NEW DELHI (AP) — A global rights group on Sunday weled Bhutan's move toward beg the latt South Asian natn to crimalize homosexualy. The ty Himalayan kgdom's lower hoe of Parliament voted overwhelmgly on Friday to repeal provisns that said "unnatural sex" is illegal. The bill still needs to be passed by the upper chamber before beg sent for royal assent. "Takg steps to end the crimalizatn of same sex relatnships is a wele and progrsive step by Bhutan," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said an email. Bhutane Fance Mister Namgay Tsherg had proposed to repeal the penal provisns, sayg the law, spe never beg ed, had bee "a sta" on the untry's reputatn. The mister said he was optimistic that the upper hoe the natn of 750,000 people would back the lower hoe cisn when vot on Monday. Ganguly said the mpaign for wir acceptance of gay rights should get more attentn South Asia, which is nservative and culturally and religly diverse wh major religns such as Islam, Hduism and Buddhism. Bhutan's move follows India, whose Supreme Court last year crimalized homosexualy by clarg related Brish-era laws unnstutnal. Ganguly said that Nepal has ma "some good efforts" as well. "The rt of South Asia, cludg Banglash, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, should follow su and outlaw the legal provisns that are a part of their lonial past," she said. In Banglash and Pakistan, both Mlim-majory natns, gay relatnships are illegal, and gay rights activists routely face discrimatn. In a report last year, Human Rights Watch urged Buddhist-majory Sri Lanka to follow India and crimalize lonial-era laws that had crimalized gay sex.
Contents:
- BHUTAN BE LATT ASIAN NATN TO DIAL BACK ANTI-GAY LAWS
- FACTBOX-AS BHUTAN SCRAPS GAY SEX BAN, WHAT PRO-LGBT+ STEPS HAVE OTHERS TAKEN?
- RIGHTS GROUP CHEERS BHUTAN’S MOVE TOWARD LEGALIZG GAY SEX
- BHUTAN BE LATT ASIAN NATN TO DIAL BACK ANTI-GAY LAWS
- ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
BHUTAN BE LATT ASIAN NATN TO DIAL BACK ANTI-GAY LAWS
Bhutan, which measur progrs wh a 'gross natnal happs' metric, has crimalized gay sex and seen a rise LGBTQ acceptance and activism. * gay rights bhutan *
Bhutan’s penal — which clud the ban on gay sex — took effect 2004, four years before the untry held s first electns as part of a transn om absolute monarchy to nstutnal mocracy. (Namgay Wangch / AFP/Getty Imag) “They had a strong reactn, but I want to give hope to people like me, who e om a hard nservative fay, ” she said.
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTLawmakers the Himalayan untry voted this week to amend a 2004 law that crimaliz “sexual nduct that is agast the orr of nature, ” prevly treated as a reference to gay Dahal/Agence France-Prse — Getty ImagHONG KONG — The kgdom of Bhutan pris self on maximizg “gross natnal happs, ” but don’t always feel that way to members of the untry’s L. “The are the issu that don’t get talked about, but this is the realy, ” said Tashi Tsheten, a foundg member of the lol advocy group Rabow week, however, lawmakers the Himalayan untry voted to amend a le om Bhutan’s penal that crimaliz “sodomy or any other sexual nduct that is agast the orr of nature, ” prevly treated as a reference to gay move, which still needs the kg’s approval to bee law, was the latt example of an Asian ernment looseng rtrictive laws erng the private liv of L. Rchie B Tongo/EPA, via ShutterstockBhutan’s new law, which passed both ho of Parliament on Thursday, “folds Bhutan to the global momentum toward regnizg equaly for lbian, gay, and bisexual people, ” said Kyle Knight, a senr rearcher the L.
FACTBOX-AS BHUTAN SCRAPS GAY SEX BAN, WHAT PRO-LGBT+ STEPS HAVE OTHERS TAKEN?
Lawmakers the Himalayan untry voted this week to amend a 2004 law that crimaliz “sexual nduct that is agast the orr of nature,” prevly treated as a reference to gay sex. * gay rights bhutan *
Individuals charged wh “unnatural sex” acts Bhutan would be subject to penalti nsistent wh a petty mpaign to amend anti-gay language Bhutan’s penal did not volve much direct lobbyg om L. Tsheten said, part bee formally registerg a gay rights advocy group the untry uld be terpreted to mean that you were “standg up for crimals.
“What we did was jt show people Bhutan that we exist, ” he mistry beme an ally bee regnized that the penal ’s reference to “unnatural sex” uld prevent gay and bisexual men om seekg H.
And when the penal me up for review last year, Fance Mister Namgay Tsherg — who had prevly worked at the Health Mistry and the World Bank — stood up Parliament to sist that the outdated language be repealed. Tsheten said, but will now be followed by a sentence clarifyg that “homosexualy between adults” do not meet that said that while the amend language “opens up a lot of doors” for Bhutan’s L.
RIGHTS GROUP CHEERS BHUTAN’S MOVE TOWARD LEGALIZG GAY SEX
The Bhutane Penal Co crimalis ‘unnatural sex … or any other sexual nduct that is agast the orr of nature’. Lbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transpeople, * gay rights bhutan *
Gay iends of his who have been blackmailed, for example, have been forced to change schools or start new social media profil.
BHUTAN BE LATT ASIAN NATN TO DIAL BACK ANTI-GAY LAWS
As untri around the world move to dismantle often centuri-old laws banng gay sex, Bhutan has bee the latt natn to take steps to ease rtrictns on same-sex relatnships. * gay rights bhutan *
In December 2020 the parliament amend the law agast “unnatural sex” to state, “Homosexualy between adults shall not be nsired unnatural sex.
Members of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer, and tersex (LGBTQI+) muny reported stanc of discrimatn and social stigma based on sexual orientatn. On December 10, the parliament amend the law agast “unnatural sex” to state that “Homosexualy between adults shall not be nsired unnatural sex. Members of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and tersex (LGBTI) muny reported stanc of discrimatn and social stigma based on sexual orientatn.
NEW DELHI (Thomson Rters Foundatn) - As untri around the world move to dismantle often centuri-old laws banng gay sex, Bhutan has bee the latt natn to take steps to ease rtrictns on same-sex ty Himalayan kgdom cleared an amendment bill repealg two sectns of the penal that crimalised “unnatural sex” - wily terpreted as gay sexual relatns are still outlawed 68 untri, wh the ath penalty place Iran, Sdi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia.
ACTIVISTS NMN VLENCE AGAST LGBTQ MUNY ST. VCENT, WHERE GAY SEX IS ILLEGAL
A jot stg of both ho of Bhutan’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to legalize gay sex, makg the ty Himalayan kgdom the latt Asian natn to take steps towards easg rtrictns on same-sex relatnships. * gay rights bhutan *
Another 27 natns impose maximum penalti for gay sex of between 10 years and life Uned Natns has lled on natns to throw out anti-LGBT+ laws, sayg they legimise discrimatn agast LGBT+ people and expose them to hate crim, police abe, torture and fay are the latt ne untri to remove bans on same-sex relatns:1. Angola - In January 2019, Angola removed a ban on “vic agast nature” om s penal , which had been terpreted as crimalisg gay sex. India - A lonial-era ban on gay sex was led unnstutnal by the Supreme Court September 2018, crimalisg same-sex relatns the untry of 1.
N - Homosexualy was legalised by the Pacific island untry 2016, after accepted remendatns ma by the Uned Natns Human Rights Council 2011. Sourc: Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA), RtersReportg by Annie Banerji @anniebanerji; Edg by Helen Popper and Hugo Greenhalgh.
A jot stg of both ho of Bhutan’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to legalize gay sex, makg the ty Himalayan kgdom the latt Asian natn to take steps towards easg rtrictns on same-sex relatnships.
* gay rights bhutan *
“Homosexualy will not be nsired as unnatural sex now, ” Wangdi told Rters by phone om the Bhutane pal of Thimphu, whout givg tails.
KATHMANDU (Rters) - A jot stg of both ho of Bhutan’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to legalize gay sex, makg the ty Himalayan kgdom the latt Asian natn to take steps towards easg rtrictns on same-sex relatnships. “Homosexualy will not be nsired as unnatural sex now, ” Wangdi told Rters by phone om the Bhutane pal of Thimphu, whout givg chang still need to be approved by the Kg of Bhutan to bee a activist Tashi Tsheten said he was “thrilled and really happy” over the parliamentary move, llg a “victory” for the LGBT+ muny. Neighbourg India removed a centuri-old lonial prohibn on gay sex 2018, triggerg celebratn across the Nepal, thori will unt LGBT+ people for the first time the natnal cens next year to help sexual mori ga better accs to tn and health is famo for s “gross natnal happs” x as an alternative to gross domtic product to dite real enomic progrs or velopment.