[thisrod]

> LKY is often called a "benevolent dictator" ... The country’s record on LGBT rights is particularly dismaying

Actually, Lee Kwan Yew spoke in favor of gay law reform in Singapore from 2007. (Which is longer ago than it sounds: Lawrence v Texas was decided in 2003.) It's about the only policy debate he lost: his successors didn't believe that the people would stand for it. And it's easy to forget how bad everywhere else was. Until 2000 or so, I doubt gay life in Singapore was much harder than in Australia.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-singapore-homosexuality-i...

[iso1210]

Austrailia decriminalised gay sexual activity in 1973.

Other neighbouring countries, Indonesia by comparision (aside from Aceh) has no law against it, nor does Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, East Timor (that's not to say LGBT people don't suffer obstacles and discrimination in those states, but all are more progressed legally).

Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Myanmar are the holdouts in SE Asia.

Reality probably means that LGBT is more acceptable in Singapore than in some of those countries, but the law really should catch up.

[thisrod]

> the law really should catch up

Of course it should! My point is that LKY ended up supporting that, so it's a bit unfair to blame him for it not happening. In the context of the article, it matters that the dictator was in favor of gay law reform, and it was fears of electoral consequences that stopped it, or at least provided the excuse for not doing it.

Here's what Australia was doing in the 1990s. Singapore really didn't have much scope to be worse.

https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/the-ni...

> Austrailia decriminalised gay sexual activity in 1973

That is false, or at least highly misleading.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-24/timeline:-australian-...

I think Don Dunstan did something in 1973, but I've forgotten exactly what. (It's interesting how many authors still omit to mention that Dunstan was bisexual.) The murder of George Duncan, by persons unknown but widely suspected to be wearing blue uniforms, was 1972. That gave Dunstan his excuse.

The job wasn't finished until 1997, by the conventional account. Personally, I'd argue for 2016, when Queensland[1] made it legal to be a gay teenager.

https://www.queerradio.org/AgeOfConsent.htm

[1] "named for her gracious majesty Victoria Regina, has been inhabited by many who sought to wear her crown" - Clive Moore, Sunshine and Rainbows