Gay Singapore Guide: the Essential Guide to Gay Travel in Singapore 2018
Enter your search Gay Singapore Guide: The Essential Guide To Gay Travel In Singapore 2018 From a legal standpoint, it is easy to write off Gay Singapore as another homophobic Asian country – after all same-sex activity is technically illegal here, just like India, the Maldives, Brunei, Burma, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia. And yet, Singapore continues one of the most popular gay destinations in the region, and after dark, the famous Neil Street in Chinatown comes to life as gay bars, clubs, spas, and saunas open their doors to tourists and foreigners alike. Like many things in life, LGBT rights in Singapore are complicated. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal under British era sodomy laws – through the law has not been enforced since 1999 – and openly gay men in Singapore are still required to attend National Service, but are restricted dates. No anti-discrimination legislation protects LGBT Singaporeans, and yet if you are walking down the street holding your partner’s hand, or checking in to a hotel together – no one would say anything at all. In many ways, Gay Singapore reflects the traditional Asian approach to LGBT citizens where the family is the basic building block of society, and if you ‘choose’ to be gay it is best kept discrete and from your family. Things are changing, however, as the population pyramid changes and a younger, more progressive generation wrestles control – Just look at the 28,000 mostly young people who attend Singapore’s annual gay rights rally – Pink Dot SG. Singapore has a robust legal system, and hopefully all it takes if for someone to challenge this unfair law and for society to change overnight.
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