Australia and India

Ten of Swords

Sad news. It seems that both of these nations have taken steps in the wrong direction regarding LGBT rights over the last few days

Australia's supreme court has overturned the law allowing same-sex marriage. 27 newlywed couples have now discovered that their marriages have been invalidated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25344219


Homosexuality is also once again a criminal offence in India after it's supreme court overturned a 2009 law decriminalizing it

http://world.time.com/2013/12/11/homosexuality-is-criminal-again-as-indias-top-court-reinstates-ban/

greeneyes2013

Ten of Swords wrote: »

Sad news. It seems that both of these nations have taken steps in the wrong direction regarding LGBT rights over the last few days

Australia's supreme court has overturned the law allowing same-sex marriage. 27 newlywed couples have now discovered that their marriages have been invalidated.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-25344219


Homosexuality is also once again a criminal offence in India after it's supreme court overturned a 2009 law decriminalizing it

http://world.time.com/2013/12/11/homosexuality-is-criminal-again-as-indias-top-court-reinstates-ban/

Isnt it a sad state of affairs, you'd think we would be making progress not losing ground in this day and age



Australia is particularly surprising... i would have considered that a very progressive country like canada, to give it and then take it back and invalidate someone's union is ultra insulting ....they shouldnt have allowed the marriages happen until the bill had been fully passed through all courts and contested to the highest court

india is shocking too, for a very modern, tech-savvy society

Annasopra

greeneyes2013 wrote: »

Isnt it a sad state of affairs, you'd think we would be making progress not losing ground in this day and age


Australia is particularly surprising... i would have considered that a very progressive country like canada, to give it and then take it back and invalidate someone's union is ultra insulting ....they shouldnt have allowed the marriages happen until the bill had been fully passed through all courts and contested to the highest court

india is shocking too, for a very modern, tech-savvy society

Australia isn't particularly progressive!!!!!!!!!!!!

Racism is a big problem there

They treated Julia Gillard like crap cause she was a woman (opposition party dinner with "'Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail, Small Breasts, Huge Thighs & A Big Red Box'" FFS)

I mean just look at the views Tony Abbott, Prime Minister

Here, we researched some of the new prime minister's most memorable quotes produced over the years:

“Abortion is the easy way out. It’s hardly surprising that people should choose the most convenient exit from awkward situations.” March 17th, 2004

“While I think men and women are equal, they are also different and I think it's inevitable and I don't think it's a bad thing at all that we always have, say, more women doing things like physiotherapy and an enormous number of women simply doing housework.” 2010

“The problem with the Australian practice of abortion is that an objectively grave matter has been reduced to a question of the mother’s convenience.” March 17th 2004

“We just can’t stop people from being homeless if that’s their choice.” February 11th, 2010

“Jesus knew that there was a place for everything and it’s not necessarily everyone’s place to come to Australia.” April 5th, 2010

“Why isn’t the fact that 100,000 women choose to end their pregnancies regarded as a national tragedy approaching the scale, say, of Aboriginal life expectancy being 20 years less than that of the general community?” March 17th, 2004

“What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it’s going to go up in price and their own power bills when they switch the iron on are going to go up.” February 8th, 2010

“The climate change argument is absolute crap, however the politics are tough for us because 80 per cent of people believe climate change is a real and present danger.” February 2nd, 2010

“I won't be rushing out to get my daughters vaccinated [for cervical cancer], maybe that's because I'm a cruel, callow, callous, heartless bastard but, look, I won't be.” November 9th, 2006

“I would say to my daughters if they were to ask me this question... [their virginity] is the greatest gift that you can give someone, the ultimate gift of giving and don't give it to someone lightly, that's what I would say.” January 27th

“The problem with the Australian practice of abortion is that an objectively grave matter has been reduced to a question of the mother’s convenience.” 2010

unfortunately

It is sad to see these reversals but these were both court rulings which usually rule on whether a law is consistent under a countries laws rather than a judgement on the law itself.

In India the Supreme court overturned the ruling of a High court decriminalising gay sex, saying only the government could change it.

In Australia, the High court overturned it because it contradicted federal laws that defined marriage as male-female.

The court is actually doing it's job (at least in the Australian example), hence why we are having a referendum to make sure that something like this couldn't happen in Ireland.

It is all sad news but they were overturned for legalistic reasons rather than popular demand or some political movement which I suppose makes it a bit better.

NuMarvel

The Indian Government looks like they're considering changing the law to decriminalise homosexuality (from here):

India's law minister said Thursday that the government has not abandoned efforts to make homosexuality legal, saying the country must take swift action to challenge a Supreme Court decision banning same-sex relations.

The minister, Kapil Sibal, said he was for decriminalizing homosexuality, hinting that the government could seek a judicial review of Wednesday's Supreme Court decision or that Parliament could enact a new law.

"We need to take quick and firm action," he told reporters, noting that millions of people in India do not want homosexuality to be a criminal offense.

LegacyUser

I'm not surprised as Australia is extremely right wing conservative. I was dismayed at the recent referendum in Croatia and I haven't heard any response from Brussels on the matter.