Heena Sharma Blog

Brazil's Supreme Court voted Thursday to criminalise homophobia, an important step for sexual minorities in one of the most dangerous countries for LGBT people in the world. The Supreme Federal Court (STF), which voted eight to three in favour of the measure, classified homophobia as a crime similar to racism, until Congress -- which is held by a conservative majority and is strongly influenced by evangelical churches -- passes a law specifically addressing such discrimination. Brazil now joins a growing number of countries in the typically conservative and Catholic-influenced Latin American region that have passed measures in favour of LGBT rights. "All prejudice is violence. All discrimination is a cause of suffering," said judge Carmen Luzia while voting in favour of the measure. "But I learned that some prejudices cause more suffering than others." According to the NGO Grupo Gay de Bahia, which has collected national statistics for the past fou...

The Supreme Court, on Thursday decriminalised consensual gay sex. A five-judge SC Constitution bench termed part of IPC's Section 377, which criminalises consensual unnatural sex, irrational, indefensible and manifestly arbitrary. The court also partly struck down Section 377 as violative of the right to equality. The apex court believes that the homosexuals and the LGBT community deserve equal rights and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of freedom of speech and expression. "The constitution is a dynamic document, having the primary objective of establishing a dynamic and inclusive society," the judgment of CJI Misra and J Khanwilkar. The verdict is being celebrated across the nation. From celebrities to commoners, everyone welcomed the decision with elation. Here’s how a few famous personalities from different spheres reacted upon the historic judgement: Karan Johar said this decision is a “huge thumbs up for humanity and equ...