Count ‘Em

Indian Court Wants Gay Count

LGBT Issues – In the midst of a debate on whether or not to make gay sex illegal once again, India’s Supreme Court requested a census on the number of homosexuals in the country. Even further, the court has also requested that the government provide the number of gay people living with HIV before their next meeting.

The law in question is Section 337, which banned same-sex relationships and deemed them punishable with a 10 year jail sentence. This law was repealed in 2009, making homosexual relationships currently legal. Despite this repeal, societal and government opinions are regularly at odds with gay rights.

Adding to the controversy were a number of religious groups that voiced homophobic opinions. They told judges that homosexuality is “horrendous” and that being gay is a disease, curable through counseling and rehabilitation.

The Indian High Court, which is separate from the Supreme Court, does not wish to overturn their decision to decriminalize homosexuality. However, they recently faced their own issues with homophobia. A government lawyer, PP Malhotra, recently called gay sex “highly immoral and against societal order.”

Attempting to relieve the situation, the home ministry reported Malhotra’s words as a communication error and used the excuse that he read from the wrong file.

They have files ready with homophobic rants for emergency situations? Interesting.

You can read more at Gay Star News.