“By and large, Singapore is a conservative society ...” (Image via video still)
OutRight Action International reports that during a National Day Rally, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that Section 377A of the country's penal code will be repealed — which would mean the end of a 1938 law criminalizing sex between consenting adult men.
He will propose a constitutional amendment preserving the country's definition of marriage as being a union of man and woman.
OutRight board member Kathy Teo said of the development:
This is an important first step. But there is a long way to go to protect the equal rights of LGBTQ people in Singapore. For now, we celebrate this first victory.
Gay sex remains criminalized in just under 70 countries worldwide, often thanks to colonial-era mores.
Watch PM Loong explaining the changes:
