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Introduction[edit | edit source]

Homophobia in Singapore stems from two main factors derived from the cultural characteristics of her population: 1) religious proscriptions and 2) secular insecurity.

There are numerous websites featuring homophobic and counter-homophobic arguments. This article focuses on statements actually made by Singaporeans themselves.

Religious proscriptions[edit | edit source]

Abrahamic religions[edit | edit source]

Christianity[edit | edit source]

Islam[edit | edit source]

Judaism[edit | edit source]

Eastern religions[edit | edit source]

The Eastern religions such as Hinduism, Daoism and Buddhism have ideologically and historically been much more tolerant of homosexuality than their Abrahamic or Middle Eastern counterparts.

Buddhism[edit | edit source]

Daoism[edit | edit source]

Hinduism[edit | edit source]

Confucianism[edit | edit source]

Arguments against religious proscriptions[edit | edit source]

Secular insecurity[edit | edit source]

Being historically an immigrant nation, insecure about economic survival and anxious to ensure the continuity of an intact society, the following categories of arguments have often been voiced by Singaporeans to maintain institutionalised homophobia:

Arguments against secular insecurity[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  • Abdul Khalik, "Islam 'recognizes homosexuality'", The Jakarta Post, 28 March 2008[1].

External links[edit | edit source]

  • Question & Answer session, following the above lecture:[7]