Section 377: Judgement to pave way for more pluraslitic society, says senior advocate Anand Grover

NEW DELHI: The recent Supreme Court judgement decriminalising homosexuality is a second freedom for India, said senior advocate and co-founder of Lawyers Collective Anand Grover on Friday. This step will ensure that India is a pluralistic society, Grover said while discussing his 20-year-long association with the struggle.

His association with the movement started when he started working for people with HIV in the 1980s. Twenty years back, it was difficult to find a petitioner as people would not come out and identify themselves as gay, he said. “Now, you will see the change. You will see more people coming forward and identifying themselves as gays and lesbians,” said Grover talking in the context of the recent judgement.

He spoke of how the court should step in even if one person’s interest is being violated and is not protected by the Constitution. They cannot be bracketed under ‘minuscule population’, he said.

The senior advocate reiterated that sex should be spoken about openly in schools as well for people to start a dialogue on this.

At the meet, LGBT activist Noor Enayat spoke of her own coming out story and how the judgement made her feel empowered. Speaking of her feelings on the day of the judgement, Enayat said at a time when she was close to losing hope, friends and family reinstated her faith with support. “Umeed - they wrote to me in every message.”

The first thought was that her existence was not criminalised anymore, said the activist.

Enayat said change would not be possible overnight as it is a collective movement. However, the judgement has not only initiated conversations on the issue, but will also pave way for civil liberties. She said she felt relief as neighbours, police cannot harass the community anymore as the law has changed.