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singapore couple challenge law on gay sex
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_SINGAPORE_GAY_LAW?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-11-30-05-47-46SINGAPORE (AP) -- A gay couple filed a constitutional challenge in a Singapore court on Friday aimed at repealing a long-standing law that criminalizes gay sex.
Gay activists say the government has become more tolerant toward gays and lesbians in recent years, but that under Singapore law, gay sex is deemed "an act of gross indecency," punishable by a maximum of two years in jail.
The couple, Gary Lim and Kenneth Chee, filed their challenge with Singapore's High Court. Chee said they did so not because of any immediate fears, but because "I know that section 377A labels me a criminal."
The case comes after a man was arrested in August for having oral sex with another man in a shopping mall toilet. When he applied to have the law declared unconstitutional as it violated his right to personal liberty, the charge was converted to a different section of the law governing obscene acts in a public place.
