Reactions pour in from a wide cross-section of society

Verdict will help eliminate stigma, UN says Social and psychological solutions needed: RSS

Welcoming the Indian Supreme Court’s verdict on decriminalising homosexuality, the United Nations said it will help eliminate stigma and discrimination against the community. ‘Sexual orientation and gender expression form an integral part of an individual’s identity the world over, and violence, stigma and discrimination based on these attributes constitute an egregious violation of human rights. The UN sincerely hopes that the court’s ruling will be the first step towards guaranteeing the full range of fundamental rights to the LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transvestite and queer] persons. We also hope that the judgement will boost efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination against them in all areas of social, economic, cultural and political activity, thereby ensuring a truly inclusive society. The focus must now be on ensuring access to justice, including remedy; effective investigations of acts of violence and discrimination ...,’ the UN statement said. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ultra-rightist Hindu nationalist outfit, yesterday said it did not endorse homosexuality because it needed to be addressed socially and psychologically. However, at the same time, the organisation agreed with the Supreme Court’s view that same-sex relations were not a crime. ‘Like SC [Supreme Court], we also do not consider this to be a crime. Same-sex marriages and relations are not compatible with norms of nature. So, we do not support such relations. Indian society also does not have the tradition to recognise such relations. Human beings generally learn from experiences; that is why this issue needs to be taken care of at the social and psychological level,’ Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh of RSS, Arun Kumar, said in a statement. His remarks came hours after the Supreme Court passed the landmark judgement on Section 377 decriminalising homosexuality.

India’s celebrities hail ruling

As India’s apex court decriminalised homosexuality, ace fashion designer Suneet Varma said it was a day that had restored his faith in the Indian judicial system, while Wendell Rodricks had a sigh of relief that ‘I am no longer a criminal’. ‘Decriminalising homosexuality and abolishing #Section377 is a huge thumbs up for humanity and equal rights! The country gets its oxygen back!’ said filmmaker Karan Johar on Twitter minutes after the judgement. ‘Accepting diversity has to be the core value of every Indian and frankly [it] is the only way India will survive and thrive,’ added author Chetan Bhagat. The country’s fashion industry was not behind in the celebrations. Fashion designer Rohit Verma said: ‘Nature is more powerful than any human and the justice now has bowed in front of it. My happiness and gratitude towards the law of nature, which has established itself.’