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ASIA/PACIFIC

Landmark Ruling as India Decriminalizes Homosexual Acts

In a landmark ruling on Thursday, India’s supreme court struck down an 1861 law that made homosexual sex punishable by up ten years in prison. In the decision, judges ruled that the law was being used to discriminate against India’s homosexual community.

“Constitutional morality cannot be martyred at the altar of social morality,” Chief Justice Dipak Misra said, reading out the verdict. “Social morality cannot be used to violate the fundamental rights of even a single individual.”

Also in the ruling, the judges determined that homosexuality was a “biological phenomenon” and thus any discrimination on that basis violated fundamental human rights. The law had banned homosexual sex on the grounds that it was against the order of nature.

The attorney for the five petitioners challenging the law argued the law was unconstitutional because it outlawed and prosecuted behavior between consenting adults.

After the court’s ruling, the Associated Press reported people outside the court celebrated in the streets and cheered on the historic verdict.

“We feel as equal citizens now,” said activist Shashi Bhushan. “What happens in our bedroom is left to us.”

Celebrities and activists from around the world celebrated India’s ruling on Twitter:

Imagine Dragons Documentary ‘Believer’ Explores Relationship Between Religion and LGBTQ Youth

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Lauren von Bernuth

Lauren is one of the co-founders of Citizen Truth. She graduated with a degree in Political Economy from Tulane University. She spent the following years backpacking around the world and starting a green business in the health and wellness industry. She found her way back to politics and discovered a passion for journalism dedicated to finding the truth.

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4 Comments

  1. Janice Iannaccone September 12, 2018

    ????

    Reply
  2. Gail Ladella November 28, 2018

    Omg

    Reply
  3. Shayna Alterman November 28, 2018

    Do the peasants know it?

    Reply
  4. Lois Sprankle Fohl November 29, 2018

    Thank God. Another nation does away with brutal, inhumane laws that discriminate against the rights of s select group of individuals.

    Reply

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