OK to be Gay in India

In a landmark judgment, the Delhi High Court legalized gay sex among consenting adults. This repeals part of section 377 of Indian Penal Code on grounds of violation of fundamental rights. India is finally upholding the part of our constitution that says "The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth." In its 105 page judgment, the bench noted that "It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality."

I am sure there are going to be repercussions from political and religious stalwarts. In fact, the Catholic Church in Kerala was quick to point out that "Legalizing gay sex will open up the society to some sort of sexual anarchy. Perhaps Indian culture is being eroded by the western promiscuous culture." I can't wait to hear what the Hindu extremists and the Muslim fanatics have to say about all this.

For a country that still upholds a lot of conservative beliefs, this is a giant leap. The legal aspect of same-sex relationship is taken care. But the social stigma associated to it will take a lot more time to disintegrate. Even though monumental, this is just the first step. There are still issues of marriage, adoption, legal status as dependents, inheritance, etc which needs to be figured out for same sex couples. After all, California is still fighting Prop 8!