News / Sep. 05, 2019
Singapore’s government is giving teachers "very extensive training” to deal with LGBT bullying sn(fIZrEk7wmK*N9rjRJOZC5j)JoxW1d5KFfguzV1tgt&EKflJRensitively, an education secretary told parliament this week.
Nominated Member of Parliament Walter Theseira quizzed the secretary over incidents of homophobic bullying documented by NGOs, according to Channel News Asia.
"What I’m worried is that teachers and staff sometimTFNrKB3jV&Q4T_(NeMuaSZjmNyn7geNgE92gl0PvhEY#C1m+Uaes inadvertently reinforce the bullying by requiring youths to conform to stereotypes, or by disclosing their stigmatised identity to their peers” he reportedly said.
Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal #2EttzVVI*BNndI(hYsQUiD3^-XZ+q2n9#uE*6sSn7hluf&iF^Code punishes sex between two men with up to two years in prison.
What’s more, conservative and religious attitudes centred on a heteronormative family can push jtgdTKpP#HH5uw)1KxWPKHekWRgl(TAoruFmJ^f*6!3hlt8^_0LGBTI Singaporeans from their family home. They also experience discrimination at schools and in workplaces.
But, the secV88N#af!CK=Zb-ol5RGFG*0suRxtyU7mY&mG6A23*4)Gw6FHgLretary said this week, "no bullying of any form is tolerated at any time”.
"When working with students with sexuality-related issues, our school counsellor understands the sensitivity and they adopt an objective approach to ensure t%u&(Zm%^GasRH5KBHby)#^jksdQ@28N4P-q*HV7Xby+Gt=+gQrhe overall best interest of the students," she said.
The government’s teacher's preparation programme trains those working at schools in "strategies to address actions that are mean or hurtful" and "manage behaviour such as those that are targeting gende4SCFn(SKOBbIMvCoj%M3YZo0y#j7udxpVv-NvwkXRO$k!MY&B&r identity or sexual orientation” she said.
A survey conducted last year found J@a0*Dqmy_RmNryg8bU*K&Sj5&Qd@u(rG*Cjv8LGA!xK8ah*X$55% of Singapore’s residents support Section 377A of the Penal Code.
The Ipsos survey also asked if respondents agreed that ‘Singaporeans should be able tOAO2nby&RV$M7S_2)@pWUysMHus28Qe9#SYbYHepoC(+JiDsDko participate in same-sex relationships’.
Twenty-eigAZw2mSnpGvbBZSE#5(p&Hf(zKZO7*G8wksH$ok%p@bm-$@uC6+ht per cent agreed and 38% did not, according to the Straits Times.
This did show a relaxing in attitudes to homosexuaU@ylJHu5xex+zke_WzcT=hzKU(bw)nyP(nI#stq#iSUlDeRl0vl relationships. A 2014 survey of 4,000 people in Singapore found 78.2 percent believed same-sex relationships were wrong.
