Bhutan voted to decriminalised homosexuality

Bhutan voted to decriminalise homosexuality in ‘momentous day’ for the tiny Buddhist kingdom

Bhutan voted to decriminalise homosexuality Thursday (10 December) in a triumphant end to a year-long legislative struggle by activists and progressive lawmakers.

During a joint sitting of the two houses of the Parliament of Bhutan, lawmakers moved to scrap two provisions of the country’s colonial-era 2004 penal code.

Section 213 and 214 outlawed “unnatural sex”, defined as “sodomy or any other sexual conduct that is against the order of nature”.

It saw homosexuality punishable by a prison sentence of between one month and less than one year. However, there were no known prosecutions under the law.

Sixty-three of the 69 members of the lower National Assembly and the upper National Council voted in favour of amending the code, according to the National Assembly website. Six members abstained. Centre-right Druk Phuensum Tshogpa lawmaker Ugyen Wangdi, the vice-chairman of the joint panel, told Reuters: “Homosexuality will not be considered as unnatural sex now.”

The changes now must be approved of by the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Source: PinkNews

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