One might forgive the GLBT community here in America for wondering how far we've really come in achieving the goal of equality and acceptance when we hear stories about Proposition 8 being passed in California, or police harassing patrons at a gay bar in Fort Worth, Texas. So it's nice to get the occasional reminder that progress is being made, as when the Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. But it's even better, in the wake of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, to hear about gays and lesbians in India having their own Stonewall moment:
A court in the Indian capital, Delhi, has ruled that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is not a criminal act.
The ruling overturns a 148-year-old colonial law which describes a same-sex relationship as an "unnatural offence".
[...] Delhi's High Court ruled that the law outlawing homosexual acts was discriminatory and a "violation of fundamental rights".
The court said that a statute in Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which defines homosexual acts as "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" and made them illegal, was an "antithesis of the right to equality".
In a country that is generally squeamish in talking about sexual issues, and where intolerance, discrimination and harassment of gays and lesbians is endemic, the GLBT community in India still has a long way to go to achieve even the levels of acceptance that we have here in America. And the ruling is drawing hostile reactions from the usual suspects:
Father Dominic Emanuel of India's Catholic Bishop Council said the church did not "approve" of homosexual behaviour.
"Our stand has always been very clear. The church has no serious objection to decriminalising homosexuality between consenting adults, the church has never considered homosexuals as criminals," said Father Emanuel.
"But the church does not approve of this behaviour. It doesn't consider it natural, ethical, or moral," he said.
The head cleric of Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque, criticised the ruling.
"This is absolutely wrong. We will not accept any such law," Ahmed Bukhari told the AFP news agency.
Still, it's greatly encouraging to see a nation with 1/5 of the earth's population take a huge leap forward toward the goal of justice and equality for gays and lesbians. Let's hope that this ruling touches off a long-needed national dialogue in India that clears the road for social progress.