Interesting article in The Grauniad about how the new law is perceived by gay people. To quote one paragraph:

"On the ground, young Bruneians say they are less scared of being prosecuted under the new laws than of how they might embolden religious conservatives, and justify acts of hate against them – like strangers trying to run them over in the street, or worse."



www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/apr/06/brunei-lgbt-people-law-scared-dangerous

BTW the same article also has

"“I saw this van about 50 metres away,” said Zain, who is gay. “When the driver saw me, the van accelerated, just to run me over, but I dodged it. I was like, ‘Bitch, what the hell was that?’”"

"Living in a conservative majority-Muslim society with strict laws already in place – gay sex, for example, has long been illegal – young Bruneians are skilled adapters. The sale of alcohol and cigarettes is banned, but they know where to find contraband sources.

If they want to party they can drive a few hours to the Malaysian border town of Miri, and go clubbing for the night, or take a short flight to neighbouring Kuala Lumpur. And if they do party at home, it’s always best to have a member of the royal family in tow, some half-joke. In Brunei, locals say it’s all about who you know."

Not true....you're free to offer your opinion as much as I am or anyone else....we're also free to disagree.

That's the whole point of this forum....be a boring fckin world if we all agreed on everything....we'd be Swiss or some shite.

After the U.N. condemned the new laws Brunei issued a letter in reply. I haven't seen the English version yet, but on a Dutch news site it had
"In een brief aan de VN laat Brunei weten dat de nieuwe wet is ingevoerd om "op te voeden, af te schrikken en te rehabiliteren in plaats van te straffen". De wet geldt alleen voor moslims, ongeveer twee derde van de bevolking. De gewone wet blijft ook bestaan."

This indicates that the new law has been introduced to 'educate', to discourage/deter and to 'rehabilitate' instead of to punish. The law is only applicable to Muslims, about two third of the Brunei population. The normal law will remain. (translation yours truly).

Interesting is the 'rehabilitate'. It's almost as if it's suggested that being gay is a disease you can be cured from. Also the 'normal law will remain' needs an explanation. My knowledge of Brunei laws is fairly limited.