Singapore's parliament strikes down ban on gay sex

Legislators repeal controversial law but move to cement traditional marriage

20221129 singapore pink dot

A participant at Pink Dot, an annual event organized in support of the LGBT community in Singapore, poses during the 2019 edition. © Reuters

DYLAN LOH, Nikkei staff writer

SINGAPORE -- Singapore's parliament on Tuesday voted to repeal a controversial law that criminalized consensual sex between men, in a landmark victory for the city-state's LGBTQ community. At the same time, however, the legislature made it clear that it supports defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.

The move, which capped a two-day debate by lawmakers, rolls back legislation stemming from before independence in 1965, when Singapore was under British colonial rule.

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