Homosexuals versus Heterosexuals (edited)

There are two contrasting websites that have been circulating around. Both are on the Homsexual issue, specifically the issue of sex. (legal term: Unnatural offences)

Here is the act (http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/, Section 377 of the Penal Code):


Unnatural offences.

377.

Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animals, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.

Explanation.Penetration is sufficient to constitute the carnal intercourse necessary to the offence described in this section.


Outrages on decency.

377A.

Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.


This blog is NOT about homsexuals and their sex life. This blog is about the responses.

Two online petitions have been set up, one called http://repeal377a.com/ and the other http://www.keep377a.com/. Their names should tell you the idea behind the petitions.

The issue i am struggling is that i am convinced by neither side of their stand. On the one hand, i agree with Repeal that sexual acts between two or more people are private choices and since they do not affect others, the law should not be used to restrict the rights of others who desire to practice such sexual acts. On the other, i do feel that Keep does have a point in that its view is the more prevalent view in singapore; Singapore is concerned about the masses and not so much the minority and in some cases the needs of many outweigh the needs of few.


Keep's stand is that if we repeal the law, going by examples in the world we will find that our society will soon degenerate into a very bad moral standing. The slippery slope argument, our known moral standards will be trampled upon and we will be no different from the world. Remembering the casino debate, someone did asked is Singapore heading the wrong way. Perhaps we are.

There is no sure evolution of the way societies head. We may say that every other society becomes a certain type, but then we are not sure that is the path we lead. Every society is different, just because that society developed into that stage does not mean we become that type.

What makes Keep even more unattractive is simply there is nothing else to their stand. There is no valid point strong enough for me to place my beliefs in. Perhaps we should consider the stand that not just is sex between two consenting males is illegal, but we should consider instead fighting against sex outside marriage. Sex (God's design) is the ultimate connection between male and female. It must be in the context of a marriage; outside that it is wrong.

That said, Repeal does not appeal to my tastes. Their reasons for change is due to changing domestic outlook on homosexuals, on international trends, on the damage to the gay community

International trends are not a reason for following. Gay marriages, the permission for pornography, the tolernace for drug absuers etc are reasons why not. We must never allow our society to develop in the manner in which the world dictates it should.

Domestic trends should not be used as a measure of the law; the law has a purpose is safeguarding the interests of the country and not the desires of the people, and more importantly of the 'so called minority'.

I do not agree that homsexuals deserve the term minority simply because such a term has a means that the behaviour of a homosexual is normal. It is correct for men to love men, women to love women, sexually. I am a firm believer that we are NOT born gay; God made MAN and WOMAN in HIS IMAGE. A homosexual image essentially contradicts heterosexuality. This is not about contrast or about tension, this is contradiction. Just like God is both Good and Bad, Light and Darkness, all knowing and not knowing. Contradictions that are NOT true. God is NOT both Good and Bad. He cannot be.

Ultimately, i wonder if repeal or keep are promoting their own agenda or the agenda of others. Is Keep trying to influence the making of law because they benefit from the status quo or is it because they truly believe this is for the betterment of society. Is Repeal trying to further the cause of the gays or is it fighting for greater freedom by attacking small areas of the law?

Personally, i am keen for repeal because the law should not be used as a tool of oppressing the masses in their strictly private life. That is why i believe that homsexuals may practice whatever sex they so desire behind closed doors; however they should not be given the tag of 'minority' group nor should they be treated as specially from the rest. Teaching that homsexuality is normal is not right, but neither is condemning them for what they do in private. At the end of the day, what you choose to do behind closed doors is your life, but the moment it intrudes on my life, then i believe I have the right to respond to it.

Also, Singaporeans, Singapore is YOUR country. YOU have a very heavy ONUS to tell YOUR government whether it is doing the right thing or not. You need to tell them what you think, because they WORK for you, not you for them. They have power given BY you; we give them the right to rule, to do things best for our country. But we need to tell them what we think is best, and they act accordingly.

(excerpt from keep)
Sexual preference is not about civil rights and has nothing to do with equality or tolerance. Repealing S377A would in fact be the first step towards mainstreaming the homosexual lifestyle, which has been shown elsewhere to lead to:

Calls to specify the minimum age for consensual homosexual sex;

A public education system that teaches acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle under the banner of "tolerance";

The redefinition of marriage to include (gay) civil unions and same-sex marriages, and to extend marriage and parenthood benefits to them;

Adoption by same-sex parents.

(excerpt from Repeal)
The reasons why this repeal is so important are manifold.

1. Singapore’s Founding Principles.

2. Constitutional and Legal Rights.

3. International Social Mores and Trends.

4. Domestic Social Mores and Trends.

5. Damage to the Gay Community.

6. Pragmatism, Leadership and the Future.