On Thursday (December 10), Bhutan’s Parliament decriminalized same sex relations and homosexuality, following a joint sitting of both houses voted to amend two articles of the criminal code that now reads “homosexuality between adults shall not be considered unnatural sex.”
“After a thorough and prolonged discussion on all the recommendations of the Joint Committee, the Joint Sitting adopted the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2019 with 63 Yes and 6 abstaining out of the 69 members present and voting.”, a press release by the National Assembly of Bhutan read.
This makes the tiny Himalayan kingdom the latest Asian nation to take steps towards easing restrictions on same-sex relationships. Notably, adhering to the constitutional monarchy system followed in Bhutan, the bill is not passed until approved by the King of Bhutan.
“Homosexuality will not be considered as unnatural sex now,” member of the National Assembly Ugyen Wangdi was quoted saying in Reuters
Rights activist Tashi Tsheten said he was “thrilled and really happy” over the parliament’s move, calling it a “victory” for the LGBT+ community.
“I think the bill being passed on Human Rights Day itself is a momentous day for everyone in Bhutan,” Tsheten, the director of LGBT+ group, Rainbow Bhutan, were quoted in a report by Reuters. “I believe everyone who has stood up for the LGBT+ community in Bhutan is going to celebrate today as this is our victory”.
In Bangladesh and Pakistan, both Muslim-majority nations, gay relationships are illegal, and gay rights activists routinely face discrimination. In a report last year, Human Rights Watch urged Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka to follow India and decriminalize colonial-era laws that had criminalized gay sex.