A landmark ruling in India to legalize gay sex could set an example for about 80 countries which still outlaw homosexual sex, a UN agency
said on Thursday. It would also encourage more HIV victims in India to come forward to seek treatment and information, added the United Nations joint programme on HIV and AIDS.
"We think this will set an important precedence throughout the world," said Susan Timberlake, who heads UNAIDS' human rights and law team. She added that in almost all of the countries that outlaw homosexual sex, "both the law and the homophobia... results in both the denial of human rights of men who have sex with men, transgender people and lesbians, but also in the denial of health care services that they desperately need in the world of HIV."