Wednesday, October 17, 2007
a post about sex
just read that there were about 1000 people who petitioned for the repeal of s.377A (jail up to 2 yrs for gay sex), the reason cited it being 'discriminatory'. since heterosexuals are now allowed to engage in oral and anal sex, homosexuals should be allowed to do so too!
well, actually we're more discriminatory than that. not only are homosexuals not allowed to engage in sex, they are not allowed to marry either. not in singapore anyway. they can't say "let's go buy hdb together". the state doesn't allow that. they can't adopt children either. and they obviously can't make one by themselves. so in essence we're depriving them of the right to marriage, the right to own property, the right to have descendants etc. we really are discriminatory huh?
but let's get down to the real issue. this isn't about discrimination. this isn't about sex either. this is about social norms. fact: we are an asian society. fact: asian societies are more conservative. fact: our society perceives homosexual behaviour as unnatural.
these are the crucial factors in determining whether or not we change the law. for the law is a guide to social behaviour, is it not? the law tells us that it is wrong to murder and steal. the law also tells us that we should wear seatbelts in a car. and so we do not murder, we do not steal, and we guai guai put on our seatbelts. if the law now says that sex among homosexuals is alright, it shall be a statement that homosexuality is alright. are we as a society ready to accept this? are we ready to accept that homosexuals can marry, that they can adopt children? are we prepared to tell ourselves and our children, "it doesn't matter if u are a guy and u like guys. it's normal."
if we aren't prepared to do this, then we aren't prepared to change the law. let's not do something without thinking of the repercussions.
but more pertinently, it is clear that homosexuals must enjoy all basic rights available to heterosexuals. they should, for example, have the right to education and a right to a career based on meritocracy, and should not be discriminated against by the mere fact that they are homosexuals. this is clearly not easy to achieve in light of social stigma. nevertheless, we should not be "creating" new rights to condone what society has yet to accept. homosexuals, like the rest of the people, are able to marry someone of the opposite sex. they have the same right to marriage like heterosexuals, and like heterosexuals, they cannot marry someone of the same gender. there is no discrimination in this respect.. (ok i'm pushing this argument a bit)
we must recognise that society isn't able to accept homosexual behaviour as "natural" yet, despite the fact that several scientists have shown that homosexuality is by birth and not by choice. as i write this i have had to put aside my Christian standpoint for a moment and state this from an entirely secular point of view. whether the scientists are right would probably have an impact on what society thinks of homosexuality.
just read that there were about 1000 people who petitioned for the repeal of s.377A (jail up to 2 yrs for gay sex), the reason cited it being 'discriminatory'. since heterosexuals are now allowed to engage in oral and anal sex, homosexuals should be allowed to do so too!
well, actually we're more discriminatory than that. not only are homosexuals not allowed to engage in sex, they are not allowed to marry either. not in singapore anyway. they can't say "let's go buy hdb together". the state doesn't allow that. they can't adopt children either. and they obviously can't make one by themselves. so in essence we're depriving them of the right to marriage, the right to own property, the right to have descendants etc. we really are discriminatory huh?
but let's get down to the real issue. this isn't about discrimination. this isn't about sex either. this is about social norms. fact: we are an asian society. fact: asian societies are more conservative. fact: our society perceives homosexual behaviour as unnatural.
these are the crucial factors in determining whether or not we change the law. for the law is a guide to social behaviour, is it not? the law tells us that it is wrong to murder and steal. the law also tells us that we should wear seatbelts in a car. and so we do not murder, we do not steal, and we guai guai put on our seatbelts. if the law now says that sex among homosexuals is alright, it shall be a statement that homosexuality is alright. are we as a society ready to accept this? are we ready to accept that homosexuals can marry, that they can adopt children? are we prepared to tell ourselves and our children, "it doesn't matter if u are a guy and u like guys. it's normal."
if we aren't prepared to do this, then we aren't prepared to change the law. let's not do something without thinking of the repercussions.
but more pertinently, it is clear that homosexuals must enjoy all basic rights available to heterosexuals. they should, for example, have the right to education and a right to a career based on meritocracy, and should not be discriminated against by the mere fact that they are homosexuals. this is clearly not easy to achieve in light of social stigma. nevertheless, we should not be "creating" new rights to condone what society has yet to accept. homosexuals, like the rest of the people, are able to marry someone of the opposite sex. they have the same right to marriage like heterosexuals, and like heterosexuals, they cannot marry someone of the same gender. there is no discrimination in this respect.. (ok i'm pushing this argument a bit)
we must recognise that society isn't able to accept homosexual behaviour as "natural" yet, despite the fact that several scientists have shown that homosexuality is by birth and not by choice. as i write this i have had to put aside my Christian standpoint for a moment and state this from an entirely secular point of view. whether the scientists are right would probably have an impact on what society thinks of homosexuality.