The tiny Himalayan kingdom¡¯s parliament, became the latest to decriminalise homosexuality. The lower house of Bhutan overwhelmingly voted late June 7 to repeal two sections of the 2004 criminal code which made ¡°unnatural sex¡± illegal.
Finance Minister Namgay Tshering, who submitted the recommendation to repeal sections 213 and 214 of the penal code, said they had become ¡°a stain¡± on the country¡¯s reputation, said an AFP report.
Namgay Tshering said the sections had become redundant since Bhutan became a constitutional monarchy in 2008. ¡°There is a high degree of acceptability of the LGBT community in our society,¡± he said.
The world¡¯s happiest country got another reason to cheer with the landmark move.?
LGBT Bhutan said a lot more work needed to be done to change social attitudes and spread awareness of the challenges faced by members of their community.?
"We have a big number of people supporting the LGBT people but still, a lot more is to be done /talked about," the group posted in a message on Facebook.
As of now, there are no massive pride parades or other public display in Bhutan.