India Decriminalizes Gay Sex

Uh oh, conservatives: Have activist judges taken over India too? The Guardian reports that the Delhi high court decriminalized homosexuality in the country's capital, Delhi, on Thursday. According to the Guardian, the court ruled that "treating consensual gay sex as a crime was a violation of fundamental rights protected by India's constitution." Gay sex has been illegal in India since British colonial times when it was ruled "against the order of nature." The law banning it carried a 10-year prison sentence. While seldom prosecuted, the law against gay sex had been used to harass people. Health experts had argued that the 1861 law made HIV and AIDS prevention difficult as homosexuals were reluctant to come forward because they feared harassment. The court verdict could still be challenged in India's supreme court.