The Supreme Court will on Thursday pronounce its judgement on the validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalises homosexual acts. In July, a Constitution bench reserved its verdict in the matter after hearing arguments on a batch of petitions demanding amendments to the section. The 19th-century law criminalises anal and oral sex, referring to it as “unnatural sex, against the order of nature”, punishable with life imprisonment.

The court has said that it will examine whether the section violates fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The Centre did not take a stand in the matter, leaving it to the “wisdom of the court”.

Here are ten articles exploring the struggle for LGBT rights:

  1. Why the Centre wants Supreme Court to stick only to sexual rights of LGBTQ community: Once it is declared that they have the same civil rights as any other citizen, it would require amending laws governing a gamut of issues.
  2. How India’s battle to decriminalise gay sex could end up mirroring US struggle for abortion rights: At the heart of both debates lies the right to privacy.
  3. Supreme Court’s Right to Privacy judgment opens door to gay sex being decriminalised in India: ‘The right to privacy and the protection of sexual orientation lie at the core of the fundamental rights,’ the court said.
  4. Seven poems to remind us of desire in all its forms: Section 377 is still in place. The poets are still writing poetry.
  5. Buggery, bribery and a committee – how homosexuality was decriminalised in Britain: The legacy of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which partially decriminalised male homosexuality 50 years ago.
  6. LGBTQ people from West Asia and North Africa share stories of self-discovery: ‘It’s not a disease. You’re not against religion or Islam. You’re not against culture, or the state, or your family.’
  7. How Indian TV is missing the mark on same-sex relationships: The quantity of programmes with LGBT characters has increased, the quality only slightly.
  8. How writers in West Asia are using the pen to fight anti-LGBT stigma and oppression: Many Armenian, Persian and Kurdish artists and activists address homosexuality and gender issues through their work.
  9. From gay Nazis to ‘we’re here, we’re queer’, a century of arguing about gay pride: Pride exploded old worries about discretion when it arrived in cities around the world in the 1970s. Pride revelled in gaudy accessories.
  10. When will marriages and workplaces become queer-friendly?: A sensationalist news story about a ‘lesbian wedding’ throws the vulnerability of LGBTIQ people into sharp relief.