Li Huanwu, one of the grandsons of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and the second son of Lee Hsien Yang, has married his long-term partner Heng Yirui in an intimate wedding ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa on Fri (24 May).
Dr Heng, a veterinarian by profession, made the announcement via Instagram:
Today I marry my soul mate. Looking forward to a lifetime of moments like this with @hero.unit
The newlyweds said that their marriage “would have been unimaginable” to them “growing up”, as narrated by homegrown pro-LGBTQ movement Pink Dot SG.
“We are overjoyed to share this occasion in the glowing company of friends and family,” they added.
Netizens flooded Pink Dot SG’s post with congratulatory messages to the couple, one of which is the following:
One netizen in particular highlighted that Mr Li’s marriage to Mr Heng remains unrecognised in Singapore, where even consensual homosexual acts among adult men in particular are criminalised under Section 377A of the Penal Code, which is a relic from the British colonial era:
However, Section 377A is no longer actively implemented, despite the Government’s reluctance to repeal the particular provision.
One netizen opined, however, that Mr Li has greater freedom to wed whoever he wishes in comparison to the average non-heterosexual Singaporean as a result of his high economic status and social standing as one of the grandsons of Singapore’s founding prime minister:
One commenter expressed his wish for Singapore to finally grant Singaporean same-sex couples the right to wed at home instead of having to go abroad to marry:
Mr Li came out publicly last year via a photo exhibition named Out In Singapore by internationally renowned fashion photographer and film director Leslie Kee featuring prominent LGBTQ+ Singaporeans:
He had also encouraged Singaporeans to attend the Pink Dot 2018 celebrations in a Facebook post dated 20 Jul last year: “Be there. (And grab a drink when you stop by.)”
