India Legalizes Gay Sex

High court's decision hailed as 'India's Stonewall'
Posted Jul 2, 2009 3:57 AM CDT
India Legalizes Gay Sex
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. (More India stories.)

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