A Singaporean Love Story Goes From Boom to Boom… With a Twist
Faith and Bryce Volta tied the knot in 2015, just like any couple in a bustling city. But life in this little island nation had a plot twist that would put even the most dramatic soap operas to shame.
The Big Change
- Faith, the husband, decided to change her gender and underwent sex‑change surgery.
- She updated her national identity card to read “female,” which, in Singapore’s eyes, flipped the family picture.
- Within six months, the Registrar of Marriages called the couple to discuss the new status.
- From that meeting came the cloud‑burst of news: the marriage would be annulled because it “became a same‑sex union” – illegal in Singapore’s current law.
The Legal Fight Back
The group of friends eventually marched to the High Court. Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, who’s pulling his weight for free, said the couple wants the registrar’s decision to be reviewed.
Why the Law Says “No”
- Singapore’s marriage law still echoes colonial times: it strictly defines a marriage as a union between a man and a woman.
- Although the country keeps old statutes that criminalise sex between men, those laws aren’t actively enforced.
Changing Tides
All of this is happening while the winds of change are blowing through the island city. Younger Singaporeans are showing increasingly relaxed attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues, and the expatriate community adds fresh perspectives. So, while the law might still lag, a lot of people are starting to whisper, “Why not? Let’s move forward.”
