The grandson of Lee Kuan Yew and second son of Lee Hsien Yang, Li Huanwu, has married his boyfriend Heng Yirui in South Africa.
The announcement was made by Heng via Instagram on May 24, with the location tagged at Cape Town and the following caption:
"Today I marry my soul mate. Looking forward to a lifetime of moments like this with @hero.unit"
Appeared with boyfriend in an LGBT photo campaign
Li and Heng had previously appeared in a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)-themed photography campaign called Out in Singapore in July 2018.
Both of them had also been spotted attending the Pink Dot, an annual event in support of the LGBT community, in the same month.Li Huanwu urged LGBT Singaporeans to support Pink Dot in 2017
Additionally, in 2017, Li had urged other LGBT Singaporeans to take up the moral responsibility of showing up at Hong Lim Park on July 1, in support of Pink Dot.
South Africa legalised same-sex marriage in 2006
As for why they might have chosen South Africa, this can perhaps be explained by the fact that South Africa legalised same-sex marriage in 2006, according to Pew Forum.
The passing of same-sex marriage legislation came one year after South Africa's highest court ruled that previous marriage laws violated the South African constitution’s guarantee of equal rights.
It was passed by a margin of more than five-to-one, with support coming from both of South Africa's main political parties -- the ruling African National Congress and the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance.
However, the legislation also allows for religious institutions and civil officers to refuse to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies.
Opposition to same-sex marriage also comes from the traditional Zulu monarch, who represents one-fifth of South Africa's population, on the grounds that homosexuality is morally wrong.
Top image from Heng Yirui Instagram
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