More than half of Singaporeans still support the antiquated law that bans gay sex. This is according to an online survey that was made amid renewed debate on whether the city-state should follow India’s footsteps and scrap similar British colonial-era legislation.
Fifty-five percent of the 750 Singaporeans who were surveyed by independent market research and consulting firm Ipsos still supported the ban.
The same Ipsos poll also showed that 12% opposed the law, while 33% were neither for or against it.
Ipsos conducted the online poll of people aged between 15-65 years over four days in late July and early August.
Under Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code, a man found to have committed an act of “gross indecency” with another man could be jailed for up to two years. Prosecutions are rare. The law does not apply to homosexual acts between women.
In Asia and the Pacific, Singapore is considered a “modern” state. But lawmakers remain typically cautious over social reforms, partly due to sensitivities stemming from the ethnic and religious mix among Singapore’s 5.6 million inhabitants.
