Heena Sharma Blog

Despite a landmark verdict on Section 377 by the Supreme Court, which decriminalised gay sex in the country, the Maharashtra arm of National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) recently issued a newly-updated blood donor screening questionnaire to Mumbai-based blood banks. The new questionnaire, designed on the lines of developed nations, will now mandate the blood collectors to ask the male donors about their sexual behaviour and whether they have multiple partners or engaged in the male-to-male sexual activity. For decades, the ban on homosexuals to donate blood exists in India and those who are at high risk of suffering from prolonged diseases such as cancer, allergies, respiratory ailments and organ failure are also not allowed to donate blood. ALSO READ: Blood banks gasp for oxygen, India sees shortage of 1.9 mn units in 2016-17 NBTC’s 2017 revised guidelines, on the selection of blood donors reiterate that transgenders, bisexual men and female sex workers can never don...

On September 6, India saw victory of law and love. The five bench Supreme Court unanimously passed an order on IPC Section 377 , making the country really free for everyone – including gays and transgenders for the first time since 1861. India has become a better country since then. Many trans and homo children, both girls and boys, have been violated within families and their parents have long lived in constant fear of their children being considered criminal. The Supreme Court ruling will give solace to them. ALSO READ: How the SC judgement on Section 377 ties constitutional values with emotion Changing such thought processes is an uphill task and can be achieved if it is tackled effectively on three fronts: increase solidarity from within and empower the community, sensitise and engage with policymakers, and educate masses through platforms that involve members of the community and the general population. As long as the general population does not interact and engage wi...

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...

Gandhi was severely criticised by BJP leaders for hugging Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the no-confidence motion against the government last week Politics News : A day after Rahul Gandhi said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs step back on seeing him as they fear he might hug them, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Thursday took a jibe, saying the leaders might be divorced by their wives if they embrace the Congress president as "Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet". Dubey said BJP MPs can hug Gandhi only when the Congress president gets married. "Why should we hug him. Section 377 hasn't been scrapped as yet. And our wives will also give divorce to us. If Rahul Gandhi gets married, then we will hug him," he said.   The IPC's Section 377 criminalises sex among people of the same gender. On Wednesday, at an event, Gandhi said the BJP's MPs take "two steps back" on seeing him fearing he might embrace them. Gandh...

A colonial-era law that criminalizes homosexual sex is viewed by many as a blot on the idea of India as a liberal democracy Current Affairs News : Five judges on India’s Supreme Court are hearing a challenge to a law that criminalizes homosexual sex — Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, introduced by British colonial authorities in 1861 and kept on the books in independent India. The Indian government told the court, which began hearings last Tuesday, that it would leave it to the wisdom of the judges to decide whether Section 377 violates fundamental rights to life, liberty and personal security as long as it does not get into broader issues like marriage, inheritance and adoption. But these are inevitable. Menaka Guruswamy, a lawyer for the plaintiffs against Section 377, argued that it was love that needed to be “constitutionally recognized” and not just sex. Social media and newspapers are filled with conversations and reports about Section 377, but L.G.B.T. life i...