While it’s sometimes hard to separate the trolls from the genuine, it’s heartening to see a section of Singaporeans moving away from hamstrung neutrality to fighting for what they believe is right – championing everything from the fight for LGBT rights and animal welfare causes to calling out sexual harassment and improving the lives of immigrant workers.
Pink Dot SG is an illustrious display of activism. The annual movement gathers participants in support of the LGBTQ community and has seen a staggering increase in attendees from 2,500 in 2009 to more than 20,000 in 2018. “The growth of social media and the internet have contributed to many Singaporeans having more access to information about LGBT issues,” says Paerin Choa, the spokesperson of Pink Dot SG. “It has also allowed many in the community to come out and share their stories,”
Call it a knock-on effect but following India’s Supreme Court’s decision to repeal British-era Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, Singaporeans were quick to sound off on Section 377A of our Penal Code, which criminalises gay sex. Multiple petitions were created, including the one titled ‘Ready 4 Repeal’ on GoPetition that has since garnered more than 50,000 signatories.
While there hasn’t been any change to the policy, conversations on the topic have been taking place, with leaders like Ambassador-at-Large Dr Tommy Koh and Lim Phang Hong, president of the Buddhist Fellowship supporting the repeal.
In an opinion piece titled “Section 377A: Science, Religion and the Law” published in The Straits Times, Koh pens: “Singapore is part of the minority mainly because we inherited from the British a penal code which criminalises sodomy. For a country which embraces science and technology, it is surprising that, on this one aspect, the law has not been updated in the light of the scientific evidence.”
