Bhutan House approves bill decriminalising homosexuality – Times of India

KATHMANDU: A joint sitting of both houses of Bhutan’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday to legalise gay sex, making it the latest Asian nation to take steps towards easing restrictions on same-sex relationships.
Lawmaker Ugyen Wangdi, the vice-chairperson of a joint panel considering the changes, said 63 of the total 69 members of both houses of parliament had voted in favour of amending the code to scrap the provision. Six members were absent. “Homosexuality will not be considered as unnatural sex now,” Wangdi said on phone from the capital city of Thimphu, without giving details. The changes still need to be approved by the King of Bhutan to become a law.
Rights activist Tashi Tsheten said he was “thrilled and really happy” over the move, calling it a “victory” for the LGBT+ community.
Neighbouring India removed a centuries-old colonial prohibition on gay sex in 2018. In Nepal, authorities will count LGBT+ people for the first time in the national census next year to help sexual minorities gain better access to education and health schemes. Same-sex sexual relations are still outlawed in 68 countries, with the death penalty in place in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia. Another 27 nations impose maximum penalties for gay sex.