“We have thrown out the British once again.”
September 6, 2018 8:34 AM Subscribe
Celebrations erupted in India on Thursday as the country’s supreme court unanimously ruled to decriminalise homosexual sex in a landmark judgment for gay rights.
The complete verdict as PDF.
On Twitter, Sunny Singh has a thread up with some quick fire analysis of the decision and how it's reported, making it clear that its impact goes beyond stricking down an anti-sodomy law.
Also via Sunny Singh, a reminder that this is not the end of the struggle for queer rights: SC verdict on Section 377 won't end fight against inequality; love is as much about caste, class and religious struggle.
The complete verdict as PDF.
On Twitter, Sunny Singh has a thread up with some quick fire analysis of the decision and how it's reported, making it clear that its impact goes beyond stricking down an anti-sodomy law.
Also via Sunny Singh, a reminder that this is not the end of the struggle for queer rights: SC verdict on Section 377 won't end fight against inequality; love is as much about caste, class and religious struggle.
That's great news. One system of oppression down, a million more to go. I'm surprised it took until now to come to this decision, especially since it sounds like they already did this one before on a different level before the courts struck it down. I wonder what the catalyst is for when the government is like "alright, this discrimination is finally just too unpopular so let's change it."
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:41 AM on September 6, 2018
posted by GoblinHoney at 8:41 AM on September 6, 2018
Still lots and lots of progress that needs to be made with civil rights/protections for women and LGTBQ in a country that has a lot of baked in misogyny and intolerance, but it's a start. I'm glad my homeland is starting to evolve. Baby-steps I guess.
posted by Fizz at 8:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 8:47 AM on September 6, 2018 [7 favorites]
5 Realities of Being Gay in a Country Where It's Illegal (Cracked, 2014)
posted by Melismata at 8:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 8:58 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I know there's still a ton of progress to be made, but this is such wonderful news! Some of the images in this article (there might be brief auto-playing video) are really moving.
posted by treepour at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by treepour at 9:27 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
HURRAH!
posted by doctornemo at 9:31 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by doctornemo at 9:31 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I love this
posted by nikaspark at 10:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by nikaspark at 10:12 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is good news!
posted by cooker girl at 10:43 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by cooker girl at 10:43 AM on September 6, 2018 [1 favorite]
I apologize if it seemed like I dropped into a thread to just shit on this news. I am very happy that this has happened. I just struggle with how slow change seems to happen for my country. I am quite proud of my heritage but there are many things that still make me feel ashamed and when it comes to how the country treats women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities.
I hope that this kind of progress continues to be made.
posted by Fizz at 10:46 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
I hope that this kind of progress continues to be made.
posted by Fizz at 10:46 AM on September 6, 2018 [8 favorites]
Definitely still a lot of progress to be made but i can say i am pleasantly surprised at both the decision and its unanimous status.
There are some questionable assumptions behind this logic (notably it ignores the ability of many gay Indians to leave if they have the means) but if India has about 17.5% of the worlds population, and gay folks are as likely to be born anywhere on earth*, this ruling just gave legal status to almost 1 in 5 gay men and lesbians on earth.
Hard to view that as a bad thing from where i stand.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:46 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
There are some questionable assumptions behind this logic (notably it ignores the ability of many gay Indians to leave if they have the means) but if India has about 17.5% of the worlds population, and gay folks are as likely to be born anywhere on earth*, this ruling just gave legal status to almost 1 in 5 gay men and lesbians on earth.
Hard to view that as a bad thing from where i stand.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:46 AM on September 6, 2018 [11 favorites]
I wish I could explain the magnitude of what just happened - the celebrations, the conversations, the sense of relief that we're finally righting a wrong that simply never belonged in our culture. I'm straight, and I've cried multiple times since yesterday about my friends finally being able to own their identities and hopefully live a less stigmatized life.
My mother has gone from 'homosexuality is unnatural' to 'I don't get it, but nobody should be harassed for what they do in their private lives.' It's an ongoing, difficult conversation that I've had many times with many people, and I won't give up on. I'm so grateful for the SC judgment for making life easier for my LGBTQ friends and giving a fillip to moving, ever so slowly, to a better, more liberal, more inclusive worldview.
To quote the Chief Justice of India - 'Section 377 is irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.' Good riddance.
posted by Nieshka at 3:02 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
My mother has gone from 'homosexuality is unnatural' to 'I don't get it, but nobody should be harassed for what they do in their private lives.' It's an ongoing, difficult conversation that I've had many times with many people, and I won't give up on. I'm so grateful for the SC judgment for making life easier for my LGBTQ friends and giving a fillip to moving, ever so slowly, to a better, more liberal, more inclusive worldview.
To quote the Chief Justice of India - 'Section 377 is irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary.' Good riddance.
posted by Nieshka at 3:02 PM on September 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Here's what I posted on social media when this news came down:
"I lived in India from 1975-1989. In my mind, it is still my homeland, despite the fact that I am an American citizen and have lived here longer than I have lived anywhere else. In the years I lived in India, because of my gayness, I was expelled from one very beloved school and one college, lost apartments and jobs, was constantly harassed and intimidated by law enforcement, and was threatened with Electroshock Conversion Therapy to "cure" my gayness (an "affliction" I have "suffered" from since I was 7). And I knew I had no recourse in law for any of the harm I suffered in that time.
I finally left India Christmas Eve 1989 to escape those conditions—I miss it every day. It is, after all, my home. I miss it during heat waves and sudden torrential downpours in New York, which remind me of India's monsoons, when I walk by an Indian restaurant and smell the tantalizing aroma of my own cuisine, when I hear my cab driver softly consoling his wife in Punjabi for leaving her at home with his mother and their children so he can earn a living to support them all.
I haven't yet read all 500 pages of today's decision. But I can tell you that, as meaningful as Lawrence v. Texas was to me, no court decision on gay rights will quicken my soul more than this one. I am so proud of the Indian Judiciary today."
posted by lassie at 2:04 PM on September 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
"I lived in India from 1975-1989. In my mind, it is still my homeland, despite the fact that I am an American citizen and have lived here longer than I have lived anywhere else. In the years I lived in India, because of my gayness, I was expelled from one very beloved school and one college, lost apartments and jobs, was constantly harassed and intimidated by law enforcement, and was threatened with Electroshock Conversion Therapy to "cure" my gayness (an "affliction" I have "suffered" from since I was 7). And I knew I had no recourse in law for any of the harm I suffered in that time.
I finally left India Christmas Eve 1989 to escape those conditions—I miss it every day. It is, after all, my home. I miss it during heat waves and sudden torrential downpours in New York, which remind me of India's monsoons, when I walk by an Indian restaurant and smell the tantalizing aroma of my own cuisine, when I hear my cab driver softly consoling his wife in Punjabi for leaving her at home with his mother and their children so he can earn a living to support them all.
I haven't yet read all 500 pages of today's decision. But I can tell you that, as meaningful as Lawrence v. Texas was to me, no court decision on gay rights will quicken my soul more than this one. I am so proud of the Indian Judiciary today."
posted by lassie at 2:04 PM on September 8, 2018 [9 favorites]
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