Singapore

Demographics

Estimated Total Population:

5.63 million

World Bank, 2018

Estimated SGM Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated Total SGM Adult Population:

N/A

N/A

Estimated % of SGM Adults (18+):

N/A

N/A

Under to Section 377A of the Penal Code of Singapore, sex between males is illegal. While this law is rarely enforced in Singapore, this makes efforts to estimate the SGM population very difficult and limited. However, a 2019 study conducted by researchers at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health estimated that there are 210,000men who have sex with men in Singapore. This may provide an insight on one aspect of SGM. There is also very little information surrounding population estimates of other SGM individuals.

Singapore's Laws and Policies from ILGA World Report (2019)

RECOGNITION
Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
No
Civil Unions
No
Joint Adoption
No
Second Parent Adoption
No
PROTECTION
Employment Nondiscrimination Laws
No
Broad Protections
No
Criminalization of Violence
No
Ban of Conversion Therapy
No
CRIMINALIZATION
Consensual Same-Sex Acts are Legal?
No
Gender
Male Only
Max Penalty (Yrs in Prison)
2

Selected Published Studies, Reports, and Other Documents

Chua, A.C., Chen, M.I.C., Cavailler, P., Jiang, L., Abdullah, M.R., Ng, O.T., Chio, M., Koe, S., Tay, J., Wong, M.L.,&Chan, R. (2013) Challenges of Respondent Driven Sampling to Assess Sexual Behavior and Estimate the Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV) and Syphilis in Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Singapore. Ann Acad Med Singapore, 42(7). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23949264/

Ho, V., Sherquesha, S., & Zheng, D. (2015) The Forced Sterilzationof Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming People in Singapore. LGBTQ Policy Journal at the Harvard Kennedy School, 5: 53-75. https://theprojectx.org/main/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2016-LGBTQ-full-journal.pdf#page=55

Tang, S., & Quah, S.E.L. (2017). Heteronormativity and sexuality politics in Singapore: the female-headed households of divorced and lesbian mothers.The Australian Sociological Association, 54(4): 647-664. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.duke.edu/10.1177/1440783317742530

Teh, Y.Y., Munisamy, Y. Wong, P.Y., Tan, K., Huang, J., & Yong, J.A. (2015). Singapore social work practice with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. International Social Work, 61(1). https://doi-org.proxy.lib.duke.edu/10.1177/0020872815603785

Yang, C., Guadamuz, T. E., Lim, S. H., Koe, S., & Wei, C. (2016). Factors Associated with Alcohol Use Before or During Sex Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in a Large Internet Sample from Asia. LGBT health, 3(2), 168–174. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4723287/

Studies that look at Societal Perceptions of SGM:

Detenber, B.H., Ho, S.S., Neo, R.L., Malik, S., & Cenite, M. (2012). Influence of value predisposition, interpersonal contact, and mediated exposure on public attitudes towards homosexuals in Singapore. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 16(3). https://doi-org.proxy.lib.duke.edu/10.1111/ajsp.12006

Detenber, B.H., Cenite, M., Zhou, S., Malik, S., & Neo, R.L. (2014). Rights Versus Morality: Online Debate About Decriminalization of Gay Sex in Singapore. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(9). https://doi-org.proxy.lib.duke.edu/10.1080/00918369.2014.926769

Manalastas, E.J., Ojanen, T.T., Torre, B.A., Ratanashevorn, R., Hong, B.C.C., Kumaresan, V., & Veeramuthu, V. (2017). Homonegativity in Southeast Asia: Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(1): 25-33. http://apssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/2manalastas-053017-1.pdf