The Amend section 377 of the IPC petition that's online on the Gaybombay website has been growing steadily ever since we put it up on Tuesday. As Sopan said, a few glitches have had to be sorted out, but its 470 plus now and growing. So have you signed yet?
A few people have asked what the point of the petition is, will it really lead to change? The answer is that probably no single thing - well short of really senior politicians finding their sons in bed with guys - is likely to change anything, but a lot of incremental things might, and this is one such step. We made reference to the online petition at the Tuesday march and it is something that's up and accessible for people to see. That's one and the other is, well just take a look for yourselves: http://www.gaybombay.org/app/sign.php?list=1 What's really amazing me is not just the names or the places from around the world where people are signing, but the comments they are writing. When we thought of this, the comments field was an afterthought - I didn't even put one myself. But the way that people are posting comments indicates how deeply they feel about this and how much they want their views heard. I've pasted a few of the comments below, so take a look, or use the link above to check for yourself. And if you haven't signed the petition yet, use this link to sign, and forward it too to everyone you know. Put it on mailing lists. Put the link on websites. Test it to people's mobiles. Send it to obscure email addresses in your address book. Send it to brothers, sisters, parents. Announce it, as Bindu has done, at meetings. Because this is something that anyone can do, whether they are gay or straight, open or closeted, married, single or in a relationship, sexually active or not, top or bottom, kink or vanilla, in India or abroad, supportive or even if they are not sure what they feel about homosexuality, but do know that they don't think lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people should not be treated as criminals: http://www.gaybombay.org/event/Protest_sec377_register.html Comments Touranne Nguyen USA "Who would give a law to lovers? Love is unto itself a higher law." -Boethius Wendell Rodricks Goa Because it is antiquated and an insult to anyone who lives in this century. Also, it is an abhhoration to the multitude of gay persons who serve the coutry in the army, navy, airforce, doctors, lawyers...many of who are in high ranks and who have served India with loyality and patriotism. We are not criminals in any way philippe keyvân paris, france this act belongs to bygone days. It is an wart on the face of modern India, incompatible with the respect of human rights. Andy Towle U.S.A. I stand in solidarity with LGBT people across India in their desire for equality and civil rights. Sexual acts between consenting adults need to be decriminalized. Martin Bonn, Germany Sex among people with the same gender is similar to sex among people with different gender - in both cases love or variations of love motivate the partners to encounter sexually. Arvind Kumar San Jose, California The British have gone. Their laws should go too. Jehangir Jani Mumbai Because it is an archaic law that straightjackets new possibilities in human relationships and intimacies. Trips Delhi It's a ridiculous section -- telling us who we can fuck and how. If the guys who enacted the act have scrapped it then why should we hold on to it?? Ness Pune Because it's cruel, and India needs to wake up to the 21st Century. We'll drag India kicking and screaming into it if we have to. aslam Boston, Massachusetts, USA; NRI from Pune, Maharashtra. Section 377 is shameful for India on two counts. Firstly, It indicates that this country maintains some cruel and unjust principles while it claims its otherwise rightful place among the leading modern nations that are committed to respecting what the Indian Constitution calls "fundamental rights" of all humans. Secondly, India, proudly independent for 58 years, is still unwilling to discard this indefensible, retrograde law, which it inherited from its colonial masters, RL Atlanta, Georgia, United States Because really, India and its people are better than this. The law does not do justice to who they are. Indians aren't haters. Professor Ian Barnard Los Angeles, USA It's a disgrace that the world's largest democracy still discriminates against people because of their sexual orientation. I urge the passage of the amendment so that India can become a model of tolerance and equity for other countries (e.g., the USA) Nate Norman, Oklahoma, USA To treat homosexuals and transgendered people by criminalizing who they are is to disregard their basic human rights. Human rights equal human dignity and thus by stripping people of their rights you strip them of their dignity. If you remove their dignity, you are slowly disregarding their humanity. You have devalued their lives and the lives of their families. You dishonor not only them, but their families. Criminalizing people for being who they are is unequal treatment and societies that treat people unequally will bear the burdens caused by their treatment of all those in society they displace through criminalizing actions. Besides, wasn't this law enacted by the once homophobic British trying to "Britishize" India? Why should India keep a foreign law it would not have otherwise enacted? Besides this, Britain as removed its laws criminalizing homosexuality and transgendered...though they have a long ways to go to bringing about true equality for all of their citizens. India is much closer, so it should remove this awful law. Support freedoms for everyone! Prasad Mumbai The talent of this country dreams to be out of this country just because,the socio structure does not allow it to breath in its own mother land freely.Its a classic case of 'Aadheech Dushkaal tyaat Teravaa mahina'.If this nation is as great as it says it is, if she has to achieve the heights she is is capable of,then this pathetic state has to change. Viki Bangalore It is pathetic that we live in a time warp that allows such archaic laws to create unfair distinctions, that go against the fundemental rights of people in a supposed democracy. More so horrifying in the land where the Kamasutra came from ! How much longer can we keep sweeping issues of sexuality under the carpet ? Raveesh Mumbai A person is gay because he is created gay the same way a person is straight if he is created so. A gay cannot be made straight in the same way that a straight cannot be made gay. Those arguing that it is "unnatural" should realise that it is an inherent part of a gay's "nature" to be gay. Can objecting straights imagine how it would be (theoritically) to be born in a place where heterosexuality is crime. How is it that straights can have all the sex in the world whereas gays should not be having any at all. Consentual sex between adults cannot be crime. This curelty towards human beings who are gay is indeed henious crime. Ram Pune Honorable Panel of Judges at the Supreme Court, Liberty and freedom of expression are birth rights of any individual in a democratic society. As long as person has the respect for law and dignity of being a true citizen of any democratic country, he/she may not be monitored about his sexual orientation. Especially, when we have adopted some archaic laws from other societies, it is necessary we amend them as times change like the parent constitutions has done. Article 377 is one such law which has been over looked because we Indian's don't like to talk about sex in open, where as we all know that sex and sexual orientation are as much biological in origin as our hair or eye color. It's time to act upon amending laws to give the dignity to the citizens and be part of the advancing global society where each individual has a dignity of being who he is. I was a student of Anthropology at the University of Pune and my thesis was on study of gay men in Pune, which was very much appreciated by the department. I got the highest marks for this insightful thesis topic. Regards, A. Ramprasad Naidu Pune gun Australia Dude, wtf kind of crazy-shit law is this? Mogan Selangor, Malaysia We are unique as anyone else in this world, we have all the rights as everyone does. There is no reason to discriminate people like us. To love and to be loved thats all matter...WE ARE UNIQUE! ------------------------ Yahoo! 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