Supreme Court of India declares gay sex illegal

[Lilitu]

I'm sure you've all heard of it by now, but basically the supremem court of India reinstated the Colonial homosexuality law that banned gay sex.

for some reason I apparently follow like 10 Indian news websites on facebook... and you see a lot of comments that appear to be homophobia rooted in culture and customs, specifically referencing Hinduism

But today I read this: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/...m=referral

I always suspected that many of the formerly colonial world's apparently conservative and intolerant views actually stem from Colonial impositions and epistemic violence; the only knowledge of Hinduism I have pretty much comes from reading A Passage to India and the God of Small Things at school and that's pretty much just that Hinduism is very much fluid and undefinable, so I'm no expert on it, but I do now think that the homophobic attitudes that permeate India, and other post-colonial countries may possibly come predominantly from a negative by[rpocudt of globalisation and westernisation, where cultures become confused.

The article also gives insight on sex and religion.

[southbiochem]

That's just fantastic...

so the law, number 377 or article number 377 or whatever was indeed a Brit law from Victoria herself claiming that gayness was sodomy and blah blah blah..

but, nevermind that, it takes a country like India to still enforce such a law when in Britain itself they no longer do..

I will say on behalf of India, that it's sorrounded by muslim countries, invaded by muslim populations and shit like that, so to try and be "modern" will not go well with many people there..*sigh*

curiously enough it is precisely this muslim folks and the ever stupid evangelic churches that have appealed the decision made 4 years ago to legalize gayness..

more so than hinduists themselves..

sad thing really..

[partis]

Yeah cause i bet that was one law that came up with a lot of opposition. That countries had its independance for 60 years. I dont concur. Merry christmas. :/

[southbiochem]

I don't know..law or not law..

I think it's time for a secular war on religion...don't you?

that's the single thing I liked about Stalin's communism...

[Vigilias]

In the UK we have a huge problem with businesses outsourcing their call work to Indian call centres.

I think we should contact our utility providers, TV, Telecoms and all the rest of it and demand that they stop doing business with countries whose governments oppress and criminalize our LGBT brothers and sisters, or else lose ours!

[Woollyhats]

I like how gay sex is wrong but allowing your 12 year old children to be married off to old men, especially muslim children, is perfectly moral and legal.

[Lilitu]

... Did none of you read that article or my post...

O.o

I don't think its right that everybody now seems to blame everything wrong with the world on religion and beliefs. If you read that article, it gives the opinion that Hinduism (and this could apply to religions worldwide) have, in the face of globalism and Western-style regulated civilisation, been corrupted into a mouthpiece for views that are hardly much to do with Hinduism at all, but more stemming from the remnants of colonialism and the effects of a world where everybody is taught to be up the business of others and, defining things (something which Hinduism fundamentally does not do).

[partis]

Yes and theres probably some truth in what you said, years of colonialism are bound to have lasting percussions but its not fair to say its just that or there hasn't been many cases where religion has been corrupted by people. Since throughout history there's been lots of war, all cultures have got mixed up, like Hinduism would be perfect without any interference, no.

[Woollyhats]

... Did none of you read that article or my post...

O.o

I don't think its right that everybody now seems to blame everything wrong with the world on religion and beliefs. If you read that article, it gives the opinion that Hinduism (and this could apply to religions worldwide) have, in the face of globalism and Western-style regulated civilisation, been corrupted into a mouthpiece for views that are hardly much to do with Hinduism at all, but more stemming from the remnants of colonialism and the effects of a world where everybody is taught to be up the business of others and, defining things (something which Hinduism fundamentally does not do).

I'm dumb. I had your article open in a tab from earlier, read it, liked it, and came back here and forgot about having had read it. I did enjoy your article... but I do find it frustrating when I see the progress that needs to be made for LGBT to achieve equality.

[nfisher1226]

Regardless of whether the bigotry came from Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity...or the remnants of the colonial era (which would signify Christian influence) it amounts to legislation based on religious beliefs. The point of whose beliefs is kind of moot to me. Somebodies religion, or more likely a lot of different religions, are at the root of the legislation.

Yes it's high time to make laws without the influence of religion. It's past time to wrench control away from the superstitious and unthinking and begin to really live and let live.

As for the call center problem, it goes way beyond issues of religious intolerance. Western countries generally have minimum wages and safety standards in the workplace, plus numerous other protections in place for their workers. Yet we're all perfectly willing to buy cheap crap from countries that keep their workers in a perpetual slave labor state. Why pay lip service to protecting workers and then just outsource to countries that don't? It's fucking hypocrisy in the extreme. It also causes the widespread erosion of the economies of said western countries as corporations continue to shift their operations to the third world and cheap labor.

Anyone pay any attention to the disaster at the garment factory in Savar? It's an outrage, and the greed of Western capitalists was a major contributing factor. We have no business doing business this way.