CNN-IBN debate: Homosexuality vs Indian morality

SOURCE:  CNN-IBN

The Delhi High Court has reinterpreted a 149-year old colonial law and held that a homosexual in India is no longer a criminal. In a historic judgement the court held that “Section 377 of the Indian penal Code insofar as it criminalises consensual sexual acts of adults in private violates personal freedom and liberty.
So does the attaining of legal sexual freedom by homosexuals mark progress and social reform in India, or is the court upholding values that the majority of Indians simply do not identify with?
CNN-IBN debates on issue on a special show Gay and Indian with renowned Indo-Canadian photographer, HIV positive and gay, Sunil Gupta, gay rights activist and lawyer Aditya Bandhopadhyay, actor Samir Soni, Editor, Manushi Madhu Kishwar, Delhi Catholic Archdiocese spokesperson Dominic Emmanuel and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Farooqui.

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Indian Court Overturns Gay Sex Ban

Activists embraced outside the high court in New Delhi after the court decriminalized consensual gay sex on Thursday. [Harish Tyagi/European Pressphoto Agency]

By HEATHER TIMMONS and HARI KUMAR
Published: July 2, 2009
Source:  The New York Times

NEW DELHI —In a landmark ruling Thursday that could usher in an era of greater freedom for gay men and lesbians in India, New Delhi’s highest court decriminalized homosexuality.

“The inclusiveness that Indian society traditionally displayed, literally in every aspect of life, is manifest in recognizing a role in society for everyone,” judges of the Delhi High Court wrote in a 105-page decision, India’s first to directly address rights for gay men and lesbians. “Those perceived by the majority as ‘deviants’ or ‘different’ are not on that score excluded or ostracized,” the decision said.

Homosexuality has been illegal in India since 1861, when British rulers codified a law prohibiting “carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal.” The law, known as Section 377 of India’s penal code, has long been viewed as an archaic holdover from colonialism by its detractors.

“Clearly, we are all thrilled,” said Anjali Gopalan, the executive director and founder of the Naz Foundation, an AIDS awareness group that sued to have Section 377 changed. “It is a first major step,” she said during a news conference in Delhi, but “there are many more battles.”
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Gay Nepalese MP looks towards greater acceptance of gays and lesbians

SOURCE:  Pink News

Nepal’s first openly gay MP, Sunil Pant has single handedly put gay rights on the political map in Nepal since founding the Blue Diamond Society (BDS). This is Nepal’s first and only sexual minorities rights organisation and is working hard with other human rights groups.. Lesbian rights however are lagging far behind those of men and even the men’s are still dire. This is mainly due to cultural factors and the fact that women’s rights in general are already very slim.

Sunil Pant

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Coming Out For Reel

By Shatarupa Chaudhuri
April 11, 2009
SOURCE:  Express Buzz

BANGALORE: “I am here for the movies. And Alessandro, he just wants to sleep around,” Daniel hooted with laughter at his own joke, while Alessandro vehemently protested between his blushes. We joined in the leg-pulling and Alessandro, who’s from Italy, went redder.“I want to watch the movies, make friends. And it is a different experience for me in India. Italy has changed a lot in the last 10 years and gays are more accepted, unlike here. Almost everyone there has a friend or a cousin or an acquaintance who is gay and people are okay with it,” Alessandro defended himself. Read the rest of this entry »

Creating spaces sans bias

Thursday, April 9, 2009
By Vaishali Chandra
SOURCE:  DNA India

Bangalore: Reel life often takes flights of fancy. It, however, is a potent medium to mirror reality. The two-day Bangalore Queer Film Festival commences Friday in an effort to raise awareness towards LGBT issues among the masses.

Films are a celebration of life, a window into people’s lives. Good As You, a support group for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) groups, and Delhi-based Nigah bring to the city an array of international films that throw light on queer lifestyles.

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