The Indian Supreme Court decision referenced Pant versus Nepal, a 2007 Nepal Supreme Court decision, several times. That case led to a similar outcome in Nepal – an expression of dignity and equality before the law from the highest court to LGBT communities has been a boon for achieving tangible progress. Not so in Sri Lanka. In 2016, Human Rights Watch released a report on the abuses the LGBT community faces in Sri Lanka, based on extensive interviews with LGBT people as well as with members of medical and other professional groups. Sri Lanka has near identical provisions to India’s in the criminal code, Sections 365 and 365A, which also criminalize same-sex conduct.
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