One step forward, two steps back. India bans gay sex.

[Ksandra]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/1...555111516.html

India's Supreme Court has upheld a law criminalising gay sex, setting aside a landmark lower court decision in 2009 which had overturned the colonial-era ban on homosexuality.

The court on Wednesday held that an homosexual act was punishable under Section 377 of the Indian penal code, reports quoting the judgement said.

A bench of justice G S Singhvi and justice SJ Mukhopadhaya delivered the verdict after hearing petitions of anti-gay right activists besides social and religious organisations against the earlier Delhi high court order of 2009.

The top court came down heavily on the federal government describing its approach as “casual” and said it was concerned that the Indian parliament had not thought fit to discuss the issue.

'Tolerant Indian society'

The federal government had welcomed the ruling of the earlier Delhi High court on the grounds that the section 377 of the Indian penal code was a relic of the British colonial law and that Indian society was much more tolerant towards homosexuality, reports said.

The Delhi high court on July 2, 2009, had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence.

Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the IPC makes gay sex a criminal offence, and can result in imprisonment for life.

Senior BJP politician BP Singhal, who died in October 2012, was among those who had challenged the high court verdict on the grounds that such acts were “illegal, immoral and against the ethos of Indian culture”, the reports said.

Others who challenged the high court judgment included the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Utkal Christian Council and Apostolic Churches Alliance.

You rage, you lose at the comment section.

[hey]

You rage, you lose at the comment section.

I already lost at the headline.

[Mazmaz]

Colonialism!

[thetruepandagod]

Being in jail would be better for millions of indians, i expect a rise in homosex.

[Aristio]

You rage, you lose at the comment section.

Did not rage one bit. Bunch of stupid ignorant people being stupid and ignorant. Nothing to be surprised about.

[Kerberoz]

I'm pretty sure India banned rape, too, and look how that turned out.

[ringthree]

Fucking BJP.

[Meresgi]

I'm pretty sure India banned rape, too, and look how that turned out.

They banned calling it "rape". Now it's "surprise sex" and if you're good you get a bonus round of acid in the face! #IndiaStayClassy

[Jaybar]

Being in jail would be better for millions of indians, i expect a rise in homosex.

It would be like heaven for them. All the homosex they want.

[Tajin]

Its ok to be gay, just dont have sex? Or I'm reading it too literal?

[BaneTheBrawler]

how third world of them

[Howie Roary]

that's some poor planning, they should be thanking all the non-breeders in a country of 1.2 Billion people

[Roranora]

that's some poor planning, they should be thanking all the non-breeders in a country of 1.2 Billion people

for real

not reproducing is one of the most beneficial aspects of having a welcomed and ever-present gay community

[ronin sparthos]

Good to see a country with its priorities in order.

[Ashmada]

It really is a remnant of british colonial (christian) law, as indian society used to not only tolerate but value LBGT people prior to colonialisation.

But I'll let Stephen Fry explain:



(indian part starts at ~40min)

[thetruepandagod]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nati...-1226781474406

Australia all about dat straight marriage lyf too.

[Viq]

My shitty (both as a person and in terms of literal odor) Indian room mate has been fucking ecstatic about this. I only have to live with him until next Wednesday, but I'm not sure I can resist my urge to kill him for that long.

[BaneTheBrawler]

buy dildoes, smear chocolate on them, leave them around the house.

[Ksandra]

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/1...547850167.html

A deafening uproar has greeted the top Indian court's verdict making gay sex illegal, with activists, media and social networks condemning the decision and saying that the clock had been turned back to colonial times.

The Supreme Court judgment reversed an earlier ruling of the Delhi high court which decriminalised gay sex in 2009.
The verdict on Wednesday upheld the validity of Section 377 of the Indian penal code which prescribes life in jail for those indulging in "carnal sex against the order of nature".

The latest judgment stunned even the federal government. Several ministers openly criticised the verdict and the federal home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said they would try bringing in a law that would negate the court ruling.
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The government had not appealed against the earlier 2009 judgment as it favoured decriminalisation of gay sex, but had not bothered to incorporate that into its laws.

Leading newspapers like The Hindu and Times of India criticised the judgment as regressive and against personal liberty and equality.

The legal community including top lawyers like Soli Sorabjee, Harish Salve and Indira Jaising said the verdict smacked of a medieval mindset. Salve suggested that the judgment be challenged while Sorabjee was reported as saying "you can't blame people for having a different orientation".

Reports quoted Salve as saying, "a battle lost is not a war lost". The issue has to be raised repeatedly until is satisfactorily resolved, he said.

Popular author Vikram Seth was quoted by the media as saying, "it was a great day for prejudice and inhumanity and a bad day for law and love."

Reports quoting Seth's interview on television said, "All I hope is that this judgment is cured, revised or overruled by a larger bench so that this stain is washed away."

Across the various cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore activists spontaneously took to the streets in protest against the verdict with many saying "sexual orientation was a private matter and was a choice of individuals".

Activists have reportedly threatened to continue the protests until the judgment is neutralised either by a court review or through a law in parliament.

Luckily, this sounds more and more like it's about semantics and the gov't being lazy about changing the law initially. So, it probably won't last long before this goes away.

[Kohan]

My shitty (both as a person and in terms of literal odor) Indian room mate has been fucking ecstatic about this. I only have to live with him until next Wednesday, but I'm not sure I can resist my urge to kill him for that long.

You should educate them about when the old law was originally introduced and why, and see if they're proud of that.