BRIEFCASE

  1. Netherlands was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2010 after which other western countries followed.
  2. India does not have a pro-LGBT stance and criminalizes homosexuality using imprisonment as the punishment.
  3. 376 countries have anti-discrimination laws regarding employment, hate crime etc.

What US President Barack Obama termed ‘a victory’ for the country was the Supreme Court ruling that made same-sex marriage legal across the United States.

This well celebrated landmark ruling came in 2015.

But United States is not the only country that is pro-LGBT. Many western countries are in this club including Canada, Belgium, Spain, France, Portugal. In fact, the Netherlands was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2010.

According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association‘s data on the sexual orientation laws in the world, there are still many countries where homosexuality is a criminal offence and has death penalty as punishment.

Equally worse: Death penalty or imprisonment

In countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan and 13 others, homosexuality is punishable with death sentence.

India gives an imprisonment of 14 years or more. The fight for legalization of homosexuality is still on in India. 75 other countries too have adopted imprisonment as a punishment against homosexuality, this includes Myanmar, Algeria, Libya, Sri Lanka, Kenya among others.

Western countries adopt anti-discrimination laws

These countries continue to follow ‘archaic’ laws whereas the western countries have not only decriminalised homosexuality but adopted anti-discrimination laws as well. 76 countries have anti-discrimination laws regarding employment, hate crime, hate speech, constitutional rights and other non-discrimination protections.

Indian citizens are still devoid from a right as basic as marrying someone, well gender no bar. The country is still among many countries which belong to the league that is anti-LGBThttp://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/homosexuality-sexual-orientation-laws-death-penalty/1/675316.html