UN welcomes India's verdict to end stigma against LGBT community

Welcoming the Supreme Court's verdict on Thursday decriminalizing homosexuality, the UN said the verdict will help eliminate stigma and discrimination against the LGBTIQ community.

"Sexual orientation and gender expression form an integral part of an individual's identity the world over, and violence, stigma, and discrimination based on these attributes constitute an egregious violation of human rights.

"LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transsexual, intersex and queer/questioning) persons across the world continue to be the targets of violent attacks and are affected by multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination based on age, gender, ethnicity, disability, and social status," the UN said in a statement.

"The UN in India sincerely hopes that the court's ruling will be the first step towards guaranteeing the full range of fundamental rights to the LGBTIQ persons.

"We also hope that the judgment will boost efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination against them in all areas of social, economic, cultural and political activity, thereby ensuring a truly inclusive society.

"The focus must now be on ensuring access to justice, including remedy; effective investigations of acts of violence and discrimination; and effective access to economic, social and cultural rights," it added.

In a historic verdict, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra decriminalized homosexuality between consenting adults by partially striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as unconstitutional.