Moily (India) signals rethink on anti-gay law

[InfiniteThoughts]

Source: The Times of India

In an interview to a television channel on Thursday, law minister Veerappa Moily indicated that the government may do a rethink on the controversial Section 377 of IPC that criminalizes private consensual sex between adults of the same sex.

Moily admitted that some sections of the IPC are outdated and Section 377 may be one of them.

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While the health ministry had supported the petition, the home and law ministries were against it.

Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Moily-signals-rethink-on-anti-gay-law/articleshow/4646725.cms

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About time that the Indian government woke up from it's stupor. While the fight worldwide is for equal rights to LGBT, the fight in India is to ensure that they are not booked as criminals.

Also, wonder what the Home ministry has to do with this law.

A long way to go, but a much needed, delayed start nevertheless.

[cosmicone]

1. Indian laws were derived from British laws

There are many laws on the books that are never enforced.

I don't know of anyone being arrested or prosecuted in India for being gay.

In any event, changing this law would be good for a country which is probably the most tolerant and secular in the whole world.

[DCKit]

2. Like the U.S., India is experiencing a surge in Mulsim and Hindu fundamentalism.

Better to get these laws off the books before the religious police start enforcing them.

Regardless, what you said: generally, a very tolerant people. They've certainly been around long enough to learn how to get along.

[Technowitch]

3. In India...

...the view towards many laws is "oh, my goodness gracious, how did we let that happen?" They're usually removed long before any officer of the law has any cause or motivation to use the law in the contra-sensible way. More like, "Well, this is how we do this... oh my, look we could have done that terrible thing and it would've been legal -- we need to change this before someone foolishly lets it happen."

And then they change the law.

This is in contrast to the States, where legislators seem to go out of their way to piss off anybody who isn't Christian , Republican, and/or far right wing.

To summarize: In India, they know there's an emotional response, but feel it is their duty to find the sensible, intelligent way out of a problem. In America, there may be a response to solve the problem, but this is quickly swamped by groups whose view of society and the world is...unique to theimselves, and angry. They demand accommodation, capitulation...and they usually get it. And as a consequence, large numbers of people who never really did anything wrong suddenly find themselves behind barbed wire and in tiny cages.

[InfiniteThoughts]

4. i wish ...

i wish India was as good as you described. Nevertheless., i hope we get there soon