Singapore: Last News

I was at a watch party last month, waiting excitedly for the expected announcement that Singapore would finally decriminalize consensual sex between gay men. Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code, a holdover from British colonial times, has loomed as a barrier to queer rights, setting the tone for discrimination in broader areas like housing, health care and employment. Although the government had years ago stopped enforcing it, repeal gave gay Singaporeans like me hope that we might finally be accepted, and cheers went up when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivered the news.

Elska is a project centered on traveling around the world, meeting some everyday local gay guys, and introducing their city to our readers through honest photography and personal stories. It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it! The latest issue documents a trip to Singapore.Below, photographer Liam Campbell shares exclusively with GayCities a selection of photos along with a bit of behind-the-scenes commentary about each.‘Elska Singapore’ is the 39th edition of my project, which so far has seen me travel to various cities on every continent of the world (apart from Antarctica), including seven cities in Asia.

In a Blade article (9/2/22) Larry’s Lounge (LL) customer Brett Howard fondly called Larry’s Lounge “a dive bar.” Yes, it is and so much more.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Chinese-owned video streamer iQiyi has confirmed that it has blocked access in Singapore to ten gay-themed TV series. But it says that the move is temporary. “The content was temporarily removed in compliance with the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s guidance towards R21 content,” a company spokesman told Variety by email. R21 restricts viewing to people aged over 21. The shows blocked include iQiyi’s Thai-language original “KinnPorsche and “Until We Met Again” that fall into the ‘Boys Love’ or BL genre. Soft-core romances between (mostly young and handsome) men have become hugely popular in Southeast Asia. And much of the audience for them is adult and female.

SEOUL: South Korean prosecutors have asked Interpol to issue a fugitive alert for the founder of Terraform Labs as they investigate a US$40 billion crash of the firm’s cryptocurrency that devastated retail investors around the world.

SINGAPORE: Cryptocurrencies fell to fresh lows on Monday (Sep 19) on regulatory concerns and as investors globally turned shy on risky assets with interest rate rises looming around the world.

Musician Tommy Lee has already proven he’s not camera shy, and apparently he has a lot more to share with the world… for a fee.The Mötley Crüe drummer announced he’s launching an OnlyFans page during the group’s final reunion performance in Las Vegas for their Stadium tour.The move comes one month after Lee shirked Instagram’s nudity rules and posted a full-frontal photo. It remained up for several hours before the app removed it — it’s still on Twitter if you’re one of the few people who hasn’t seen it. But we understand if you’d like to keep it that way.Related: 8 male celebs on OnlyFans you can following right nowHe later provided the messy context to a crowd of fans in San Antonio, Texas, attributing his overshare to being on a “mother f*cking bender.”“A couple of weeks ago, we had like a two-week break off the tour, and I went on a mother f*cking bender, bro,” Lee, 59, said.

SEOUL: A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for Do Kwon, the primary developer of cryptocurrencies Luna and TerraUSD, whose spectacular collapse in May roiled crypto markets around the world.

What everyone needs to do, see, and eat on a trip to Sri LankaFor hearty pub food and beautiful countryside, this South Downs inn is the place to stayI went to Corona's beer island and fell in love with the eco-friendly paradiseJust because progress has been made, doesn’t mean it can’t be undone. It very much echoed the how I felt in India during my visit in 2013.

Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96.

Singapore is to decriminalise sex between men by repealing a colonial-era law, its PM said on Sunday, while vowing to protect the city-state's traditional norms and its definition of marriage.During his speech at the annual National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believed it is the "right thing to do now" as most Singaporeans would now accept it."Private sexual behavior between consenting adults does not raise any law and order issue. There is no justification to prosecute people for it nor to make it a crime," Lee said."This will bring the law into line with current social mores and I hope provide some relief to gay Singaporeans."Lee vowed the repeal would be limited and not shake Singapore's traditional family and societal norms, including how marriage is defined, what children are taught in schools, what is shown on television and general public conduct.He said the government would amend the constitution to ensure that there could be no constitutional challenge allowing same-sex marriage."Even as we repeal Section 377A, we will uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage," Lee said.

Dr. Roy Tan remembers the fear of being a gay man in Singapore in the 1980s and 1990s. Having consensual sex with another man was punishable by imprisonment.

SINGAPORE: The chief of Singapore's central bank said the country is considering new measures that will make it more difficult for retail investors to trade cryptocurrencies at a time when they seem to be "irrationally oblivious" about the risks.

protect the nation’s definition of marriage, which excludes same-sex unions, in the Constitution, the government quickly mobilized top ministers to try to calm a storm brewing between the LGBTQ community and some religious groups.The next morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, the man tipped to succeed Lee as premier, spoke to the nation’s main broadcaster about how to “live harmoniously,” while Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam explained to the island’s biggest newspaper the move was to prevent the marriage definition being challenged in court.This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.

Singapore will move to decriminalize gay sex while increasing prohibitions against same-sex marriage, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, August 21.Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code, a law implemented by the country’s British colonial government in 1938, criminalizes sex between men. Today, even consensual, private sex between adult men in Singapore remains legally punishable by up to two years in prison.Parliament will now repeal 377A, Loong said.

Singapore’s government confirmed that it will continue to restrict LGBTQ+ film and media content for older audiences, despite repealing its ban on gay sex.

Dennis Rodman, the former NBA player, says he is traveling to Russia to seek the release of Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner.The out WNBA star has been detained in Moscow since February of this year when Russian authorities at the Sheremetyevo Airport discovered vape canisters with cannabis oil inside of her luggage. Earlier this month, Griner was convicted and sentenced to 9 years in prison over the charges."I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl,” Rodman told NBC News.

Singapore’s government has confirmed that it will continue to restrict LGBTQ film and media content to older audiences, despite overturning a decades-old law that banned gay sex.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Singapore government announced that it will continue to restrict and classify media content with LGBTQ themes, even after its planned decriminalization of same-sex relationships.The move to repeal a colonial-era law that criminalized sex between men was announced Sunday by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The law, Section 377A of the Penal Code, was introduced in 1938 and established a two-year jail term for “any act of gross indecency” between two men, either in public or in private.London-based Singaporean filmmaker Anthony Chen (“Ilo Ilo,” “Wet Season”) commended the planned repeal.

(CNN) — Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday said the country will repeal the colonial-era Section 377A of Singapore's Penal Code, thereby decriminalizing gay sex in Singapore, but added that same-sex marriage will continue to be illegal in the city-state."Sex between consenting men should not be criminalized. There is no justification to prosecute people for it, nor to make it a crime," he said at his annual policy address, the National Day Rally, carried live on television."I believe (repeal) is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept.

Singapore will decriminalise sexual relations between men but has no plans to allow same-sex marriage and will seek to enshrine the current ban in the constitution, the prime minister said on Sunday.

Related: Singapore’s highest court upholds gay sex ban for this frustrating reasonHowever, when announcing the move yesterday on national TV, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the city-state would also act to ensure marriage between one man and one woman only is protected by the law. This would make it harder for same-sex marriage to become a reality.Despite that setback, the repeal of 377A has been celebrated by many.In changing the law, Singapore is following in the wake of India, Thailand and Taiwan.

Supreme Court ruled the ban to be "irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary."But in both India and Singapore, the abolition of these laws didn't translate into a complete backing of LGBTQ+ rights, as same-sex marriage remains illegal in both countries."Let me reassure everyone that in handling the issue, the government will continue to uphold families as the basic building blocks of society," Singapore's prime minister said on Sunday. "We will keep our policies on family and marriage unchanged and maintain the prevailing norms and social values of our society."Despite increased acceptance in the past two decades of LGBTQ+ rights around the world, there have also been backlashes and setbacks in many countries—and in 67 nations part of the United Nations, homosexuality is still persecuted as a crime.A map produced by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersexual Association (ILGA) in 2020, seen above, shows the countries where homosexuality is still criminalized.Since the report was published, Bhutan and Antigua and Barbuda decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual relations between adults, respectively, in 2021 and 2022.Nearly half of the countries where homosexuality is still criminalized are in Africa.

On Sunday, August 21, it was announced that consensual same-sex activity between men will no longer be illegal in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong confirmed the news during his annual National Day Rally speech, much to the delight of LGBTQ+ activists and allies. Section 377A of the country’s penal code was introduced in the […]

SINGAPORE – Singapore will decriminalize sex between men, but has no plans to change the legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday.LGBTQ groups welcomed Lee’s decision to repeal Section 377A of the penal code, a colonial-era law that criminalizes sex between men, but also expressed concern that ruling out same-sex marriage would help to perpetuate discrimination.This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.

Singapore to decriminalize gay sex Singapore’s prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said the country would decriminalize sex between consenting men, repealing a colonial-era law. But Lee said he would also propose a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Singapore’s gay community has fought for years to repeal the law, known as Section 377A, arguing that it promotes discrimination even if it is not enforced.

In a win for LGBTQ+ rights, Singapore has announced plans to decriminalise the country’s archaic law that bans men having sex with men. 

Singapore schrapt een wet die seks tussen mannen strafbaar stelt. Dat heeft premier Lee bekendgemaakt in zijn jaarlijkse toespraak.

“By and large, Singapore is a conservative society ...” (Image via video still)

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday announced his country will decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations.

Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, said on Sunday that the government would repeal the country’s colonial-era law criminalizing sex between men, a step long sought by gay rights advocates, but that same-sex marriage would continue to be illegal. Reversing his long-held opposition to decriminalizing gay sex, Mr. Lee said he believed that the conservative nation was willing to accept the idea of sex between consenting men and revoke the law, known as Section 377A.

Singapore will decriminalise sex between men, the prime minister said on Sunday, effectively making it legal to be homosexual in the city-state.

Troubled crypto lender and borrower Hodlnaut on Friday (Aug 19) laid off about 40 employees since pausing crypto withdrawals and disclosed an investigation by the Singapore police.

A classic of American literature is being reimagined with queer characters and people of color at its center.Jeremy Holt and Felipe Cunha’s Gatsby, an eight-issue graphic novel series debuting in November from comics publisher and independent developer AWA Studios, gives F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby a makeover for the 2020s.

SEOUL: The co-founder of the failed Terra cryptocurrency, which collapsed and wiped out about US$40 billion of investors' money in May, has admitted he was "wrong", but said that he was not talking to South Korean investigators.

HONG KONG: Hodlnaut, a Singapore-based crypto currency lender and borrower, has suspended withdrawals, swaps and deposits, the company said on Monday (Aug 8), the latest sign of stress in the cryptocurrency industry.

ABOVE: And speaking of Fire Island, see below ...

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Southeast Asia-focused cryptocurrency exchange Zipmex said it had filed for bankruptcy protection in Singapore, becoming the latest victim of the global downturn in digital currencies.

Tom Daley will front a new BBC documentary next month shining a spotlight on the widespread homophobia still present across Commonwealth countries.

HONG KONG: Singapore-based crypto lending and trading platform Vauld said on Monday (Jul 4) it would suspend withdrawals and trading and seek new investors, the latest sign of stress in the embattled crypto industry.

Singaporean journalist Gina Chua has decades of experience under her belt, helping stories come to fruition in publications like the Wall Street Journal and the South China Morning Post. In recent years, she has come to finally tell her own authentic story.Today, Chua stands as one of the most senior journalists in the world to openly and proudly identify as transgender.  A post shared by Gina Chua (@gina_chua_nyc)She made headlines early last year when she was promoted to Executive Editor at Reuters, one of the world’s largest news agencies–of which she found herself virtually second-in-command.

SINGAPORE: Cryptocurrency assets are a "highly risky space", but it also has the potential to transform the future of finance, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said on Tuesday (May 31).

SINGAPORE: Even before it had the usual cashless payment options, homeware e-retailer &glazed was already allowing customers to pay for their purchases using cryptocurrency.

Thania Garcia Wendy Ong brings an extraordinarily diverse background to her current role as president of TaP Music. Her career path has led her from Singapore to Hong Kong to New York to Los Angeles, working with Clive Davis, Diddy, New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Universal Music, Roc Nation, and beginning in 2018, at TaP, where she heads up the West Coast office and has worked closely with Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding, Caroline Polacheck and (previously) Dua Lipa.With vast experience in marketing and management — she was even head of classical at EMI Music — she finds all of her skills coming into play at the multifaceted TaP, which also includes a label and publishing and digital marketing divisions.

Grindr has confirmed plans to become a public company in a $2.1 billion merger deal with Tiga Acquisition Corp (TAC).

Grindr announced yesterday that it’s going to go public and float on the stock market.In a press release describing itself as “the #1 social network for the LGBTQ+ community” (ahem), Grindr said it was merging with Singapore-based investment company Tiga Acquisition Corp. (TAC) ahead of the public offering.