What is your take on the SC verdict on sec 377?

Gay sex is a criminal offence - so says Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This SC ruling is viewed as the deceleration of the Indian mindset, putting us exactly where we were 150 years ago. The prime rationale behind criminalizing consensual homosexual relations is that such sexual activities are "against the law of nature". Going by the utilitarian concept, if the sole purpose of sex is procreation, then any form of intercourse that does not result in reproduction should be branded as unnatural. By that logic, every Indian indulging in any form of sexual activity for any reason other than conception should be criminalized. So should be all those companies producing birth control pills and condoms, as their products eventually intercept in the natural outcomes of sexual activities. We boast of the worlds largest constitution. Ironically, the worlds largest constitutions legal framework antagonizes the very fundamental rights of its citizens. And whether or not the SC or the homophobic individuals like it, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals are as much the citizens of India as their straight counterparts. Albeit a minority group, they too are entitled to the rights of equality, liberty, privacy and dignity. This regressive law not only deprives homosexuals of their fundamental rights, but also paves way for a life of assault, harassment and shame in the eyes of the very society which they are a part of. This law grades them as second-class citizens who cannot lead life the way they want; they must again hide under the covers of the so-called normalcy, ending up in unhappy marriages or being laughed at and assaulted for attempting to be themselves. The Supreme Court, in its contention that the ruling would be a step to curb the spreading of HIV/AIDS, safely ignores the fact the United Nations intervention programmes in this matter have been highly successful in the BRIC nations - Brazil and China, and India too could be an example of such success. Instead, our legal system chose to make criminals out of consenting adults wishing for a life of freedom irrespective of their sexual orientation. In an era when technology and network have shrunken the world into a smaller entity, India becomes a prominent symbol of hypocrisy and injustice, and the whole world gets to mock at us for this leap into the Dark Ages!