Singapore's highest court has cleared the way for a constitutional challenge against a law criminalising sex between men. Local media reports the Court of Appeal has struck down a High Court decision disallowing the challenge, launched by a man who was arrested after being caught with a male partner in a public toilet cubicle in 2010. The new ruling is expected to trigger a fresh debate over a provision in the penal code known as Section 377A, which traces its origins to British colonial rule and carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail for homosexual acts. While the provision has not been enforced actively by Singapore authorities against men who engage in consensual sex in private, the local gay community and rights activists want it totally scrapped.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 24th August 2012 - 11:22am