Business Standard

This marriage is tied in knots

It would be naive to think that anti-LGBTQ sentiment will vaporise in the wake of the judgment

section 377, gay rights, homosexuality, LGBT rights, LGBT
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On September 6, 2018, India finally struck down a law criminalising gay sex. This has happened in most of the civilised world over the last few decades

Devangshu Datta
The Supreme Court judgment that edited Section 377 of the IPC is only the first step in setting right discrimination against sexual minorities. LGBTQ people now legally possess the same rights of consent and privacy as heterosexuals. This should, over time, lead to less harassment since, at the least, it prevents the police from barging into private spaces.

However, legal provisions can take a long time to become social norms. Think of caste discrimination, dowry, or female infanticide. These three things have been illegal for decades while continuing to receive wide social sanction. Again, think of the way the police have
Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper

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