Singapore's former strongman Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew has publicly questioned the state's continuing ban on gay sex. Singaporean law categorises sex between men as "gross indecency" which can attract a sentence of up to two years in prison, though the law is nowadays rarely enforced. Acknowledging increasing scientific opinion that homosexuality is genetic in origin, Lee, who remains a powerful figure in the Cabinet of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, now believes that consenting same sex relations should no longer be criminalised. He believes the state must take a pragmatic approach to homosexuality. Despite the official ban, Singapore has a thriving gay scene. Ref: NZ Herald; Reuters
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Thursday, 26th April 2007 - 12:00pm