SINGAPORE: First Openly Gay Politician Vows Decriminalization Of Homosexuality

After coming out last week on his Facebook page, Vincent Wijeysingha vowed this week that Singapore will soon decriminalize homosexuality.

“I am entirely convinced the law will eventually be repealed,” said Wijeysingha, treasurer of the Singapore Democratic Party. The decades-old law makes “gross indecency” between men punishable by up to two years in prison. It has not been actively enforced in recent years, but 185 men were convicted under the law between 1997 and 2006, according to government data. Complaints of discrimination based on sexual orientation have become less common in Singapore, a Southeast Asian economic powerhouse of about 5 million. But until a decade ago, government policies barred gays from “sensitive positions” in the civil service and imposed strict censorship on gay-related content in movies and TV shows.

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