Ruling by India’s Supreme Court banning homosexual sex disregards basic sexual and human rights
India’s Supreme Court re-criminalised consensual adult same-sex relations and referred to the colonial era penal code 377 that describes homosexual sex being “against the order nature”. The law behind the ruling is obsolete and erroneous: homosexuality is a natural phenomenon that occurs in every society throughout the globe. It is also known to occur in many other species.
The ruling, by demeaning persons for their sexual orientation, is discriminating and degrading, and thus should be overturned immediately.
The World Association for Sexual Health (WAS) condemns all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientations. In its Declaration of Sexual Rights, WAS recognises the right to express and realize one’s sexuality regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, race, social class, religion, or physical and emotional disability as a fundamental human right (WAS, 1999).
We stand and speak up together with Indian people who fight for rights to equality, privacy and dignity.
The WAS endorses the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, which calls for an end of discrimination and recognises the matter as a “priority issue” of the U.N.