SINGAPORE: Veteran diplomat Tommy Koh called again for the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises gay sex, in an opinion piece published by The Straits Times on Monday (Sep 24).
The Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the prominent personalities to have spoken out against the legislation after India's Supreme Court struck down a similar law early in September.
"I would encourage our gay community to bring a class action to challenge the constitutionality of Section 377A," Professor Koh, 80, wrote in response to a Facebook post a day after the Indian ruling.
DJ Johnson Ong has since taken up his call and filed a challenge against the law.
In Prof Koh's commentary published on Monday - Section 377A: There is a difference between a sin and a crime - he delved into the history of the legislation and scientific studies on homosexuality.
On the scientific evidence for repealing the law, he wrote: "Scientific research has shown that homosexuality is a normal and natural variation in human sexuality and is not in itself a source of negative psychological effects."
He cited a World Health Organization decision in 1973 to delete homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
"This decision was endorsed by the general assembly of WHO in 1990 when it agreed to delete homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. In WHO's view, being LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) is not a disease," he added.
Prof Koh also pointed out that of the 196 states in the United Nations, the majority - 124 states - do not criminalise sodomy. Singapore is among the minority of 72 states which do.
While all the developed, Western countries do not criminalise sodomy, a notable number of Asian territories also fall into this category, including China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Thailand, he said.
Meanwhile, many of the countries who have a similar law in place were former British colonies. Read more via Channel News Asia