“Singapore’s Section 377 A of the Criminal Code directly targets gay and bi men by criminalising sexual acts between men,” said Paerin Choa, a Singaporean lawyer and spokesperson of Pink Dot Singapore, in a briefing for LGBT campaigner, Stonewall. “This law is rarely enforced in practice, but it acts as a serious barrier to progression. As such it doesn’t only affect gay and bi men, but also the LGBT community as a whole. For instance, health services and campaigns tailored to the needs of LGBT people are not allowed, as they would ‘promote’ sex between men. In education, teachers are not trained how to counsel and support LGBT students. LGBT organisations that have applied to be registered as societies have had their applications rejected, denying them the status of a legal entity.”

Colonial-era laws are still in place throughout the region, where anyone caught participating in homosexual activity can be whipped, flogged or jailed. And in these countries—which include Sri Lanka and Bangladesh—people are, again, rarely prosecuted, but the criminalisation of their choices has kept the community shackled. Those who push for laws that keep LGBT individuals safe in Pakistan, the Maldives and Afghanistan have to grapple with the presence of Sharia law.

However, certain groups are fighting tirelessly against it. Pink Dot Singapore—an annual gathering where people come together and celebrate the freedom to love who they want—faced a major set-back in 2016 when the government amended the law so that only Singaporean residents could attend. But they have fought back, found a loophole and are growing larger each year, with international sponsors and a televised event.

“Discrimination comes in many forms," says Choa. "Being denied rights, receiving unequal treatment, and being left behind yet again with the latest legal reforms – these are what LGBTQ people in Singapore are dealing with. Discrimination happens every day, in our homes, in our schools and at our workplaces. Many in our society remain ignorant to the hurt they are causing their LGBTQ friends and family members. It is this ignorance that we seek to address, and we hope our political leaders will not continue to ignore the discrimination that their LGBTQ citizens face every day.”

In China, LGBTQ-related words, such as ‘homosexuality’ are listed as both sensitive and negative by the government, meaning they are prohibited from being shown on public screen—a restriction that makes it challenging to advocate for LGBTQ rights in the country. One group that is doing so is the Aibai Culture and Education Centre, based in Beijing.

“LGBTQ people are largely invisible and neglected in society, mainly because of the serious lack of education and awareness about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, workplaces and other public spheres,” says Jacob Huang, the Aibai corporate programmes director, in a briefing for Stonewall. “This leads to many LGBT people being closeted their whole lives. However, for younger generations the social mobility and access to information provided by the internet is changing the conversation quickly.”

Aibai has held five conferences in Beijing and put heavy pressure on the government to update its laws—and while the conferences have been well-attended and sponsored by major corporations, few Asian multinationals participated.

Interestingly, where Asia lags behind in marriage equality, it strides ahead on transgender rights. In 2015, the Vietnamese government recognised transgender citizens, making the country one of the transgender rights leaders, not only in Asia but the world.

In 2007, Nepal passed a law ruling against gender discrimination and legally establishing a third gender category, making it another one of the more advanced countries in the world, and even places such a Bangladesh—where same-sex activity is outlawed—allows its citizens to opt for a third gender on all official documents. Nepal is also the first country to register its citizens under a third gender category in its 2011 nationwide census. Other countries that offer the third-gender designation include India, Pakistan and Thailand.

Nepal hosted the Salzburg Global LGBT Forum earlier this year, which discussed how participants could help mobilise entire nations to legally acknowledge their LGBTQ citizens. Amid all the details, it is easy to forget the simplicity of the task at hand—one that the forum in Kathmandu was keen to emphaise: LGBTQ rights are human rights, and while people around the world face violence and inequality because of who they love or how they look, if they have no recourse to the police or judiciary, then the law is not fairly representing them. 

The theme of the Gen.T Asia Summit is Breaking Barriers. The mission of the event, which takes place 3-4 April 2020 in Hong Kong, is to help people break down the barriers that usually divide them—of generation, gender, culture and geography. In the run-up to the summit, we're exploring these barriers through our articles and Deep Dive newsletter.