Singapore announced on Sunday that it will decriminalize sex between men by repealing a colonial-era law while protecting the state's traditional civil norms and its definition of marriage.

During his speech at the annual National Day rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he believes this is "the right thing to do now" as most Singaporeans will now accept it, and Lee said: "Private sexual behavior between consenting adults raises no law and order issues as there is no justification for prosecuting people for it nor for criminalizing it, this will make the law align with current social norms and I hope it provides some comfort to gay Singaporeans."

Lee pledged that the repeal will be limited and will not shake Singapore's traditional social and family norms, including how marriage is defined, what is taught to children in schools, what is shown on television, and public behavior. He said the government will amend the constitution to ensure there is no constitutional challenge to allow same-sex marriage, adding: "Even when we repeal Section 377, we will support and uphold the institution of marriage."

Section 377 of the Penal Code was introduced under British colonial rule in the 1930s and when British rule ended on the island in 1963, Singapore became independent two years later but retained the Penal Code, which made sex between men punishable by up to two years in prison.

But gay men say the law hangs over their heads and discriminates against them, as thousands of activists annually organize a march known as "Pink Dot" to support the gay community.

Lee said he hopes the government's step helps reconcile and accommodate the concerns of conservative religious groups and the desires of gay Singaporeans to be respected and accepted, and said: "All groups must exercise restraint, because this is the only way we can move forward as a nation together."