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Court Overturns India’s Gay Sex Ban

AP photo / Sucheta Das

Gay rights activists participate in a rally in Calcutta, India, on Thursday.

Homosexual relations between consenting adults are no longer considered criminal in India, thanks to a court ruling that overturned a long-standing federal law. The BBC rounded up some reactions from Indian citizens after news of the judgment broke around the country.

BBC:

Shiv Prakash Maurya, student, Allahabad

I don’t agree with the court ruling. There is no homosexuality in India, it’s part of Western culture.

The legalising of homosexuality means that we are losing our Indian identity. That’s not a good decision because it will increase the immorality in our country.

[...] Siddharth Singh, 21, NGO worker, New Delhi

Siddharth: It will take a long time for attitudes to change

I welcome the court ruling - we are finally moving in the right direction. Homosexual people, at least legally, can now be equal to the rest of us.

I’ve met many gay and lesbian people through my work. They’ve shared some of the difficulties they had to live with - they couldn’t go to the doctor for example, out of fear that they might be reported and arrested.

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By RAE, July 2 at 3:47 pm #

Maurya, a student wrote: “There is no homosexuality in India…”

Oh yes there is. I don’t know what you’ve been “studying” but it isn’t FACT or the RESEARCH LITERATURE.

Just for starters… homosexuality is a NORMAL occurrence throughout the animal kingdom (yup… that includes Indians last time I checked). Oh sure, same-sex relationships are EXPRESSED differently from culture to culture… some are open and honest as in some places in the “west” - others secretive and dishonest as, I guess, in India.

But don’t panic Maurya - there won’t be a rush to join the homosexuals now that it’s legal to be honest in your country. A person either IS homo or heterosexual (or somewhere inbetween) - it’s NOT A CHOICE (did YOU choose YOUR sexuality?)... but whatever a person’s preference now it isn’t going to change just because some court makes it legal or illegal for that matter. As the song says… “I AM WHAT I AM.”

So try educating yourself on the topic - by reading factual literature, not by listening to those as ignorant as you on the subject.

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