The United Nations has welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict on Thursday that decriminalised homosexuality. The UN said the verdict would help eliminate stigma and discrimination against the LGBTIQ 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.
“LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, intersex and queer/questioning) persons across the world continue to be the targets of violent attacks and are affected by multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination based on age, gender, ethnicity, disability and social status,” the UN said in a statement.
Section 377 | Top 10 quotes from SC verdict that decriminalises homosexuality
“The UN in India sincerely hopes that the court’s ruling will be the first step towards guaranteeing the full range of fundamental rights to the LGBTIQ persons.
“We also hope that the judgment 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; and effective access to economic, social and cultural rights,” it added.
In a landmark judgment, a Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra partially struck down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as unconstitutional, decriminalising sex between consenting adults.