Although Red Dot United (RDU) does not have any parliament representation, it has come out to make its party stand on the repeal 377A issue, which will be debated by members of parliament at the end of the month before they take a vote on the matter.
Posting on its official Facebook page over the weekend, the party that contested in Jurong GRC in the 2020 Singapore General Election said, “Just like the wider community, members of Red Dot United have differing views on the issue and we can understand that some of these views are informed by cultural and religious opinions.”
During the election, the party led by its secretary-general Ravi Philemon, announced that should any of its candidates be elected to parliament and the issue of the repeal of 377A comes up for debate, ‘RDU will allow its parliamentarians to vote according to their conscience and in reflection of their constituents on the ground.’
In August this year, RDU also put out a statement stating that it promises to, “continue listening to all our constituents on the ground closely in forming and advocating for policies which will put strong families as the cornerstone of our society.”
This is after they recognized that the LGBT community has said that there would be no immediate plans to mount a legal challenge to redefine marriage as currently stated in the Women’s Charter.
K Shanmugam tabled Penal Code (Amendment) Bill to repeal Section 377A
In October, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam introduced a law in Parliament which will repeal Section 377A which criminalises sex between men, while a constitutional amendment to protect the current definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman was tabled by Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.
The two readings of the Bills will be debated when Parliament convenes on 28 November, with a simple majority required to repeal the law, and two-thirds of the MP’s support needed to amend the constitution.
Following the proposed repeal of 377A, a constitutional amendment was tabled by Minister Masagos. It seeks to reaffirm the government’s position in protecting the sanctity of marriage, which many in society are accustomed to. Many of Singapore’s laws and policies are based on this definition, which includes, adoption, housing, and education.