Singapore keeps gay sex illegal...

They had an opportunity to enter the 20th century, but they passed.

Singapore plans to decriminalize oral and anal sex for adult heterosexuals under legislation unveiled Thursday, but the government said sex between homosexuals will remain banned.

The government posted proposed amendments to the city-state's Penal Code -- the result of a three-year review -- on a Web site, and Singaporeans have a month to offer feedback. The Ministry of Home Affairs will consider the input before presenting the proposals to Parliament early next year.

The amendments that have generated the most water-cooler buzz in strait-laced Singapore are those that would legalize oral and anal sex between consenting heterosexuals over age 16 -- and the retention of the law against acts between homosexuals.

That drew immediate criticism from People Like Us, a gay rights group.

"If the government aims for an open, inclusive society, it should be doing all it can to overturn prejudice and discrimination, rather than give people reason to remain close-minded through retaining (the ban) for symbolic purposes," the group said in a statement.

The Home Affairs Ministry said it wants to modernize the laws "to be in line with social mores and emerging societal trends" -- but that doesn't include homosexuality.

I lived in Singapore for 3 1/2 years, and I have yet to see a place that is so gay. Gay people are everywhere, gay bars are all over the place, the internet is full of gay chatters....and yet gay sex remains illegal. The real problem is that gay groups cannot meet in Singapore, and they cannot organize. When I was there, a friend of mine was prohibited to become a teacher when they found out he was gay. Right now, Singapore is the gay capital of Asia - if they every legalize gay sex - many people could leave more open lives in full dignity.