Kolkata protests against Supreme Court judgement on gay sex

Activists and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Kolkata held a protest against the Supreme Court's decision about criminalizing gay sex on Sunday.

Holding placards and banners that read "Supreme court's verdict full blow to the fundamental rights of the LGBT community" and "marital rape legal, gay sex criminal" the protestors demanded a review of the judgement. "We are from Germany and we are gay and are allowed to get married in our country. I hope in the future India has the same rights for our community as we have in our country," said Andre, one of the protesters.

"India has taken a leap of sixty years in the past. They are still bowing down to colonial laws. They should move on and find their own way," said Ziork, another protestor.

In a major setback for the largely closeted homosexual community in India, the apex court had on Wednesday said gay sex between consenting adults is a criminal offence. The apex court set aside the Delhi High Court's 2009 judgement that homosexuality should not be treated as a criminal offence, which had been challenged by anti-gay rights activists, social and religious organisations.

The apex court had reserved its order in March last year, after day-to-day hearing in the case lasted an entire month. The Delhi High Court had in 2009 decriminalised gay sex as provided in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and had ruled that sex between two consenting adults in private would not be an offence.

Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the IPC makes gay sex a criminal offence entailing punishment up to life term.

Also read: LGBT community protest in Delhi