By: Ben Matchap
In the recent UN General Assembly UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held the first UN high-level LGBT rights meeting. During this meeting he had this to say: “I ask those who use religious or cultural arguments to deprive LGBT people of their human rights: what do you gain by making others less equal? Is your religion or culture so weak that the only way you can sustain it is by denying others their basic rights?”
This got me thinking of the homophobic groups in singapore like, “we are against Pink Dot in Singapore” and the “Wear White” movement. These are a few of the homophobic Facebook groups in Singapore – what do these groups have to gain from denying LGBT people their rights? How would giving LGBTs these rights be a bad thing? How would it negativity affect their beliefs? How weak their faith must be for them to fight to deny rights to an already marginalised minority group?
Section 377A the law that criminalises sex between consenting grown men was actually a British colonial law back when we didn’t have WIFI or a very educated population. Remember this law is more than a hundred years old, surely society has progressed and we are more educated than how we use to be 100 years ago.
Many religions believe that those that don’t believe in their particular faith are apostates. Some even prescribe severe punishment for apostates – even death. But Singapore is a secular state where we cherish secularism. We don’t punish people just because of their beliefs. Why then are we hell bent on punishing gays?
I don’t understand how a country with a pledge that says “regardless or race language or religion” can still have some citizens fighting to promote homophobia.
If those that practice monotheistic religion can tolerate those that practice polytheism in Singapore, why are those that have a different sexual orientation persecuted?
If you don’t believe in gay marriages don’t get one yourself. If you believe being gay is against your religion then don’t be gay yourself. If you belief that being transgender sends you to hell then don’t be a transgender yourself.
Give the LGBT community the same respect you would give to people of other faiths in the spirit of diversity. Because to use the right of freedom of religion (which has been given to you) to step on and oppress another marginalised minority group is disgusting.
Stop the discrimination.