Staunchly oppose criminalisation of homosexuality, says Ban Ki-Moon

Opposing the criminalisation of homosexuality, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said that doing so breeds intolerance by violating basic rights to privacy and freedom. He also said that the fight for human equality must be inclusive and should set aside all differences, including those "based on sexual orientation".

"I staunchly oppose criminalisation of homosexuality. They violate the basic rights to privacy and freedom. These laws breed intolerance. We have to fight for the equality of all members of our human family regardless of any differences, including sexual orientation," Ban said at an event to mark the 70th anniversary of United Nations in New Delhi.

'The Future We Want' event was attended by Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and actors Sharmila Tagore and Nandita Das.

"I am very grateful for celebs like Celina Jaitly and Imran Khan, who have reached millions with their message of equality," Ban said.

Terming Article 377 "as archaic", Das, a celebrity advocate for Unicef, urged the UN Secretary General to "put pressure on the government" to repeal the law.

"I hope you can put pressure on our government to repeal the archaic law of Art. 377 which criminalises homosexuality," she said.

The discussion saw Ban commending various initiatives of the government like ensuring vaccine coverage and building a toilet in every household and school by 2019. The UN Secretary General had arrived in New Delhi on Saturday on a four-day visit. He also attended the Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar.