The IPC Section 377 case is scheduled for Sept 18-20th. Hopefully this date sticks! Although it has not really been used to charge or arrest LGBT folk, Section 377 must go! As long as it remains part of the Penal Code, queers will be harassed, blackmailed, and extorted by others who threaten to reveal their sexual "misconduct". Section 377 also presents many legal hurdles, as illustrated by the following:
A gay-rights activist at the Alternative Law Forum, Ponni Arasu, says gays and lesbians who live together are sometimes charged with other crimes, such as kidnapping, by disapproving parents.
"We have gone to court many times where we actively cover up the nature of the relationship between two women because we do not want to complicate the case. You just want to get rid of the kidnapping charge so they can go on and live their lives. And that is because of a law like Section 377. If we were not actively criminalized by such a law, then we would be able to go to court and say, 'They are lovers. They are adults. And they have the right to live with each other,'" said Arasu.
Indian's anti-gay law set for biggest court challenge
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1 comment:
I hope it works out. Overturning the law certainly fits in with the country's stated ideology of respecting minority rights.
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