Richard AmmonSingapore is one of three remaining true city-states in the world. It is the smallest nation in Southeast Asia.It is the 6th wealthiest country in the world in terms of GDP per capita. The population of Singapore is approximately 4.6 million. Though Singapore is highly cosmopolitan and diverse, ethnic Chinese form the majority of the population. English is the administrative language of the country.
Homosexual sex is illegal in Singapore although virtually no gay person has been recently arrested for being so. Constitutional rights for gay people are nonexistent for the most part, and penalties for crimes relating to homosexual acts is up to 2 year’s jail. However, in October 2007, during the Penal Code review and repeal of section 377, the Singapore government declared that private, consensual, adult homosexual sex would no longer be prosecuted but that its illegality would remain as a statement of the values of the "conservative majority".
Nevertheless, the gay community and the government continue their cat-and-mouse game as gays actively press for equal rights and hold events that play on the edge of the government’s limited tolerance. Asia’s major LGBT website – Fridae.com – is organized in Singapore.
