Singapore’s Parliament unanimously voted to repeal Section 377A of its Penal Code on Tuesday, removing the colonial-era ban on sex between men. The abolition of this law came amidst slowly changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the South East Asian country.
Last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in Malay, Mandarin, and English that the government would vote to revoke the law but maintained that the country would continue to protect the definition of marriage between a man and a woman.
In December 2020, a 16-year-old boy was constrained under Singapore’s Internal Security Act (ISA) for "detailed plans and preparations to conduct terrorist attacks" on Muslims as they worshipped in two local Mosques, authorities reported on January 27th, 2021.
The suspect was not identified because he is underage. The nameless Singaporean teenager is a Protestant Christian of Indian ethnicity. He is the youngest citizen to be investigated under the ISA for terrorism-related activities, the Internal Security Department (ISD) said in a media release.
Amos Yee Pang Sang, teen blogger, was found guilty of posting an offensive picture and making hurtful comments with the intention to insult Christians.
Thousands of LGBT rights activists and supporters participated in the sixth yearly Pink Dot rally in Singapore despite religious leaders and radical groups protesting against the festivity in the island nation.
