New Delhi: NCP MP Supriya Sule on Friday introduced a private member bill in Lok Sabha seeking the same legal rights for LGBTQIA couples that heterosexual couples have and to legalise same-sex marriage. Another private member bill on a similar issue was introduced on the same day by DMK MP DNV Senthilkumar S which sought rights for LGBTQIA persons so that they can have a life of dignity.
The bill introduced by Sule seeks to amend the Special Marriage Act, 1954 to solemnize such marriages and proposes to set the age of marriage at 21 years when both parties are male and 18 years when both parties are females. The bill seeks to replace the words husband and wife with spouse by amending the various sections of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. In the statement of 'Objects and Reasons of the bill, Sule said that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (questioning), intersex, and agender (LGBTQIA) individuals still face "persecution, discrimination and social stigma within society".
The Supreme Court in 2018 struck down section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and decriminalized homosexuality. Referring to another Supreme Court judgment, Sule said that despite the decriminalization of homosexuality, "LGBTQIA individuals are still unable to marry and raise their own families". "Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to amend the Special Marriage Act, 1954, to legalize same-sex marriage, and provide legal recognition to married LGBTQIA couples," she added.
(With agency inputs)
