India Overturns Ban On Gay Sex!
Filed under: Gay Gay Gay > Legal Matters
New Delhi just passed a milestone in the battle for equal rights when its highest court overturned a centuries-old ban on gay sex.
Leftover from colonial rule, the ban on gay sex in India has existed since 1861, and while the law had not been used to prosecute anyone in modern times, it was used to "harass, blackmail and jail people." Then AIDS awareness group the Naz Foundation sued, and on Thursday, Section 377 was overturned.
The new ruling is just one battle in a decade-long war organized by global gay rights advocates, authors, celebrities, lawyers and AIDS awareness groups. India has one of the highest populations of AIDS patients in the world and Section 377 was seen as an AIDS prevention education obstacle.
So far, the ruling stands only in the city of New Delhi, but the rest of the country is expected to follow suit.
Advocates, however, maintain that the bigger challenge of undoing homophobia in the country still remains.
Forward movement is good!
[Image via AP Images.]
That is awesome!
That's awsome :]
Yahoo!! Quickly, all gays move to India!!!
why would an aids awareness group want to overturn a ban on gay sex, dont they know thats how people get aids in the first place? sheesh
AWESOME!
May they be safe from persecution!
That is so amazing! I remember seeing a prince on Oprah who was shunned for being homosexual. I am happy for India!
YAWN
Re: dustslays – HIV is predominately a STRAIGHT disease actually. There are far more cases in the heterosexual community worldwide than in the homosexual community, so get your facts straight. Try peeking out from behind your Bible every so often and you might learn a few real-world facts…
Let's all go teabagging!
Omg, lol. Is that a Butch dyke to the right??
awh yay!! this is so great. look how happy they are!!
Congratulations New Delhi! May the rest of your country have the wisdom to embrace your leadership.
Re: Brubs – So why did Obama say to gay rights organizers, that HIV restrictions would be more lax? (No, I'm not agreeing with it, I made the same point as you.) Does anyone notice something odd about the signs in the picture….? They are in ENGLISH. Either A) This isn't a real picture of any event, or B) they made it in English so other countries would see it and fight their battles for them. Either way, it' stinky.
the idea of gays allowed to fuck might be comforting to some and thats great an all but doesnt it seem like our world is taking a major perverted turn that we will never be able turn back from, I have lots of gay friends but something weird is going on with this world. and its not just gays having sex its our attitudes in general. after watching all the mj footage this weekend it struck me that he had almost no nudity in his videos and that was okay we were just amazed at his dancing, he had talent. but all these new no talent ppl all they do is writhe around nearly naked and shake their ass.
its kind of like the first time you kiss, a kiss is enough but once you do the deed the first time you want more and more and more and more. the pleasurable simple things dont satisfy us as much.
dustslays - are you fucking kidding me?
Re: imsoregistered – they speak english in their country it was a colony of great britain.
Re: imsoregistered – What does Obama saying anything have to do with transmission rates?? Do a simple Google search and it backs up what I wrote. Keep in mind that HIV is also no longer considered a fatal disease in most scientific circles, as once a day drugs have made the disease like living with diabetes for those afflicted.
YAY!! GO INDIA!!! =D
Re: topper – LOL! Too funny. Sounds like a plan!
Re: imsoregistered –
Everyone in india can read/write in english,
THANK YOU COME AGAIN…………………………….
"India has one of the highest populations of AIDS patients in the world" - Yeah fat ass that's something to be proud of? Progress? Are you kidding me. It is this type of garbage that puts the rest of the world at risk. You are so ridiculous. There's a reason it is illegal. It is disgusting and you are too!
Well India is pretty sophisticated and peace loving it seems like gay rights should be allowed there. Also Indias out-dated rules about gays date back to Englands laws and now they are cathing up with Europe which is so cool.
Re: Sgirl – Thanks for playing the "Ignorant Inbred White Trailer Trash Chick" game. Sorry, that game piece wasn't a winner this time. Please play again!
Re: Sgirl – Look you ignorant southern scumbag,it's ok that you don't like gay people and wish them the worst,but why the fuck are you on a gay man's blog always bashing gay people in the most vile backwards southern way? Oh I guess just to remind us how vile and disgusting uneducated southern republicans are.
I'm thrilled with the verdict. I love my country with all its ups and downs, problems and praise, but this is really reason to stand up and cheer. Free love for all!
God… why are you always pushing gay stuff all the time?
I'm straight but I don't go around every day advertising it.
So you're gay.
Who cares. Keep it to yourself … we have no interest in the type of sex you're interested in.
The world is changing for the better. Keep it up, Globe!
Re: YUCK – It was not of Great Britain, it was PLANNED (I wish I could set italics instead of looking like shouting) by a British architect. Hindu is the predominant language of the city.
Re: Brubs – The point of my statement was that gay rights groups were thrilled at Obama's promises during the meeting and one of those promises was that HIV status would not affect them coming here. If it WAS a big deal to point out that HIV was any certain orientation disease, then why weren't gay rights people just as upset that Obama's HIV immigration stance was stereotyping that gays have HIV, and using it as part of his "See how much I'm doing for you" speech. Where was the outcry then, that Obama was stereotyping HIV/AIDS as a "gay disease"? As I pointed out, I don't agree with it so much - it should concern us all, regardless that studies are showing a rise among gay men, it's not ONLY gay men. Little children have it, women have it, men have it, parents, grandparents, etc.
Re: ctrutle1 – I know they can, and so can most of Europe it would seem (like Germany, which requires English starting at 4th grade), but usually when they protest at their own government, they use the predominant language of the country. It's just kinda odd.
Bravo India!!
Baby Steps - One Step at a Time!!
Congrats!!
Re: Brubs – Im sure that doesn't mean you guy's should go around fucking people UNPROTECTED like rabbit's ONLY b/c their is a cure.
Re: imsoregistered – So take it up with Obama. You got a problem with him, then telling me about it is not going to get you any closer to resolving it. It still doesn't change the facts regarding HIV transmission within certain communities.
Re: Brubs – Hehehe. #25 .
Re: imsoregistered – what are you talking about some ppl speak english in india because it was part of GB empire.
Re: imsoregistered –
i'm indian.
i went for the pride parade in new delhi.
the language you're talking about is HINDI, not Hindu. Hinduism is a religion. Ia follower of hinduism is a Hindu.
at the pride parade, there were signs in english AND hindi.
and in the parades which weren't in delhi, the signs were in english and whatever the local language of that area is.
india has alot of languages.
the most widely spoken language is ENGLISH, which is read by the majority of the educated class of the country.
.
if you don't know enough about a country, please don't act like you do.
Re: imsoregistered –
This may come as a total shock to you, but some of us DO speak English.
Aren't these the people who cloister or burn widows?
now do the same in jamaica and the other caribbean countries where it is banned coz i have family over there and my uncle is gay and it is pretty shit for him, hes even considering moving to britain with the rest of the family coz its so tough there