Singapore drag performer Yeo Sam Jo has been feeling much more confident and safe heading off to shows in the full regalia of pink sequin dress, pearl necklace and heavy make-up.
Change is afoot in the conservative city state with a softening of attitudes and growing tolerance of gay issues, which some members of the LGBT community and academics attribute to the November"Some people will take photos and I'll just let them. Whatever, I'm going for work, I'm going to perform," said Yeo, or "JoJo Sam Clair" as he is known on stage.
Before the change, a man found to have committed an act of “gross indecency” with another man could be jailed for up to two years, though the government had said in 2007 it would not enforce the law. Authorities banned gay festivals and censored gay films, saying homosexuality should not be advocated as a lifestyle.
"The repeal of 377A could be interpreted as a top-down signal that the social and political landscape has changed. This means that even those who do not necessarily agree with the repeal must now respect and acknowledge these identities," said Kathiravelu, of the Nanyang Technological University.The repeal of the gay sex ban was not universally welcomed. An alliance of churches decried it as an "extremely regrettable decision" that "celebrates homosexuality".
An annual rally for LGBT rights known as Pink Dot drew big crowds this weekend, though under rules laid down by the government, foreigners may not attend and organisers may not accept sponsorship from foreign companies. "I think it is partly to do with the repeal of Section 377A. It somehow seems it is safer to talk about this," Lim said on a conference panel with the law and home affairs minister, K. Shanmugam.
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