India court rules on constitutional challenge to Sodomy/Unnatural Acts law

A decision by the Supreme Court on a constitutional challenge to repeal Section Fifty-Three of Belize’s Criminal Code remains pending, despite closing arguments in early May by high-powered attorneys representing Caleb Orozco and the Government of Belize, as well as the Council of Churches. The challenge seeks to have struck out a ten year prison sentence for same sex individuals who engage in carnal knowledge against the order of nature. This matter comes up because of a similar case in India, which is the largest Commonwealth country.  Back in 2009, a lower court ruled that the country’s Sodomy/Unnatural Acts law was unconstitutional and subsequently struck out a similar claim being brought by Orozco.  The decision was breakthrough for gay rights in India.  But on December eleventh that ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court, declaring that the law was not unconstitutional and that it remains.  According to the judges who presided over the matter, only lawmakers can change a colonial-era law which bans homosexual acts. Efforts to repeal colonial-era anti-sodomy laws have failed to pick up steam in Africa and Asia, but there have been significant gay rights progress in Latin America.