Singaporean Gay Man Wins Historic Adoption Case
A gay man in Singapore has won a historic case to be legally recognised as the father of a child conceived through surrogacy, Channel NewsAsia reports.
The 46-year-old man, who has been in a relationship with another man for more than a decade, had previously been rejected in his attempts to formally adopt his own child and told that Singapore does not recognise LGBT-families.
The small Asian country does not recognise same-sex marriages and still criminalises homosexuality under Section 377A – a hangover from British colonial rule.
The man’s child was conceived via surrogacy using his sperm, the procedure was done in the US in 2013. He was able to bring his child to Singapore as he was his biological father, but was bogged down in formal adoption proceedings since 2014.
The ruling to recognise the family is a first for Singapore. The family’s attorney, Koh Tien Hua of Eversheds Harry Elias, hopes this will provide clarity for future cases.
“This is a landmark case because it’s the first time surrogacy and gay adoption have been canvassed in court,” he said.
However, judges have been careful to say this ruling does not signal support for the LGBT+ community.
“Our decision should not be taken as an endorsement of what the appellant and his partner set out to do,” said Chief Justice Sunderesh Menon in his judgement.
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