...including his own father, of which he speaks in the piece.

So, how are gay people (of which he is as well) treated in India again? Is section 377 any closer to being repealed?

India lives in several centuries at once.

Homosexuality is technically illegal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_India but you can be openly gay, married to your partner and receive national honors from the President of India. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Rodricks http://www.nri.goa.gov.in/wendell%20Rod.jpg

His father was killed in Pakistan!

Section 377 was enacted by british, the only opponents to its repeal in the current pending supreme court case are Catholic and Muslim organizations not a single hindu organization. And oh several ministers in the ruling party have called on supreme court to render it unconstitutional. So get your facts straight.

Let me clarify: The author mentions that his father was killed in Pakistan. That doesn't sound like an apologist for Pakistan.

But the last vote was not exactly close.

Pakistan has tumbled so down, that its impossible to apologise for, but author did commit sin of comparing india as if the situation in both countries were similar. India has as many muslims as pakistan, yet there hasn't been a single incidence of large scale sectarian violence directed against them in last decade, in Pakistan its a monthly occurrence.

Regarding vote. What vote? The sham vote pulled by an outgoing congress MP in a parliament session that was obstructed by his own party members. The ones who refused a vote (and haven't still) on important economic & tax legislations. It was his own party with him as a minister that was in power for several years when the initial supreme court decision was made. And that the biggest obstacle to indian parliament passing any gay rights legislation would not be BJP but rather from smaller parties which are trying to appease minority religious groups. While section 377 gets all the attention, the Indian parliament is also working on a transgender rights bill, which given indian context and historical discrimination faced by them is of higher a importance. Indian politics due to the fact that its a functioning democracy is complicated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_Transgender_Persons_...

Please don't feed flamewars on HN.