by Rex Wockner
Hundreds of gays and lesbians took part in New Delhi's 10-day "Nigah QueerFest '07" that began May 26 with a film night.
Organizers said the festival was a celebration of gayness and a protest against Penal Code Section 377, the law that criminalizes "carnal intercourse against the order of nature" under threat of 10 years in prison.
The law is not usually enforced but gives police a weapon with which to harass and solicit bribes from gays and scuttle HIV-prevention activities, activists say.
According to a Reuters report, "If couples refuse or are unable to pay a bribe, they are often put in dingy cells, brutally beaten and humiliated."
A case against Section 377 has been moving slowly through the court system for several years.
Other QueerFest events included seminars, photo exhibits, performances and a candlelight vigil.
