Mizoram: Church warning against homosexuality

Even as controversy rages on gay rights in India, following a High Court verdict in its favour, the church in Mizoram has kicked off a controversy by threatening to act against homosexuality.

On Saturday, the Baptist Church of Mizoram (BCM) said it would take ''strong punitive action'', including excommunication, against homosexuals in the flock. The highest assembly of the BCM, the second most powerful Church body in Mizoram after the Presbyterian Church, has effectively ruled that homosexuality should be outlawed, Church leaders said in Aizwal. Over 900 Baptist Church leaders attended the meeting held at BCM Bazaar Church at Lawngtlai in south Mizoram, about 300 km from Aizwal.

According to the BCM guidelines, same-sex relationships, abortions and birth control are strictly prohibited in Mizoram.

The Delhi high court struck down last July Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalized consensual gay sex among adults. The court had then observed that the section violated fundamental rights of life and liberty and the right to equality as enshrined in the Constitution. That resulted in many gay couples coming out of the closet and holding rallies. Capital New Delhi now has exclusive bars for gays and lesbians.

- Asian Tribune -