SINGAPORE: Singapore's Christian population is continue to show its anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) side. The most recent example was a preacher in the Southeast Asian country saying gay people are "diabolical" and should be expelled from the country. "I believe that God has awakened to face one of the greatest attacks on the family by the evil one,' said pastor Lawrence Khong of the Faith Community Baptist Church. Khong also lashed out at the LGBT movement, referring to it as the "onslaught of the evil one." The church has some 10,000 members and Khong is largely seen as an influential Christian leader in the Southeast Asian island-country. It is the latest in what is a growing attempt to silence the gay community, which has been pushing for the repeal of anti-sodomy laws in the country. Section s377A of the Penal Code of Singapore states that anyone engaged in homosexual sex can face prison time. “Any male person, who, in public or private, commits any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years." Law s377a stems from a British Colonial Penal code 377 enacted in 1871, which was implemented in an effort to stop sodomy, bestiality and necrophilia. In 2007, the law was repealed in Singapore citing that the law needed to be modernized, and so S377A was introduced to explicitly criminalize all forms of male penetration. The law has been used to effectively punish gay men for having sex with each other. Singapore did recently launch the first LGBT magazine, Element, to much fanfare. The magazine will be purchasable online in order to deliver relative anonymity, editors at the publication told Bikyanews.com Although Singapore is home to a thriving gay scene, most of it falls under the radar, as homosexual intimacy is severely banned by the government. The colonial law that bans homosexuality, S377A, is currently being reviewed in the Singaporean Supreme Court. M. Ravi, the lawyer representing gay rights in the case, recently told Bikyanews.com, “I am very confident that there will be a massive change in social policies in Asia, given my experience in human rights law in the region and based on feedback from the regional human rights networks. At present, there is an increasing dialogue on how to mitigate against discrimination based on sexual orientation. “ Singapore homosexuals suffer from having to keep their sexuality hidden in public, so much so, that in a recent report by the gay help group Oogachaga, over 60% of gay people in Singapore have faced some blatant example of discrimination. Element is aiming to become the ‘voice of gay Asia,' with its first installment to include inside stories on gay criteria and include nightclubs, resorts, event and interviews with gay leaders. To expand its readership, Element, is aiming to translate the magazine into Mandarin and Thai and other languages spoken widely in the region. Element, as the first gay magazine in the city-state, will have to remain relatively anonymous, and will only be available digitally through both iTunes or Android App-stores, so as to offer its consumers a some degree of privacy. “Not many gay men would pick up a copy of a magazine like this on a newsstand – that's just the culture here," the founder of Element Mizuhara said in a press release. BN
