I, along with most other members of India’s LGBT community, am aware of the consistent stance taken by The Hindu on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Now, in light of the historic judgment on same sex marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court, the daily has clarified that the Indian Constitution envisages the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without prejudice to sexual orientation (Editorial, June 30). One hopes that this principle will be respected when the curative petition to leave Section 377 inapplicable to consenting adults is heard in India’s highest court.
Pulapre Balakrishnan,Kozhikode
The writer should have restrained himself while hailing the judgment of the U.S. Supreme Court and criticising what the Supreme Court of India did in Koushal (“Emulating the U.S.’s rainbow moment”, June 30). In his enthusiasm to eulogise the judgment, he seems to be oblivious of the fact that the judgment in the U.S. was rendered through a thin majority, that is, five to four votes, and was not a unanimous one. Judges of the Supreme Court of India are, if not more, not less learned than their counterparts in the U.S. and so we should have faith in our judicial system in interpreting the Constitution and the law in the present dynamics of society. There is no need to put words in their mouths or to guide them.
K.K. Chug,New Delhi
When the Supreme Court of India upheld Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, it implied the natural understanding of marriage as being an exclusive union between man and woman. Tampering with that understanding will prove detrimental to society. It is only a matter of time before the Indian Constitution will also be altered. Either that change will come from judges intent on creating the right of same sex couples to marry or from the legislature under pressure from the LGBT lobby. Both fail to understand that it is not homosexuality, but the sanctity of marriage that is under attack. Supporters of the man-woman marriage concept aren’t out to discriminate against anyone; they simply want to preserve the institution of marriage as it has served society for centuries. The LGBT lobby may argue that gender, especially in child rearing, is inconsequential, but research indicates that children are best raised when this is done by a married mother and father.
Alexander George,Thrissur
