Singapore's excuses to the UN Periodic Review for continuing gay discrimination

Singapore went through its first Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the only universal mechanism that reviews the human rights situation in all 192 UN member states once every 4 years, on 6 May 2011.
She was queried by the UK and France, amongst others, about her continuing criminalisation of male gay sex under Section 377A of the Penal Code.
The Singaporean representative tried to whitewash the discrimination against gay men in the city-state by saying that the law only criminalised homosexual sex but not homosexuals themselves and that it was not "proactively enforced".
Links:
United Nations Webcast:
http://www.un.org/webcast
Channel News Asia article:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1127319/1/.html
Human rights lawyer George Hwang's article on Fridae:
http://www.fridae.com/newsfeatures/2011/04/29/10842.will-singapore-s-equal-ri...

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Singapore
• gay
• homosexual
• human
• rights
• discrimination

[TheRikcarter]

@nicksum29 I am one of those people. Not only am I a racial minority, but I am gay too, so that's not helping my life. Lucky for me, I have met a wonderful guy who I will be marrying in England, where same sex unions are recognised.

[nicksum29]

At least they're admitting gays exist. That is a progress, however ridiculously small. Although she is talking through her neck. I'm from Taiwan, and I know for a fact that gay and lesbian people flee Singapore due to job discrimination, bullying, and judicial abuse.

[MAXwellchikenrice]

Someone plz add that sitcom laughter to this.

[duubar]

Singapore is clearly not a modern, first world country.

[speedofpee]

"entitled to their private lives"

yet you want to make it lawful for the government to step in on the issue of where people want to stick their junk? logic fail.

[nicksum29]

@sammicheng1988 Indeed. It always amazes me that people like this can say such awful things without realising how utterly inhumane they are being. It's as if someone just turned of a light in their brains, and all they can see is shadows. So sad. It really must end. You cannot call yourself a First World democracy while suppressing human rights. Those days are over. The age of the dinosaur ended many millions of years ago.

[sammicheng1988]

@nicksum29 The funny part is that she said what is being discriminaised is not singaporean gay but gay sex act. its like saying... what we approve is straight marriage, but not boy-girls sex. wad a joke

[sammicheng1988]

"The reality is that LGBT people in Singapore do not have to hide their sexual orientation for fear of losing their jobs or for fear of prosecution by the state. They have a place in our society and are entitled to their private lives." <-- let's see.. if a teacher is gay., he is fired by the ministry. so is this discrimination? seriously fuck this.

[TheRikcarter]

@nicksum29 Thank you :)

[nicksum29]

@randomdrifter Sad to hear that. It is the government's duty to lead a society towards goodness, freedom, and equality - not to pander to their taboos and bigotry. Singapore's government seems to have forgotten that they are there to facilitate change, and to improve - not to maintain the status quo.

[nicksum29]

@DunYouLuvGirls We do, very regularly.



[randomdrifter]

@nicksum29 It shouldn't be a problem as long as its not as closed minded as the conservative society in Singapore is.

Left for Vancouver and had a huge culture shock on how open minded the community there was, but got used to it in a manner of weeks.

Back in Singapore again, and its been a year, can't adapt to how closed most of the society is.