India’s Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea to legalize same-sex marriage, a stinging setback for gay people seeking equal rights in this socially conservative country of 1.4 billion people.
A five-member bench of judges ruled unanimously against the petitioners, with the chief justice saying it was up to Parliament to create any laws recognizing same-sex unions.
Still, it offered a few glimmers of hope to same-sex marriage proponents, if largely rhetorical in some cases.
The judges ruled that transgender people can marry other transgender people, and expanded the definition of discrimination.
Among the four opinions they issued in the ruling, some were pointedly sympathetic to the petitioners.
Persons:
”, Anjali Gopalan
Organizations:
Foundation
Locations:
India’s, New Delhi