Trikone’s Statement on the Indian Supreme Court Decision, Recriminalizing LGBTQ Peoples

Recently, the Indian Supreme Court reactivated Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, criminalizing LGBTQ individuals in the country. We stand with Indian LGBTQ activists and allies who work to oppose this oppressive section of the Constitution. Trikone, a non-profit working for LGBTQ people of South Asian Decent, has issued a statement, seen below.

As organizations and individuals who value inclusion and justice, we are deeply disappointed with the Indian Supreme Court’s shameful decision to uphold Indian Penal Code Section 377, which criminalizes homosexual sex.  We oppose 377 and any other measure that discriminates against LGBTQ peoples in our communities.  And as immigrant-based groups, we are especially concerned about the impact this setback will have on South Asians who worry that their government does not welcome them.

We stand in solidarity with activists from Naz Foundation, the lead plaintiff calling for a repeal of 377; Humsafar Trust, a leading HIV/AIDS and sexual minority support and advocacy group in India; Voices Against 377, a diverse group of organizations and Indian leaders who oppose the ban; and countless other groups, writers, activists, politicians and community organizers that have worked tirelessly to construct growing spaces where LGBTQ people can live without fear of violence or discrimination in India. We are deeply inspired by their renewed determination to repeal 377.

 

Trikone is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people of South Asian descent, who trace their ethnicities to one of the following places: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet. Founded in 1986 in the San Francisco Bay Area, Trikone is the oldest group of its kind in the world.

For more information about Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, check out Trikone’s press release. 

~Monica Elise Davis
Trikone, Advocacy Director