Sexual orientation not a ‘right’

From TODAY, Voices
Wednesday September 10, 2008

THE GAY DEBATE
Just because the rest of the world allows it, doesn’t mean Singapore should

Letter from Koo Xun Zhao

I REFER to “Stop making a mockery of Rule of Law: Let’s accept gays” (Sept 8) and would like to point out several fallacies in Mr Ho Kwon Ping’s reasoning.

First, contrary to what he says, the Government has not said it would not prosecute those who breach the law — just that it would not pursue those who breach it.

This is a fundamental difference which does not result in what he calls “a mockery of the Rule of Law”. It can be just as easily argued that we can avoid what Mr Ho calls our current “schizophrenic” situation by actually enforcing the law on gay sex.

After all, it was the Rule of Law before the Government decided to be more open to gays.

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I urge Mr Ho to speak to non-gays who are also knowledgeable, if not experts, in the law and who are for criminalizing gay sex to get their perspectives on the issue.
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Mr Ho also compares the so-called “persecution” of gays with racial discrimination. Sexual orientation or preferences, however, are not “rights”.

Hence the question of discrimination does not arise. Mr Ho also cites proponents of the Rule of Law advocating the decriminalisation of gay sex, “something which the rest of the world has long decriminalised”.

Using what the rest of the world does as the basis for establishing or repealing a law has no grounds in law-making.

The same goes for the argument that Victorian laws be removed as there are important laws in our books today that exist from those times that are still relevant: For example, the law against incest.

Mr Ho claims that it is only “the most feverishly fundamentalist Christians or Muslims” and the “homophobic” who care about whether the law against gay sex is kept. In this, he is misinformed since there are even gays who feel that the statute should be kept.

Moreover, The Straits Times reported on Sept 20 last year that a survey by Nanyang Technological University found that seven in 10 Singaporeans frown on homosexuality.

I urge Mr Ho to speak to non-gays who are also knowledgeable, if not experts, in the law and who are for criminalising gay sex to get their perspectives on the issue.