Check out 16 Return-To-Work Programs In India For Ambitious Women Like You!
Same sex relationship is now legally accepted in India. Supreme Court's verdict, decriminalizing homosexuality, is our country's a step forward towards social progress.
Same sex relationships are now legally acceptable in India. Supreme Court’s verdict, decriminalizing homosexuality, is a big step for our country’s towards social progress.
This day marks a historic victory for human rights in India with the Supreme Court passing a unanimous verdict decriminalizing same sex relationships, thereby diluting the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.
Section 377, a part of the 1861 law, banned ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal’ which included homosexual sex. The Court however stated that acts of sodomy or bestiality, that is sexual acts involving minors or animals will still be punishable under Section 377. Apex Court said that the members of LGBTQ community have the same fundamental rights as any other citizen of the country.
After decades of fighting, this marks for a major victory for the LGBTQ community of our country. Earlier, the NGO, Naz Foundation, which has been fighting for the rights of same sex couples for over a decade, had challenged Section 377 in 2001. In 2009, the Delhi High Court had ruled in the favour of decriminalizing Section 377; however, the decision was overturned by a two judge bench of Supreme Court in 2013.
At least 32 individuals had filed petitions for the scraping of this medieval law that criminalized a human being’s right to love whosoever they want. Some of the prominent petitioners were: Navtej Singh Johar (59), a renowned classical dancer and winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and his partner for over two decades, Sunil Mehra (63), a journalist and former editor of Maxim’s Indian edition, Ritu Dalmia (45), a celebrity Chef and the owner of the restaurant chain, Diva, Aman Nath (61), owner of the Neemrana chain of hotels and a renowned author in the fields of art, history, architecture, and photography, and Ayesh Kapur (23), actor (best known for her performance as the young Rani Mukherjee in Black) and businesswoman.
Let us understand why this verdict is important. While the notion of sexuality and gender are increasingly evolving with the passage of time, it was highly unfortunate that even being a homosexual couple was considered illegal in India. Imagine hiding your sexuality or your relationship with a consenting adult for your entire life, because who you choose to love is illegal in your country!
Currently same sex marriage (nationwide or in some parts) is allowed in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay. Same sex marriage is soon due to be recognized in Austria, Costa Rica, and Taiwan. And then when we looked at India, forget about marriage, even a relationship between same sex couple was deemed against the law.
It was high time for India’s administrative and judiciary powers to recognize how regressive it is to criminalize same sex couples under Section 377. Let us hope that this is just the beginning of a better era for the LGBTQ community and we’d soon see India under the list of countries where even marriage between such couples is considered legal.
Image Source – TOI Video
Kasturi’s debut novel, forthcoming in early 2021, had won the novel pitch competition by Half Baked Beans Publishers. She won the Runner Up Position in the Orange Flower Awards 2021 for Short Fiction. Her read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
People say that women are the greatest enemies of women. I vehemently disagree. It is the patriarchal mindset that makes women believe in the wrong ideology.
The entire world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8, 2024. It should be a joyful day, but unfortunately, not all women are entitled to this privilege, as violence against women is at its peak. The experience of oppression pushes many women to choose freedom. As far as patriotism is concerned, feminism is not a cup of tea in this society.
What happens when a woman decides to stand up for herself? Does this world easily accept the decisions of women in this society? What inspires them to be free of the clutches of the oppression that women have faced for ages? Most of the time, women do not get the chance to decide for themselves. Their lives are always at the mercy of someone, which can be their parents, siblings, husband, or children.
In some cases, women do not feel the need to make any decisions. They are taught to obey the patriarchal system, which makes them believe that they are right. In my family, I was never taught to make decisions on my own. It was always my parents who bought dresses and all that I needed.
14 years after her last feature film Dhobi Ghat, storyteller extraordinaire comes up with her new film, Laapataa Ladies, a must watch.
*Some spoilers alert*
Every religion around the world dictates terms to women. The onus is always on women to be ‘modest’ and cover their faces and bodies so men can’t be “tempted”, rather than on men to keep their eyes where they belong and behave like civilized beings. So much so that even rape has been excused on the grounds of women eating chowmein or ‘men will be men’. I think the best Hindi movie retort to this unwanted advice on ‘akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai’ (an alone woman is like an open jewellery box) came from Geet in Jab We Met – Kya aap gyan dene ke paise lete hain kyonki chillar nahin hain mere paas.
The premise of Laapataa Ladies is beautifully simple – two brides clad in the ghunghat that covers their identity get mixed up on a train. Within this Russian Doll, you get a comedy of errors, a story of getting lost, a commentary on patriarchy’s attitude towards women, a mystery, and a tale of finding oneself, all in one. Done with a mostly light touch that has you laughing and nodding along.
Please enter your email address