Anubumani Ramadoss will surely be the most remembered Health Minister of India. Agreed that he received a lot of flak for his rigorous anti-tobacco campaign and the AIIMS controversy, I bet the gay community of India will always be grateful to the man. Attending the World AIDS meet in Mexico, Ramadoss made a controversial statement when he said, “The fight against AIDS will be significantly advanced when homosexuality is legalized in the country.” Now, this was a complete shocker for the conservative and homophobic Indian community. Currently under section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, men who have sex with men are regarded as criminals as this act is “against the order of nature”.
Well, he makes sense to me. AIDS is a result of multiple partners, among other reasons. So legalising homosexuality will make people more open about their sexual status. Also, dependence on drugs will be reduced. A recent study by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) finds that a majority of drug addicts in the Indian subcontinent are in fact HIV positive. The report added that most drug users fell in the age group of 21 to 30 years and that just 20 percent of them used a condom before having sexual intercourse!
Via newslocale
Tags: 377, aiims, anti-tobacco, Anubumani Ramadoss, condom, drugs, gay, Health, health minister india, homosexuality, indian penal code, intercourse, legalise, mexico, multiple partners, News, UNODCC, world aids meet