‘There are few gay people India’: stigma lgers spe legal victory | Human rights | The Guardian

Contents:

• ‘THERE ARE FEW GAY PEOPLE INDIA’: STIGMA LGERS SPE LEGAL VICTORY
• BIHAR GAY MUNY
• BIHAR GAY MUNY
• BIHAR HAS A THRIVG GAY MUNY

‘THERE ARE FEW GAY PEOPLE INDIA’: STIGMA LGERS SPE LEGAL VICTORY

When India’s supreme urt announced was legalisg gay sex, people hugged twos and thre on the lawns outsi the Delhi urthoe.

A law agast “unnatural sex” enshred by the lonial Brish ernment (and fend by succsive Indian on) was unanimoly led to no longer prohib homosexual acts. The reverberatns of the cisn – on sheer numbers, perhaps the largt sgle act of gay liberatn ever – are still ripplg across a vast, diverse and nservative untry.

BIHAR GAY MUNY

“They wrote, ‘Congratulatns to my homosexual iends’. “The iology of marryg a woman and havg children here is eply rooted, ” says Shubhankar Mondal, a medil stunt and one of the few openly gay people at his llege the cy. A few days after the verdict last September, Patna threw s first gay party.

”The lgerg fear reflects the fact that Indian society do a better job of policg s gay members than law enforcement ever did. Vlatg India’s ban on homosexual acts was punishable by up to 10 years prison.

BIHAR GAY MUNY

Its real impact, acrdg to reports by human rights groups, was to emboln police and others to extort and abe gay people, knowg most would be reluctant to seek help om a ernment that regard them as stigma still lgers. “In India, is a se of ethics, ” says Sanjay Paswan, a member of the Bihar state uncil and former Indian feral mister who opposed the cisn to lift the gay ban.

BIHAR HAS A THRIVG GAY MUNY

“[Gay] people are sufferg om some psychologil weakns or problem or trma. “Now people have no guts to oppose [homosexualy] … But not out of nvictn.