Same-sex sexual activity is illegal even if consensual and committed in private , and the Attorney-General of Singapore has declared that prosecutions under Section A occasionally still occur, [4] [5] [6] although sources state that the law is not well enforced, [7] [8] [9] and is being challenged in courts. Same-sex relationships are not recognized under the law, and adoption of children by same-sex couples is illegal.
No anti-discrimination protections exist for LGBT people. Singaporean society is generally regarded as conservative. Government officials occasionally crack down on freedom and human rights for LGBT people. Despite this, LGBT events have taken place every year since , with increasing attendance. In line with worldwide trends, attitudes towards members of the LGBT community are slowly changing and becoming more accepting and tolerant, especially among young people.
Previously, Singapore law inherited from the British Empire prohibited sodomy regardless of sex. As such, heterosexual and homosexual anal or oral sex were illegal. In , such sexual activity was legalised for heterosexuals and lesbians, but not for gay men. You know our rules in Singapore. It is the way this society is: We are not like San Francisco, neither are we like some countries in the Middle East.
After an exhaustive Penal Code review in , oral and anal sex were legalised for heterosexuals and lesbians. The changes meant that oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexual and female homosexual adults were no longer offences. However, Section A, which deals with gross indecency between consenting men, remains in force.
In his concluding speech on the debate over the partial repeal of Section A, [13] Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told MPs before the vote that "Singapore is basically a conservative society The family is the basic building block of this society. And by family in Singapore we mean one man, one woman, marrying, having children and bringing up children within that framework of a stable family unit. Section A states that: "Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.
