World | India India Legalizes Gay Sex High court's decision hailed as 'India's Stonewall' By Rob Quinn Posted Jul 2, 2009 3:57 AM CDT Copied Pparticipants dance as they hold a placard demanding the dropping of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that makes homosexuality illegal, during a gay parade in New Delhi, India. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, File) An Indian court has struck down a colonial-era law that declared gay sex an "unnatural offense" and made it punishable by up to 10 years in jail, the BBC reports. The court ruled that the 150-year statute violated the rights of citizens by criminalizing consensual acts. India's gay rights campaigners hailed the decision as "India's Stonewall," but warned that gays still face widespread persecution. Read These Next The 8 Democrats who bucked party on shutdown have something in common. Porn studio is US' 'most prolific copyright plaintiff.' Hormone therapy for menopause was unfairly demonized, says the FDA. A veteran federal judge resigns to protest Trump. Report an error