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The Strange Career of Gross Indecency: Race, Sex, and Law in Colonial Singapore
Law and History Review ( IF 0.8 ) Pub Date : 2019-11-06 , DOI: 10.1017/s073824801900052x
J. Y. Chua

In 1938, the British enacted Section 377A of the Straits Settlements Penal Code, criminalizing male same-sex acts in Singapore. Although the law was neither the first nor only attempt to regulate same-sex activity, it represented a stark intensification in sexual policing. Yet, the reasons for the introduction of Section 377A remain elusive. New sources, including recently declassified documents, reveal that Section 377A intersected with the colonial state's wider project of social control. In the early 1930s, intensified policing of female prostitution inadvertently magnified the visibility of male prostitution in Singapore, just as homosexuality was emerging as a distinct conceptual category. Meanwhile, scandals about sexual liaisons between European officials and Asians men threatened British legitimacy. This “discovery” of homosexuality led the British to introduce Section 377A. As British troops arrived in Singapore in the late 1930s in response to Japanese expansionism in the Far East, concerns about blackmail, military discipline, and the colonial color line governed the enforcement of Section 377A. Between 1938 and 1941, the British disproportionately used Section 377A to punish Asian male prostitutes whom they thought had seduced European men. Secondarily, the British used the provision to deter European soldiers, sailors, and non-officials from exposing themselves to extortion. Seen in this light, Section 377A served as a response to changing configurations of race, class, and sexuality in colonial Singapore.

中文翻译:

严重猥亵的奇怪职业:新加坡殖民地的种族、性别和法律

1938 年,英国颁布了《海峡殖民地刑法典》第 377A 条,将新加坡的男性同性行为定为刑事犯罪。尽管该法律不是第一个也不是唯一一个试图规范同性活动的尝试,但它代表了性警务的明显加强。然而,引入第 377A 条的原因仍然难以捉摸。新的消息来源,包括最近解密的文件,显示第 377A 条与殖民地国家更广泛的社会控制项目相交叉。在 1930 年代初期,加强对女性卖淫的监管无意中放大了新加坡男性卖淫的知名度,正如同性恋正在成为一个独特的概念类别一样。与此同时,欧洲官员与亚洲男性发生性关系的丑闻威胁着英国的合法性。这种对同性恋的“发现”导致英国人引入了第 377A 条。当英国军队在 1930 年代后期抵达新加坡以应对日本在远东的扩张主义时,对敲诈、军事纪律和殖民色彩线的担忧支配了第 377A 条的执行。1938 年至 1941 年间,英国不成比例地使用第 377A 条来惩罚他们认为引诱欧洲男性的亚洲男妓。其次,英国人利用该条款阻止欧洲士兵、水手和非官方人员遭受敲诈勒索。从这个角度来看,第 377A 条是对新加坡殖民时期种族、阶级和性取向不断变化的回应。当英国军队在 1930 年代后期抵达新加坡以应对日本在远东的扩张主义时,对敲诈、军事纪律和殖民色彩线的担忧支配了第 377A 条的执行。1938 年至 1941 年间,英国不成比例地使用第 377A 条来惩罚他们认为引诱欧洲男性的亚洲男妓。其次,英国人利用该条款阻止欧洲士兵、水手和非官方人员遭受敲诈勒索。从这个角度来看,第 377A 条是对新加坡殖民时期种族、阶级和性取向不断变化的回应。当英国军队在 1930 年代后期抵达新加坡以应对日本在远东的扩张主义时,对敲诈、军事纪律和殖民色彩线的担忧支配了第 377A 条的执行。1938 年至 1941 年间,英国不成比例地使用第 377A 条来惩罚他们认为引诱欧洲男性的亚洲男妓。其次,英国人利用该条款阻止欧洲士兵、水手和非官方人员遭受敲诈勒索。从这个角度来看,第 377A 条是对新加坡殖民时期种族、阶级和性取向不断变化的回应。英国不成比例地使用第 377A 条来惩罚他们认为引诱欧洲男性的亚洲男妓。其次,英国人利用该条款阻止欧洲士兵、水手和非官方人员遭受敲诈勒索。从这个角度来看,第 377A 条是对新加坡殖民时期种族、阶级和性取向不断变化的回应。英国不成比例地使用第 377A 条来惩罚他们认为引诱欧洲男性的亚洲男妓。其次,英国人利用该条款阻止欧洲士兵、水手和非官方人员遭受敲诈勒索。从这个角度来看,第 377A 条是对新加坡殖民时期种族、阶级和性取向不断变化的回应。
更新日期:2019-11-06
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