Re: Concerns about Singapore

[Ole Jacobsen <[e-mail]>]

On Sat, 9 Apr 2016, Melinda Shore wrote:


> That goes, I think, to the question of unenforceable laws (Lawrence 
> v. Texas).  I'm interested in the question of where the line is 
> between issues that the IETF needs to deal with and matters of 
> personal conscience, and I tend to think it comes down to questions 
> of whether or not meeting participants will be treated equally when 
> it comes to public accommodation, etc.
> 
> As we're seeing, businesses are responding to the recent spate of 
> anti-gay legislation and transphobic potty laws by announcing that 
> they're not opening planned facilities in those states, not allowing 
> their employees to take business travel there, and so on.  So, 
> there's an actual question about whether or not the IETF would be 
> able to meet in a place that's recently passed anti-gay legislation, 
> given some corporate travel restrictions.  As far as I know there 
> are no corporate bans on travel to Singapore, but civil liberties 
> organizations like Civil Rights Watch have identified Singapore as a 
> place where LGBT people still face active legal discrimination and 
> it seems clear that there's a legitimate question about what sort of 
> treatment some meeting participants can expect to receive.
> 
> Melinda

There are several sources online for this information, including the 
US State Department, but we are also actively seeking clarification 
from contacts in Singapore about these issues. So far, I am fairly
certain that our attendees won't notice any issues at all, but stay
tuned as we gather the facts.

Ole