After repeal of anti-gay sex law, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face discrimination in Singapore

This post is part of Global Voices’ June 2026 Spotlight series, “Gender Diversity.” This series offers insight into gender diversity and how it is being threatened, protected, and preserved around the world. You can support this coverage by donating here.
The repeal of a law criminalizing gay sex in 2022 was a big victory for the LGBTQ+ community in Singapore, which has demanded it for years and pushed back against its strict enforcement. But its repeal did not lead to the eradication of bias and other unfair policies targeting LGBTQ+ individuals.
For many years, the petition for the repeal of section 377a, a colonial-era provision of the law criminalizing gay sex, became the rallying call of the LGBTQ+ community in putting a spotlight on the discrimination they face and the reforms needed to promote gender equality.
Its repeal in 2022 was celebrated as a step forward that can inspire bolder reforms in society. But the repeal was also accompanied by a parliamentary action that strengthened the constitutional provision on marriage by defining it as a union between two heterosexual individuals. This further restricted the rights and privileges that LGBTQ+ individuals can avail of, such as housing, loans, and some government services.
During the 2025 general election, Substack user Benjamin Xue expressed dismay at the dominant political parties’ failure to articulate a clear agenda for the LGBTQ+ constituency.
No political party has included us in their manifestos for GE2025; no candidate has meaningfully named the LGBTQIA+ community as of concern in Singapore.
The invisibility cuts even deeper when coded words like ‘agenda’ and ‘ideology are thrown around, framing us as ‘socially divisive’; something to be managed rather than human beings to be heard.
Too often, we are met with hurtful refrains — that ‘family building comes first’ or that there will be ‘no changes under my watch.’
The community report of Transgender SG in April 2026 mentioned the workplace discrimination experienced by transgender individuals.
A transgender person is six times as likely to be unemployed, indicating that transgender persons face unequal access to employment.
Transgender applicants frequently encounter negative attitudes due to social stigma, or internalised transphobia, and face the burden of self-advocacy.
During the buildup for the Pink Dot, the annual community event celebrating LGBTQ+ rights, AWARE Singapore highlighted a government policy that gravely affected trans youth.
MOH [Ministry of Health] recently banned access to HRT [Hormone Replacement Therapy] and puberty blockers for trans youth 21 and below. The consequences are devastating to dozens who were already in the process of transitioning. And it’s one more load added to the already unbearable weight of institutional discrimination toward trans youth — in school, in NS [National Service], at home, and eventually, the workplace.
After attending the Pink Dot event, Jamus Lim, a Member of Parliament, acknowledged that more work is needed to ensure protection and equality for the LGBTQ+ community.
Although the repeal of 377A was an important step in removing a source of state discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, those within community still face issues of recognition and bias within various spaces, including many touched by public policy. So much work remains if we believe in striving for justice and equality for all Singaporeans.
The organizers of the Pink Dot SG summed up the situation of LGBTQ+ individuals in Singapore today and underscored the role of solidarity in advancing gender equality.
Though more LGBTQ+ individuals are slowly emerging into the mainstream, prejudice and bigotry in present societal attitudes keep many LGBTQ+ individuals from coming out of the closet.
We believe that relationships should be built on love, not fear and secrecy. Unfortunately, most LGBTQ+ individuals in Singapore are denied this basic freedom to be who they are in front of their loved ones.
The recent successful Pink Dot gathering once again displayed the love and community support for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families. At the same time, it also reminded many that there are bigger battles ahead in advancing the rights and welfare of the LGBTQ+ community.