A historical judgement: Karan Johar on decriminalization of Section 377

A vocal supporter of gay, transgender and lesbian rights in the Hindi film industry, filmmaker Karan Johar praised the Supreme Court of India's verdict to repeal the oppressive section 377 as a 'historic judgement'. The director praised the decision on his Twitter, calling it 'a huge thumbs up for humanity and equal rights'. 

On Thursday (6 September), the SC decided to repeal the section 377 which discriminated against the individual rights of gay, lesbian and transgender individuals across the country. The decision comes as a welcome relief for many members in the community, and supporters of human rights across the country. 

In their verdict, the bench, led by chief justice Dipak Mishra, observed, "Section 377 is arbitrary. LGBT community possess rights like others. Majoritarian views and popular morality cannot dictate constitutional rights." 

Johar, who has been an outspoken supporter of the cause for a long time, was first to share his thoughts on the decision. 

While he has never himself discussed his sexuality, Johar has been an ardent supporter of the cause. In 2017, his book, An Unsuitable Boy, quoted him, "Everybody knows what my sexual orientation is. I don't need to scream it out. If I need to spell it out, I won't only because I live in a country where I could possibly be jailed for saying this." 

Back in 2014, when the issue was still on the boil, the director was among the few who stepped up in support of the LGBT community fighting against Section 377.