Recognition of same-sex unions in Singapore

[1] In 2022, the Parliament of Singapore passed a constitutional amendment giving itself "the power to define, regulate, protect and promote the institution of marriage".

[2] Purchasing a Housing Development Board (HDB) flat is a major step towards married life for almost all couples intending to formalize their relationship and is entrenched in Singapore society.

On 21 August 2022, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the government would repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, effectively ending the criminalisation of private, consensual sexual relations between men.

"[8] On 20 October 2022, the government tabled a draft constitutional amendment giving Parliament "the power to define, regulate, protect and promote the institution of marriage".

[14] Article 156 of the Constitution now reads:[10] (1) The Legislature may, by law, define, regulate, protect, safeguard, support, foster and promote the institution of marriage.

[16] A survey conducted by the same polling organization between August 2018 and January 2019 revealed that Singaporean society was still largely conservative but becoming more supportive of LGBT rights.

[17][18] In 2019, a poll conducted by YouGov showed that 34% of Singaporeans supported same-sex civil partnerships, while 43% opposed its legalization, and the remaining 23% were uncertain.

[23] In June 2019, an online survey conducted by Blackbox Research revealed that 56% of Singaporeans were opposed to other countries following Taiwan's lead in legalising same-sex marriage, while 44% were supportive.

[25] This level of support was the fourth highest among the six Southeast Asian countries polled, behind Vietnam at 65%, Thailand at 60% and Cambodia at 57%, but ahead of Malaysia at 17%, and Indonesia at 5%.

[26] A June 2024 Ipsos poll found an increase in support for LGBT rights, with 54% of Singaporeans agreeing that same-sex couples should be able to marry or have legal recognition, while 25% disagreed and 21% were neutral.