Rights activists welcome RSS stand on Sec 377

MUMBAI: A cross-section of human rights activists from South Asia on Wednesday welcomed an apparent softening in the RSS's stand on homosexuality.

Commenting on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that renders homosexuality a crime, RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav has said: "While certain social behaviour does not need to be glorified, it is debatable whether it should be considered a crime."

Exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen tweeted in support of the shift in the RSS's stance on queer rights, calling it a great decision.

The recent statement by the RSS is welcome in the light of the BJP and RSS's silence on the issue a few months ago, said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director, Human Rights Watch. "The BJP has the numbers in Parliament right now and should immediately work towards amending the law," said Ganguly.

Shashikumar Velath, programmes director, Amnesty International India, said the RSS spokesperson's statement was a welcome sign the organization recognized the regressive nature of Section 377. "The new government should also recognize, as the Delhi high court did in 2009, that the criminalization of same-sex relations between consenting adults is discriminatory and violates the rights to equality, privacy and dignity set forth in the Constitution of India," Velath said.

Navaz Kotwal of Commonwealth Human Rights said: "If [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi wants to put India on the international map, not just as an economic superpower but on areas such as civil liberties and human rights, he needs to tackle issues such as the criminalization of homosexuality."

Sridhar Rangayan, director of Kashish, South Asia's largest queer film festival, also welcomed the RSS spokesperson's statement. "All of us who are part of the LGBT community would be happy with a forward-thinking statement by the BJP or any organization associated with it," he said. "The RSS's new stand needs to translate into action. We need to hear the right statements from the BJP before we believe that change will take place."

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Rights activists welcome RSS stand on Sec 377

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