Article 377

Its been a long time since a new post…. So i just thought this time around i would write about something different…

Article 377 or section 377 of the Indian penal code was drafted in 1860 149 years ago by Lord Macaulay which criminalized consensual adult sex between the same sex.. It treated it as a cardinal sin. So why am I writing about a law made 149 years ago because on July 2 nd 2009 through a landmark judgment the Delhi high court has ruled that article 377 is against the constitution of India which says  citizens have equal opportunity and is equal before the law..

So what does this mean for us the young,, for 90% of us its probably laughing matter but for 10% of the Indian population that is around a whopping 100 million people this is a time of celebration. There will be various discussions about this judgment lot of people for it and lot of people against it. So what do I think about it? Personally it doesn’t affect me and I wouldn’t have usually written a post about homosexuality but yesterday I was watching a discussion on a national news channel… A gentleman was saying legal sing homosexuality will degrade the family system of India.. A representative of a community was under the impression that homosexuality is not something u r born with but according to him it is developed.. I quote “ When a boy or a girl is attending a camp or stays in a hostel without any contact with the other sex homosexual thoughts develop in them and we believe that its can be removed by counseling”

Both of these statements might seem logical at first especially the latter one but think about it  how does being gay degrade the Indian family system and when fathers are raping their own daughters can there be any more degradation than that and the thing about spreading of homosexuality.. is homosexuality a disease.. it isn’t a disease its something u r born with… A study shows  10% of human population is gay so obviously its not someones’s choice but something u r born with.  And to the next theory about how people turn gay.. I don’t think if I am put with hundred other guys for a year I ll have sex with one of them.. I d rather play with myself (cheeky term heh :d)….. same way a gay guy wont turn straight if he  s put with 100 girls…

But whatever change in law takes place until our society becomes open to change and to accept people the way they are, u can’t call it progress. But Indians are not known for their openness.. just the whopping sales of fairness creams shows to what extent the discrimination is there in our society even on flimsy grounds such as colour and if my memory is right there was one Hindi soap about this discrimination..

But to be fair to the authorities there has been no use of this article 377 in the past 20 years and so the judgement has given a legal support but social support is still far away…..

In later news the church has decided to appeal against the verdict in the supreme court but its understood the govt wont go for further appeal… lets hope this is a new beginning and end of discrimination of gay community in India but I have a sinking feeling that’s not gonna happen, I hope, I really do that I am wrong….