Chance Of India Backtracking On Decriminalization Of Homosexuality

[Jingthing]

Hopefully this is just a glitch. But the gay rights movement in India is very weak even after decriminalization so it seems to me they are quite vulnerable to this kind of backtracking.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/indias-top-government-lawyer-denounces-homosexuality-outraging-activists/2012/02/23/gIQA33u7UR_story.html

The Supreme Court must decide whether to overturn the 2009 judgment and has set Feb. 28 for its next hearing.

A leading gay rights activist, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the matter is pending in court, said Malhotra’s statement sent confusing signals to the movement and indicated that the government was not fully backing their fight.

[Ijustwannateach]

It will probably be like contentious social issues in the US for some time- people struggling to change the law back and forth. But it's nice to have it get on the radar.

[Jingthing]

It will probably be like contentious social issues in the US for some time- people struggling to change the law back and forth. But it's nice to have it get on the radar.

Yes, but the potential for a huge country like India to go from decriminalized to criminalized again instantly for the entire country is about as dramatic as it gets. It makes the news that the small U.S. of Maryland will soon legalize same sex marriage (with no nationally recognized marriage rights) for that state look very trivial in comparison.

BTW, imagine if Thailand HAD been colonized by the British. Then, they would have been saddled with the same kind of severely anti-gay laws that India only recently rejected.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Jingthing

[Ijustwannateach]

At least Congress is in power. Hard to think of this happening with the BJP. With some luck, enough brave souls will come 'out' that there will be some positive social change that sustains the political effort. And to 'recriminalise' they are going to have to think of some good reasons to do so, which don't make them look silly (though all is relative; what looks silly to me may actually find support in some types of electorate).

[Rusty2009]

It will probably be like contentious social issues in the US for some time- people struggling to change the law back and forth. But it's nice to have it get on the radar.

Yes, but the potential for a huge country like India to go from decriminalized to criminalized again instantly for the entire country is about as dramatic as it gets. It makes the news that the small U.S. of Maryland will soon legalize same sex marriage (with no nationally recognized marriage rights) for that state look very trivial in comparison.

BTW, imagine if Thailand HAD been colonized by the British. Then, they would have been saddled with the same kind of severely anti-gay laws that India only recently rejected.

without running of to google this, is it a crime to be gay in Britain?

are you saying, to be gay

or to say you like the same sex

or is it a crime to have anal intercourse with somebody of the same sex, confussed, so now it is a crime to have a sexual thought

but please watch the video in this link, this is the problem why the UK cannot move on,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/24/david-cameron-stumbles-gay-rights

Edited February 24, 2012 by Rusty2009

[Ijustwannateach]

Probably Endure can give the best overall picture of 'being British, out, and gay before and after legality'. The short answer is that until a recent number of years ago, it was entirely illegal, and then it had a prejudicial age of consent rule. Now things are equal all around, though without full marriage rights (yet) for gays (and that's not inviting JT to restart flogging *that* old horse, either!)

[Rusty2009]

Probably Endure can give the best overall picture of 'being British, out, and gay before and after legality'. The short answer is that until a recent number of years ago, it was entirely illegal, and then it had a prejudicial age of consent rule. Now things are equal all around, though without full marriage rights (yet) for gays (and that's not inviting JT to restart flogging *that* old horse, either!)

AHA so that is his kinky thing, but i am sure there is a law against flogging old horses

Edited February 24, 2012 by Rusty2009

[Jingthing]

It will probably be like contentious social issues in the US for some time- people struggling to change the law back and forth. But it's nice to have it get on the radar.

Yes, but the potential for a huge country like India to go from decriminalized to criminalized again instantly for the entire country is about as dramatic as it gets. It makes the news that the small U.S. of Maryland will soon legalize same sex marriage (with no nationally recognized marriage rights) for that state look very trivial in comparison.

BTW, imagine if Thailand HAD been colonized by the British. Then, they would have been saddled with the same kind of severely anti-gay laws that India only recently rejected.

without running of to google this, is it a crime to be gay in Britain?

are you saying, to be gay

or to say you like the same sex

or is it a crime to have anal intercourse with somebody of the same sex, confussed, so now it is a crime to have a sexual thought

but please watch the video in this link, this is the problem why the UK cannot move on,

http://www.guardian....bles-gay-rights

Of course I'm talking about history here; how during the British empire they exported their horrible anti-gay laws and culture to their colonies. Not speaking of today's U.K. Is that what you thought?

[Jingthing]

Probably Endure can give the best overall picture of 'being British, out, and gay before and after legality'. The short answer is that until a recent number of years ago, it was entirely illegal, and then it had a prejudicial age of consent rule. Now things are equal all around, though without full marriage rights (yet) for gays (and that's not inviting JT to restart flogging *that* old horse, either!)

Please be more fair. What works legally in the UK does not work the same in the USA. Legal state marriages in the US are nothing like full equality whether you call it state legal gay marriage or state legal gay card game. There are no equal rights with it for federal issues like immigration, taxation, entitlement survival benefits, and even no recognition of these "marriages" in other states without legal gay marriage.

[endure]

Sodomy was first made illegal in the UK in 1533. Until 1861 the penalty was death. In 1885 gross indecency was made a criminal offence which covered all sex between men. The Wolfenden Report led to The Sexual Offences Act in 1967 which decriminalised sex between men as long as there were only 2 of them, they were both over 21 and the sex was in private. This was in England and Wales. Other parts of the UK trailed behind up until 1992 for the Isle of Man. in 1994 the age of consent was lowered to 18 and in 2000 the age of consent was equalised with straights at 16. The 2000 Act also allowed us to have gang-bangs.

We have civil partnerships which carry all the same legal benefits and obligations as marriage although we don't have marriage. Originally civil partnerships weren't allowed to be celebrated in religious places but that changed recently after lobbying by the Quakers, the Unitarians and the Liberal Jews.

Note that the sodomy laws were repealed for homosexual offences. Heterosexual sodomy was still a criminal offence until 1994

[Jingthing]

...

We have civil partnerships which carry all the same legal benefits and obligations as marriage although we don't have marriage. Originally civil partnerships weren't allowed to be celebrated in religious places but that changed recently after lobbying by the Quakers, the Unitarians and the Liberal Jews.

...

Yes, congratulations to you on that. Frankly, the naming issue of marriage vs. civil unions isn't an issue anymore in the U.S. Things have gone way beyond that as now eight U.S. states have legal state marriage. The issue is WHEN we get full equality, federally equal same sex marriage.

The framing of the continued debate and legal actions, both pro and con is about gay marriage or same sex marriage. There has been a recent shift in public opinion to realize the change is inevitable because of the large majority of younger people who are pro equal civil rights. That said, it could still take 50 years. Calling it domestic partners wouldn't make any difference at this point, the structure of how this is happening is already set.

Edited February 24, 2012 by Jingthing

[LeCharivari]

.... We have civil partnerships which carry all the same legal benefits and obligations as marriage although we don't have marriage. Originally civil partnerships weren't allowed to be celebrated in religious places but that changed recently after lobbying by the Quakers, the Unitarians and the Liberal Jews .....

"Marriage" for gays/same sex couples is due in the UK prior to the next elections (2015) - the actual "rights" are already identical (less peerages/titles).

Interestingly (at least to me!) only about 1,000 Civil Partnerships were registered in the UK last year, against around 220,000 marriages (150,000 being first-time marriages).

[JemJem]

Unfortunately, Indian society is, generally speaking, a conservative one and so, gains in gay-rights can be achieved (if they can ever be achieved) only after a long and tough struggle. This is sadly true for most other Asian countries too.

Sad.

Jem