Singapore judge rejects gay decriminalisation challenge
A judge in Singapore’s High Court has dismissed a legal challenge to the country’s law criminalising sex between men.
The ruling handed down by High Court Judge Quentin Loh last Wednesday stated the law had not been found to infringe the rights of the plaintiff in the case.
“[The law] is not inconsistent with Articles 9 and 12 of the Constitution of Singapore, which ensures that one will not be deprived of his life or personal liberty save in accordance with law and that all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law, respectively,” Loh wrote in his judgement.
In his 54-page judgement Loh refuted the central argument of the plaintiff that homosexuality is an innate trait, based on consensus in the scientific community. If accepted, this fact could have rendered the law unconstitutional.
This is the second time Loh has dismissed a challenge to the law criminalising homosexuality this year.
The challenge came from Tan Eng Hong, who was arrested in 2010 for having oral sex in a public toilet. Tan said through his lawyer he is considering taking his case to the Court of Appeal, Singapore’s highest court.
