as unequal citizens is disappointing: "Such a decision will undermine the secular character of our constitution, codify further discrimination into supreme law, and tie the hands of future parliaments."

Sign the petition to decriminalize same-sex marriage in Singapore!

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.