Weeks after Singapore’s apex court dismissed a call to repeal Section 377A – with Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam emphasising the need “to avoid causing a sudden, destabilising change in social norms and public expectations” – the Government feedback wing, REACH, has published a survey calling for public views on the law, which criminalises sex between men.

Mr Shanmugam had said in Parliament earlier this month that “the government is considering the ‘best way forward’ on Section 377A”.

Question 14 of the survey directly asks the question on whether Section 377A – thus far upheld as a significant, symbolic moral line in the sand – should be maintained, modified or repealed.

While the survey is submitted anonymously, the feedback gathered in the survey “will be shared with relevant agencies and could be used within the Government for policy updates and changes”, REACH noted in its survey preamble.

No closing date is listed, but it is believed the survey will close around the beginning of April.

Section 377A a key “moral marker”

Church leaders in Singapore have previously spoken out about the importance of keeping Section 377A.

In 2018, the National Council of Churches of Singapore urged Christians “to pray that God will protect the institutions of marriage and family because they are indispensable for the wellbeing of the future generation and the flourishing of our society”.

The Alliance of the Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches of Singapore added: “Section 377A serves a broader purpose of setting a moral position with regard to sexual activities and relationships, and in turn strengthen the social fabric of society.”

Echoed the Diocese of Singapore: “Section 377A is a boundary-stone marker for what Singapore society wants to hold as normative in its moral framework and in how people conduct themselves in the public square. 377A is a moral marker consonant with fostering strong families for the long-term well-being of our nation.”

We encourage readers to read up further on the issue of Section 377A, which has been the subject of numerous court challenges and competing online petitions over the years. You can then click here to share your views via the REACH survey.

Salt&Light understands that the survey closes at 12noon today.

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