Gay rights rally held in Singapore as views shift
Campaigner dressed in pink gathered at a park in Singapore on Saturday calling for greater recognition of LGBTQ rights, the first such rally since 2019 after coronavirus restrictions were eased. Social attitudes in the city-state remain conservative. Sex between men is still illegal and carries a maximum of two years in jail, although the statute is not actively enforced. Singapore's "Pink Dot" gay rights rally started in 2009 and has regularly attracted sizeable crowds despite a backlash from some quarters. After holding online-only events during the pandemic, large numbers turned out on Saturday as the rally returned to a downtown park – the only place in the territory where protests are allowed without a police permit. People waved rainbow flags, danced and brandished placards with slogans such as "We're not nuclear, we are queer", and "Power to the queers". Organisers did not release figures on the crowd size. Singapore's government continues to hold to a British colonial-era law that prohibits sex between men. Several attempts to overturn the legislation have failed in recent years. The latest challenge was dismissed by Singapore's top court in February, which ruled that the law would be maintained but on the basis that it "would not be proactively enforced". Open support for gay rights is growing, aided by changing social norms among the younger generation and a large influx of tourists and expatriates. The percentage of people in Singapore who support the gay sex ban fell from 55 percent in 2018 to 44 percent this year, while citizens are becoming more supportive of same-sex relationships, a survey released this month by market research firm Ipsos found. Law Minister K. Shanmugam has acknowledged shifting attitudes, telling parliament earlier this year that the government is considering the best way forward. (AFP)