In a stunning turn of events, a Supreme court in India has legalized gay marriage and relations, overturning a 150-year old claw that classified homosexuality as a criminal offence.
According to the historic ruling, discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation is a violation of fundamental human rights. “Criminalizing carnal intercourse is irrational arbitrary and manifestly unconstitutional. Respect for individual choice is the essence of liberty. This freedom can only be fulfilled when each of us realizes that the LGBT community possesses equal rights,” read the Chief Justice on behalf of the five-judge bench.
Activists in that country have been moving to end the notorious Section 337 which recommended jail sentences for homosexual individuals. The penal code which also deemed oral and anal sex as criminal acts has largely affected same-sex couples.
In Nigeria, homosexuality is punishable under the law by a 14-year jail sentence, going by a 2014 law signed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.