The issue has always been “what if.”

Singapore is no stranger to selective enforcement and using the legal system against critics (often via things like defamation lawsuits). This particular law was never weaponized in that way, but there was never anything stopping them from doing so.

Good for you. I had gay friends who did not feel safe when I lived there - not exactly from 377A (the policy has been unenforced for years) but maybe losing their positions if it came out.

They didnt go to pink dot because they were afraid of appearing in any photos.

What's funny about LGBTQ friendly Western countries is that the risk of assault is higher than places that aren't LGBTQ friendly in Singapore or Japan.

So you can have on the surface level, diversity but offer no safeguards or protection against assault or even murder in the case of transwoman in the West.

Thailand? No open LGBTQ legislation or politics like you have in the West but it remains the most trans friendly country in the world.

Do you have any sources for those exorbitant claims?

Note that citizens may feel more acutely about systemic discrimination against homosexuals. A large factor is subsidized public housing, which a large fraction of the citizens live in. Being married and having children gives you priority for public housing, but only heterosexual unions being recognized as marriage excludes families of homosexual partners from receiving the same support.

I lived in Singapore for a few years, I moved there from a western country. I found that even given the laws at that stage that the homosexual community was fairly open, and accepted. The majority of my wife's friends are gay, and open about it.

Singapore is a nice and safe countries but there are definitely trade offs.

There were some legal challenges likely for the relevant statute, and doing it this way is much more in keeping with Singapore's approach to keeping politics "in politics".

It's carefully coordinated and done in a way that most conservatives can't really attack. In line with .sg's usual approach to doing things carefully and slowly in a controlled manner.