By: Jessica Ties
Impunity Watch, Asia

NEW DELHI, India – Gay rights activists are outraged at statements made by India’s health minister in which Ghulum Nabi Azad described homosexuality as “unnatural” and a “disease” from the West and implied that homosexuality is responsible for the majority of India’s HIV rate.

Azad is quoted as stating “Unfortunately there is this disease in the world and in this country where men are having sex with other men, which is completely unnatural and shouldn’t happen, but it does.”

The remarks were made at a conference in which officials addressed the fact that HIV has affected approximately 2.5 million people living in India and 7.3 percent of homosexuals have been diagnosed with HIV.

The statements came as some parts of India have begun to increase their acceptance of homosexuals and homosexuality. In July 2009, homosexuality was decriminalized by New Delhi’s highest court which found that “consensual sex amongst adults is legal, which includes even gay sex and sex among the same sexes.”

Anjali Gopalan, founder and executive director of the Naz Foundation which fights the spread of HIV, has said that Azad “let a golden opportunity pass, for narrow sectarian gains, when he should have used the platform to address the concerns of the country as a while.”

Following the backlash resulting from the statements, Ghulum Nabi Azad has since clarified his remarks and stated that the statements were taken out of context.

For more information, please see:

CNBC – AP News in Brief at 5:58 am EDT – 5 July 2011

The Hindu – Azad Clarifies on ‘Gay-Sex-is-Unnatural’ Remark – 5 July 2011

The New York Times – India’s Health Minister Calls Homosexuality ‘Unnatural’ – 5 July 2011