Examining How Communication and Demographic Factors Relate to Attitudes Toward Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage in Singapore

Abstract

The controversial issue of same-sex marriage has sparked debates on political, social, moral, and religious fronts in many countries (Duggan, 2008). As of March 2013, 11 countries, including Canada and Denmark, as well as several regions in Brazil and the United States, have legally accepted same-sex marriages (Stritof & Stritof, 2013). However, same-sex marriage is illegal in most Asian countries, such as Japan and China (Koh, 2012). Similarly, same-sex marriages are not allowed in Singapore, under Section 377A of the Singapore Penal Code, which criminalizes sexual relations between adult men (Outrages on decency, 1985). The debate on same-sex marriages has been ongoing within the island-state (Koh, 2012; Lai, 2013). In 2011, the annual ‘‘Pink Dot’’ event in Singapore attracted over 10,000 people to advocate sexual freedom (Tan, 2011). Supporters of gay rights have called for a repeal of Section 377A in 2007 when the bill to amend sections of the Penal Code was debated in the Singapore parliament (Li, 2007). However, the majority of the Singaporean public hold negative attitudes toward lesbian and gay men (Detenber et al., 2007) and were against legalization of same-sex marriages in Singapore (Ho, Chen, & Sim, 2013). Furthermore, positive portrayals of lesbian and gay men lifestyles are discouraged in traditional media, in part, due to conservative public opinion and values (Radcliffe, 2008). Although studies on public opinion of same-sex marriage were mostly conducted in Western countries (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000; Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002; Riggle, Ellis, & Crawford, 1996), a small number of studies are beginning to manifest in Asia (e.g., Basu, 2007; Detenber, Cenite, Zhou, & Malik, 2009; Ho,