It’s Pride month around the world and there couldn’t have been better news from Bhutan as the Himalayan Kingdom’s parliament decriminalises homosexuality in a landmark move. The LGBTQ community in Bhutan are celebrating this victory after the announcement was made on Saturday, 08th June, 2019, and rightly so.
According to reports, the lower house voted in majority against the removal of two sections of the 2004 criminal code which termed “unnatural sex” as illegal on Friday.
Namgay said that imposing these sections has become unnecessary since Bhutan became a constitutional monarch in 2008. He further added that, “There is a high degree of acceptability of the LGBT community in our society.”
After hearing the verdict, Tashi Tsheten of Rainbow Bhutan that represents the country’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community said, “We are a small and marginalized community and when our rights are discussed in parliament, it makes us extremely happy.”
The upper house will be reviewing the bill today (Monday, 10th June 2019) but, according to Daily Star, Namgay says, “he is optimistic that the code sections will definitely be scrapped in the upper house too.”
The bill will be sent for royal assent once it is passed by the National Council which is the upper chamber.
Here is what Twitter had to say about this move:
We hope the upper house makes a landmark decision for the LGBTQ community.