SINGAPORE - Staid Singapore will host its first-ever Sex Expo
in November after receiving in-principle approval from the tightly-controlled
city-state's authorities, a local newspaper reported Sunday.
The Singapore police have already imposed certain conditions for organizers
— no obscene acts can be put on display and all exhibits and promotions
will face government scrutineers, the Straits Times newspaper reported.
Only patrons aged 21 or older will be admitted, the paper added.
The exhibition will feature furniture "designed to enhance lovemaking"
and an erotic toy section, the paper said. An exhibition on the history of condoms
is also scheduled for show.
Singapore, a tiny, wealthy Southeast Asian city-state of 4.2 million, has been
attempting to shake off its well-known stuffy image, and officials say they
are trying to loosen the shackles to cater to a generation exposed to overseas
influences.
But restrictions abound: Cosmopolitan magazine can only be sold if wrapped
to avoid browsing by minors, and programs like HBO's "Sex and the City"
and "Six Feet Under" have been screened with cuts by the country's
censors. Singapore also outlaws oral sex and homosexuality.
Officials say its citizens want censorship. Police could not immediately be
contacted for comment.
