New Delhi/Kolkata, Dec.12 (ANI): People in India on Thursday joined hands against the Supreme Court's decision to ban gay sex and called on the country's still largely conservative society to exhibit a positive changing mindset.
The apex court had on Wednesday set aside a 2009 ruling by a lower court that had decriminalised gay sex, saying only parliament could change the law by deleting a section of the penal code dating back to the 19th century.
Calling it a violation of human rights, activists said they would take legal action and also hold mass meetings from next week onwards.
"Not just legal advocacy, we are also doing mass advocacy, social advocacy and it is on one hand so unjust, so unexpected from the legal side of India, but at the same time it is so heart-warming to see people of India being positive towards us and being negative towards what the Supreme Court ruling yesterday," said a gay rights activist, Shumita, in Kolkata.
Protesters across the country poured onto the streets with rainbow-coloured banners and posters to denounce the verdict, observing the day as a black day in Indian judiciary.
Gays face a social stigma in India, where hugging and kissing in public even among heterosexual couples is strongly frowned upon.
To most of the India's 2.5 million gays, due to strong religious and family values, many homosexuals hide their sexuality for fear of discrimination, while attacks by police, especially in rural areas, are common.
But, the open support being presented by a large chunk of the society after the Supreme Court ruling is being seen as a progressive step in a mostly close-minded country.
"Representing the so-called "mainstream population, I am here today to support all my friends because I know for a fact that it is not their fight or our fight, it's all of ours fight. It is a fight towards progression and what we are hearing in the recent time is a regressive step. It's not pro-science or pro-anything. And human beings are all equal," said a supporter of gay rights, Indraani.
Section 377 of the penal code bans "sex against the order of nature", which is widely interpreted to mean homosexual sex, and can be punished with up to 10 years in jail. The rule dates back to the days of British colonial rule in India.
The 2009 ruling to exempt gay sex between consenting adults from the ban was the result of a case brought by the Naz Foundation, an Indian sexual rights organisation, which fought a legal battle for almost a decade.
After the Delhi High Court ruling in its favour, a collective of mostly faith-based groups took an appeal to the Supreme Court. (ANI)
null
|
|
Comments:
