The Supreme Court will consider review petitions against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code today, taking into account representations by the Union of India, mental health professionals, parents of gay people and several others.
The Supreme Court had on December 11 set aside a Delhi high court verdict that decriminalised gay sex, which is illegal under Section 377. Widespread protests by the LGBT community followed, and even Congress president Sonia Gandhi and law minister Kapil Sibal criticised the verdict.
Perhaps one of the most striking campaigns against the verdict by the LGBT community is their 377 letters campaign, hosted on the website of Orinam, an LGBT support group based in Chennai. The group asked people from across the country to write to the chief justice of India asking for gay sex to be decriminialised. It received responses not been only from the LGBT community, but also from heterosexual couples and parents of gay people who are opposed to section 377.
Here are five of the letters.
1) I will love. I will live. I am a lesbian: M Jacobs
2) With my family disowning me, I had placed my faith and hopes in the law: Anjana from Vadodara
Translation from Gujarati
Respected sir,
I am Anju, I’m a lesbian and proud of it. When the Section 377 was repealed, when homosexuality was decriminalised, I came out of the closet and am now living with my girlfriend. When I did this, my family disowned me. I thought that even though my family does not accept me, 377 gives us legal rights to live together, safely and happily. But, what now? With the re-criminalisation of homosexuality, what will happen to people like us? Why should we live in fear? With my family disowning me, I had placed my faith and hopes in the law. Please decriminalise homosexuality once again and let people like me live in independence too. If in independent India everyone has truly gained freedom, then why are we still in chains?
3) I have got used to being humiliated by my community for having been born a feminine male: Jaya, from Chennai
Translation from Tamil
Greetings to the Honourable Chief Justice of India: I am proud to declare that, like you, I belong to the Tamil culture, and like you, have had my primary education in the Tamil medium. Despite taking pride in the Tamil language and heritage, I have got used to being humiliated by my Tamil community for having been born a feminine male. I am further anguished by the Supreme Court verdict that deems me a criminal. My family members have come around to accept me for who I am, after years of struggle. I fear that the SC decision may set back all these years of work on my part to get them to accept me. I humbly request your honourable self to intervene in the matter and restore the validity of the 2009 Delhi High Court verdict.
4) Please save me from fear of going to jail by repealing 377: Srinivas
Translation from Telugu
I am Srinivas, a homosexual, and work in Bangalore. Please save me from fear of going to jail by repealing 377. In my own country, I don’t have freedom. In my own country, I don’t have dignity, Oh lord? Whom should I cry to?”
5) Section 377, quit India: Varun Kumar
Translation from Hindi
My name is Varun Kumar and I work in the field of medicine. I am a homosexual and wish to make it known that Article 377 is a blow to my self respect. It is my recommendation that article 377 be removed from country's legal code as soon as possible.
Thank you
Article 377, quit India!
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The Supreme Court had on December 11 set aside a Delhi high court verdict that decriminalised gay sex, which is illegal under Section 377. Widespread protests by the LGBT community followed, and even Congress president Sonia Gandhi and law minister Kapil Sibal criticised the verdict.
Perhaps one of the most striking campaigns against the verdict by the LGBT community is their 377 letters campaign, hosted on the website of Orinam, an LGBT support group based in Chennai. The group asked people from across the country to write to the chief justice of India asking for gay sex to be decriminialised. It received responses not been only from the LGBT community, but also from heterosexual couples and parents of gay people who are opposed to section 377.
Here are five of the letters.
1) I will love. I will live. I am a lesbian: M Jacobs
2) With my family disowning me, I had placed my faith and hopes in the law: Anjana from Vadodara
Translation from Gujarati
Respected sir,
I am Anju, I’m a lesbian and proud of it. When the Section 377 was repealed, when homosexuality was decriminalised, I came out of the closet and am now living with my girlfriend. When I did this, my family disowned me. I thought that even though my family does not accept me, 377 gives us legal rights to live together, safely and happily. But, what now? With the re-criminalisation of homosexuality, what will happen to people like us? Why should we live in fear? With my family disowning me, I had placed my faith and hopes in the law. Please decriminalise homosexuality once again and let people like me live in independence too. If in independent India everyone has truly gained freedom, then why are we still in chains?
3) I have got used to being humiliated by my community for having been born a feminine male: Jaya, from Chennai
Translation from Tamil
Greetings to the Honourable Chief Justice of India: I am proud to declare that, like you, I belong to the Tamil culture, and like you, have had my primary education in the Tamil medium. Despite taking pride in the Tamil language and heritage, I have got used to being humiliated by my Tamil community for having been born a feminine male. I am further anguished by the Supreme Court verdict that deems me a criminal. My family members have come around to accept me for who I am, after years of struggle. I fear that the SC decision may set back all these years of work on my part to get them to accept me. I humbly request your honourable self to intervene in the matter and restore the validity of the 2009 Delhi High Court verdict.
4) Please save me from fear of going to jail by repealing 377: Srinivas
Translation from Telugu
I am Srinivas, a homosexual, and work in Bangalore. Please save me from fear of going to jail by repealing 377. In my own country, I don’t have freedom. In my own country, I don’t have dignity, Oh lord? Whom should I cry to?”
5) Section 377, quit India: Varun Kumar
Translation from Hindi
My name is Varun Kumar and I work in the field of medicine. I am a homosexual and wish to make it known that Article 377 is a blow to my self respect. It is my recommendation that article 377 be removed from country's legal code as soon as possible.
Thank you
Article 377, quit India!