India's Supreme Court has struck down a colonial-era law criminalizing consensual gay sex, overturning more than 150 years of anti-LGBT legislation.
Section 377, an archaic law imposed during British rule that penalized intercourse "against the order of nature," had carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court announced the landmark verdict in Delhi, as jubilant crowds cheered and rights activists hugged one another, overcome with emotion.
The historic ruling is the culmination of a lengthy and often fraught legal battle for equality in a country where homosexuality remains taboo. The ruling declares sexual orientation to be an "essential attribute of privacy,
The decision to repeal the law is a major victory for India's LGBT activists and supporters after years of determined struggle.
Though the law was rarely enforced in full, lawyers argued that it helped perpetuate a culture of fear and repression within the LGBT community. In any case, the change in legislation will create a space of freedom and justice in India.
Bravo!!!
Celebrations broke out in India after
Supreme Court decriminalized gay sex
By LeeArdo 37: The biggest obstacle was overcome.
ReplyDeleteSALUTE!