Singapore’s 377A: One year after its abolition, LGBTQ couples call for more additions, but social conservative opposition remains strong

Fulfilling her desire to become a mother and start a family with her 40-year-old wife, Chin Chia, who works as a real estate agent, required huge amounts of money and clever legal maneuvers.

The challenges they have overcome reflect the barriers that continue to exist for many gay couples in Singapore, despite Singapore’s historic move to repeal anti-gay laws this week.

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However, while this was a hopeful milestone in progress towards equal rights for LGBTQ people in Singapore, many in the community are still struggling with their dreams surrounding housing, childcare and marriage. We also face the harsh reality that the world remains as elusive as ever. The country continues to find ways to move forward on issues such as representation and visibility.

In October, there was a performance called Drag Performance. queer tiewas staged as part of a series of artistic performances to mark the 10th anniversary of Nanyang Technological University’s Center for Arts-Based Research, but a local university said it “should not have been performed as a public event”. It was controversial. Given the “associated sensitivities”, according to local media reports.

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Singapore to abolish anti-gay law, but maintain ban on same-sex marriage

Singapore to abolish anti-gay law, but maintain ban on same-sex marriage

More recently, Chinese-language media drew the ire of members of the LGBTQ community when it used derogatory language about transgender sex workers in its coverage of a police raid in December.

A poll of 1,000 Singaporeans aged 16 to 34 conducted by consumer research firm Pink Dot & Milieu Insights found that 6 out of 10 respondents believed that discrimination against LGBTQ people remains persistent. Only 36% of respondents said Singapore is a good city for LGBTQ people to live in. Community members.

Survey results released in September revealed that barriers to starting a family and buying a home were among the most pressing LGBTQ-related issues for respondents.

Clement Tan, a spokesperson for Singapore’s LGBTQ rights movement Pink Dot, said the group sees an “encouraging increase in social acceptance” with increased dialogue on LGBTQ-related issues, according to state broadcaster CNA. pointed out that it aired a documentary about sexuality. This would have been “unthinkable a year ago.”

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However, he said this was accompanied by “stronger pushback from conservative groups who are now drawing new fronts and actively lobbying government agencies on a variety of LGBTQ-related issues.”

National University of Singapore sociologist Tan Ern Sah said the act of repealing Section 377A was “actually a small step” and a significant change to long-held norms centered on heterosexual unions. He said that it had no significant impact.

“The reason is that 377A was not actively enforced in the first place. Therefore, the repeal of this law will affect prevailing heteronormative norms and practices, the definition of marriage and family institutions in Singapore, and more generally. have minimal or no impact on public policy,” said Mr Tan.

For Chia, this means that she and her partner feel the need to start planning their child’s will and guardianship, even though their daughter is only four-and-a-half months old.

“Mr. Chin has no legal rights to my daughter, so if I die, that automatically means that my daughter cannot take care of my child. She is not recognized as a parent at all. This is causing us great anxiety,” she said, adding that they had hired a lawyer to ensure their wills were “ironclad.”

“There are other issues, such as the inheritance not going to my daughter because we are not seen as a ‘biological’ family, but that is a battle for another day,” she said.

Beyond parenthood and marriage, Singapore’s housing laws, which favor heteronormative young families, also put homeownership out of reach for LGBTQ couples. Each partner is legally considered single, so she must be over 35 to buy a resale social housing apartment.

Clarissa* has been with her partner for more than five years, but she has to wait another five years before she can qualify to buy a flat to live in together.

“That’s 10 years of denying us affordable housing. Singaporean heterosexual couples should never have to worry,” the 30-year-old said.

The only other option was to buy or rent a private property, which she said “currently costs about S$3,000 a month to rent a non-prime one-bedroom, and close to S$1 million to buy.” “Our housing market is far from ideal.” ”.

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“In my opinion, there is no such thing as equality anywhere. Beyond housing, I have to spend extra time and money to make sure that me and my partner are protected,” she said, adding that the couple added that they have begun planning how to ensure that their assets pass to their surviving partners in the event of their death.

Decriminalization is just “the starting line in a long race toward full equality,” said Leo Yanfa, executive director of the LGBTQ counseling group Oogachaga.

“Some may think that the next lap or finish line is marriage equality. In fact, achieving marriage equality is just one lap of many along the way, and there is much more to come. Circumvention is necessary,” he said, adding that this includes equal treatment and protection in areas such as education, health care, legal gender recognition and the media.

Matthew Matthews, a senior researcher at think tank Institute for Policy Studies, said the repeal of 377A was not “a move to increase the participation of LGBTQ people in Singapore’s broader community”.

“We can still expect that the majority of the population is not in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage and may be uncomfortable with any form of display of LGBTQ identity in public. For this group, Beliefs about sexuality are deeply ingrained, often derived from religious beliefs, and are not easily changed.”

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But rights groups and activists point to a growing number of LGBTQ-friendly companies, increased visibility of the community in the media, and government-led moves to curb workplace discrimination against gay couples, giving all hope. He states that this does not mean that it is lost.

Roy Tan, a former doctor and prominent LGBTQ activist, pointed to the recent briefing of the Tripartite Commission on Workplace Discrimination, which included 12 different LGBTQ organizations, and said, “In the coming years, “There is good reason to expect that discrimination will decrease.” .

“However, contrary to expectations that censorship, representation of LGBTQ people in the media, ban on waving rainbow flags in public places, and LGBTQ-themed performances would be eased following the abrogation of Section 377A. This did not happen,” he said. “It was probably to appease conservatives who were vehemently opposed to repeal.”

Some LGBTQ organizations are working on plans to further mobilize support for basic equal rights.

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“Pink Dot now aims to build on the momentum generated by the abolition movement. At least 23 different community groups have come together by the time the abolition movement was announced and we will continue to work closely together. We hope to continue to do so,” Pink Dot spokesperson Tan said. .

Many LGBTQ couples can’t wait to see equality in Singapore, and some, like Clarissa, aren’t ruling out moving to a country where they can live freely and enjoy the same protections and privileges as straight people.

“It’s sad that I have to leave my home country one day. We have no other choice to protect each other’s future,” she said.

Chia and his wife are prepared for their daughter to face discrimination when she grows up because of her “non-traditional” family structure. However, the couple is hopeful that things will be much better for Singapore’s LGBTQ families and the broader community in the future.

“Our hope is that not only does she grow up to be a confident and resilient young person, but that Singapore ultimately becomes a kinder place where all types of families can be celebrated and thrive,” Ms Chia said. .

*Names have been changed at the request of the interviewee.