October 26, 2007 | Sex & Society

Sir Ian McKellen disses gay sex ban

Sir Ian McKellen has an excellent sense of timing. Rather than throwing a hissy fit when he found out about Singapore's ban on gay sex while he was visiting the country to perform in a play, he bided his time for the perfect moment to make a statement. That moment: during a live TV interview.

As he said, "I didn't realise, as a gay man, that I'd be a criminal once I arrived - because it's illegal for a man to make love to another man in Singapore.

"I was rather naughty because I was on an early morning show - the sort of show that happens all over the world on TV, where you get a couple who are clearly not married or related that flirt all the time, usually an older man with a younger woman.

"At the end of the interview, they asked what was I looking forward to doing while I was in Singapore. And I looked at the man, who was clearly straight, and said, `Can you recommend any decent gay bars?', which would be illegal in every possible way.

"I looked at the playback of the programme afterwards and I've never seen the credits come up (on the screen) so quickly." [more]

Singapore's politicians recently reviewed legislation governing sexual expression in their country. They even decriminalized anal and oral sex, but only among heterosexual couples.

"Singapore is basically a conservative society. The family is the basic building block of this society," argued Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "And by family in Singapore we mean one man, one woman marrying, having children and bringing up children within that framework of a stable family unit."

The Prime Minister also had a warning to gay activists. "The more gay activists push this agenda, the stronger will be the push-back from conservative forces in our society. The result will be counterproductive because it's going to lead to less space for the gay community in Singapore."

Soon they'll be banning British actors...